Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-25

upon which my friend Saunderson served as
| superintendent The lady was a person of a
tender heart, who had been well educated, and
mixed in the best society. At her husbands
death she left the capital and its pleasures, in
order to devote herself to the education of her
daughter, taking with her first-ratc govern
ess and little English girl as a companion
and an English tutor. The little English girl,
by name Lucy Murray, was fatherless, her
mother was unable to educate her, and she
was glad to give her companionship to the
Russian young lady in exchange for good
treatment and an education in German,
French, and music.
Arrixed at the White Village, which she
had never seen before, the 'generalshe" Mrs
General) decided upon living there for a time.
While the old family house was being prepar-
ed tor the reception, she stayed in a friends
house III the nearest town. The former pro-
prletor of White Village had been rich, and
easy with his serfs. He had possessed several
estates of considerable extent living widely
separate from this part of the country, where
he had never been but once in fact he knew
but very little of the White Village except
that it was his, and that the steward sent or
brought him plenty of excuses for the nom
payment, and but little money. 1t did not
trouble him much, therefore, when the peo-
pie on the estate passed to Gen. Obrassoff at
cards or dice he merely said Madame Obrassoff
is herself my authority here) that if the gem
eral made no more of the pigs than he had
made Of them, they would not be of much
use to him. The general determined, how
ever, to make the estate valuable. 1t was in
the same country as his other property, and
would torn a large addition to his income if
well handled. But soon after he had sent off
new steward with the discharge of the old
one in his pocket, and with orders to repair
the house, buy stock, and raise the obrok from
ten roubes to thirty, he died. Thus madame,
good, tender hearted Madame Obrassotf ruled
in his stead until her child's majority.
On the morning after she had taken pos
session, and installed herself comfortably in
her large wooden house, before she had quite
got out of bed, the large plot of grass (Which
served for a lawn in 'front.' was filled with
mass Of human beings clad in most filthy rags,
waiting to pay their respects to their new
owner; the old starost heading the ragmuffins
with evident pride and pleasure. English rags
are bad Scotch are worse, and Irish are still
worse, but Russian rags are beyond all con-
ception When the lady appeared on the
lawn among her ''souls," she was perfectly
shocked by their wretched appearance; and
the starost having marked with cunning salts
faction her aspect of sympathy, advanced first
with "welcome present" lean goose. and
laid it at her feet. He then kissed her feet
and the feet of her daughter, and wished that
all imaginable blessings might be poured down
on their "high-born" heads. He then said
that the present he had brought, was not fit to
give to stanayoy's clerk, tar less to such
high-born generalshe, but it is all now
lett him to give, he was so poor! The rest
of the ragged host advanced and followed
suit, no one coming empty-haaded. Some
gave one egg, others a few berries or bit of
black bread, some jug of kvass or an old
paralytic hen; this one brought starved
rabbit, that one a small paper os salt or a few
carrots. The speeches delivered on this &C.
casion by some of the elder peasants were
similar to that of the old starost. "High-
born lady we are your humble slaves. For
give us for having nothing better to offer you.
We are poor. Look at us with the golden
eye, and have pity. God give you health and
long life to live among us. We are poor, but
obedient. We will all die for you. It's Gods
truth, lady, we are poor" Many of them
shed tears profusely. The kind hearted wo-
man wept in sympathy, and pItied the de-
graded beings from the bottom of her heart.
How How co1d Ssh she exact thirty roubles year
steward over them, to grind more out of
them? Had not this been already carried too
far?
"Starost" said she, "hear me- My hus-
band gave orders before he died that each
man should pay thirty roubles obrok. Has
the steward told you so, and are you willing
to pay it?"
"High-born lady, it is truth. We have been
Id, but God knows we cannot pay it. All
we have is not worth thirty roubles each. You
have beautiful eyes to look with. See these
people. Is it possible that we can pay all this
sum? All, lady have compassion and be an
angel, and make the obrok ten roubles as it
was before.
Steward, said the lady, 'give me your
opinion"
"My lady, honored and obeyed, it is my
opinion that all this is farce got up to de-
ceive you. Don't believe them. They seem
po)r, but suspect them to be the reverse.
cannot prove it yet, but soon will. Follow,
madam, your illustrious husbands designs,
and l shall pledge myself to find the obrok.
l have done"
Here the whole body of the peasants, about
fifteen hundred, at secret sign from the
starost surrounded the lady and fell on their
knees, bowling and crying.
''My Children" she said, 81 pity you. 1t is
sad to look on you with those rags, but must
have some obrok, and shall be content with
ten roubes each, if it is paid without
trouble to me. l wish to be kind and live
amongst you happily"
The starost crossed himself, and so did the
multitude; the starost thanked the lady, and
with many bendings and bowings vowed that
this sum should be paid by the people if he
made them sell everything they had. They
then parted; the lady rejoicing in having
done a deed of mercy, the starost chuckling
at the success of his trick. The new stewasd,
finding his occupation gone, gave notice to
quit, and so anticipated his dismissal.
Next day, while the general was giving or
ders in her new house, and the French govern
ess, the daughter and Lucy Murray, were at
their first lessons, the cunning old starost and
twenty other peasants, clad in good comfort
able garments, and looking healthy and well
to do, unearthed some thirty or forty very
fine young horses of their own breeding and
rearing, from secret spot in which they had
been hidden, and were soon on their way to
the large fair in the government town, to sell
them for from one thousand to fifteen hun
dred roubles; the greater part of which
money, after being divided, was destined for
their secret boards, as soon as can be turned
into hard cash. paper has no chance
against bullion among the peasants.) The
people of this village were to man, deal
ers, breeders, and rearers of horses, who at
tended all the fairs for many hundred vOrsts
around, and only used their own land and
that of the estate for the pasturage. Instead
of being poor they were the richest in the dis
trict, and none could have paid higher