Sharp County record., 1881-07-14

panY l SuccumOeu 10 tue Haiol0oo NAiA'iis
which she possessed. She had the power OF
awakening sympathy in all who knew her ex-
| cent her brutal and lfcrazy father. She was
perlectlv naice, but free from the least awk-
| wardness. KharvietT, l found, had taken her
| education in hand, and she was reading novel
| of Pushkin's, with which he had supplied her.
! She talked in a pretty grlish manner, little
| franker and at the same time, little more
timid than is usual. And she knew how. to
smile and lower her long lashes at the same time
] in a coauettish manner, but whether Nature
or Victor Kharvieff had taught her that, l
| know not.
But the result that 1 had foreseen in regard
to these two young people was only partly
| fulfilled. Varva, as had expected, was eHl-
| IDENTIFY infatuated with Kharvietf, while, to my
surprise, he treated her with a brotherly
friendlinass that was devoid OF particle OF
| sentiment His feeling for her was the care
less kindness of man for friendless girl;
hers was the desperate affection for which
the world holds but one object.
After that evening | occasionally went 10
see her, but she was so utterly ABSORBED IN
Kharvieff that she was indifferent to all else.
felt NV pity so awakened for her that it be-
came painful to me. Ioften sat and watched
her and speculated on what would become OF
her when separated from Kharvief. She was
ouite listless to everything but him. " DO not
speak of going,n she said when l alluded to
our approaching separation-the term OF our
punishment was almost over. lido not even
| think of it. | do not know, nor shall you tell
me, when it is to be-"
Four DAYS before our actual departure victor
Kharyieff and were idly sauntering past Loris
Bolarotf fence, when we saw Varva leaning
over the gate The change in her pearance
since had first seen her was startling. Her
eyes, from being the softest and most placid
| EYES | had ever seen in woman, had become
restless and brilliant. Her color came, and
went rapidly. The agitation of her mind and
heart had transformed her feminine prettness
into sad and womanly beauty.
She still laughed and iested, but her eyes In
voluntarily fixed themselves on Kharvietf with
an appealing expI esS on piteOuS to behold.
"Madamoiselle Varvs, have you finished
your lesson?" he called out as soon as we sa-
| luted her.
"What lesson3" said Varva. -.
"Ihe novel commanded you to read. Ii
you remember, it gives you all the details OF
an elopement."
eyes" said Varva, innocently: "and when
I read it l said, slow easy it must be to
elopep"
"Nothing is easier, dear mademoiselle Sup
pose four nights from now We-thati is Colonel
Vanofski, and the village priest-should be
waiting here for you
She stood gazing at him with wide and star
ing eyes, .,., , ,o,a1 ..,o,,oro NOT
what he says"
~ am In earnest" cried Kharvieff, laughing.
| I was veXed with him to that degree that
I coolly babe Varva good-morning and walked
off
Kharvieff remained behind, still talking. l
could h-ar his laughter as | went away, dis
turbed aud indignant at him. Presently l
heard him coming after me at run, while
calling back to Varva, Remember, four
nights from now; and pray for rainy night. y
When he reached me l stopped short.
"Lieutenant Kharvieff," said l, ''you consider
a proposition to elope with Mademoiselle Bola-
rolf very excellent joke; SO do not l."
"But it is only joke.n
"That know But / will not suffer that
she shall be made a jest Of"
"The Jest seemed to amuse her."
"Did itln said |, turning around short, and
taking him by the shoulders. "Do you think
she was amusedp
He colored violently. 81 think I know what
you would say"
az say this" replied. ''If you really wish
to make her your wife, see no obstacle. The
Emperor encourages his young officers to make
suitable alliances. You are of equal rank, and
any undue haste could be explained by the risk
she runs in being left one with Loris Bolar-
off half a lunatic and wholly diabolical. But
if you do not intend to marry her, keep away
from herr
"But do not, nor have ever wished to
marry her. felt sympathy for her. | taught
her what l could. f-if-she is too conscious
of the attractions of Victor Kharvietf-well,
she is not the frst.n
could not resist smile at the vanity of
- iol l,r1 Df all
said I. $50 no more to Loris Bolaroff's.
She will be broken-hearted for week, and
will forget you in month, as some of your
other conquests have done"
Four days only remained to us at Vladi Kav-
koss. We had been in readiness to leave for a
week, so anxious were we to be gone. The
night before our final start we sat for the last
time around the stove in our wretched barrsck-
room, and were so merry at the prospect of
returning to civilization that we agreed It was
the most delightful evening we had spent
since leaving st. Petersburg. Victor Khar-
vieff was the gayest of ALL He had not once
been near Varva Bolaroff since our conversa-
ton, but l detected meath his careless enjoy
ment something like melancholy. He perhaps
felt more for Varva than he acknowledged.
We had saved up few bottles of champagne
to celebrate tnis last evening, and we were
still in the midst of our mirth and hilarty at
midnight. 1t was frightful night of rain
and storm. We were discussing the chances
Of an early start on the morrow, when |
thought heard timid knock at the door, l
hesitated, and heard it repeated rose and
opened the door, and Varva Bolaroff walked
in!
We gazed at her in dumb amazement. She
must have walked the whole distance from her
fathers house in the rain. Her clothes were
dripping, her furred cloak torn, her counte-
nance as pale as death, and she was evidently
wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement
She walked straight up to Victor Kharvietf
and, fixing her large and pathetic eyes on him
as if he we're the only object she beheld, she
exclaimed in voice of piercing anguish, 81
went to the spot you appointed, and you were
not here!"
At this Victor also became deadly pale, and
looked as guilty a a murderer He made an
effort to speak, but he could not articulate a
word.
Varva continued in the same heart-breaking
tone: MY father suspected that was about
to escape; he threatened to kill me- Look %
She turned back her sleeve and on her delicate
white arm were some hideous purple marks of
a mans hand The remembrance Of her faith
cr's brutality seemed to excite her sti i more.
She began to weep violently. "Ah,n she
cried, I" | have suffered such pain here" she
| touched her shoulder, ' where he struck me
| could bear it then! l thought he would be
waiting for me- ! stood in the darkness Of the
woods until | knew he was not coming; then
ran knew not in what direction, except that
it was away from my father, until saw this
light"
Except for the convulsive sobbing of the
unhappy girl the silence was appalling, and