The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-01-23
COUSIN
LISA
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN


Shovaloff you Immediately picture a
man with heavy beard, shocky hair
large and thick set form. In other,
words, you fancy me to be a Russian.'
II you were 10 see me you would bel
hold a rather small man with closely,
cut light hair and clean shaven face.i
Moreover i cannot speak a word Of
Russian. / can only speak English
and American English at that, for ~
was born in the United States and
till recently had never been of the.
North American continent
Ny father was born in the province
of Perm in eastern Russia. lying next
TO Siberia. He came 10 America when.
he was very young. married an Amer 4
lean girl and died within a year after
i was born.
My father brought q little money
with him from Russia, which he used
to profit and left my mother in COM
Portable circumstances. When l was
! twenty-five a letter came 10 her stat
/ ing that the farm which had been in
the Shovaloff family for many years !
must be sold, and l was interested.
She proposed that / 60 to Russia and /
look after the matter. L loved travel
and caught at the plan eagerly.
When L reached my fathers former !,
home l did not wonder that he had
left it. The country round about was
thinly settled, though a village had
grown up near the farm. The people
had their own customs, which had
been handed down to them through
many generations. Some of these Gus
toms were very quaint.
Ny father had left a brother and q
sister in 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 4 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 in the place, and
I was obliged to set up a dwelling Of
my own. This / did in a small house
which had been vacated. & middle
aged woman who spoke 4 little Eng.
liSh consented to be my housekeepeT
and do my cooking. My aunt did not
, invite me to stay at her house. Why |
knew not
The business that brought me t.
, Russia was very slow in working itself
/ cut, and the prospect Of my getting
away was not propitious. / had been
| in the village several weeks when one
I Il nv -fcff
, from my Cousin Lisa. She came in,
] all bushes and with a shrinking man
= ner. My housekeeper being present
: / saw no improperly in her coming
: but l nevertheless wondered at it. Not
j. being able to communicate with hel
r more than TO say good morning. | ask
ed the housekeeper TO inquire if there
was anything l could do for my cou
p sin. \ few words passed between th'
= two, and the housekeeper, with som,
: embarrassment l thought said tina
f there was only one thing / could d.
for my cousin, but had better find j
out for myself.
3. concluded that / had struck anoth
; er of the strange customs of the coun
!, try and that l might rs well let i
: work itself out. Lisa assisted TIN
housekeeper in the work. and 1 wen
: out about the business concerning
: which 1 had come to Russia. 1 did no
:. return till evening. expecting surel
" that my cousin had gone. What wa
my surprise to find her still there
:. How long / asked my housekeeI
. er, lis Lisa going to stay here?
- "Always, unless you turn her OUT
Turn her out.''
Eyes. And you cannot do that unles
;. you are willing TO suffer the resent
ment of every one hereabout.'
n What does all this mean
CT ct means that Lisa has offered t
ed marry YOU
as l was thunder struck. Little by Iii
OF lie l drew from my informer that i
this region of Russia when woma
wished to marry Il man she went I
u, his house and remained there avail
bn ing his action. If he refused her
all was considered a great insult 10 he
IRE and her family. If she had male rel:
tives they were likely to avenge VIII,
was considered 4 slight to her an
them.
~ While l had been charmed by II
little cousin | had had up TO this M
ment no thought of marrying her. Ht
action put the idea into my head.
marriage between us would greatly Fl
cilitate the settling of the inheritanC
in which we were interested. She W.
very lovely. very modest and in h'
. quaint Russian costume she locke
2 very pretty. If dressed as an Amer
can lady | would have no reason,
home, to be ashamed of her.
1 accepted Lisa's proposal and ;
soon as | had done so sent her hon
to prepare for the wedding. My au
told me that she had seen from Il
| first that her daughter had given u
her heart. and she had encouraged h
| m act aS she had done