Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-08-31
and square. thickset. muscular frame

His face was coarse and commonplace
enough-the sallow, low-browed,
weather beaten countenance OF the
genuine Russian peasant but there
was a nameless something about the
broad square jaw and small, deep-set
grey eye, that would have made you
pick out that man among all the SIX for
any work requiring courage and he had
performed more than one feat which
the village gossips still remembered
with admiration in their winter evening
chat round the tea-urn.
All. Vladimir Mikhailovitch -
walter the son Of MichaeD cried the
host, whats this you're thinking of
You that have only been married two
months. to go making VOLTS meat OF
yourselfl Nonsense, lad stay at home,
and take care Of your wife, and leave
wolf-hunting to them that's gotnothing
better to do
Vladimir answered never a word: but
his features hardened like mask OF
iron, as he slowly rose to his feet All
present knew we'll that when his face
wore the look that was upon it now
they might rs well try to move a noun
tain as to persuade him; and they sat
silent, waiting to hear what he would
say.
You say that Nikeetin the butcher
lost q dog last night; did the wolf eat
the whole caIcass 2" asked Vladimir of
the noseless man, in the quick com
handing tone of one who knows that
he must be obeyed.
"No; he hardly got bit of it, the
rascal-that's one comfort :" answered
the old fellow with grim chuckle. -
Feodore Stepanovitch heard the dog
yelp, and ont rushed he and his men
with lights and hatchets, and scared
the brute away. AS for the dog, it's
lying there in his yard now"
Go, one of you, and bring it and
if any one has sharp wood-knife, let
him give it me"
1t was curious to see how absolutely
this man, the youngest and leastimpor-
tant of the whole party, issued his or
ders and how unhesitately the rest
obeyed them. Here, as everywhere,
the stronger mind took the lead, and
the weaker instinctively followed.
The host produced huge, broad
bladed knife, which Vladimir slung
round his neck without a word ; and, a
few minutes later the carcass of Nikee-
tins dog was lying beside the door, He
then drained his glass, and said" You
tell me this brute generally comes about
midnight so between eleven and twelve
| shall take this carcass to the cross
roads, and throw it there as a bait for
him, hiding myself behind the fence
hard by. When he comes up, / shall
attack him and then let it be as God
wills. But you, brothers, mind and
don't say word of this to any one, lest
my Masha Mary should hear of it. If
| get off, there's no need for to know
about the matter at all and, If I'm
killed, she'll hear of it soon enough
God help her ! And now, Aexcy Nix
if you can spare me your
bed for while, I'll take a nap, to fresh
en- me for my work. y
And few moments later, this name
less here (himself all unconscious of
doing anything heroic was sleeping as
calmly as if deadly conflict, from
which he had little or no chance OF es-
Gaping, were not awaiting him four
hours later ON.
Midnight-cold, deary, ghostly. A
dead, grim silence over the lifeless vii
lage and lonely high road 4 faint
ghmmer of moonlight, giving q weird,
spectral look to the halt-seen outlines
of the dark silent log-huts, and max
ing the gloomy depths Of the encirclmg
forest seem all the blacker, A shape
less mass lying out upon the ha d snow
of the crossroads, and dark figure
crouched behind a fence hard b., with
something in its hand which glitters as
the moon falls upon it
Weary, weary work crouching there
in the cold and darkness, with the stiff
ening fingers cmtching the hea " hatch
ct, and the strained ears watchfUl to
catch the slightest sound. Hark was
not that low howl from the far dis
lance No, it Was but the wind moan
ing through the skeleton branches OF
the forest Patience yet Hark, again,
and this time there is no installing the
sound not the long melancholy howl
wherewith n supperless wolf may be
heard bemoaning himself, on the out
skirts of Moscow, almost any night in
the week, but a quick snarling cry, as
of one who sees his food near at hand,
and wishes To hasten its arrival And
there gliding ghost like over the great
waste of snow, comes long gaunt
shadow, straight, swift, answering,
towards yonder shapeless lump of car
ron ON the highway upon which he
pomces with a fierce worrying snarl
that makes even the brave heart Of the
listener stand still for moment with
involuntary horror. Now is Nladimir's
time 70 rush ont at once might scare
the beast away; he must first try to