, 1880-05-06
A Married Widow.

1t WAS Just before the opening of the
railway from Taganrog to Kharkof in
1869, and l was driving these dreary
distances in Autumn. 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, 'Impossible to proceed"
l 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 postmaster himself He was
followed into the room by noble look
ing Cossack woman of his own age, who
said, "Little husband, why don't you
ask the lord if he will eat partridge
and In Of bread The kurupatka is
plump and the day will be long before
his trolka can be harnessed to face the
storm" She smiled swestly as she
spoke-he smiled lovingly upon her;
then she left us, looking lingeringly
back.
srYour wife's in love with you still,
and you with her, postmaster" 1 said.
'"You must have beaten her we'll when
sshe was young for her to love you so.
How long is it since you were marriedp
81 am sixty" he replied; 81 was mar
ried at twenty-five, thirty-ive years ago
five years before / died"
"What |" said T.
give years before my death. Is it
possible that you don't know my story :
You must have come from long way
of, for I have heard that it is told even
upon the Azof,"
And, throwing his legs across chair,
without more ado, he spoke TINS: II
was born in 1909, and can remember
the return from Paris Of my father and
uncle -Cossacks Of the Don. Those
were grand days, when every Cossack
was an officer by birth, and when the
Hetman Platof 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 years my
sabre and long pistol have hung upon
the wall unused, and when I have worn
my red.banded cap and my red-striped
breeches i have 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.
"In 1884, as q young postmaster--for
my father was dead--with good place
and handsome beard, l was the best
match in the two church villages round.
L could pick my wife, and chose Olga,
that you saw just now"
"There ]" said ].
"Ah wait and see. Wait, little
lord " Don't be impatient Olga was
as lovely as she was good. You have
seen her in her sixtieth year. Her
goodness is what it is; and, though l may
be an unsafe judge, her beauty, 1 think,
is not yet gone,
He looked at me. l nodded.
"We were happy at frst but 1 was
young. | felt the chain. was faithful
to her as far as women went, but not
kind. We had no children.
cone day, in 1889, she was in low
spirits about me, and flung her arms
upon a sudden about my neck, with,
sDo your really love me, little John ~
"You know / do
"'But not as love you
"To tell you what thoughts flashed in
an instant through my mad mind would
Ajbe impossible. That what she said was