Sharp County record., 1881-07-14
A RUSSIAN PETRUCHlO.

|luokN
hhBh A RUSSIAN PETRUClllO.
9 !. Stanislas Vanofski, Colonel of Cuirassiers
|o@E n the service of his Most Sacred Imperial Mai
IN tsty the Gar AleXard have experienced all
he yicissitudes of military life; but for ennui
Ind tormenting dullness nothing is to be men
a. Toned In comparison with the first six months
VIC ii nv STAY at the post of Nladi kaykoss.
Eer This Is a small town in the government OF
Iiey. Half battalion was the utmost force
iubIsver stationed there, but, by most singular
Inf Dsfortune, We the pets of st. Petersburg So
dety. were ordered away from our comic t.
" aible quarters in the PetropaulOytch barracks
|agal o this wilderness, merely because we were
tOr sInxious to improve ourselves by travel IT
I'M lame to the ears of the Emperor that the Off
I. 4, rers of --th Cuirassiers were always to be
6V u1-een at Paris, Vienna, London, and at Baden
hd ind Homburg; it was in the days of the green
lose able. His Majesty desired the Minister of
tbon Var to bring him a tabulated statement OF
wy he officers on leave and those who had applied
"" ior it, and after inspecting this, he said, in
emenoment Of pique, that since we found it SO
rsffcult to remain in St. Petersburg, we should
70, not to Paris, Vienna London, Baden or
domburg, but to Vladi Kavkoss. Fancy our
iespairl Lieutenant Radetsky was so despond-
|,u mt that we feared suicide. Lieutenant Du-
|OA' )assoff was torn away from his tiancee one
week before the marriage was to take pace.
Of mo mitigation was to be had. To Vladi KAY
force xoss we were ordered, and to Vladi kavkoss
|hor I've had to go. The town consisted of the
Government buildings, few and wretched, half
II " - dozen shabby houses, one tea-houSe, and a
ee&;umble-down post-hOuse There was literally
to do and nothing to see even; cards
|man and cigars had to be ordered weeks before
u land, and the railway station was thirty
eu '7ersts away. If we had besn-as we were
pr Oh not--a regiment of philosophers, we might
eare nave done very wel but it was, reading the
! 90 Solos six weeks old, quar- cling among our
L. Ielves, and cards day an night, were our only
~ )ccdpations ontsiie of the short time neces
uld isary for our regimental duties
Is W. But one of our number prOfessed to spend
hlypt the term of our banishment contentedy. This
| ~ WAS Lieutenant Victor Kharvieff, the reg-
~ mental pet propensity to make love and an
Id inability to live within his means made St.
% Ps torsburg rather uncomfortable for our dash
rcr ing Lieut. nant; but so far removed was VIadi
|for Kavkoss from civilization that the duns and
|", iOve-letters that had covered his plate every
|iu morning at Petropaulovitch totally disap-
xppeared, and he recovered his spirits, which had
|eN been somewhat dropping before our banish-
nrni ment.
uand tradesmen; we all loved him, We knew not
|Or@ why. We called him usually Mademoiselle
|anlT Victorine, on account of his laziness and
|,riG womansh ways, but he was great fellow, six
W. feet high and as brave as lion.
Y The peo ple around us were as commonplace
Pn sas the tow itself but one man ever interested
In Gus enough to make a second inquiry about him.
nm This was tall ugly, Withholding man, about
fifty. His name was Loris Bolaroff, and he
y might be seen any hour of the day rid ng
| an Sabout the neighboraood on a miserable horse
|hgh with three or four dogs barking around him,
(Which he controlled by the most frightful
|, oaths and the liberal use of kno ted stick
The Russian horses have usually but two gaits
pcKd "a walk and a run; and to see Loris Bolarof
The on his skeleton of horse, rushing along the
hid xhgh-road, the ours yelping at his heels and he
yelling first to them and then to his horse was
Hrludcrous to the last degree.
Fo~ Wejudg ged him at first to belong to that
Z ID class ofsmal proprietors who, ruined by eman-
In Be cipation, are on their way downward to ex-
\ Le Irene poverty; but our surprise may be imag-
| or,s ined when we found him to be a man of NJ
W me Sc fortune, which he managed with the
SeS utmost shrewdness. Still more astonishing
|bwn he was of high brtD, and mad been one of the
|tiCEamost brilliant lights at the court of the Gar
CO Nicholas; but from some uneXpl lined motive
be suddenly withdrew from court, came to this
remote place, changed himself in wear from
apolished man Of the world into a boor, and
-, became the uncouth creature in speech, hab is
klHb and attire that we now found him to be- Com
mon rumor said he Stunned and hated people
EOgn his own class of life, and certain it is that he
oom resisted all ou efforts at an acquaintance with
" hlm and answered our attempts at converse
fSu~ tion with mOnOsyllables and shout to his
lat horse On his dogs when we met him on the
|, h road. We were piqued at his obstinacy, and
us; ag eed among ourselves, for want of some
thing better to do, to force him to notice US
XII perhaps added zest to our pu suit when we
al y tound out that he had in his tumble-down old
|th house piano and billiard table; and the
Eosh climax was reached by the discovery that he
40, had also lovely young daughterl
'sJ This sstartliug information was brought us
UNI py Victor Kharvief. AS usual, he was in luck.
|Vea wandering around the high fence that en-
|Of Nclosed the grounds Of Loris Bolaroff's house
|ugh one day, trying to invent plausible excuse
LII Tor knocking at the strongly-barred door, he
neard loud and sudden shrek. He climbed
Prw tne wal aud saw young woman standing
by sparalyzed with horror, while lizard writhad
Itself almost upon her. To whip out his sword
Land XIII the creature was but the work of a mo-
| T, ment, He then turned h S attention to the
~ .erI,nea girl. lie did not tell us precisely his
is method of composing her, but She soon in
|beaS formed him that she was Varva Bolaroff
rD II was charmed" said Victor, telling it to
|vinr us as we sat smokin around the stove, "and
|Ds nearly overwhelmed with thanks by the younp
Wv lady. Here, said to myself, Victor Kharyieff,
|rlS you are the luckiest dog alive After all our
|e Gscneming to get inside that enclosure, YOU are
In, ~ iortuhae as 10 appear Just at the right mo-
~ mcnt and do Mademoiselle Rolarefr -s-.-.-=,4-
svrvIce-Pe haps to save her life. Now, lust
ECA' imagine the gratitude of the atfectionate faith
The erl lou will have the entree to his house, drink
MS wine, ride his horses, ,'"-we all laughed at
h tne laea OF Loris Bolarotf's cellar and stable
|, an9 perhaps marry his dau hterr Just then
a. tne anectionate father comes along leading
eS nls snsVine rng-boned horse, with his stieE;
i % band, and his dogs barking as If tbev
d Tou'd eat me up. Well shouteS he harsbly.
~ Hnat me you doing here, Mr.. Officerl' 'Sir,'
|lu repned, drawing myself up, Il am Victor
ef nnafvief, Lieutenant Of Cuirassiers, at YOUR
service Well, Victor KharviefT, Lieutenant