The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-08-16
TRICKY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS.
A Raid on n Sausage and n Shoplsecper's
IndiRnntion-Thc COssnck Who was
Reminded of Ills Father.

A Raid on n sausage and n shoplseepcr's
Indignnticn-Thc CossnclS who was
Reminded of Ills Father.
A war correspondent, writing from
Oltenitza on the Danube, gives the fol-
lowing incidents Of the manner in which
the Russian soldiers on duty there some
times "get even" with the grasping
natives
The forced quiet of this little town is
at times oppressive. When whole day
has passed without single shot from
either line of the batteries frowning at
each other along the river bank the con-
versation in the little cafe gets dull and
spasmodic, and at last hickers and goes
out like burned up candle, simply for
want of something to feed it. 1t was,
then, with an approach to excitement
that we, who had no other occupation all
the forenoon than shifting our chairs
around the corner of the cafe rs the
shadow moved with the advancing sun,
saw crowd of infantrymen gather at the
door of the little shop opposite and
heard the noise of a dispute within grow
louded and louder. Discussions be-
tween the soldiers and the natives are
not by any means infrequent, and if there
had been any other diversion 1 should
not have paid the least attention to the
one of which speak. However, when
the mayor of the town-a short, thick
set, active little body, who now finds
no other field for the exercise of his
authority except the ever-recurring diff
ferences between the citizen and soldier
went across the street through the
blazing sunlight and mingled his high
keyed voice with the chorus thought it
time to investigate the affair myself.
The situation was too ludicrous. There
stood the sharp-featured shopman, his
dark eyes fairly flashing with rage,
fourishing large sausage at mild
looking infantryman, who on his side
had piece of the same kind Of sausage,
but only about third as long. L
thought could see hint of a smile
under the soldiers white mustache and
twinkle in his gray eyes, but until the
mayor has summoned the colonel from
his quarters opposite and the shopman
was paidi and the crowd disperse 1 had
no idea of the cause of the disputed, be-
ing totally unable to seize enough words
of the jargon of Russian and Roumanian
that was flying about to make one COM
plete phrase.
1t turned out that the soldier went
into the shop with couple of comrades
to buy a sausage. He made his bargain,
put the sausage under his left arm and
took out his purse to pay for it. Before
he put the money down he asked the
price again. "Four francs" says the
shopkeeper. "Four francs for this
piece of bad sausage" "yellsthe soldier,
holding out to the astonished native a
piece only about one third of the whole
sausage he had that moment slowed
under his arm. "Take your old sausage
you thieving native" and he started
to overtake his comrades who were by
that time half way up the street. But
the native was too quick for m and
held him until crowd gathered and
the affair terminated as 1 have described.
The trick was q shrewd one. but little
"too thin" to deceive even Walla-
chian. The two comrades had in ac-
cordance with previous agreement,
taken the opportunity while there was a
dispute about the price to cut off the
longer part of the sausage which ap-
peared from the soldiers arm behind,
and made their way to the camp with
their booty. This mild species of rob-
berry is not rare, and one~ must SYM
pathize with the soldiers more OF less i'll
their attempts to get even with the ma
tives, for in all matters of trade the sol
diers invariably get worsted. Their
paper money is taken for only thirds
its real value the moment a soldier
enters a shop door the prices rise two or
three per cent or more, and it is gener-
ally "Take OF leave it !" with the shop.
man, who takes advantage Of the need OF
the soldier to drive sharp bargain. Very
few cases of open robbery have come
under my notice, and the only instance
of skillful thievery that 7 have heard OF
will we'll bear relating.
An old peasant had just come to town
to buy groceries for the week, and
naturally enough, walked down the
street with little lf-consciousness al
the thought of having purse will filled
with Russian roubles, by the sale o.
his last load of hay at the camp. Be
fore he reached the shop, or had ever
had time to take glass of raki in the
little groggery, he was met by Cos
sack, who, without any ceremony, fel
upon his neck and kissed him with effu
sion, exclaiming to the astOnished peas
ant in broken Roumanian that he looked
so much like his old father away off OF
the banks of the Don that the impulse
to embrace him was irresistible. L
seems that the sentiment was contagious
for the peasant, after looking at the Cos
sack for moment, cried out that h,
called to mind the pride of the family
who was away with the Roumanian arm,
at Kalafat, and the Cossack had to en-
dure the embrace in his turn. Thi
could not last long, of course, and afte
an exhaustive struggle to express hi
joy in a language that was almost en-
tirely unknown to him the Cossack tool
his leave, promising to see his adopte'
father in day or two. When the simpl
old fellow went to pay for his tea an
sugar he found he had no purse. HI
went Immediately to the mayor, but hi
would-be son could not be found.