The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-11-20
A DEAD MAN.

days and nights the weather was lovely,
but on the thirdGmorning, soon after sun
rise, the sky became covered with heavy,
torn and jagged clouds, northcrly wind
arose, and with thunder, lightning, cold
gale, and SHOW, the winter burst on us as
it yearly breaks on southern Russia. In
half an hour the rich, black, rolling
plains had become an ocean of inky mud,
and we reached the post station Of
Donski only 10 FIND the order: inpos-
sihlc to proceed"
brought i'll by fine, upright, gray
bearded man, whom, from his black vel
vet tunic and slashcd sleeves, took to
he the postmaster himself. lie was fol-
lowed into the room by noblc-lookinc
Cossack woman Of his own age who said:
Little husband, why don't you ask the
lord if he will cat Il partridge and a bit
of bread? The kurupatka is plump,
and the day will be long before his
troika can he harncsscd to face the storm"
She smiled eswcctly as she spokc-hc
smiled lovingly upon her; then she left
lis, looking lingcringly back.
Tour Wife is in love with YOU still.
and you with her, postmaster" | said.
You must have treated her we'll when
she was young for her to love you so.
How long is it since YOU were married ?"
am Co." he replied" / was married
at %. tthiirIty-ivc years ago; five years be-
fore died"
"What?" said I.
Five years before my death. Is it
possible that you don't know my death /?
You must have come from long
way off, for have heard that it is told
even upon the Azof."
A ri flrnv-;n,r L.; lo.x,
without more ado, he spoke thus:
" was born i'll 1909, and can remcm-
bcr the return from Paris of nv father
and uncc-Cossacks Of the Don. Those
were grand days, when every Cossack
was an officer by birth, and when the
Herman Platoil' was king of Europe
conqucror of the Turks and of the
French, and friend and equal to the
white tsar. Now, this Petersburg tsar
says that wc'cr no better than his great
fussian slaves, and four years nv sabcr
and long pistol have hung upon the wall
unused; and when have worn nv rod
banded cap and my rcd-stripcd brccchcs,
I've always hid as much as | could of
the stripe in my boots, for Pm ashamed
of it now; and they're even roinr to
take away our privilege of the supply of
salt. fr'' "
IN 1854, as Il young p0stmaster-for
my father was dead-with n rood nloco
and handsome beard, I was The lost
match in the two church villages round
could pick my wife, and | chose Ol~a
that you saw just now"
There" said
All, wait and see! Wait, little lord
Don't be impatient. olga was rs lovely
as she was good. You have seen her IN
hcr 6Utl year; her goodness is what it was
ana, tnough may be az unsafe iudrc
her s,tly8.ty, think, is moi yet gone.
liked at me Lnoddcd.
We were happy at first, but | was
young. felt the chain. was faithful
TO her as far as women went, but not
kind. We had no children. One day
IN ,39 she was III Il low spirit about me,
and flung her arms upon q sudden about
my neck, with: DO you really love
me, little John?' You knowI do.
but not as | love YOU At that very
moment, lord, the devil must have been
unchanged from hell. To tell You what
thoughts flashed iii an instance through
my mad mind would be impossible.
mat what she said was true, That
while did love her in a kind Of w,y I
was bound to her for life whether wo,1,d
or no. In Il fit of wild rage I struck her
one short, sharp blow. She looked NJ
me with despair in her eyes, and I walked
slowly into our other room. I ran INTO
the stable-yard.
Harness troikc,' said l to the star
6sta; ! leave at once for Kharkof with
dispatches that the courier dropped, and
that I'VE found upon the cffoor. Quick
Quick the best courier horses In an
instant instant they were ready. NIcrrily jinglcd
!inglca thc bells in the crisp air Paul
TOOK the relns, and off / wbirlcd. In
twenty hours l was at kharkof TO my
iIienas. the starosta, at the great Khark-
oi station VINO was equal in rank and
sad: DO nc n service, little friend, MS
| would do one for you. am going f. f.
leave my wife, to whom have been I'M
kind, and am going to enlist in The
guards. But / wish her 10 FORGET mo
and she must think me dead. Write to
her i'll week and tell her that I was
taken with the cholera and died. Roo
her to forgive me for my unkindncs,: !:
say that l wish she should marry some
itd more worthy Of her than inysclr
Aiakc interest to have the station con-
tInucd to her as postmistrcss. She ;s :,
priests daughter and can write We
crossed ourselves; he sworc we bowed
TO the image in the corner Of the stable
we kissed, and in five minutes IEwas
gone, at the recruiting office enlisted
ior the empress regiment of ciirassicrs
Oh inc guard, as Il fourteen years vol
ilnteer guard, and in false name. I'd
OF course, no papers, but, they asked no
questions, for,l was fine rccurit NV
beard was shaved nv hair ,yo. ont .I