Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-09-28

We are, / ma mESef seized by DOth
( hands and dragged into the house, my
dusty coat and boots pulled of, and
and myself seated in a place Of honor
beside the immense stove, with brim-
ming tumbler of tea in front of me;
while the driver, a little further off,
lights his pipe with a complacent air /;
as If he took TO himself some credit for
my being there at all
While slipping my tea, and munching
the black bread wherewith my hosts
wife, a stout, fresh-looking woman Of
fve-and-thirty, supplies me al libitum,
I glance round the room, which IS
merely an enlarged and ornamented
copy Of what ! have seen in every ham
let on my road The heavy cross beams
OF the roof, the rouGh-hewn chairs and
tables, the huge tea-uIn the gilt.edged
picture of saint in the far corner,
with a small lap burning before 1.-THE
enormous stove, on TIE broad flat top
OF which my entertainers are wont to
sleep IN wlnter-the broad clumsy bed
with its patchwork cOverlet, are all
there. And there, too, on the opposite
side of the room, is the huge painted
]
which is the Russian peasants pride
and glory, in which he keeps his Sun
/ day clothes, and whatever valuables he
may possess, and upon the painting
and decorating of which he often ex
ponds a sum which it must have cost
him many hard days work and many
a supperless night to raise.
But even i'll their first nasty survey
Of the surroundings, ms eyes have
time to remark one object, which Is the
very last that one would expect to find
under the roof of a Russian peasant,
/ whose sole weapon is usually the short
ax with which he chops his frewood,
puts together his Furniture, builds his
log hut, and occasionally splits the
head of his wife, or father, just OPP
posite where ! sit, hanging upon a nail
IN the wall, is a large pistol, evidently
unused for a considerable time, TO
Judge by the rust which covers it, Our
friend, the staroska, following the ia
rection of my glance, gives a signih-
cant chuckle.
"Iherc's something to look at,
BARN, says he noddIng IN the direc-
ton Of the weapon. " YOu don't often
see those toys in our shops, do you ~
Gwen, indeed, brother, it's hardly
the sort of thing one would expect to
see so far from the town Do you keep
it to shoot the 'tarakans lcockroaches /
with -
My host gave a hoarse believing
laugh, at this not very brilliant joke,
echoed by the shriller treble Of his
wife; and crossing the room, takes
down the pistol from It's perch, and lays
it on the table Some letters branded
into the stock catch my eye, and hold
ing it up to the light, | read "Aprll
It, 1862 | look inquiringly at my
entertainer for the answer to this eng
ma.
II wrote that, says he with the air
of Coriolanus, "Alone | did it," Il
can write, aud read too, or / shouldn't
toe starosta now. ALI the first time
wrote my own name, | felt as grand as
! llla Murometzl
The worthy starostas enthusiasm
somewhat tries my gravity slough |
had already seen the same thing once
and again durug my travels in the IN
terror. The Russian peasant 5 reverence
for 1.-the power of talking by making
marks in a book - is almost supersu-
tious and | rocolloct being considera-
bly, amused at overhearing rough
hewn fellow. with whom | had lodged
in one of the remutcr villages, after re-
citing, TO an attentive circle, my teats
in walking, running, climbing and leap
ing, wind up with, And he knows how
to write!'
"That was the day that | got this
pistol pmsues my Amphitryon; land
good service he did me that day. II it
hadn't been for him / should have lost
a good handful of money, and mayhap
my life into the bargain ~
"Ah how did that happeu}' ask |.
''rhis is inst the time for good
story suppose you tell me about it
before | turn IN.
Nothing loath, my host knocks the
ashes out of his pipe, recharges 1t, and
clearing his throat vigorously begins
as follows "lou must know, then,
Barn, that had cousin, Naslh
Na~,oG by namo, who instead of stick
ing to the village, as dd. was all for
getting away 10 oug ~ tine great towns,
thinking to push his way there, and
puck UP money as 1ul would gather
mucboous In tine wood Aud sure
enough. one day na went OH 10 Mos
COW and after u tame, | .ot word that
bc hui managed to lind work In one of
tine hlE German shops on the kaunet-
ski Mos. sbe was "a lannon's band az
wood carving and ~uUu .lagl. aud that