Litchfield enquirer., 1881-02-17
THE BOY EM1eRAsT IN RUSSIA
1i4aiA TRUE STORY. el no,aoss

A0G 0V4 GM4UhAN4 IN 4V0HAA.I r.I .braisaiA TRUE STORY slo,scss
 Some years age, when Peter the Great was Czar of Russia. and when the Improvements that he was making. all over the country gave foreign workmen . fine chance of earning high wages, 3 number of emigrants landed one cold Winter morning at one of the Russian ports on the Gulf of Finland, to see if thsY could find work, as many others had done. A curious mixture they wers-meh, women and children form every country on, either side of the Baltic. Tall, fresh -colored Swedes, in gray frocks and thick blue stock ings; -stOut, hght-haired Germans, lsnd ruddy, blpe-eyed a Danes; big-boned ePOmeraniaus, with low foreheads and shaggy brown boards; and short squat Finns, whose round puffy faces and thick yellow hair gave them the look ofover-boiled apple-dumplihgs. aGn
 But their first taste of Russia was not Q pleasant one. At the port where they had landed, it was the rule that all emigrants who came ashore should be kept in one place till the Czar's agent came to examine them and the place where they were kept was an old ware house, very bare and disnlal. looking, with nothing in it but a few old sails and some heaps of straw.l Here they remained for two days while the snow fell and the winds roared outside, their food being brought them by the soldiers of the port. The men smoked their pipes and played cards. the women knitted stockings or mended the clothes of the has. bands and children, while the little people played hide and seek in and out of the dark corners, and made the gloomy old place quite, merry with their shouts and laughter 4''Gl
 But there was one boy (a bright-eyed little fellow with brown curly hair) who took no part in the fun but sat in corner by himself chalking curious figures on the wall. which he seemed to- copy from a,b book in his other hand. Any one who had looked closely at these figures would have seen that they were Ietters-Russian letters-aDd that sometimes he would write 6 whole word at once, and then put the meaning opposite in German. sIni fact, he was teaching himself the language of this new country that he had got into and seemed to be pretty well on with it, for every now and then he would leave of writing, and read page of his book. without meeting 8 single word that he could not master. ....-,.,..
 ''Look at Carl Osterman wonder, slaving away at that book of hist" said one of the men. Much good that'l do himl IAsif one could saw 8 plank or hammer u rivet any bet ter for knowing that crack jaw lingo!" ,-,
 "He's going to teach the Russians their own language-that's what he's att" grinned another. IA regular professor, aiu't heP far too clever for poor fellows like us! .s......
 "Ay, he'll be great man one of these days" chimed in third, with hoarse laugh, ''"nd then then perhaps he'll be kind enough to give us 8 job" ...1a- ..,.rt IL, q
 Little Karrs eyes sparkled. and he set his lips firmly, as if making up his mind that he would be great man yet, somehow or other i; but he said nothing, and went quietly on with his work -,s ,r.,,,,,-., md ...,I,.. ...f, !,
 QnHAonlx fha donr Aaxv -l ;v. Russian soldier in shabby green uniform trimmed with faded gold lace He was a very tall and powerful man, with dark, weather beaten face framed in close cropped hair, and great black eyes that seemed to pierce right through any one whom the look ed at. Il say, my good fellows" cried he, there's an order from the Czar, which I'm to paste up in this room; and want to have it in German and Swedish as well as Russian, that every one who comes in may be able to read it.. Perhaps enc of you would kindly lend me hand with tAe job. for I'm not very glib Ut foreign languages mYself." $ The men glanced meaningly at each other and the two who had been making fun of Osterman looked rather sheepish, as if think ing that they had better have been learning Russian themselves instead of laughing at him. ;js q Y" f7ist'f"iS st-i7''@ H'
 tI'll do it for you, MT. Soldier, said little Qsterman, stepping boldly forward ;''if there aren't any very big words in it. Ive only got as far as three-syllable words in Russian yet, you know" h'' '
 The soldier stared at him for moment, and then began to laugh. as. si .@i n.
 'Well, my boy, don't think you'll find many big words on this paper; it's pretty plain sailing as far as it goes. See if you can read it." .saas ..- t-1. 3-e. ,- .
 Karl took the paper, and read it of easily enough. -4 .-.., .. ,steuf
 Well done, my fine fellow !" cried the Russian; you're smart lad for your age, can see that. ,. Now try if you can putit into German" 2,
 To work went our hero, with look as solemn as any professor on his round little face. Once or twice he stopped as if at loss for a word but he got through at last and having finished the German, began upon the Swedish.
 ''What. do you know Swedish too ?" cried his new friend. ''Why, man, you're per. feet dictionary [" ..:,t ,-.-, ,,.t
 My mother was a Swede, answered Os. terman, land she taught me her own lan- guage: and my father was German. and he taught me his.' ',.,..i,a a,. u-st rs.t, "You're lucky fellowl" cried the Russian, with sigh. ''I only wish I'd had some one to teach me when l was your age. should know great deal more than5I do." la s"3 r
 What, didn't your father teach you, then?"
 ''He died when I was mere child" said the Russian, sadly, land my mother too." ..-... .....- .4. .F E -5
 ''Oh dear. Pm 80 sorry! But had you no brothers or slstersy"
 II had a brother, but he was blind, poor fellow, and couldn't help me and as for my sister" (here his face darkened fearfully,) sin stead of being kind to me, she tried to have me killed 7" t r ,4u> '. sre1 tssi ar,tl
 ''What shams!" cried the boy indignantly, clenching fist about the size of large plum! T only wish I'd been your brother ia4I wouldn't have let anybody touch you. "-
 ! This valiant promise of protection, made by a tiny boy to stalwart soldier of six feet three, tickled the other einigrants 30 much that they burst into roar of fslaughter which made the old walls ring, But the soldier did not laugh he only passed his hand tenderly over the chiid's curly head. and then stopped to look satthe book which Karl had been reading. @ ss ' shtF' "sf .s ''Ah the story of Ilia the Strong. I used tc be very fond of it when l was boy. How dc you like it ?"
 Very much indeed I didn't think I'd have time to finish it, wheL they said the Czar was coming to look at us but suppose he's too husy amusing himself tocar about us poor fellows." a<s54It 1tlz
 The soldier gave such terrible frown that the men nearest him started back in dismay and even Osterman himself looked startled But the next moment the Russians face clear ed again, though it was still very sad
 You shouldn't talk like that. my boy" said he; "the Czar would have come to you directly you landed, if he hadn't besn ill However, he's well again now, and I shouldn't wonder ifyou were to zee him here to.day.a Just then the door opened again, and n tramped dozen grand looking officers in splendid uniforms, the formost of whom, Imak ing low bow to the. shabby soldier, said very respectfully. "All is ready, your majes- ty." 't asf'Vts II
 "At the word "majesty,H all the e9iigrants started as if they had been stlot 1; for they now saw that this shabby looking fellow, whom they had taken forS common soldier, was no