The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1864-04-22

the intervals of business, as | went to
and fro to my agents, | amused myself
with observing the revelry Of this great
Russian festival
There were thousands of peasants
deyouring blinni (pancakes) and cayi-
are honey-cakcs, and nuts. There
were swings, see-saws and round
abouts. The great square of the adj
miralty was the chief scene Of the
amuscmonts Close TO the winter pal
ace, the war-ofiice. and the senate
house, there We're scores Of temporary
theaters, and long lines Of ice noun
tains. down which the sledges kept
rushing incessantly amid the shouts
and laughter of the good-natured but
: Withholding peasants At the doors
of the thcaters stood the tea-sellcrs,
with huge brazen semovars smoking
IN the center of their tables, and sur
rounded by countless teapots. The
shop-keepers themselves, in fur caps
and gloves, stood by their stalls, stamp
ing, and clapping their hands, and
shouting: Gentlemen, viii y0n please
to take a glass of warm tea, with lem
on or cream How viii YOU take the
sugar - (for true Russian keeps his
sugar in his mouth, and docs not put
it into his teacup) The admiralty
square was strewn with nut-shells;
here and there drunken bear of a
peasant, mere reeling bundle OF
greasy sheepskin, jostled against me,
and then with the simple-hearted po-
likeness of bis race, took off his hat and
hiccuped out; pardon me, my little
father, but remember it is Butter
week"
One day sailed out into the great
square about noon TO see the grandees
Of the capitol drive through the fair,
and ] never saw such a sight The
line was guarded by mounted gend-
arms, dressed likelanccrs, and wearing
light blue uniforms with brown epau-
lettes. There were Chinese, Turks, Tar
tars, Germans, En6lshmen, Russian
princes, priests soldiers, bearded mer-
chants and their portly wives, Circas-
sian officers, colonies Of the body-guard
in their eagle-crowned helmets, anC
serfs, in a long procession Of carriages
which, beginning at the rock on which
, Peter the Create statue standsrcachec
! ed to the base of the great granite col
umn of Alexander, face the enormou:
pile Of the Winter Palace.
Tired at last Of the procession,
turned aside to one of the largest O.
the wooden theaters. A clash Of mu
SIC from within announced the com
. mencement Of new performance
joining the current of people, old anc
I. young, rich ard poor, who were jost
ling for admittance, l at last made my
way to the pay-place, where n mob O
clamorous moujiks were thrusting on
. their hands with the admittance mon
! oy, in childish impationcc. 1 drew
! back to make way for respectable ole
! grey-boarded merchant and his pretty
. daughter, who, muilied mp in a cloal
trimmed with the fur of the silver fox
r chung to his arm, and shrank back from
G the rough gesticulahng crowd
e thought | had never seen so charming
u a girl, so tender in manner so gentle
Z and spring-hke in beauty. The mer
5 chant and his daughter bowed an,
b. thanked me in broken English for IN,
(, politeness, paid their money, an,
i passed in. | followed rapidly, but
1 crowd of peasants thrust themselves il
!. before me- so that when / took my sea
i / could obtain no glimpse Of the mer
chant or his pretty daughter.
The wooden theater of the Katshel
7 was an enormous building, built, as
y peasant next me SAID to hold fv
; thousand persons. 1t had large gal
Z leries, balconies, and Corinthian pillars
> hung with cheap drapery, and gay witt
c red and blue paint. A vast chandelie
Q lighted up the tent-like interior TIL
y theater was already full when enter
G ed, so that | had to content mysel
with back seat in an upper box, no
If far from the head Of one Of the stair
II cases, as / soon found by the keen
n edged iced draught / amused myself
s while the overture was playing, witt
3 the motley view before me- The Tar
l tar faces, only partially reclaimed iron
st barbarism, were worth studying, nov
e that they beamed with fun. The littl
l. oblique eyes ghstened with enjoyment
% the great bearded tangled heads roll
= ing about in ecstacy. Here and there
( the eye fell on Polish OF Circassia
v face, with large fine eyes and almost
o Greek contour Every now and theT
y a group of grave portly merchants i
d furred caftans and boots, mingled wit
d the serfs, but with an obtrusive resery
e that showed they did so under protest
n Their children, also dressed in caftan
d and boots, were exactly like themselve
$ all but the boards. Nor was there an
II lack of women of the lower orders
p rough, honest, Irish looking women ,fe,
of them in bonnets, most of them wit
IF their heads bound round with colore
It handkerchiefs.
Y, | did not listen much to the music
r it was that brazen mechanical sort {
Il music, without color or life, that n
e one listens TO. By-and-by, it ende
+, with jolting crash There was a me
" ment's pause, and the curtain drew NJ
4 A deep hush passed over the trouble
waves of the pit. The children clutch
t, ed their fathers hands, the soldier
re ceased their practical jokes, the country