The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-18

| wonderful things. III, 1Of example
YOU go to him, and wish to see one o
your friends who is dead, he will in
falliHly show him to you" ~
Gin what way T'l le# "a
nAh, that is his secret. For, al.
though he is a man who cannot reaC
YES, you may even say, who cannot
speak-yet, in spiritual things, he il
powerful. Especially among the mer
chants he is held iu great respect"
"And this known to everybody IL
the city ?"
tSThose who ought to know it, know
it. But such care is taken, that moth
ing is to be feared from the police
for, whatever one may say, there art
always forbidden things-things which
are dangerous for common people
You know, one can never trust COM
mon peoplep -
"Has he ever shown dead persons tC
YOU 90 / asked ArdaliOn.
He nodded. eyes; he showed me
my father, just as he was when alive.
/ looked at ArdaliOn. He smiled,
played withhis. napkin, and regarded
me with cOndeseension, but firmly
'"That is very remarkable eX.
claimed, at. last. ''COuld / be intro
duced to this gentleman ?n
HNot to him directly. You have to
negotiate through his mother. She is
a very respectable old lady. She sells
decayed apples on the bridge. If you
wish, will ask her."
aYOu will Oblige me-"
ArdaliOn cOughed slightly. "And
the-the remuneration, which you
may please to give-Of course, only a
very trifiing one-yOu will, likewise.
have to give to this old woman. And
iI, for my part, will tell her that she
has nothing to fear, as you are
stranger, a gentleman. You under
stand, il is a secret, and that III no
event you will cause her any unples-
ant complications"
Ardalion seized his waiter with one
hand, and, executing with. his own
4 spine and the tray Almost gfacefIl
manpuvre, turned toward the door.
''Then | can depend upon you"
called after him.
1Rest assured ~ he rejOined, in his
most ineffable tone. ave will con
verse with the good lady, and bring
you her answer"
/ will not enlarge on the impression
which the extraordinary facts related
by ArdaliOn produced upon me, but l
mast confess that awaited with inn
patience the answer which he had
nromised. Late in the evening he
came to me, and said he had not been
abIe.to find the old woman. under
] stood this failure. and slipped three
ruble note i'm his hand, to spur him on
to fresh eXeEtions. Next morning, he
appeared again in my room, and this
time with a radiant c0untenance.-
The old woman had agreed to receive
me.
tfHere, YOU young. rascal, y cried
Ardalion, to a boy in the corridor,
take this gentleman-you know
whittier you, sir,n he cOntin-
ued, addressing me, "Yhen you are
there, have only to ask for Mastrida
Karpowna."
The lad gave q grunt of assent to
his orders, and we went out.
We proceeded for some distance
through the, unpaved streets of the
town. In one of these, it seemed to
me. ore of the most solitary and dis
mai, my guide at last came to stand
! i'm front of a small, twO-stOried house,
and said:
"Here; go to the right"
| Y mounted the stOOp, entered the
hall, and knocked atthe first low door
to the right. 1t creaked on its rusty
hinges, andI saw before me a stout,
\ old woman, in a cinnamon-cOlored
/ kGssdUOikd, lined with rabbit-skins,
and with party-cOlored handkerchief
about her head.
''Mastridia KarpOwna? ?" asked.
az. myself, am she," answered the
old woman, with shrill voice. "Come
in, pray. Will you take a seat?"
The room into which the old woman
led me was stuffed so full of all kinds
of rubbish, rags, cushions, feather
beds, and sacks, that it was almost
impossible to turn round. The sum
light could hardly make its way
through two little dust-covered win
dOws. In one corner, behind heap
of baskets, piled upside down on one
another. something was whimpering
and proaning. What this something
might be, it was impossible to deter
mine. 1T might be asick child or per-
hans a Young dog. l seated myselfOn
a chair snd the old woman took her
positionr upright in front of me. Her
face was yellow, half-transparent,l like
wax. the lips pressed so closely to-
pether that they formed only dia-
gonal line across a host of wrinkles
a mon of white hair bristled out from
under the handkerchief, but the in
famed gray eyes, under their project
ing brows, looked penetrating and
cunning, and the sharp-pOinted nose
stood out like bOdkin, and shifted in
the air as though it would say Aha
what a clever rogue am LIE w
trH'n, you understand very well
what you are about, my lady," said |,
to myself.
In addition, she smelled of brandy.
/ declared the object of my visit,
which, IN fact, as / remarked, must
already beknOwn to her. She listen
ed to me, all the while blinking rap
idly with her eyes and her nose grow
Ting every nlemeRt more pointed and
prominent, as though it were seeking
to. pick up sOmethingB
l1tYes, yes," she said, at length
"Ardalion Matweitsch has told us
about your needing my sons art !
ONLY we are in doubt, sir-o tass
"Wherefore ?'' ! interrupted her.
"As far as I am concerned, you can
rest entirely at ease. am no inform
nAh. heavenly Father" rejoined
4 the old woman, quickly, "what an
idea! How should we dare to think
such thing of your excellency, and
on what ground should any one in
form against US? Do we do anything
wrong? No, my dear gentleman, my
son is not the person to have to dc
with anything improper, or take part
In any witchcraft. God and the most
1 hOly Mother of God forbid ~ And
the old woman crossed herself thrice
Through the whole province he is
the first in fasting and prayer; the
very first, dear gentleman, your ex-
ceIIency. But that is right. Very
great grace has been bestowed upon
him. What? 1t is not q thing of his
own doing. No, my dove, it comes
from abOvew
"Are we agreed, then?" / asked
"When can see your son ?''
II The old lady laid her hand,on be-
cheek. '.-Ah, dearsir, dear sir, we an
m doubt ~ TEEEP f1VI VI ti
AllOn IlcJ hdSllAAlo IAaA JON -
to hand you this" interrupted, anC
gave her O fifteen-ruble note,
The old woman seized 1t at enc,
with her swollen, crooked fingers
which reminded one of the fieshy
claws of an owl, stuck it into th'
sleeve of her dress, considered q few
moments, and then, as if she had tax
en- a resolution, smOte her lips will
| the palmsof both hands.
"Come here this evening at eigh
o'clock,n said she, not in her usual
but i'm a more solemn and subdue6
tone; "but not into this room. Gt
|. straight up into the second story, ant
YOU VIII find door on the left. OpeI
this door, and then, your exeelleney
you will enter an empty room, and IL
this room you viii see chair. Sea
! yourself on the chair, and wait, ant
whatever you may see, speak not
word, and do nothing. Above al
things, do not speak to my son, for n