The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-02-02
A Sad Picture.

| uOIIOTS VI uue LdSIoIu war, Will I'LL Vic
inseparable incidents of social and do
nestle affection. One writing from
Nissa to the London Standard describes
the field of the dead after the last great
battle there:
Near an Adiutant lay two photo
graphs, which must have slipped from
his dying hand; one represented the
dead man, but in the uniform of a Rus.
sian major or colonel, and the other a
young woman with fair tresses, prom
inent nose and Hght-colored eyes. The
photograph had been taken in Moscow;
on the back of the mans stood in pencil
Nicolay Komoff. I know not in what
relation the woman stood to the officer;
but whether wife, sister or betrOthed, it
is certain that his last thoughts were of
her. Not far from him lay the body of
another officer, his right hand pressed
on his breast. where the splinter of
shell had hit him, and grasping piece
of paper. A strong man, he appeared
to have struggled long with death. his
face, which had the unmistakable Rus
sian type, being distorted from pain.
1t was with difficulty that the paper was
removed from his hand. Colonel Meh
med, who was once in the Russian SER
vice Che is Circassian from Daghes-
ban, subjected by Russia more than
fifty years ago. , and understands Rus
sian, translated the letter into Turkish,
and then one of the Cassocks, Pole,
who had been brought up in France,
gave me the contents in French, as fol-
lows:
DEAREST FATHER:-Be good enough,
dearest father to come back from the
war. Since you have been away mother
weeps continually, and she dreams
every night that thou Hest dead under a
tree. Come to us, dear father, for
mother has become so pale, and is al
ways crying. 1 am very good, so that
she may not cry still more, and when
thou contest back will remain good, and
never be naughty again. But thou
must come soon, father, and must kiss
mother, that she may become red again,
and also kiss thy little Minka."
CROMWELL AND AMERICA.-Cromwell
declared himself truly ready to serve
the brethren and the churches" in Am.
erica. The declaration was sincere.
The people of New England were ever
sure that Cromwell would listen to their
requests and would take a little interest
in all the little details of their condi-
ton. He left them independence, per-
haps he gave them advantageous con-
tracts; he favored their trade. When
his arms had made the conquest of Ja-
maica, he offered to them the island
with the promise of all the wealth which
the tropical cline pours prodigally into
the lap of industry; and, though they
frequently thwarted his views, his mag
animity preserved for them his regard.
English history must judge of Crom-
we'll by his influence on the institutions
of England; the American colonies re-
member the years of his power as the
period when British sovereignty was,
for them, free from rapacity, intoler-
ance and oppression. He may be
called the benefactor of the English in
America. fer he left them to enjoy I'M
shackled the liberal benevolence of
Providence, the freedom of industry, of
commerce and of government.-Ban
croff's History Of The Us.
I LEARNED the hiding place of large,
fat gray squirrel, and [ wanted to get
him very much; so sailed forth again,
gun in hand, and started for the woods.
He had become very shy, and | had to
wait some time before he made his APP
pearance. Pretty soon, however, he
came out of his hole and started up the
trunk of the tree. Taking good aim, /
fired. and down he came to the ground.
Running up to get him, l found him
struggling in the agonies of death. AS
! + l. l. -.
with one of the strangest expressions
that a squirrel ever wore. Into it was
concentrated all the hate AMI scorn and
malice of demon. l shall never for
get that look! 1t seemed to say to me:
"You miserable wretch, you have
killed me, haven't you? But what good
has it done you? How l would tear
your life out if could" And then 1
thought of my dream again, and of the
command, "Thou shalt not kill" Does
this extend to animals, as well as include
men, 1 asked myself? And 1 finally
concluded that for me it Youths
Companion.
AN inebriated Jerseyman in New
York, led by flaming posters advertising
the play of The Forty There's at Niblo's,
went to the box office and called for
ticket. at the same time throwing down
q SIS greenback. On receiving in return
SO and ticket, (he had expected to pay
about fifty cents), the astonished coun-
tryman, looking first at the money and
then at the ticket, exclaimed, "H-h-how
much dyer ask to (hic) see these Forty
Thieres?" The ticket-seller informed
him that the price was 50. "Well."