The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-02-21
Ivan AND OLGA.



1t Vas the 9th of January, that great
holiday in Russia, when the River Neva
Is consecrated with pomp and ceremony,
when soldiers parade and priests say
mass, and the Emperor is visible, and
the cannon roar. And it was a glori-
ously, bright and beautiful day; but Ivan
and Olga, looking out on the broad
street and the glittering pinnacles OF the
palace chapel, watching the sledges fly
by with people all mufiied in furs, were
two very disconsoiatei children. They
had an English igoyerness-fof Russian.
children have to study English as Amer
leans do French-and they had been so
unruly. SO impatient, and indifferent to
lessons. that Miss Stanley had forbid
den their going out to see the sights.
This was hard indeed, but it was need
full y that the children could not under
stand, and they walked from the great
porcelain stove, which reached to the
ceiling, over to the double windows, all
packed with sand, and having curious
little paper cornucopias of salt stuck In
| it to keep the frost from making pic
lures on the glass, to and fro, to and fro,
in great unhappiness. Outside, the
thermometer was away below zero, but
inside. thanks to the stoves and the
great copper heaters, it was as warm as
toast. s,l .,,,t os,.ts- f,..a ..,..t ..f,g9 /
"Now, Olga" said Ivan, after an
hour or two of this tiresome way of
spending time, g lam not going to stand
this any longer; if / can not 60 to the
Neva, am going TO have a ride on one
of the ice mountains, and you want TO-,
you may go with me-" no, ,tsN ,aa
"Oh, Ivan, how would you dare
You know we are not allowed to go
alone, and Marie is at church. and we
have no sledges." 4
"Tut, tut! have I not fifty kopeks
Tabout 80 cents], and can IAnot hire an
| isyochtchik [driver1 to take usP and we
can be home again before they come
from chapel. Come, Olga, let us have
Olga's conscience said "no," but the
| temptation was overpowering, and after
repeated urging from Ivan they both
crept down softly to the little apartment
in the large hall where were kept their
fur cloaks and bashlyks, or cloth hoods,
which are put over hats and ears. No
one saw them. Every one was at
church, and the dvornick, or porter who
guarded the front door, was snoozing
soundly, wrapped up in his sheep-skins,
near the heater. They. got their fur
mittens and tippets and cleaks down
from the pegs where they were hanging in
the heated air, and put them on in silence.
In silence, too, they lifted the huge
bolts and slipped outinto the street. 1t
was too cold to speak, for the air would
have frozen on their lips, and they bur-
ried to a corner where usually there
were to be found sledges, whose drivers
can endure any amount of cold, and
who even sleep out at night at theater
and opera while waiting for their mas
tiers. Here anfound what he wanted,
though the mans dull gaze, seemed to
/ question the propriety of taking two
children to the pleasure-garden which
Ivan indicatedai The kopeks, however,
were forthcoming, and that was all he
cared about; so in they jumped, and
tucked the furs about them, and away
they went over the~bread street, flying
past treiskas, with, their three horses,
and gay little sledges of every descrip-
ton. Their route took them away from
the Neva, where was the greatest crowd,
and they soon reached the entrance OF
the pleasure-garden, climbed the grea;
flight of wooden stairs to the pavilion
on top, where Ivan hired q sled,
and paid for a glass of 4 tea
hot from the big brass samovar,
which is always boiling and ready fol
use. Olga had scarcely time to think
what she was about before she was seat
ed behind Ivan, and away they flew
down the side of the frozen mountain,
4 all as hard as glass. But now it began
to snow fast, thick, and furious, and the
people could not keep it off the ice.
ivan was getting tired, too, and his
hands were cold. This fun of going &c
miles an hour had filed him with glee;
I but Olga lost her bashlyk, and he found
4 it hard to guide his sled. Suddenly he
made swerve to the left, and, with a
fearful jerk, over they went. 1t was q
dreadful blow, and had it not been fol
the kindness of the people in charge
both might have been badly injured
but they were picked up and carried to
the pavilion, rubbed with snow on theil
noses and ears, and finally packed in g
sledge and driven home. How differ
emily they looked at the glittering crowd
and watched the animated scene! They
had gone out full of excitement and dar
ing; resolved as Ivan was to resist au
thority, he was full of shame that hi
had gotten himself into scrape. Hi:
fingers ached, and Olga was crying ano
complaining of her ears. As they nearet