New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-09

What are you swinging your legs for cried his
amusep At these words Illouscha became quiet
and confused for he would not for the whole world
conciliate u devil.
When his grandmother died. all her wise sayings
were deeply imprinted on the boys brain. Since
then no one had concerned himself much about
to spare, for she worked from morn till night for
their daily bread. His father only came home on
| presents got drnak. beat his wife, and returned
20 barracks. There is no help fol- it, he would
say; our life is such soldier cannot exist with
ont 5randy-he belongs to race different from all
Others.' Then turning TO the child he would say:
will give to his Col in the next world | was
| born little stupid l grow drank in my prime, in
old age was ignorant, and thus l died. These
words were calculated to give the poor boy an in
sight into the deep misericS and temptations OF
soldiers life But lie loved his father dearly. Tor to
his child he was always kind. lie petted him, and
brought hun bon-Ions ehatted win nm as WIN an
old comrale, and ooniided all his troubles to Inn in
spite of the great difference i'll age. But llouscbas
heart had been won, by the IIddles his father babe
! Elm guess. more than hy his bonbOns. FOI
| instance, the old soldier would stand erect before
his son. and in a serious tone of voice say: black
sheet walks IN at the window-guess what that
| can beP
1t is a wolf replies the child smartly.
What an idea a wolf why should a wolf come
The wind then ? replied the boy confusedly.
no, no; guess again
Wrong again. shouted the old soldier, as
| Ilouscha ransackcd his little brain for an answer.
1t is the night quoth the father with an air OF
: Importance and then chGckcd with Il delight
equal to that felt bv the boy. This singular crca-
: ture really loved his child and well knew that his
affection was returned with all the intensity OF
| child-lovc. The soldiers huge brown hands. his
sunbuInt neck his LOUD laugh, all were dear TO the
boyle seemed adorable. Illouscha was never
weary Of kissing his fathers rough cH nee ana Hf
him whenever he was forced TO return to his regl-
| mont.
| A few months previous to the period at which
/ fb.. AL IIarh l ii
! for the Climean War
! lllouscha had long. .wcrt bitterly; and felt his
! absence acutely. His mother also cried but
silently and by fits and starts sometimes rudcly
brushing away her tears to scold her child. She
had violent temper. and vas dGtesfed by the
! other inhabitants of the house. There remained
none with whom she had not at one time or other
had q serious quarrel. The ncighbors vh O were i'll
! the habit of paying each other visits at odd mo
| mcnts. in quest of soap candle ends or butter:
studiously avoided lcr-thcy knew only too well
/ the kind of answer they would receive:
Just 20 next door, please. they cat cabbage soup
| daily at my nciehborS ..
None could guess why She was always so i'll
tempered, and were content 10 suppose t'la she au
been horn So, ana that hcr hlT"hho hi1NS mao
not s0fcned her character. Alas the diSllKG borne
toward the mother lei also upon , ner ciliI., ime
dodgers allowed him no peace. IheV called MN
son of dog drove him away whom he came to
draw water and jOrted him on the staircase as he
went up or down. This cruel treatment, winch
seemed 80 unjust to lllouscha, made him tnIt ana
reseCtfu lie stunned the EosiihOIS pcrai1tcnly.
and ALWAYS chose the moment Wien the courtyard
was deserted To take his BUCKET to the well. II
someone by chance happened TO say KIND word TO
him, he drew back ahashed. not neleNlng II pos
sihc that such advances c0Iid he sincere.
He had but ty,o fTicnds-twO half starved dOg',
who passed their time prowling about The court
ward scehi.g vain for something ID eat. One oil
these dogs Was noted th"i. and II by chance
door left Olcn. lac MouiG sip III ana si/o upon
| whatever he could find. The other one kcpt
honest, although his only SnStcnancc was thc gar
bacc scattered around the courtyard. This was
lllOuscha's special friend. In his slddcst momcEis
he would 20 in quest Of him, and having cutiocd
i'm IN ofnp llS,.ur
muzzic aztec ti0nately, sobbin2 ont bitterly: ala
DOOR, Oreika. thou also art poor; we are both very
Tie dog appeared to understand the child's grief
and As he licked his face would gaze Mt hun with his
Intelligent eyes as nufh az 10 say pax can We
dot Nothing. Ii IL evidently our tate let Us Dear
il patiCntiv.'
Night had crcpt eyer Moscow-,the, nciEhborins
clocks struck 10. The SKY was black with Storm
clouds which swept swiftly over the roots:
Thunder growlcd from afar, and whrl"inds. OF
dust in the streets LctoEeH.G coming
lllouscha had shrunk terrified into its far
thest corner. His mother stirred not. but
Twice III" lightning dashed through the roon-h"
had always been a'rIid of Lightning he could bear
the darkness Il" longer. Hitherto ne n3u i'i1"'nra
sitting ~ the dark because hs mother l"lh d' him
to light candles in the summertime, Du' Gar &" ia"
storm gradually 0ycrcanr tn lear OF NJ in"th'I"
displcaSarc. which generally iodnd vent IN ",""s
lonscha crcpt softly across the room to the stove"
and cropping INSIDE drew out AZ old lantern contain
ING a small lit OF candle He next hunted about
under tie stove, and at length found besides
piece of soap and an old Stockin{ bcX oi
matches. lllo"Scha LIT the candle anNi"u-N
cgoan,d afr, sii, and tossed oonyulslNciy ABOUT bu
without opening her eyes.
The poor child remembered having hcdfI iiS
grandmother say that light was II great sac
guard against storms. Having Int his candle ne
wished to set 1t lciorc piciur" ot The Ithl hu
this picture WAS hung too llgh lac tfird al VAN 10
reach IT, and finally decided to leave his ilGht
within the lantern, which he placed on I0% IN "a
corner Of the room. Having at down beside the
icl
orr for III the PRAY which his grandmother lad
taught him. and which he had repeated ever >ilo
her death. without understanding WOId ca lhcli
meaning.
At each clap of thunder his little heart beat VIC
cntv He glanced ut The sky. and fancird that he
saw somethn black and terrible passing tnronEh
the air. The wind hOwlcd in the chimney, ana
somewhere shutter which the storm had "h mas
tened, was banging against the house-wau The
lantern but dimly lighted up the little room.
Illouscha could see the gray wall, the black beams
overhead. the bed on which his mother lay inc
table with the bowl hat-full Of krGS, and the pau
of water which ne had taken 80 much trouble TO
fetch in the morning, ana which siI stood by the
door. The rest of the room Vas llicd WIN laht as
tic uncertain shadows. Twice or thrice the
thunder crashed with terrible Use over the uouHo'
and the lightning lit mp both room ana street OUT
side with its vivid flashes. The child relnaincd
crouched Oh the box, his face hidden twlAt LIS
knees his hands clasped tightly round his legs.
hitter consciousness OF lone illness and descrtlon
had come over him The peighbOrs were all
asleep; the house was as quiet ~ me grave MS
father far away could not hear MN ms hH',r
near him certainly Dut Nv IN an 'H'"-" "i'
were no longer the same mother that he accus-
toned to every day.
An awful thought, and one which ho tried IN
vain to reprcsS, tornented him. Twice liad ms
mother sat up in bed and tried to speak but words
would not come each time she made sCu with
her hand and then fell back on her pillow. AT
length she gave cry, but the child not under
standing what she meant, shIank bat further mo
his corner trembling from fear. The pOJr boy felt
80 deserted helpless III the world lie knew that
his father now no LONGER came on SUNDAYS. and
never brought him presents as formerly. linen ne
had but to rlmmagc in the big pockets OF his CLOAK
and was sure TO find. mixed up with brass buttons
mi nn1s of tnl,nccn q nircn OF gInpcrhrcHd, or