Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-11-25
From Caesell's Monthly Magazine.
Hard Pressed. ~.

Hard Pressed.
aston. go5podln, stop! In the name
OF the blessed Panagia, rein up and hear
me You will be glad to have heark. /
eped, English lord
The crisp shining snow cracked be-
meath the hurrying feet of the speaker,
AZ, painting and breathiess he came
bursting Through the brushwood, and
emerged from the pine copse into the
road, not pistol slot from the two pill
lars of red granite brought from the
Ural that decorated the extremity of
the avenue leading to the country house
hard by. With some difficulty the dirty
or of the sledge-a tall, manly young
fellow, whose fair hair and ruddy cheeks
cOntrasteG forCibly with the swarthy sal
lowness and black elf locks of the Rus
sian mouiik who lad thus suddenly ac-
costed him brought the fiery horses to
q check. $50
"Why, Isaac, my good FRIEND" he
SAID smilingly, ''what news have YOU
for me that brooks no delay in the tell
ingS Has some bear killed a man, and
does nobody dare TO traverse the forest
road until | settle scores with Bruin, gith
the aid of brace of leaden pills from
the big rife? Or have you been so un-
fortunate as TO be again at misunder
standing With the gems darmesf II so,
r." sr.
"ExcellenCy," Interrupted the man,
with a vehement earnestness which made
itself felt, II am here to day TO pay q
debt. We Russians have memory te-
nacious OF kindness, and the poor vaga-
bond, Isaac Pauloyitch, has not forgot
ten that but for your intercessiOn he
would have tasted, before this, of the
black bread and tie kpotted thong il
Jitomir gaol. I've run to day uinetetI'
Versts through the snow to warn you
that the foreigner and the gentleman
who travels the yasilko road this night
carries his life III his hand. kDew yoi
80 be on visit 10 the Baron's yondeF
He's in 10 danger, but woe to every cas-
: from the Dnieper ferry TO Bogpslaw
,sls..:.liIa, Tor they viii be, one and
Nsnctc il esrising, hen, among tie
siS s.eiSrd the young Ensiishsnau,
> .SSamas.
=: Z aid is, answered the young man
6s:Sssi :. fsa&c, with nod The people
of twenty Villages have sworn the great.
oath on the gospels to root out all these
Sobesller, Jagelions, and the rest OF the
Qnbaptised Polish Counts and Princes
shat wiring the Withers of the poor.
1.Do you mean Count Nicholas Galit.
Yin of Czerngorod ?" asked the young
man growing pale as he spoke.
THAT DO, replied the lnouilk. "a
heavy account he'll have 10 settle, the
proud" 4.s
But before the sentence was cunclud
ed the yong Englisbman had slackened
the reins Of his impatient steeds. which
darted off at once, like arrows from the
brow, and, 10 the ineffable surprise of
the garrsious Isaac, the whole cQuipage
rapidly disappeared aioug the road
leading TO the very district 10 which his
warning had reference. -....s -.
In the course of three years resi-
dence in Southern Russia, Edgar Mars
stOn, VINO was manager Of the Land
bank at Faslkotf--a post Of trust 10
which he had been appointed through
the infiuenceof relatives of his, wealthy
members OF the British Guild of mer-
chants at ST. Petersburg gained a
thorough insight into the condition Of
the province in which he lived, and
knew the bitter hate which the Ruthe-
man peasants entertained toward the
land owners, most OF which were Polish
uObles who had won their estates when
Poland was wide spreading kingdom.
He knew, too, that Count GGlitZin was
personally obnoxious to his late vas8ais
for hundred arbitrary acts and petty
exactions, and he trembled lest he should
not reach the lonely manor house in time
10 give warning 10 j inmates of the
approaching evil.
'And Annette is there - said the
young man half unconsciously, as he
encouraged the melted horses to do
their best. Yes, that was the secret of |
Edward Marston's eagerness 10 give !
timely nollce of the coming storm to |
those beneath the roof of the Galitzin |
castle. He had fallen deeply in love
with the Counts young and pretty |
daughter-tbe Countess Annette, as she |
was called in compliance with that
courtly Russian rule which bestows IL
ties on all the members of an arstocrat-
&c family and he knew that his love
was recipfocaied. He had, indeed, been
formerly on terms of intimacy with |
Count Galitzin's household, although, on |
proposing himself as snitor for Ami |
cites hand, he had been met with de-
e:ded refusal.
tivated estate lay IN the banks OF the I
Borysthepes, but few miles from Vas |
ilkoff, and who owed money to the Fl
nancial corporation of which Marston
was the representative; had other views
for his daughter than TO bestow her on a
young foreigner who was neither rich
nor titled, land the visits of Edgar, form
erly q welcome guest at CZerngorCd, had |
for some time wholly ceased. He was,
hswever, aware that Annette, with her
parents, had for several weeks past been
residing at the chateau, and his first I'M
pulse was TO hurry thither to preserve
her whom he loved from the blind ven
geance of the half barbarous serfs, now
on the eve of revolving.
The short winters day was nearly
spent, and when Edgar reached the out
skirts of the village of CzerngorOd, the
sun had sunk beneath the black screen
of sullen pine trees that marked the
boundary of the forest while through
those trees glared an ominous ruddy
light, and shouts, shots and roar as of
an excited crowd came contusedly to
the ear.
'Heaven help them The castle must
already be on fire" exclaimed the young
man, as he saw tall column of smoke
,treaked by fiery showers of sparks and
burning flakes, rise high In the air
What, by this, may be the fate of
hose within !"