The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-07-05


head I"
80 l would" answered Balakirefl
with grin, but SOMEBODY else had done
that slready!"
At times Balakiretf pushed his wsg.
geries too far. and gave serious offence
to his formidable patron. On one OF
these occasions the enraged Emperor
summarily banished him from the court,
bidding him " never appear on Russian
soil again." The jester disappeared ac-
cordingly but week had hardly
elapsed when Peter, standing at the
window, espied his disgnced favorite
coolly driving cart past the very
gates of the palace. Foreseeing some
new Jest, he fastened down, and asked
with pretended roughness, /" How dare
you disobey me, when forbade you to
show yourself on Russian ground?"
81 haven't disobeyed you," answered
Balakiref. coolly; "I'm not on Russian
ground noww
"Not on Russian groundf,
"No; this cart-load of earth that I'm
sitting on is Swedish soil. dug it up
in Finland only the other day!'
Peter, who had doubtless begun al
ready to regret the loss of his jester,
laughed at the evasion, and restored
him to favor. Some Russian writer's EN-.
bellisheA this story Ia German version
of which figures in the adventures OF
Tyll Eulenspiegel) with the addition
that Peter, on hearing the excuse, an
swered, :" If Finland be Swedish soil now,
itshall be Russian before long'-athreat
which he was not slow to fulfill.
The stories told of Marshal SuvorofT
are of different order, and display,
better than whole pages of description,
the wonderful way in which he con-
trived to adapt himself to the rude
spirits with whom he had to deal, with
out losing one jot of his authority.
What Napoleon was to the French
army, Suvorof was to that of Russia;
now jesting with soldier, and now re-
buking a General; one day sharing
ration of black bread beside a bivouac
fire, and the next speaking as an equal
to princes and potentates. In fact, the
two great sponsors of Russian wit form
a most picturesque contrast. BalakirefS
has very much the character of spaniel
in lions cage-admiring, even, while
mocking his Formidable patron-behav.
ing toward him with half.waggish,
neutrality-suspicious.
ly offending, perpetually forgiven. Su.
vorof comes before us as an uncrowned
king, one whose authority needed no
symbol; an autocrat of Natures max
ing, full of rough, hearty familiarity,
that was in no danger of breeding
and surrounded by men who
enjoyed the bonhomie, while they dread
ed the displeasure of the little, pug.
nosed, grimy man. who was in their
eyes the incarnation of earthly power
and grandeur.
1t must be owned, however, that in
his own peculiar vein of pleasantly, the
old Marshal more than once met his
match. One Of his favorite jokes was
to confuse man by asking him unex.
pectedly, "How many stars are there
IN the skyf''
On one occasion he put this question
10 one of his sentries on = bitter Jan.
nary night, such as only Russia can
produce. The soldier, not whit dis
.urbed, answered coolly, swat little,
md I'll tell you," and he deliberately |
began to count, "One, two, three" etc. |
In this way he went gravely on to a
axndred, at which point Suvorof, who
vas already half frozen, thought it high |
lime to ride of, not, however, WITHOUT |
nquiring the name of his ready reck-
,ner. The next day the latter found |
himself promoted, and the story (which !,
,uvorof told with great glee to his
taff) speedily made its way through |
he whole army.
On another occasion one of his Gen.
rails of division sent his sergeant with
dispatches, at the same time recon.
the bearer to Suvoroff's notice.
The Marshal, as usual, proceeded to
est him by a series of whimsical ques.
ions, but the catechuman was equal to
he occasion. "How far is it to the
noonY' asked Suvorof.
1.-TWO of your excellency's forced
answered the sergeant.
"If your men began to give way in
,attle, what would you do ~
I'D tell them that just behind the
'nemy's line there was q wagon-load of
"Suppose you were blockaded, and
lad no provisions left, how would you
upply yourself?'
From the enemyr'
How many fish are there in the
ca 2"
6" As many as have not been caught"
And so the examination went on, till
'uvoroff, finding his new acquaintance
rmed at all points, at length asked
linn, as final poser, " What is the diff.
erence between your colonel and my
elf"
"The difference is this" replied the
older, cody; "my colonel cannot
make me captain, but your excellen-
y has only to say the word p
Suvoroff, struck by his shrewdness,