St. Landry democrat., 1882-10-28
DARK DEEDS IN A PALACE.

ANY one who has once seen the pict-
uresque little village of Zaboria will
never forget it.
On the right and left there rise, like
giants from the red clay bed below, two
high cliffs which tower above the sur
rounding plain, and are reflected in the
Vega, which here spreads out like a
lake as it creeps lazily along, ripping
and rounding about their feet.
On the highest of the cliffs stands the
palace of the Prince Alexis Yourivitch-
On the other ciffthe famous monastery
of St. Macarius, with richly decorated
churches, their walls brilliantly painted,
their fantastic cupolas of blue and pur
pie gemmed with golden stars, termi-
mating in glittering crosses which seem
to surmount and triumph over the cres-
cent.
In the very center of the village are
the masterpieces. few cotton factories
and some iron works.
Along the banks are huge barns for
the storing of grain. and beside the wharf
are scores of barges and N oah' s-Ark-like-
looking boats painted in red and green.
each furnished with pair Of eyes at its
bows. This completes the picture OF
pretty little Zaboria.
If my readers will only add a summer
day in all its fullness OF light and
warmth the never ending sound Of the
bells from the monastery and its church
-es, the mellow bleating of the sheep in
the distant pasture lands, and the sweet
wandering voices of the cuckoo and her.
NIT thrush, heard but never seen, and
they will form faint idea of the strange
and magical charm of this busy little
Russian village.
Here is the scene of story which I
heard some months ago from an old
man, my Russian guide, and which well
illustrates the strange life of the Rus
slams Of former generation. It seems
like a cruel picture from the Middle
Ages.
As we leisurely assembled the cliff on
the right, my guide shook his head and
seemed to regret the old times, when
all the life and joy of the village were
ON this height, and no one dared even
to speak aloud below.
Now. all is changed he began, as
we climbed toward the castle. "We
are all free, to be sure, but there is no
one to look after us, and no one to keep
us in ORDER And he sighed deeply.
BY this time we had assembled the
steps and had begun to explore the de-
serted palace with its gardens over
grown with weeds, its pavilions, foun-
tains, stables, out houses and under
ground prisons. In few moments he
added: ''The great and noble families
who once lived here are all dead and
.gone''
We paused in the deserted drawing
rooms and the banquet halls, and could
hardly tear ourselves away from the
still partly-furnished picture-gallery.
Here were some startling family por-
traits; one on the right of Prince Alexis
Yourivitch himself, of whom terrible
tales are told. What a cruel, wicked
face that was! The artist had stamped
on the canvass the diabolical character
of the man he had portrayed.
Next to him was a charming portrait
of the Princess Natalie Danielofna, bis
wife, young and lovely woman, with
large dark eyes, rich, brown skin and
.lightish, brown hair, dressed in the style
OF Louis XIV.
On the right of the Princess was the
portrait. in full length, of a military
officer, Prince Boris, her only son, ane
close to this, to Judge from the form
that of very young lady dressed in I
pale blue robe of antique fashion. II
her beautiful hand she held rose, bu
the whole of the face was smeared will
black paint! !,
s.Ah! thereby hangs q dreadful tale, ,
said the guide. - Yonder Prince Alexi
Yourivitch' pointing to the picture
"was a great and awful man. HI
owned no less than three Thousand