, 1880-05-06

true. udy NuI' i h4i lONC A't III q
kind Of way, was bound to her for life
Whether | would or no Ina fit of wild
rage. | struck her one short, sharp blow
She looked at me-, with despair in her
ewes, and walked slowly into our other
room | ran into the stable yard,
"I[arness a eoika, said |, to the star
osta. 4 leave at once for Kharkof, with
dispatches that the courier dropped, and
that I've found upon the floor. Quick !
quick the best courier horses.
"In an instant they were ready, Mer-
rily jinglcd the bells in the crisp air.
Paul took the reins, and of / whirled
In twenty hours was at kharkof, To
my friend the starosta at the great
kharkof station, who was equal in rank
and pay 10 most postmasters themselves,
J. said, do me service, little friend,
Az 4 would do one for you. I am going
{, l4ave my wife, to whom have been
unkind, and am going to enlist in the
Guards. But l wish her to forget me,
and she must think am dead. Write
to her in week, and tell her that I was
taken with the cholera and died. Beg
her to forgive me for my unkindness
Say that was grateful for her love; and
that it was my last wish that she should
marry again, some lad more worthy of
her than myself. Make interest to have
the station continued to her as postmis.
tress. She was priests daughter, and
can write
CAT the recruiting Office | enlisted for
the Empress's regiment of Cuirassiers of
the Guard as a fourteen years volunteer,
and in false name. I'd OF course no
papers, but they asked no questions, for
l was fine recruit. My beard was
shaved, my hair was cut, and when l
got to St. Petersburg and was fitted
with my uniform and eagle-crowned
helmet, no one would have known me.
] rose to be sergeant and second riding
master. From your padarojna | see
that you are English.
''Now, in 1852, when / had served
my time, there were rumors of war in
Turkey against you, and tempting offers
were made to me to stop and drill the
new recruits. But / was wretched, and
homesickness drove me south though,
if [ found my wife dead or. married
agian, l intended to kill myself.
petersburg is not a place for Cos
sacks either. BY broodlng over the
past, had become madly in love with
my wife. 1t was no use for me to tell
myself that l had left her well off that
she was married again and happy ; that
she was forty-tour and fat or else, per-
haps, scarecrow. was madly in love.
I got my discharge and pension papers,
and started south. At Kharkof my
friend was dead. What if she too were
dead
"Who keeps the Donski post-station
now ? l murmured, crossing myself the
while under my long cloak.
"The widow.
"'A widow that has kept it fourteen
yearsP
"'The same
'1n eighteen hours I was there. I
recognized two of the old men, but they
not me. I rushed into the house. She
was at her day-book, writing, not
changed; only graver, and with silver in
her black hair. MY own nstle Olga
in the best style Of old days. She did
not turn to look at me, but threw up
her arms and fell forward on the table.
I rushed to her and felt her heart, with
mine, too, all but ceasing to beat in
moment she came to herself-our lips
pressed together. This was in 1853.
This is 1869. Sixteen years gone like
a day. We have maie up for the past,
little lord.
"But would you believe iti That
wretchel government at Petersburg in
sists that I am dead, and that the
Donski station is kept by my widow.
Or else, they say, the cuirassier riding
master must be dead, and with him his
pension. My widow accepts the situa-
tion with smile, for our neighbors all
know better than to believe the govern
ment, but she keeps the books, signs the
receipts and pays the taxes. draw my
pension in my curiassier name. A great
Petersburg noble who was passing here
last week told me that he didn't believe
a word of my story, but that the post
mistress and were quite in the fash
ion What did he meanP
Great News.
We are creditahly informed that there