Evening star., 1925-09-06

had exceptional opportunities
- to see from near the life of
the different classes of peo
pie. Still. never had I penetrated so
deeply into the intimacy of the COM
mon folk as ] did during my stay at
Lhasa. The hovel where / had found
shelter was the center of a small
caravanSary, where the strangest
specimens of humanity could be met,
The wealthiest guests only slept under
roof; others remained in the open.
All was done. said and even thought
publicly.
I really lived as in a novel whose
plot would have been situated in the
Slums-but what amusing, exotic
slums! They had nothing of the lugu-
brious physical and mental aspect of
those of the West. Everybody was
dirty, ragged, food was coarse and
often scarce, but everybody enjoyed
the great luminous blue sky, the
bright, life-giving sun, and waves of
JOY swept through the minds of these
unlucky ones disinherited of worldly
wealth. None practiced any trade or
craft-they lived as birds do on what
they could pick up daily
Apart from the utmost lack of any
comfort, / did not suffer among my
strange neighbors. They never sus-
pected whom | was, and treated me
them.
Some had known better days. One
was the youngest son of man who
had little wealth. He had married
a well-to-do widow much older than
he and could have prospered, but idle
life. drinking and gambling had led
him to ruin. When his wife had be-
come aged he had taken a concubine,
and after time the legitimate spouse
who understood that she would end in
poverty If she kept her unworthy hus-
band, managed to get rid of him in a
rather clever way.
She called together his and her rela-
tives and declared her intention to re-
tire by herself to consecrate her last
Years to devotion. Her husband, she
said, was in love with his mistress
She did not object to their marriage
(polygamy as we'll as polyandry are
legal In Tibet, but they would have
10 leave her house, to assume all debts
that the man had made and to agree
That she was free from any obligation
toward her husband. In fact, 1t was
divorce. The man consented, q deed
of marriage was drafted and he went
with his new wife.
THE life of the former lovers was
far from being smooth at the time
hoPpSiiSd " Illdh0 their dCQud1nu-
ance. The husband was a good
hearted, weak fellow, but an inveterate
drunkard. who nearly every day, soon
after noon, was lying unconscious and
remained thus till the next morning
The wife more than once kept him
company. Nevertheless, she was more
active and of more clever turn of
mind. Indeed, her cleverness was the
subject of tremendous quarrels.
Hlr Il
his prolonged sleep the woman stole
away his remaining properties-house-
hold utensils, blankets, etc. The wife
complained that her consort had sold
her jewels and gambled with the
product.
When she had raised her voice to a |
pltch high enough to arouse the |
drunkard from his stupor-and that |
feat required strong lungs pic |
turesque dialogue followed. Often the |
man took q heavy stick that he had |
always at hand, being somewhat Grip |
pied on account of gout, and when the |
lady received a first-rate bastinado |
that left her weeping and bruised be- |
lore any one had time to come to her |
help-for the room was very small |
with only one door on the outside
and the cunning husband, who was a |
stout man, always managed to block |
II VIII lilo Lat DOuSy Wu6H, WITH MS |
long stick, he could reach his old |
sweetheart in whatever corner she |
ran.
The miserable house was divided in !
three spaces. The entrance room was |
occupied by the quarreling couple | !
have just mentioned, l had a narrow
cell at one side of it, and a dark room |
at the back sheltered another most !
remarkable pair.
'Thau oil hod
The housewives manners were those |
OF woman of good family. Her hus- |
band, who at the time of their mar
rage owned some property had been !
appointed an officer in the Tibetan |
army during the war with China. |
Then, as had been the case with his |
neighbor, gambling and drinking had |
ruined him.
Complete poverty had not, however. |
abated his pride. He was a very tall, |
rather handsome man, full of con-
tempt for work, who assumed the dig |
nified mein of a knight bearing un-
deserved misfortune. Everybody ad- |
dressed him with Tibetan title some |
what corresponding to our captain"
To accept humble job seemed repug-
nant to the aristocratic feelings of the |
captain" and as the government did |
not offer him a ministerial seat, he |
sion of begging. Each morning, after |
having drunk his tea, my neighbor |
went out, courier bag slung over his |
shoulder and a wallet thrown on it in |
the way hidalgos of yore carried their
cape. Staff in hand, he walked, head |
erect, too conscious of his superiority |
even to condescend to be arrogant O
Captain" did not come back home |
before sunset. Lunch he had some 7
Wnern He fnnlx 1nhpdyr fy1to
hdence about the invitations he re-
ce1ved. He was witty enough to be |
pleasant. He was known all over |
LhaSa. People, amused by his man.
ner, gave him what he requested Incl |
dentally, as If the aim of his daily |
outing was only to call as a. gentleman |
on other gentlemen. He succeeded |
with that method, and his wife and his |
two children were regularly fed with |
the contents of the bags he brought |
back, duly filled, each evening.
X X
THE trouble in the drunkard's home |
grew worse when a turquoise |
ornament belonging to the housewife |
disappeared. At first the latter ac-
cused her husband But innocence
prevailed, the culprit was discovered; |
she was the maid servant--for the |
lady of the small entrance room had !
A maid. Now, a strange question was |
raised. The girl pretended she was |
entitled to get an indemnity for hav |
ing been called a thief. That term of |
abuse, she said, did not apply to her, |
because she had not stolen the jewel; |
she had found 1t lying on the ground /
in the room and had picked it up. |
Men acting as arbiters, as pleaders, |
as counsel and witness, some of them |
having never seen the turquoise |