The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-11-26
SELECT STORY.
/ Dead MAN-A RUSSIAN STORY.

but on the third morning, soon after
sunrise, the sky became covered with
he7vy, torn, and jagged clouds. north
erly wind aruse. and with thunder, light
ming, cold gale, and snow, the winter
burst on us, as it yearly breaks on South
ern Russia. In half an hour the rich,
black rolling plains had become an ocean
of lakey mud, and we reached the post
station of Donski only 10 find the order
impossible to proceed"
! called for tea, and the samovar was
brought in by fine, upright, gray
bearded man, whom. from his black vel
vet tunic and slashed sleeves, | took TO
he the Postmaster himself lie was fol
lowed into the room by notl looking
Cos=ack woman Of his own age, who
said, Little husband. why don't yon
ask the lord if he will eat partridge
and bit Of bread2 The knrudatha il
plump, and. the dav will he long before
his troika can he harnessed to face the
Storm" She smiled sweetly as she
spoke-he smiled lovingly upon her:
then she left us, looking lingeringly
back.
"Your wife'a in love with yon still,
and you with her. postmaster" said
"You must have beaten her well when
ahe was Young, for her to love Won so.
How long since you were married."
81 am sixty" he replied; was mar
ried at twenty Eve, thirty five years ago
fire gears before died"
"What?" said I.
''Five years before my death. Is il
possible you don't know my story? You
must have come from long way of, for
/ have heard that il is told even upon
the Azof."
And throwing his legs across a chair,
without more ado, he spoke thus:
81 was born in 1909, and can remem-
ber the return from Paris Of my father
and uncle-Cossacks Of the Don. Those
were grand DAYS, when every Cossack
was an officer by birth, and when the
Hetman Platuf was King of Europe,
conqueror of the Turks and Of the
French, and friend and equal of the
white Tsar. Now, this Petersburg Tsar
. says that we're no better than his Great
sRusaian slaves, and for years my sabre
I'D long pistol have hung upon the wall
>slsed; and when have worn my red
ided cap and red-striped breeches.
always hid as much as could Of
ltripe in my boots, for I'm ashamed
-. u now; and they're even going to
take away our privilege Of the supply
Of salt. htE -
ain 1884, as Young POSTMASTER, for
my father was dead, with good place
and a handsome heard. was the, best
match in the two-chnrch villages round.
] could pick my wife, and chose Olga,
that you saw just now." 4
"There," said !. M
"Ah, wait and seel Wait, little lord.
Don't be Impatient. Olga was as love
ly as she was good. Yon have seen her
in her sixtieth year, her goodness il
what it was. and, though may be an
unsafe judge, her beauty, think, is not
yet gone" S sz.ssrs.<
He looked at me. ] nodded.
eve were happy at first, but I was
young. felt the chain. I was faith
fnl to her aa far as women went, but moi
kind. We had no children. One day,
in 1889, she was in low spirits about me,
and threw her arms upon sudden,
around my neck, with
do you really love me. little John?'
"'You know do
"'Bnt not as ] love you.'
"At that very moment, little lord, the
devil must have been unclaimed from
hell. To tell you what thaughts flashed
in an instant through my mad mind
would be impossible. That what she
said was truel That while did love
her in kind of way, was bound 10
her for life whether wonld or no. In
a ft Of wild rage I smote her one short
smart blow. She looked at me with des-
pair in her eyes, and walked slowly int
our other room. ] ran into the stable
yard. ..
"'Harness troika,' said ] 10 the star
osta. j leave at once for Kharkof with
dispatches that the courier dropped, ana
that have found npon the floor. Qnickl
quickI the best courier horses
"In an instant-they we're ready. Mer
rily jingled the bells in the crisp air.
Da..I 4o~Ix a. -o:.o 81 ~E r x-h;.lo3
In twenty hours ! was at Kharof. To my
friend the starosta at the great Kharoi
station, who was equal in rank and pay
to most Postmasters themselves, said:
"Do me a service, little friend, as
would do one for you. / am going to
leave my wife to whom / have been un-
kind, and am going to enlist in the
guards. But i wish her to forget me,
and she must think me dead. Write to
her in a week and tell her was taken
with the cholera and died. Beg her 10
forgive me for my unkindness; say
was grateful for her love, and That it
was my last wish that she should marry
again some lad more worthy of her than
myself. Make interest to have the sta
tion continued to her as Postmistress.
She was priests daughter and can
write
We crossed ourselves, he swore, We
bowed TO the image in the corner Of the
stable, we kissed, and in Eve minutes
was gone. At the recruiting Office en-
listed for the Empress regiment Of
cuirassiers of the guard, as fourteen
years volunteer, and in false name
I'd Of course no papers, but they asked
no questions, for l was enc recruit
My beard was shaved, my hair was cnt,
and when ] got to Petersburg and was
fitted with my uniform and eagle-crown-
ed helmet, no one would have known me
rose to be sergeant and second riding
master. From your padarcjna see
that you are English. Now, in 1858
when had served my lime, there were