St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-01-05
THE SNOW STORM.
A Russian Romance.

About the year 181 Ia period so mem
@orable in the history of Russia-there
lived on his domain of Nenaradof a
rich proprietor named Gabrilovitch. He
was noted for his hospitable habits.
His house was at all times open to his
friends and neighbors, who resorted
there in the evenings the elder ones in
order to enjoy quiet game of cards
with their host and his wife PetroWna;
the younger in the hope of gaining the
good graces of Mari, a fair girl of seven
teen, the only child and heiress Of
sGabriloyitch.
Mari used to read French romances,
and, as the natural and necessary conse-
.quence, was deeply in love. The OBJ
.ject of her affection was an almost
penniless young ensign belonging to the
;neighborhood, and then at home on
leave, who returned her love with equal
-ardor. 1t is scarcely necessary to add
that the young lady parents had strict
ly forbidden her to think of such an ALI
-ance; and whenever they met the lover
they received him with about that
amount of friendliness which they would
have bestowed on an ex-coIlector of
taxes. Our young lovers, however,
managed to keep up a correspondence
and used to meet in secret beneath the
shadow Of the pine grove or the old
chapel. On these occasions they, of
course. vowed eternal constancy, &C
.cused fate of unjust rigor, and formed
various projects. AT length they natur-
ally came to the conclusion that, as the
will of cruel parents opposed their
marriage, they might very wen accom-
plish it in secret. It was the young
gentleman who first, propounded this
propositions and it was most faEorably
received by the young lady. si5lsi. ID,
The approach of winter put a stop to
their interviews, but their correspond
.ence went ON with increased frequency
and fervor In each OF his letters
Vladimir NicoleYitef coniured his be-
loved to leave her home and consent to
"a private marriage. ''We will disap-
pear,'' he said, 'sfor short time; then
sone day we will 60 and threw ourselves
at our parents feet, who, touched by
our heroic constancy, will exclaim:
<sChildren, come to our ar1ns!" For a
was agreed that on certain day she
should not appear at supper. but retire
early to her room on the pretext of a
violent headache. Her waiting-maid
was in the secret, and they were both
to slip out through a back door, near
which they would find sledges waiting
to convey thento the ehapelo Jadrino,
about i've Yersts distant, where
Vladimir and the priest would await
gthem.
Having made her preparations and
written lolg letter of excuse to her
parents, Mari retired at an early hour
to her ROOM. During the day she had
complained of q headache, which was
certainly moro than pretext, for ner-
,yous excitement had made herrealIy
i'll. Her father and mother watched
her tenderly, and constantly asked:
Elbow do you feel now, Mari are you
still suffering?fi Their fond solicitude
went to the girls heart, and with the
approach of evening her agitation in
creased. At dinner she ate nothing.
and soon afterwards rose To take leave
sof her parents. They embraced her,
and, according to their usual custom,
gave her their blessing Mari could
scarce refrain from sobbfng. When she
reached hssr chamber she threw herself
into an armchair and wept aloud. Her
Waiting-mai tried to console and cheer.
her, aDE 9tlength succeeded.
Thera as d snoW-storm that night;
the wira howled outside the house and