The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-10-12

. lIt, tCO- nstu SOllle uOuIs W SpS!Ht al
Minsk. He had ordered dinner at the
Black Eagle, hard by The landlord
knew him well, and would serve up
tolerable repast Would be charitable
md share what would otherwise be a
solitary meal?
! Vassili gave me good dinner, and We
fingered long over our cigars and coffee,
chatting Of other scenes and old times.
Then, at length, word was brought that
the train for Wilma was in sight.
Now l think of it." said my host, in
his careless way, @on your road to the
Counts chateau you will pass Ptar;tza-
yes" he added, glancing at the open map
that lay beside me on the table; of
course you will, and change horses there.
/ wish. if it be not too much to ask, that
you would kindly give message from
me to the village priest. or papas, there
Pope John Petrovich.''
Il will, with pleasure 1 replied, "but
remember, my Russian is not yer, fluent,
and ! presume the priest talks no
| French
Vassili laughingly assured me hat the
words were very few and simple, and
suggested that 1 should pencil them,
from his dictation, on slip of paper
which he pushed toward me. Thase
were the words of the message: Your
son" ("our clergy marry, you know. like
the laity," interiected Demetril!sj has
been i'll, but take comfort, He is doing
we'll now. and if he acts promptly, with
the Blessing of the Panagia, will succeed.
He sends his love, faith and duty"
Il saw the Pope's son." explained De-
metrius, "the other day at Odessa.
Young Cyril is a corn dealer and hay
merchant, pushing, speculative fellow,
but as honest as the day. He WAS recov
ering from fever, but hoped to fill his
purse by buying up all the - ah! there
is the railway whistle, SO we mus be
quick You'll do my errand, then, dear
Arthur, Will you not, and gladden. the
heart of the poor old MANI
1t was not until long after Fassili and
had parted that it occurred to me to
wonder why he should have charged me
with such a message. 1t would have
been simpler, surely, and more speedy,
as means of communicating with Pope
John, to have relied on the post. But
then these rustic priests were ignorant,
and possibly the eyes of the papas were
not very well accustomed to deciphering
manuscripts. At any rate would make
a point of executing the commission.
Pope John, English lord?" said the
Inn keeper at Staritza, faltering, as /
asked for a guide to show me the way to
the parsonage. while the slow Positions
we're embarrassing, in the tardy E'sh!on
in which work is done in Russia Inc
tired horses from the carriage.
Certainly" said | observing his en-
barrassment. is the priest i'll, or what
is there surprising in a travellers inqnir
ing for himg"
The landlord bowed obsequiously
You'll find the papas in good health.
noble gospodin," he said, in sugare1 ac-
cents. "Yonder is the parsonage with |
the white gable"
Then want no guide to condlio' me
there" said L, laughing, and al u.;ce |
walked across to the garden gaze. A
neat. snug little dwelling was the parson |
age, with its white walls, its tiny garden
full of humble potherbs and hardy flow
ers, and the sacred pigeons cooing softly |
as they summed themselves on its red |
eaved roof. An Unlocking fellow opened |
the door in answer to my summons,
scanned me narrowly, and, as thought,
with suspicion, and after some colloquy,
conducted me to what l guessed. By the
books and the pictured saints on the
walls, to be the priests study. Ten min
utes elapsed, and then came the master
of the house, Pope John.
Forgive me, noble sir, if | have kept
you waiting, said the priest, with aS lnw
a bow as he could have executed ia the
presence of his bishop. "You bring me
news, am told, of my dear SON."
1 cannot say that the reverend gentle
man impressed me very avorably. Pope
John was corpulent old man, with a
snowy beard that would have done credit
to a hermit; long white locks falling
from beneath his black velvet skull cap,
a snuffy and frayed cassock, and dark
blue spectacles from behind which pair
of keen though half shut eyes surveyed
me with watchfulness that had in it
something feline. The priests voice, too,
at once coarse and wheedling, grated on
my ear, though nothing could exceed
the bland urbanity of his reception of
me. Twice over did I repeat the sub
stance Of Nassili's remarks concerning
the young corn dealer at Odessa, and
twice, at the Old mans request, did
mention every circumstance of my in
terview with Demetrius, "hiS kind and |
noble patron as he called him; then |
placed the written slip of paper, on
which | had penciled the message, in the
priests hands, and declining his offer of
refreshments, took my leave of him. As
1 left the parsonage I thought l heard |
some whispered talk, and then a low
-neering laugh.
Il am much mistaken said / to my
self, as l stepped into my carriage, and
gave my postillion the signal to start, IF
Pope John, the good old man. as Vas
sill called him, be not as consummate |
and greasy a humbug as any in Moscow"
Then my thoughts reverted to rosy
dreams of Marie and the future, and l |
sank into reverie, from which only |
awakened to perceive that my driver was
proceeding in leisurely manner that
was most unusual. for if Russians work |
slowly they drive fast.
Come. come, my lad said /, good |
humoredly; surely three good nags and
light kibitka ought not togo at a snails
pace like thi-,,"
As spoke heard the gallop of dis
tant horses, mingling with the clapg of
steel. We were on sandy road, trav-
ersing one of those huge pine forests,
Il e II