The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1880-12-24
The CRACK SHOT.
IN COUNTRY QUARTERS.

shout rs full of emotion as that OF q tor
toise In n state of hybernatioR. This was
the daily routine morning, drill and the
riding school midday, dinner at the
or the Jewish restaurant
evening, punch and card-playing. There
was not house in the place worth visit
ing, nor n girl worth falling in love with.
We passed our abundant leisure in going
from Peter to Paul, and from Paul to
Peter and back again-the same perpetual
rOund-and in critici<ing the buttons on
each others uniforms. Nevertheless there
was just one in our little society who was
not military man. He might be about
6Ve-asd- d-lAslrty-gea8 OIdl. eOarseausA1 = ttej
'syonng fellows looked upon him with
something akin to veneration. His ex-
perience gave him an aseendancy over US
and his tAc;turnity. his naughty bearing, |
and the sarcastic manner in which he spoke |
aided TO the impr ession and strengthened
the supcrity of age. 1t was often puzzle |
to me what mysterious destiny overshadow-
ed him. He appeared TO be Russian, but
he had foreign name. He had formerly
served in a HusSar regiment, aud had even
| built hinlselt up some reputation in it but
he handed Ga his papers abruptly one
morning-nobody could tell why-and he
| established himself in this miser able
| village, where he lived very roughly but
Inanaged all the same to spend a great
deal of money. He took his airing on
foot wrapped in a seedy black paietot
and, for all that, lie kept open house for
every officer ian our regimelt. 10 tell the
truth. his dinners were not luxurious, lIor
was the cook Gordon 6eu. We usually
had two or three plain dishes served mp by
discharged soldier. But his champagne
was q first-rate brand, aud was sent round
in bucketfuls. have no pity tor the man
who cannot wash down bad meal with
good wine. Nobndy knew what was his
fortune, or whether he was married or
single and nobody cared to ask him.. He
looked too stern to answer interrogatory
OF that type. He hai a tOlerably large
library, particularly strong in military
books and in romances, which he freely
. lent and never asked back. On the other
hand, he never thought "f returning a
book once lent to him. His absorbing oc-
cupation-it was more than paStime-was
pistoi-practice. The walls at his dining
room, riddicd with buIet-dcnts. looked
like houey-comb- A spleudid collection
OF pistols, Of every age AMI make, was the
one vanity of the wrctched gazebO he call
ed his mansion. The dexterity lie had ac-
Quired by his practice was something iIl-
credible If he had bet that he wUrld
l h. f,,ff DfF 0in N1-ifh q
shot, do not think there was fellow
In the regiment who would have hesitated
to put that foraging-cap Oh his head
Sometimes, amongst Us, the conversation
turned upon duelIing. Silvio with your
permission, that is how mean TO call him
never took part in it. If he were asked
had he ever been out. he dryly answered
Yes" bat entered into no details. and i
!. was easy to perceive that the question dix
not crafty him. We came to the conclu
sion that some victim of his terrible skill
had LETT burden on his conscience. Nom
of US tor moment had the slightest sus
pIcion that there was any element O
feebleness in his composition. There ar
men whose exterior is enough to scout sup
positions OF the kind. He WAS one o
them. Notwithstanding. an event whic
unexpectedly turned up singularly aston
ished all OF US.
One day dozen of us, officers, dined a
SilviO's. We drank as it was the custom
that is to say, too much. AS Soon a
dinner was over, we asked the master G
the house to make bank at faro. Ate
! refusing for a long tune, for he very SCI
dom played, he called for cards, place
fifty ducats before him on the table, an
sat down to cut. We made ring aroun
him, and the play began. When he play
), ed. it was Siivio S habit to preserve a
absolute silence he never made any ot
jectioiis and never gave any explanations
t.. 1t a punter won or lost. he paid aim exac
=, | IY What was coming to him, or markr
down 20 his own credit what he had gair
ed. We all knew f.Ts popularity. and "
- let him arrange the matter after his ow
fashion but there was with Us ON tn;
occasion an officer newly joined. who,
C4 momL:4t OF distraction, made "a fall
double. Silvfo took up the chalk al
: made his mark In his usual manner Ii
officer, persuaded that there was mi
an take, expOstulsted. SiIviO, never brea
ing silence, continued to cut. The office
loeiug patience, took the brush and rubb,
OF out what he thought to be the wrong mar
:, SilvtO quietly took the chalk and made Il
mark again. Upon this. tile officee-heat.
- by the wine, the play aud the laughter
Ike his comrades-toek serious offense, Al
.id. seizing copper chandelier in his fur
SIX hurled It at tie head of SilYio, who. by
ub- rapid duck, just contrived 10 avoid bell
M M struck. There was fearful row silly
sII aiI started up, pale with anger. and. with d
ne. la his eyes, he said
@ @ons s.My good sir, have the kindness to lea
INT INT the room, aad thank your God that u
the has passed under my roof. -
;o-s Mot one Of us had the slightest doubt
to what would BE- the sequel of the afia
mt We already looked upon our new comra
.ta aa q dead man. The officer len, sayi