Iron County register., 1882-01-26
THE PORTER'S IRON COLLAR.


About sixteen miles from St. Peters
burg, in the midst of a wide plain, stands
the Cars country palace of TsarskOe-
Selo Gears Village), the great park of
which is a very pretty place in fine sum-
mer weather. All through June and
July you may see the Russian children
running about under the trees by scores.
with a shouting and laughing that would
do the Czar's heart good to hear, if he
were anywhere within reach. In every
shady spot you are pretty sure to find a
picnic party making merry on the grass,
with two or three well-filled lunch
baskets beside them; and when you
come to the little summer-houseS near
the lake, you will most likely find at
least half a dozen people in each, gather
ed around big bowl of prostokcash,
which is the Russian name for G rds and
cream.
This lake is one of the great '' sights
of the park, for it has a boat-house filled
with model of every kind of boat in
the world, down to Greenland fishing
boats and Polynesian war-canoes; and
when they are all sent floating over the
lake after dark, hung with cOlOred
lamps, they make a very fine show, in
deed. But there is something even bet
ter worth seeing little farther on, and
that is the Palace Museum. filed with
strange presents which have been given
to the Russian Cars by various Kings,
savage or civilized, from a jeweled sword
presented by the first Napoleon to a
Persian carpet sent by the Ameer of
BOkhara.
On table near the door lies very
curious relic, which every one who
comes in notices at once. 1t is large
silver dish, rolled up like sheet of pa
per, so as to make kind of funnel; and
if you ask the old soldier who shows the
museum how it came to be twisted up
like that, he will give a knowing grin.
and ask if you ever heard of Count Greg
ory OrlOff.
This Gregory Orloff was Russian
Count who lived about a hunI~ed years
ago, and was not only a Count. but an
Admiral as well, though there were peo-
pie who said that if he had had to man.
age the fleet by himself, instead of hay
ing three or four excellent naval COM
manders to help him, he would have
made poor job of it. But whatever
doubts there might be about his seaman
ship, there could be none about his
strength, for he was one of the largest
and most powerful men in Russia. Like
many other giants, he was. perhaps,
Just little too fond of showing off his
great strength. Nothing pleased him
more than to bend a horseshoe between
his fingers, or pull out of the ground
stake which no one else could move;
and if one of his sailors turned mutin-
Gus, and began to make a noise, Orloff
would just take him by the throat, and
shake him as cat shakes mouse, aft
er which the brawler was usually quiet
enough.
Now, it happened that one night this
strong handed Admiral was at an even
ing party at the palace, and, as he was
handing bouquet of flowers to one of
the ladies, the silver paper which was
wrapped around it slipped off. Orloff
said nothing. but stepped to the supper
table. and, taking. up silver dish,
rolled it up like a piece of paper, put the
bouquet into it, and handed it to the
lady; and this is the dish you see in the
museum.
Not long after this Orloff arrived in
st. Petersburg from a journey, and was
met at his own door by a messenger
Empress particularly wished to see him,
Some men would have waited to put ON
their finest clothes, and to make them
selves look quite gay and dandified;
but the Admiral was used to obeying
orders at once, and off he started for the
palace, just as he was.
Now, while the Admiral had been
journeying, there had come to the pal
ace new hall-porter who had never
seen him before. This porter was
strong fellow, though not nearly as big
as Orloff, and not nice-tempered man
by any means; so when he saw the Adj
mirars big, coarse-looking, ugly figure
coming up to the door of the stately pal
ace in dusty travelling dress, he shout
ed fiercely:
BE of, you vagabond! You've no
business here! Who are you. should
like to know?"
Orloff never answered, but stopped
and picked up long iron bar that
fastened the door at night One jerk of
his great strong hands twisted it around
the porter's neck like ribbon, so that
the poor fellow had to hold up the ends.
Now. my boy" said he, with
broad grin, ''go and show yourself to
the Empress with that iron collar Oh,
and she will know who [ ami
Then the porter knew at once that
this must be the terrible Count Orlotf. OF
whose strength he had heard SO much.
and he fell on his knees to ask pardon.
But Orloff only laughed. and told him
not to be quite so ready to Judge man
by his outside another time; and, in