Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-19
The Three Masked Men.


"Yonder's the village, BARN" says my driver,
pointing to few spots Of light that twinkle
! along the darkening skyline; "and we'll he
there in another quarter of an hour, if it please
! heaven. Lucky for us that it's not winter time,
| or we'd have the grey coats wolves at our heels
| before we cot in"
"Are there many of them about here in win
| tcrP asked I.
"Alanv of them. A good deal too many
| Why, il was only last winter" he goes on, with
/ a genuinely Russian love of frightening himself
and other people, THAT slcdge came into the
! village, which had been attacked by wolves close
] to where we are now, on dark windy evening
/ just like this one; and they gobbled up the
/ driver and the horses, and every thing but the
/ slcdgc itself - aud that was good deal
| scratched
But il they ate up the horses, how did the
| sledgc get TO the vllage2'
"Ah, Barin! answered the old rogue, with a
| chuCkle, "thafS not my affair."
| Our days work has been long and hard one
! as may be seen by the smoking tanks and quiy-
! eting nostrils OF our horses, and the country
| through which we have passed is not such as
one loves 10 linger over. Picturesqueness, in the
ordinary sense OF the word, is sadly wanting TO
Russia proper. All her best scenery is to be
found in regions lately wrested from other pow.
| ers-Finland, the Caucasus, the Crimca. Nor is
| the monotony of her boundless plains DIVERSE
| tied by the abundance of life, which relieves the
| tatness of Holland and the Netherlands. ST.
IBERIA is pcoped at the rate of one nhahtant TO
three square miles. The vast praireS of Central
Russia are little, il at all, more populous. The
new railway from kleva to Balta runs for at
least half its length through q chaos of I'M
cleared forests The banks of the Volga, for
leagues together, are silent and desolae as those
Of the Amazon. Along the whole course of the
Lower Don, from Kalatah to within few hours
sail of Rostov, there is not single town-hard-
~ even q village worth calling such-tO break
the monotony of the voiceless solitudcs through
which it flows. And even upon the famous
"back soil" every spadeiul of which is worth
kings ransom, one may travel for days with
out seeing human habitaton except a stray
| liquor shop, or meeting n human being except
an occasional rObber.
While slipping my tea, and munching the
| black bread wherewith my hosts wife, stout,
| fresh-lOOking woman OF five and-hrty, supplies
me al Hbj,tm, glance round the room, which
is merely an enlarged and ornamented copy of
what | have seen in every hamlet on my road.
The heavy crOSsbeams Of the roof, the rough
hewn chairs and tables, the huge tea-urn-the
gilt-edge picture of a saint in the far corner,
with small lamp burning before 1.-THE epor-
nous stove, on the broad fiat top of which my
entertainers are wont to sleep in winter-te
broad clumsy bed with its patchwork coverlet
are all there. And there, too, on the opposite
side Of the room, is the huge painted chest, bar
red and banded with iron, which is the Russian
peasants pride and glory, in which he keeps his
Sunday clothes, and whatever valuablcs he may
possess, and upon the painting and decorating
of which he often eNpcnds sum which it must
have cost him many hard days work and
many suppcrleSs night to raise.
But even in their first hastv survey of the sur
roundings my eyes have time TO remark one OBJ
iect, which is the very last that one would eX-
pect to fad under the roof OF Russian peasant,
whose sole weapon is usually the short AK which
he chops his irewood, puts together his lurni-
ture, builds his log-hut, and occasionally splits
the head of his wife or father. just opposite
where sat, hanging upon nail in the wall is
a large pistol, evidently unused for consider
able time, to judge by the rust which covers it.
Our friend the starOsta, following the direction
of my glance, gives significant chuckle.
"There's something to look at, BARN. SAYS
he, nodding in the direction Of the weapon.
"You don't often see those toys in our shops"
| do youP
''WeI 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 'taratans'
| (cockroachcsl with"
My host gives a horse 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 its perch, and lays it on
| the table. Some letters branded into the stock
| catch my eye, and holding it up in the light,
read 'April IA, 1859" for the answer to this
| enigma.
q wrote that" says he, with the air of
| Corolanus. "Aloue did it." 81 can write and
read too, orI shouldn't be starosta now. All!
| the first time | wrote my own name, felt rs
| grand as lila Murometz!"
The worthy staIoSta's enthusiasm somewhat
tries my gravity, though had already seen the
| same thing once and again during my travels in
| the interior. The Russian peasants reverence for
| the power Of talking by making marks in
book" is almost superStitiOus; and / reCOllect
| being considerably amused at overhearing
| rOugh-hewn fellow, with whom had lodged in
one of the remOter villages, after reciting to an
| attentive circle, my teatS in walking, running
climbing and leaping, wind up with, "And he
| knows how to write"
'Ihat was the day that got this pistol" pur-
| sues my Amphitryon; "and good service he did
me thatday, If it hadn't been for him, should
| have lost a good handful of money, and mayhap
| my life in the bargainl
"Ahl how did that happen| asked !. "Ihis
| is just the time for good story: suppose you
tell me all about il before | turn in
Nothing 10th, my host knocked Il e ashes from
his pipe, recharged it, and clearing his throat
| vigorously, he began as follows: "Yuu must
| know, then, BARN, that | had cousin, Nasilli
| MoslOf by name, who, instead of sticking to the
| village as did, was all for getting away to one
| Of the large towns, thinking to push his way
there, aud pick up money as you would gather
mushrooms in the wood, And, sure enough,
one day be went off to Moscow, and after a
time, got word that he had managed TO find
work in one Of the big German shops on the
| KOnnetsk Most The was a famous hand at
wood carving and such Ike) and that he was
getting on pretty well for our pIOyerb SAYS,
"Heaycn helps the helpful man. aud Vasilli
was always one To stand on his own feet. And
after that had no news Of him for a long time,
When all Of Il sudden, there came 10 me a big
package OF bank notes, and q letter with them
saving Yasill was dead (may he gain the king
dom of heavenly and had left me all the money
he had saved-sOme two thousand rOuhes or 50
(abOut G2G0)-which was great windlall to Il
poor fellow like me-
"You should just have seen him that day,
Barin,' chimes in, laughingy, the lady Of the
house, who had just finished her preparations
for my further accommodation. 'When he
opened the package and saw the notes he stared
about him like dog that's lost his master, and
all the rest OF the day as though he didn't know
| where he was"
''Well, you needn't laugh at me, Vasilissa re-
torted her husband, with broad grin; "you
| kept on counting the notes yourself for an hour
| or more, and never counted 'em right after all"
And the two laugh in lusty chorus. "YOu may
be sure, BARN" lie continues, turning to me-
| chat wasn't long in inviting my friends to
| come and rejoice with Inc over the good luck
which God had sent; and by seven lin the eve
ming had all ready for 'em--the tea-urn boil
inc, the black bread and bacon laid out dish
| of sailed cucumbers, and 4 hali-gallon OF 'yod.
ka' (corn brandy into the bargain. Just as I'd
| finished laying out the table (my wife mad gone
out 10 buy some sausage) there came knock at
the door. Thinks ], There are my guests
come already, and | went to let 'em in But
when opened the door (heayen preserve us y
what should | see there but three men in black
| masks, and the foremost OF en- with pistol in
his hand-this very pistol that's lying on the ta-
| bic now"
"Oho! that pistols trophy taken from the
| enemy, thenP remarked !. "This begins to
get interesting; go on, prayw
I'm not going to say wasn't frightened"
pursues the starosta. 81 was frightened, and
very badly frightened too, can tell you. But
before | could say word the foremost black
| guard capS a hand on my shoulder and saws to
me, in voice that sounded as if it came down
chimney, Hand over that money you cot this
morning; quick, or Pll send you where
you won't come back again. and | heard
The pistol click rs he cooked it. Well, as You
| know, when needs must there's no time for
| brewing beer so | went to the old chest Wonder
and ont with the bank notes; but in hand ing
them out ] managed to tuck two or three OF
them into my sleeve. The rogue counted them
| twice over and shook his head.
This won't do says he, catching me by the
collar. we know exactly how much YOU cot
this morning, and we mean to have it all; so
out with what you've hidden or it will be the
worse for YOU
Then all at once thought came into my head,