Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-22

houses not many words of praise can be said.
Houses and masters are usually alike wretched
looking and the latter if not absolutely stupid
are knavish. The best specimens of postmasters
are invariably the patriarchal Cossacks, who are
invariably polite yet dignified and ready to give
you of their stock Of fresh milk or eggs or to
share with you their frugal meals One of the
finest specimens oftheCossack postmaster we met
at kapakulskaya, fine looking old gentleman
OF seventy, named POnOmarew, the owner of
large house and immense focks of sheep and
droves of horses and cattle on the, steppes. 1t
was pleasure to meet such really noble look
ing specimen of has race, with whom you could
converse with interest. He had just received a
newspaper from Moscow bringing a translation
in Russian of that marvellous article entitled
Fragments of letter from an officer of the
Jeanette" first published in the semi-official
Journal de Saint Petes,sb0,ss,g, and of which
have already sent you extracts. The old patri-
arch introduced his TIVE sons. fine, handsome
boys of nineteen and twenty who, with their
grand parent, were the healthest examples of
the genus homo we had struck on the road
They were intelligent enough to tell us much
about their life and their work and as we were
about starting asked if we would not like to
visit some Of the kirghese nomads, whose winter
dWelling-place was only vefst away from the
post road some miles on the way. To this invi-
tatiOn I asseDted willingly. One OF the sons
then harnesSed his sledge a I'd drove us out our
own sledge following. Though still nomads, the
kirghese In the district have become semi
civilized and in part Russianized. In summer
they wander about with their kibtka-tent over
the steppes tending their vast herds and fOcks,
but in winter they settle DOWN in their warmer
Russian log houses and devote themselves to
the rearing of their young goats and lambs and
calves and fowls and their own little nut brown
almond eyed children. Large semi-subterranean
caves are dug out and rooted over with earth as
shelter places for their cattle. The light summer
kibitka stands near by, but closed for the winter
months. The log house is we'll warmed with the
huge Russian stove and the samovar plays its
important part i'm the economy of the household.
Connected with the dwelling house is matched
and We'll sheltered place for the mothers and
tender offspring of the 6ocks and droves, and
beyond this dark little hut, as large as an Irish
howell, but warmer and cleaner, which is used as
school room for the children of the village and
as general saloon for the young goats and
lambs. Into this room we were ushered, yet
not without some trouble as dozen mothery
goats and sheep made quite spirited contest
for precedence But what a delicious scene and
what surprising noises! Just as if the spring
time, with the gentle murmur of humming bees
and the beating of lambs, had been conjured
into and enchanted in the little howell. Seated
crOsSlegged upon the ground, with their
little earnest brown faces and fur capped
heads bent over their books, half dozen Kirg-
heSe children were reading or rather humming
their lessons with charming intonation In
termingling with this delightful hum of bees
came an urgent chorus of beajing kids, the
abiding place of which We were some time In
discovering. At last we found them-a score of
lovely little animals all cOoped up in pretty
W1ckerw0rk pen in one corner of the room. and
making quite as much noise as the other ''kids'
repeating their lessons to their teacher. The
children We're OF course quite accustomed to
the noise, but to US it sounded excessively
strange