Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-07-16
SERGIUS RAZOU MOI.

Some friends had induced me to visit
Ostend with the hopeful assurance that
| would be amused At the end Of tif
teen days was still seeking amusement
without having found it, and was about
to take my departure. was passing my
last evening at the Kursaal when man
whose aspect contrasted strangely with
the commonplace faces among which l
had lived since my arrival came and sat
down short distance from me. AS he
did so the people who sat nearest to him
pushed their chairs away, and q murmur
arose among the ladies; eyes were di-
rected toward him, and even fingers were
pointed at him; but the new conner did
not seem to notice the stir, but remained
motionless in his chair,
Mystitied by what had occurred, |
looked at him more attentively He was
tail, with slight stoop in his shoulders.
His regular features were framed in black
and lustrous hair. The expression Of his
face would have been Il naughty one but
for a profound sadness which toned
down its character. His costume was
black, and his clothes hung negligently
on an emaciated body. His age was about
thirty.
A friend of mine passed by Ipointed
out the unknown to him.
" DO YOU know that MANI" | inquired
"Sergius Razoumof, a queer fellow"
You know his history"
So-so A terrible history. You must
get Philippe to tell it to you"
Philippe, then, is acquainted with
him."
q" He knows him very well"
went at once in search of Philippe
a Russian whom had met at different
watering places, and with whom | had
speaking acquaintance. found him in
the Princes Pavilion.
81 want you to tell me Sergius Razou
mof's history"
We'll, let us 90 to supper, and | will
tell it." ! led him to the Pavilion de
pEstacade, and at the second course he
began his narratives;
III.
"Sergius and | were fellow students
at the University of Moscow We both
came from the country, and at home we
were neighbors lie was like young
maiden in sweetness of disposition and
in timidity. His timidity was of such a
nature that one could discern in him the
presence of "a trouble that had weighed
him down from infancy. He spoke but
seldom, kept himself apart from others,
and studied diligently, We liked him as
one likes inotfensive beings, inspired by
that sentiment in which proud pity has
always more or less a share. In fact
Scrgius had experienced "A bard child
hood. His father resided in the COVER
norship of K He was rich man,
mserably stingy and frightfully rude.
His face was yellow and bony his eyes
chilling in their looks, and with the sly
and suspicious expression of miser's
eyes. His wife had died two years after
the birth of his son. 1t was said in the
country round that he had killed her.
She was girl of good family and had
been delicately nurtured. She wished
to rear her child in ease, The old cur
mudgeOn objected, but she paid no heed
to his words. Then the cruelty and ava
rice of this man were developed in all
their strength From this moment the
mother and child were subjected, with
an infeXible rigor, to the lot of serfs.
She was shut up, treated like servant,
and the poor woman died from the
effects
The child grew up under this terri
Bile master, who, from the time Sergius
was six years old, compelled him to rake
together the rubbish in the yard, while
he beat him numerically.
" Il was a dream of his fathers to make
his son sort of head man on his estate,
and to extract from him all the money
that he refused to expend for his educa-
ton. He sent little Sergius to the field
TO dig, to hoe and to labor.
But one day the brother of RazOumof
came to the old house, which, from neg,
iect had nearly gone to decay. He was
very rich bachelor and Sergius was to
be his heir He was a somewhat cult
waited man and he could not comprehend
the neglect with which Razoumof treated
his son He insisted that the child should
he sent Immediately to Moscow to under,
take his studies Unless he does so,
he added, he will inherit nothing from
me The father shuddered at this last
remark as much as at the thought Of the
expense which would be entailed upon
him by the education Of his son. He
wept, entreated, declared that he would
give his son a brilliant education at home
He even sent for diak for this purpose