Wilmington argus. (Wilmington, Del.) 1880-18??, 1880-01-14
A Married syiiow.

II was just before the ociasuing Of the raul
way from ragaLrog to Khsrkof in 1869, and
was driving these drearyIdistances in aut-
umn. For the first two k1ays and nights
the weather was lovely, Mlt on the third
morning, soon after snnli the sky became
covered with heaY toynMM jagged clouds;
a northerlY - wiith thunder
llafir.sAE Z. 1lsave wilmington as b,-tlx sgiise'
Dtlaseo11 us u5-fv, isesegmed tat A99ss1, 90,
Russia. In half an Lod w rich, black,
rolling plains had becopl IN ocean of inky
mud, and we reached 5Y post station of
Donski only to find the g Her, 'Gmpossible
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, l took to be the post
master himself. He was followed into the
room by noble looking Cossack woman of
his own age, who said, 'Little husband,
why don't you ask the little lord if he will
eat partridge and a bit of bread7 The
kurupatka is plump, anK the day will be
long before his troika cai Sbe harnessed to
face the storm" She smiled sweetly as she
spoke-he smiled lovingly upon her; then
she left us, looking lingegingly back.
''Your wife's in love witt, you still, and
you with her, postmaster / said. "You
must have beaten her well when she was
young for her to love youso. How long is
1t since you were MARI ed?"
II am sixty, "'he replied; 81 was married
at twenty-five, thirty five years-.jive gears
before I died"
"What?" said /.
"Five years before my death. Is 1t pos
sible that you don't know my storyr You
must have come long way of, for have
heard that it is told even lpon the Azof.n
And, throwing his leys across a chair,
without more ado, he spoke thus, was
born in 1909 and can remember the return
from Paris Of my fath4 and uncle-Cos-
sacks OF the Don. Tho5i were grand days,
when every Cossack wasan officer by birth,
and when the Hetman Pstet 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 lis Great Russian
slaves, and for many years my sabre and
long pistols have hung upon the wall un-
used; aud when have worn my red band
cd cap and my red striped 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 10 take away our
privilege of the supply o.; salt.
SIN 1884, as a young Iostmaster-fo my
father was deed-with 8 good place and a
handsome beard, was he best match in
the two church villagesiolnd. I could pick
my wife, and chose Olga, that you saw
just now.n
'sThereln said /.
"Ahl wait and see. Wait, little lord
Don't be impatiebEl -~6lga lwss as lovely
as she was good. You Have seen her in her
sixtieth year. Her gPdness ia what it
was; and, though maybe nn unsafe Judge,
her beauty, think, is not yet gone"
He looked at me. / lodded.
"We were happy q first; but was
young, ! felt the chin. was faithful
to her as far as women vent, but not kind.
We had no children.
"one day, in 1889 sic was in low spirits
about me, and flung he arms upon sud-
den about my neck, wkh, DO you really
love me, little John-2,
''You know dol
Z" But not as loYlNou.'
''To tell you what tioughts flashed in an
instant through my mi i'd would be impossi-
BILE. That what she sud was true, That
while did love her ID a kind way, was
bound TO her for life, whether l would or
no. Insa fit Of wild rlge, struck her one
short, sharp blow. Sle looked at me, with
despair in her eyes, PA walked slowly into
our other room. ] raq into the stable yard.
Harness troll /" said to the star
osta. 4 leave at OH. for Kharkof, with
dispatches for the q lIer dropped. and that