River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-07-09
MISCELLANY.
A PEASANTS REVENGE.

The schoolmaster who was commission
ed to procure me night guardian, sent
me the prince of protectors, a man who,
it appeared was afflicted with as little
need Of sleep as possible. You will soon
know the reason Of this rare virtue. He
spread upon the ground, near the fire,
his shee lskin cloak, filled his pipe and
lay down This was the real Carpathian
peasant, with turquoise blue eyes and
long auburn locks, wearing still the ma
tional costume, kind of sleeveless tunic
reaching to the knee, and coat ordinar-
lily Of plain blue with arabesques upon
the seams, living upon buckwheat bread
and cheese, drinking water, bathing---
never limited to his cottage and inclo.
sure, to his right to fish in the mountain
streams, respecting his lord, his priest,
and his uerBin. His hard toll, like that
of beast Of burden, ceased only upon
Sunday, when he shaved, went to mass,
and got dead drunk. l talked of liberty
to Stepan---this was the name of my
guardian. But the impassiveness Of Ste-
pan to my discourse upon liberty was
changed to lively emotion as the evening
advanced. "Batko" little father, he
then said, SIT is damp tonight; you
ought to go in; or "Batko the stars are
sleeping; do likewise"
At last every evening it was the same,
with the finale, "Allez-dormir.' Evil
IDENTIFY disturbed him. What did he
do if he did not sleepl One night
made pretense of retiring, and posted
myself behind the curtain which closed
my tent, and watched him through the
opening. | saw him at first going and
coming, picking up dry branches. I'm
perceptibly he approached the wood and
disappeared in the shadow. | waited a
few moments there was no sound.
took few steps in the direction which
he had taken, and stopped. The sound
of words reached me. Stepan was talk
ing with some one. A herdsman, doubt
less, who was asking for the hospitality
Of our camp fire. l re-entered, went to
sleep, and thought no more about the
matter. Two or three nights later | was
in bed, unable to sleep. The night was
mild, very mild, with moon whose fan
tastic beams defined, lighted, and con-
cealed everything in misty halo. Its
silvery softness was more beautiful than
light in it's harmony. l turned, and
turned again upon my couch; it was i'm
possible to sleep. / drank some water |;
/ counted q thousand; no sleep came !;
even the desire to go to sleep departed,
and | opened my eyes wide. What had
inhamed my blood instantly noticed
that the moon was opposite me, and that
she was regarding me strangely with her
round sulphurous face, as if distilling q
luminous poison. Oh, wicked moon 1t
was the same which hung above me
while l slept as child in the cradle. /
shut my eyes, but felt her enveloping
me in a haze; / could have annhilated
her. Whv should she, the sorceress,
come to revive the inexplicable home-
sickness, the implacable craving for ex-
citement, which followed me everywhere
NV heart beat heavily; | arose and went
out in order to breathe.
stopped suddenly. A few steps from
the fire, by the side of Stepan, a woman
was sitting. She was peasapt-in the
dress Of peasant-yet her features had
nothing of the type. The two handker-
chiefs, placed in contrary directions,
forming the head-dress of the women Of
this valley, were united. In the peculiar
light, her head was outlined with the dis
tinctness Of an antique cameo. There
was an indescribable something in her ex-
preston, half.resolute, half-thoughtful,
which is rarely seen among her class.
Her face was pale, large eyes of yellow.
ish cast, like the eyes Of cats, her grace
full figure in scarlet bodice. Stepan
was looking at her, and she was looking
at Stepan, and in the magnificent and en-
ervating glory Of the summer night, il
was no more than a rustic idyl, but the
eternal, the brilliant, the magical poem Of
love.
The moon went down, and about the
dying fire long shadows lowered. The
woman had disappeared. called Stepan
and after having ordered him to rekindC
the fire, began to walk about. Day
dawned, laughed, and | equally reioiced
and complmented Stepan upon his b au'
tiful fiancee. lie sighed and turned
away his head without replying. These
dull mountaineers speak only when they
will. respected the silence and the
sigh. A. .c
neighbor; do not speak Of her in the val
ley"
here, where the barriers Of custom separ
ate me sexes. They never m'ngle. IL
the field, in the public house, and at th'
church, the men group themselves OF
one side and the women upon the other