Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1882-06-29
GRISHKA STEPANOVNA.

milton of a straight line-it is the short
est distance between two points. Di-
rect as an arrow-hight, it condescends
to no twists or curves to oblige neigh
boring towns, and the interminable
levels force it to no obedience to natu-
raj obstacles.
While this simple system of engineer
ing is grateful to the hurried traveller,
it gives him the impression that the
land is more barren and unpopulated
than is in fact the case and renders a
Journey less interesting. So l reflected
one day as the smoke of the great
b foundries and mills of Tula-a city of
$4,000 inhabitants, one hundred and
twenty miles south of Moscow-disap-
peared, and l at once passed into long
stretches of birch and pine woods sever
ed here and there by patches of rye and
barley or by treeless plains covered
with the scanty heritage of the late sum-
mer.
My only companion in the coupe was
an elderly merchandise knew by his
costume-who on entering had saluted
me in Russian. AS my vocabulary of
that tongue was limited to about five
words, / had bowed silently and not
ventured on further advances. A
French newspaper which 1 began to
read opened the way for conversation.
Monsieur is French?' queried my
neighbor, in that tongue, which he
spoke in fluent but ungrammatical
manner.
No. 1 replied, 'American-from the
United States
.Ah,' he exclaimed, his face lighting
up, AN Americana For long time l
have seen no American. / have read of
your country, of your Washington. who
drove out the English mobiles and gave
their land to the people. We Russians
like you Americans. Like you we have
no slaves and no mobiles; mean no real
mobiles; anybody in Russia may become
a noble, just as with you. There was
the great Prince Menschikoff, who stood
next the Car himself. What was he
at first? A bakers boy who sold pies
Ha! ha! And when he became Sc
rene Highness, he kicked and beat the
old mobiles who Dragged they came OF
the blood of Rurik. Yes, in Russia al
are equal before the car. He thinks
no better of the proudest prince than Of
the blacklist moujick' (peasant).
But objected, there doesn't seen
much chance for the poor moujick Il
get head. Not oncein million instan
ces do we hear of any such luck a.
that of Prince Menschikoff.'
True said the merchant, luck sucl
as his don't happen twice. But know
plenty of moujicks who have done RICH
we'll. Shall tell you of one whom
knew long ago, an old playmate o
miner
Nothing said 1, would please m,
more
We'll. there was luck, 200, abou
him. Bad and good luck. L will tel
you. It's sort of love story, toe
tt,le histotre Pdmotr, that may amuse
young man like you. His name wa
Damian Sidoroff, and he belonged b
the village of Karporov, dozen verst
from Tula. He had lost his father
and his mother was weakly and had n
OUl6I III Ii
was no better than other lads, but thi
1 can say for him, that he never bea
his mother and never drank vodka
The brandy farmer would taunt hin
saying: what, Damian Sidoroff, 20,
drink braga beer and tea, which pay N
tax, but you won't drink vodka, whicl
is taxed to help the car, our father
pay his soldiers and keep off the infide
Turks. You are no good Russian
but Damian had strong arm, and the
took it out in talk, and not too much o
that. What others spent for vodka h
kept in pocket. Grishka Stepanovn
had something to do with that. Sh
was the prettiest girl in the villag
and her father the richest moujick, an,
Damian Sidoroff knew that there wa
no hope of asking for her with empt
hands. He thodght Grishka fancie
him, but she seemed 30 changable, nov
hot now cold, that 1t worried his lif
out.
One day wool merchant came t