Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-02-05
A Married Widow.

1t was just before the opening of the rail-
way from TagaGrog to Kharkof N 1869, and
| was driving these dreary distances in aut-
umn. For the first two days and nights
the weather was lovely, but on the third
morning, soon after sunrise, the sky became
covered with heavy, torn and Jagged clouds;
a northerly wind arose and with thunder,
lightning, cold gale, and snow, the winter
burst on us as it yearly breaks on Southern
Russia. In half an hour the rich, black,
rolling plains had become an ocean of inky
mud, and we reached the post station Of
Donski only to find the order, ''lmpossibe
to proceed"
called for tea, and the samovar was
brought IN by fine, upright, gray bearded
man, whom, from his black velvet tuniC
and slashed sleeves, took to be the post
master himself. lie was followed into the
room by a noble looking Cossack woman of
his own age, who said, Little husband,
why don't you ask the little lord if he will
eat a partridge and bit of bread? The
kurupatka is plump, and the day will be
long before his troika can be harnessed to
face the storm" She smiled sweetly as she
spoke-he smiled lovingly upon her; then
she left us, looking lingerngly back.
Your wife's in love with you still, and
you with her, postmaster" | said. ''Gou
must have beaten her well when she WAS
young for her to love you so. How long is
it since you were MARI ed?'
81 am sixty" he replied; 81 was married
at twenty-five, thirty-five years-.Jiue gears
before / oied."
"What ?" said |.
give years before my death. Is it pos
sible that you don't know my story? You
must have come long way off, for have
heard that it is told even upon the Azof. "
And, throwing his legs across g chair
without more ado, he spoke thus, | was
born in 1909 and can remember the return
from Paris of my father and uncle-Cos-
sacks Of the Don. Those were grand days,
when every Cossack was an officer by birth,
and when the Hetman Platot 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 Russian
slaves, and for many years my sabre and
long pistols have hung upon the wall un-
used; and when have worn my red band
ed cap and my red stripped breeches I've
always hid as much as | could of the stripe
in my boots, for I'm ashamed of it now;
and they're even going to take away our
privilege of the supply of salt
I'm 1884, as young postmaster-for my
father was dead-with good place and a
handsome beard, | was the best match in
the two church village sround. / could pick
my wife, and l chose Olga, that you saw
just now."
"There!" said l.
"Ah! wait and see. Wait, little lord!
Don't be impatient! Olga was as lovely
as she was good. You uhave seen her in her
sixteth year. Her goodness is what it
was; and, though may be an unsafe judge,
her beauty, think, is not yet gone"
He looked at me. l nodded.
"We were happy at first; but | was
young | felt the chain. was faithful
to her as far as women went, but not kind.
We had no children.
Zone day, in 1889 she was in low spirits
about me, and flung her arms upon q sud
den about my neck, with, DO you really
love me, little John?
d" you knew | do
/" But not as | love you
''To tell you what thoughts flashed in an
instant through my mind would be impossi-
bic. That what she said was true, That
while | did love her in kind way, [ was
bound to her for life, whether l would or
no. In fit of wild rage, | struck her one
short, sharp blow. She looked at me, with
despair in her eyes, and walked slowly into
our other room. | ran into the stable yard.
g Harness a troika, said to the star
osta 4 leave at once for Kharkof, with
dispatches for the courier dropped, and that