The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1915-10-08

a fairy story-one feels after
the journey thither as if one
had come up to new world
through trap-door, or even, possibly,
up beanstalk. Anyhow, one is glad
to forget the means of arrival and to
bask In and gloat over the beauties
and comforts around one Let US say
1t is May day. that we are two
(mind not three,) normal. healthy
mortals, come to fairyland to enjoy
ourselves in quiet way and, for
the encouragement of the majority let
us add, an economical way. says w. }.
Clutterbuck in Country Life.
Our temporary home is boarded
doonga,'' a light form of houseboat,
floating on the Jhelum river, and, like
Cinderella's coach. magically ready to
step into. We have enough comfort
to make us feel very lucky mortals.
enough white-robed serving men to
give the impression of lavish attend
ance to our every want Our cook
specially seems to wave a magic wand
and as time goes ON we realize more
and more that he is the good genie OF
this fairyland of ours.
Above, the sky is clearest blue
f1ecked with high. light clouds, cast,
ing shadows which chase each other
over the hills and plain. Round us
stretches the fertile land, bright with
spring crops or brilliant with flowers,
but our vision is caught and bounded
by walls OF dazzling beauty enclosing
this favored land-the snow-covered
Himalayas Wherever we look they
seem to screen US from the world,
and we wonder where the gateway is
the trap-door has closed behind US,
and tant pis. Blue, white and green
is our land just now. the freshest OF
spring green-the irises, which cover
the banks, sometimes for acres, are
blue, the larger irises are white, grow.
ing on the Mohammedan graves usu-
ally occupying little knoll in each
tiny village. The kinxfishers, flashing
in the sun, are blue jewels, turquoise
and sapphire blended. The water, laz-
lily ripping against our bows. reflects
the harmony of blue. white and green.
This peaceful beauty alone might
make us sleep away our days, but
there is too much that is novel and
Interesting round us for that-the peo-
pie who live in the magic valley, their
homes, their works. Brown villages
clustering under magnificent shady
trees, chenar (of the great maple fam
ily), mulberry and walnut mostly,
are pretty frequent near the banks
of the Jhelum. They are of rich
brown because the houses are entirely
Of wood seasoned by weather to this
lark shade. There is no glass in the
windows-they are simply of carved,
pierced wood, or have paper stretched
here and there where panes Of glass
should be. The roofs are OF turf of a
generous thickness on which fine
crop of grass and flowers grows.
Women Always Busy.
Most of the work seems to be done
out of doors, the women are always
busy and chattering in groups, forever
husking rice, or washing clothes in
the river, while delightful children
swarm around and paddle and play.
Husking rice is the great occupation
Of the women's lives seemingly, and
most laborious it is. The rice is
placed in stone mortar about three
feet high. standing in the open air,
anywhere near the houses. then two
women take heavy wooden stumps,
say six feet long. heavier and thicker
at the lower end. and these they swing
on high with both hands, bringing
hem down on the rice with resound-
ing whack, in turn. 1t must be fine
81 ys'cs' exc else. and by the results