Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-16

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them. At first we cut them off with
picks, and scythes, and axes, but after
wards we killed them with their dead
mems guns l had never seen gun till
then, but / soon learnt how to shoot one,
and when all who could run had run
away, we buried the rest of them. Hi
but there were lots of guns, and swords,
and knapsacks, and everything! We
loaded carts full of them. We sold
them in the towns, and shared the
money. Hadn't [ money at that time
hadn't though? never thought there
was so much money in the world as |
saw then"
The proverb says, ill-gotten gains will
never prosper" Nikita prospered how
ever in a small way; and it may be
questioned whether arms and munitions
stolen from invaders on their retreat,
can be justly considered "ill-gotten.'
This is a matter that we leave to moral
ists-perhaps it will be solved only at
the Last Judgment. 1879,
Nikita's fortune, however, was not
that of millionaire. He bought two
COWS, and, with the money made by but
ter, introduced into his village the use
of pins, and tiny looking glasses, and
other similar wares. Peddling these
knicknacks from town to hamlet, and
from hamlet to town, he accumulated a
good deal of latent rheumatism, brought
on a slight stroke of paralysis, and
scraped together in all about twenty-five
silver roubles; the silver rouble being
equal to our dollar. s
A commercial crisis swept over Russia
in those days, taking it's revenge on cap
ltal and accumulation, but it did no
damage to the capital of Nikita, for his
was in hard cash, and not in paper.
When he found himself possessed of
twenty-five silver roubles, all in small
silver or copper coins, which he had tied
in an old rag, and hid in hole in the
wall, he grew full of anxiety about their
future safety.
A peasant family in Russia lives like
the EsquimauX, in one hut, containing
only one large room, sometimes divided
by thin partition. Generation after
generation inhabits the same cabin; ;
grandparents, aunts, uncles, fathers,
mothers, brothers, sisters, infants and
little children sleep at night on top Of
the enormous stove, which occupies the
centre of the room, enclosed in brick
work, and standing couple of feet or so
from the ground In summer they re-
pose on wooden benches which stand
round the chamber. Occasionally on
very hot nights some of them go and
sleep upon the haymow; but this is a
rare piece of self-indulgence. In the
first place the Russian peasant always
breads draught; in the next the hay
lofts are filled full after hay-harvest, be-
sides which animals always dislike hay
that a man has lain upon, and q mer-
charitable crop is too precious to have
anything subtracted from its value.
So Nikita did not feel comfortable
about his roubles. The two sons and the
daughter who lives with him had whole
hive of children. 1t was probable, he
thought, that some of them might one
day come upon his hiding place, and
then small copper coins would disappear,
and after that some of the silver, and
by-and-by he might come to look for it
and find it gone.
The old man at least resolved to make
one more journey to the nearest city.
He borrowed the cart and horse Of his
oldest son, put on his Sunday sheepskin,
was absent all one night, and the next
day returned home again, in gay spirits,
and little tipsy, with his hand pressed
tight against his chest, an attitude un-
usual with him before.
"Ah, my little chicks" he cried, my
twenty-five roubles have all turned into
bit of paper. 4 beautiful bit of lilac
paper, sewed up in a little parcel.
Granddaddy means to sleep with it
every night, look you! and you know
he always sleeps with one eye open. All,
ali, you young rogues, it is all safe! No
more picking and stealing!" --.s
The little ones who very probably had
found out his old rag, and may have
flched an occasional copper from his
store, did not appear to share his extreme
hilarity, wherein pom he kicked several of
them, pulled the two youngest by the
ears, and lay down upon the stove to
sleep off both his liquor and his excite
ment on the occasion.
From that time forth the old man
never did stroke of work, but sat
basking in the sunshine, while every
body round him toiled from morning to
night. .....
cts your turn now,' he said between
his teeth, when he saw his household 60
ing forth to labor for their master, "Tve
paid all he can ask of me. I've made
my fortune. I've brought you into the
world, and fed you till you grew to be
men and women. Now take care of the
old man. When your are old you chill
dren will have to look after you
When they were gone, the old fellow
would draw out of his bosom the calico
bag which contained the bank-note. He
would turn it over and over, smell it,
rub it against his cheek, pat it, and
make the paper crackle between his fin
gers and thumbs.
One day sudden terror seized upon
him. He ran and got sharp-pointed
knife, came back into the sun before the
cabin, and began to cut the stitches Of
his little parcel. A dreadful apprehen-
sion had arisen in his mind
Suppose that by witchcraft the lilac
paper should have lost its value? Sup
pose somebody had changed it for a piece