The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-02-12
COUSIN
LISA
By DONALD CHAMBERLlN

large and thick set form. In other
words, you fancy me to be Russian
II you were to see me you would be-
hold I'll ther small man with closely
cut light hair and clean shayen face,
Moreover l cannot speak q word OF
Russian. ! can only speak English
and American English at that, for
was born I'm the United States and
till recently had never been off the
North American continent.
| My father was born I'm the province
| of Perm In eastern Russia, lying next
to Siberia. He came to America when
he was very young. married an Amer
ican girl and died within a year after
| l was born.
My father brought little money
with him from Russia which he used
| to profit and left my mother I'm com
| Portable circumstances. When | was
| twenty-five letter came to her stat
ing that the farm which had been In
the Shovtloff family for many years
must be sold, and was interested
She proposed that l go to Russia and
look after the matter. / loved travel
and caught at the plan eagerly.
When | reached my fathers former
home i did not wonder that he had
left 1t. The country round about was
thinly settled, though a village had
grown up near the farm. The people
had their own customs, which had
hnn nh 20. Itrh
many generations. Some Of these Gus
toms were very quaint.
Ny father had left brother and a
sister I'm Russia The brother had
died unmarried. but the sister. wild
Ow, still lived. She had but one child,
a daughter, who Jointly with me would
inherit the farm. She was "A very odd,
though very pretty, little damsel
about seventeen years old. could not
talk with my aunt or my cousin be-
cause they spoke no English and no
Russian, but we found an interpreter
who served our purpose fairly well.
There was no hotel i'm the place, and
was obliged to set up a dwelling Of
my own. This I did I'm a small house
which had been vacated. A middle
aged woman who spoke little Eng
lish consented to be my housekeeper
and do my cooking. My aunt did not
invite me to stay at her house. Why
knew not.
The business that brought me to
Russia was very slow In working itself
out, and the prospect Of my getting
away was not propitious. | had been
morning ] was surprised by a visit
from my Cousin Lisa. She came in.
all bushes and with a shrinking man
ner. My housekeeper being present.
saw no impropriety I'm her coming.
but nevertheless wondered TIE 1t. Not
more than to say good morning. | ask
ed the ho,lsekeeper to inquire If there
was anytl ing l could do for my cou-
sin. A few words passed between the
two, and the housekeeper. with some
embarrass nent l thought, said that
there was only one thing l could do
for my coisin, but had better find 1t
out for myself
I concluded that had struck anoth-
er of the TRANCE customs Of the coun-
try and that l might as well let 1t
work itself out. Lisa assisted the
housekeepar In the work. and | went
out about the business concerning
which i h; d come to Russia. | did not
return till evening. expecting surely
that my cousin had gone. What was
my surpris to find her still there.
"How long," l asked my housekeep-
or, '1s Lisa going to stay here?"
always, unless you turn her out
"Turn her out!'
"Yes. Aud you cannot do that unless
you are willing to suffer the resent
ent OF every one hereabout."
"What does all this meanr
"It means that Lisa has offered to
marry you"
was thunder struck. Little by lit
le / drew from my informer that In
this region of Russia when woman
wished to marry man she went to
his house and remained there, await
Ing his at tion. IL he refused her It
was consi Tered great Insult to her
and her family III she had male rela
tives they were likely TO avenge what
was considered slight to her and
them.
While ! had been charmed by my
little cousin had had up to this mo-
ment no Il ought of marrying her. Her
action put the idea into my head.
marriage etween Us would greatly ia
cilitate the settling of the inheritance
In which we were interested. she was
very lovely. very modest, and In her
quaint Russian costume she looked
very pretty. If dressed as an Ameri-
can lady would have no reason, at
home. TO te ashamed of her.
l accepted lisa's proposal and as
soon as had done so sent her home
to prepare for the wedding. My aunt
told me that she had seen from the
hrst that her daughter had given me
her heart. and she had encouraged her
10 act as she had done.
When l took home with me n bride
my mother was surprised. but when I
told her how the betrothal bad come