Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-04-09

tnelI seats NJ uluneT, tney sat next 10
each other. Monsieur and Madame
Schulz and their daughter Lottchen, who
had seen but seventeen summers, while
dining with and entertaining their guests,
assisted the cook to wait upon them
Beer flowed. Yoorko ate for four; Adri-
an did not cede to him; his daughters,
however, stood on ceremony. The con
versation, kept up in the German Ian
guage, was becoming louder and louder
Suddenly the host begged for few mo-
ments' attention, and drawing the cork of
a sealed bottle exclaimed in loud voice,
in Russian: 1.-The health of my good
Louisap The so-called champagne
sparkled. The host tenderly kissed the
fresh face Of his forty-year.old helpmate,
and the guests drank noisily to the
health of the good Louisa. "The health
of my amiable guests" exclaimed the
host, opening second bottle And his
guests thanked him, and again drained
their glasses. Here toast followed upon
toast the health of each guest was drank
separately; they toasted Moscow and an
entire dozen of little German towns, all
corporations in general, and each one in
particular; they drank to masters, and
they drank to foremen. Adrian drank
sedulously, and was so elated that he him
self proposed some jocular toast Sud-
denly one of the guests, Eat baker,
raised his glass, and exclaimed: TO the
health of thoee we work for---unserer
sRundleute!" This proposal, like all the
others, was joyously and unanimously
applauded. The guests saluted each
other, the tailor bowed to the bootmaker,
and the bootmaker to the tailor, the
baker to both; all to the baker and so on
Yoorko, in the midst of these mutual
salutations, exclaimed, turning to his
neighbour
"What now drink, sir, to the health of
thy dead ones"
All laughed, but the undertaken, con-
sidering himself atfronted, became sullen,
Nobody noticed him; the party continued
its carouse, and the bells had already
rung for vespers when all rose from the
table
The guests dispersed at late hour, and
most of them were elevated. The fat
baker and the book binder, whose face
appeared as if bound in red morocco, led
Yoorko between them to his box, carry
ing out in this case the Russian proverb :
4 debt is rendered honorable By payment.
The undertaken returned home tipsy and
wrathful. Why, indeed" reasoned he
aloud-"why is my craft worse than any
other? Is an undertaken, then, brother to
an executioner? What had the heathens
to laugh at? Is an undertaken a Christ
mas harlequin? / meant to have asked
them to house-warming, to have given
them feast; but let them wait till they
get it. And l shall now invite instead
those for whom l work, my orthodox
dead"
"What, sir =" said the maid, who was
pulling off his boots; "what dost thou
talk about? Make the sign of the cross
To ask the dead to house warming!
What horrorp'
"By ---, shall ask them," continued
Adrian; 81 shall ask them at once, for
tomorrow. Pray come, my benefactors,
come to feast with me tomorrow evening
| shall entertain you with what God has
given me-" So saying the undertaken
tumbled into bed, and soon began to
snore.
1t was still dark when Adrian was
reused The merchant Truhin's wife had
died that very night, and a special mes
senger had been sent on horseback with
this intelligence. The undertaken gave
him tencopeck piece for glass of
spirits, dressed in haste, took droShky,
and drove to Rasgoulai. The police
were already stationed at the gates of the
house where lay the defunct; trades
people were going in and out like
ravens at their prey. The corpse
lay on table, yellow as wax
but not yet disfigured by decomposition.
Relations, neighbors and friends crowded
around. All the windows stood open,
candles were burning, priests were read
ing prayers. Adrian went up to Truhin's
nephew, young merchant in a fashion
able coat, and assured him that the coffin,
candles, pail and other funeral furniture
would be delivered with all punctuality
and without fail. The heir thanked him
abseni!y. saying that he would not bargain
about the expense, but should trust implic-
lily to his conscience. The undertaken as
usual swore that he would not overcharge;
exchanged a significant glance with his
workmen, and started off to make the nec-
essary arrangements The whole day
was spent driving to and fro between
Rasgoulai and the Nikitsky gates; to-
ward evening, all being arranged, he set
tied with his driver and returned home
ward on foot. 1t was moonlight night.
The undertaken mad safely reached the
Nikitsky gates. At the Church of the
Ascension our friend Yoorko hailed him,
and on recognizing the undertaken wished
him good nifht 1t was getting late. The
undertaken was approaching his house
when he suddenly fancied he saw some
one nearing it, open the wicket, pass
through, and disappear. "What can this
mean?" thought Adrian, "Who is it
wants me again? Can it be thief? Do
lovers perhaps visit my silly girls9 1t
bodies evil" And the undertaken was on
the point of calling his friend Yoorko to
come to his aid. Just then some other
person approached the wicket and was
about to enter, but, on becoming aware
that Adrian was nearing hurriedly, this