New-York tribune., 1885-01-04
d1GA DAVIDOFFS HUSBAND.

wSs his money easily and spends it easily, it
positiyey bubbles oyer with bad ohanpagne, eneaP
cu''h ~, ~ other most recent products OF human
inanstry and ingenuity. Everybody eats pate de
~; cyas ouotes Hartmann and Herbert spencer,
nscs electric bells, believes in womans rights'
"ossesses profound views about the future OF ASIA,
md had grandfather who was savage samopguo o,,
or an ignorlnt Buriat. Society is extre,ney cult,
ate1 and if Won scratch it ever so lItte, yon sec
The Tartar. Nevertheless. it considers itseI 'ne
only really polite and enlightened community on
Wa whale face of this evolving terrestrial planet.
The DayidOifs, however, who belonged 70 tle Ii
most advanced section OF mercantile soc'ety ~ ,sr ~,
ToioIsk were not originally Siberans, or even
Russians by birth or nationality: Old Mr. Davi.
dof. tie grandfather who founded tnc fortunes oi
the fatally IN ST. Petersburg. was " eish Davtus;
and he had altered his mare by the timely addItloh
of Slayonic sufix in order TO concIiiate tne ma
tonal snsceptihties of orthodox Russia. HIS son;
timitri Who Tor the same reason he had clristened
I'm honor of n Russian saint, removed the husSau
branch of the house to loOolsK Cthey were u' m tue
Siberian fur-trade) and there marrying 1eIiti ,i
lady of the name of Freytag, had one daughter ana
heiiess. Olga Davidon the acknowledged belle OF
Tobolskan society. 1t was generally understood III
Toboisk that the Davidols we're descended from rom
Welsh princes (as may very likely nave oeen tne
case though one wond really IKE ~ :" Wclsb snh
;aetsl !; indesd they were not even remotely con-
necicd with the Prince of Wales himself IN person,
T'l,e winter of 1873 las everybody VIII remember
was very cold one throughout Siberia The r;vers i
froze unusually early. and troikas had ehilrSly .h
supeScdGd S aoser on s s still Tobosk was ex
cerdingly gay for all that; in the warm houses Oh
the great merchants. with their tropcai nts M hepr p
nj summer heat by stoves and fues all the year
ronnd nobody noticed the exceptional rigor OF that
severe season. Balls and dances followed one an.
other in quick succession. and Olga Davdoit, Just
twenty enjoyed herself as she had never BEFORE
done In ali her lifetime. 1t was such o cnahge W
como to the concentrated saysdd'cs d ss s Wateiows
Establishment for Young Ladies, at Inc Lau'ois'
Claphan. A.. c.. lima p,ror N;az the
Bnrjat came to 1obosk
nTx"nisiteIy polished in manners, and very hand nd
some in face and bearing there was pothing OF ing
Tartar any where visible about Baron MAJ; he hau
been brought up IN Paris, at fashlonaole LvEee,
and he spoke French with pehiecs nmns uGmey ceysas
His tasie i'm music was unimpeachabe even
Madame Davidof. Freytag, candldiy adnilaeu s'
that his performances upon the violin were slngu-
iaTlv Militant, profound and appreciative. More
over. though q Buriat chief he was most IN
doubted nobeman at the Governors Iss RaIseS as sa
real Russian baron of the first water. 10 be sure.
he was nomnally Tartar; but what Oh 5haa M hnt ns
mother and his grandmother, he declared, nau potn
iy heen Russian ladies' and you had only to look at
him to see that there scarcely drop OF Iartar
blood stil remaining anywhere IN him II the hail-
caste negro is brown mulatto. the quarter-caste
light quadroon and the next remove Nis IL ss of bs
white otoroon. surely Baron MAJ 10 spe well II mass
for an ordinary everyday civilized Russian
Olga Davdoff was fairly, fascinated by the ac-
complished young baron. She met him every here.
and he paid her always the most marked and Halter
ing attention. He was Bpriat. to be sure Dnt az
Tobcsk You kn9w We one of origin ne N an
was al the Governors dance Just before Christ
mas. that the Baron got his first good chance OF
talking with her for ten minutes alone among the
fan palms and yoccas IN the big conservatory stl S
ing oleander where the Baron led her after the
fourth waltz, and eant over her respectfully as she
played with her Chinese fan, half trembling az the
declaration she knew he was on the point OF making
aMademoisele Davldofn. the Baron began in
French, with a lingering cadence as he pronounced
her name, and a faint tremor in his voice that
thrilled responsiy ely through her Utmost oengi
pMademoisello Davidof have been waiting long
lor this opportunity of speaking to you alone be-
jause have something OF some lmportance-to me
least, mademoiselle- which wish TO con. on:
be matter e SssS about t. Which Wish speak to
Inc that may concern yourself, too, more closely
What a funny way to begin proposing to one
ga gnneonceTnedy as possible; al: shall be glad NJ
Baron. Pm sure. to listen TO any communication
hat you may wish to make to me-" . .,,,o..
Mademoselle," the young man went ON almost
hmidly-hOw handsome he looked as he stood there
bending over her in his semi barbaric Tartar uni
brm % mademoiselle, the village where ! live IN
Inr own country is lonely one among the high
Mountains You do not know the Buriat country
Is wild sayage rugged gg bsont,fn, %ver tbe
Who are to the ranner born. We breathe there the
,r of liberty, and prefer our own Drawing
ltreams and sheer precipices to all the artificial
jti6ing civilization Of Paris and St Petersburg"
II once how he wished to break it to her. and held
aer peace like wise maiden.
"Y Yes mademoiselle" the young man went on,
1Oodmg her each mOmeLt with the hashlng light
rom his great luminous hazel eyes; my village III
he Buriat country lies high mp beside the eternal
SHOWS But though we live alone there, so far from
raveer our % life is ISL not devoid Of its own delights
sTound and ts s U%n gs IN nv little Vaso as little
prince among his own subjects. Ny people are few.
but they are very faithful: Mademoiselle has been
Il I lal;a
aYes" Olga answered. In London, NJ. lie Baron.
| am of English parentage and my father sent me
there to keep tue connection with his old father
sSad haS where one Oian'n OIL 0or mouse ''' '''"'
aThen. mademoiselle, ,you will doubtless have
read the tales of Walter ScOttp
Olga smiled curiously ayes" she said, amused
OF his nairete, 4" l have certainly read tnem" She
began to think that after all the handsome young
Burat couldn't mean really to propose to her.. 49,
"Weli, you know, in that case, what was the life
ofa Highland chieftain in Scotland when tie High
dependent That, mademoiselle is exactly the life of
a1nodern Burat nobleman under the Russian En-
pire He has his own little territory and his
little people, he lives among them in hls own little
antiQuated fortress, he acknowledges nominaly the
sovereignty of the most orthodox Gar. and even
perhaps exchanges for a Russian title the Tartar
cheftainship handed down to blm in unbroken
cession from his earliest forefathers But in all the
rest be still remains essentially independent. He
rules over q little prncipaty of his own and cares
not fig in his owa heart for Gar or Governor, or
This is rather reasonable talk for the Coy
ernor's palace" Olga pnt in smiling quietly "lf
we were not already i'll iobDsk we might both per
haps, imagine should be sent TO Siberia"
The Baron laughed, and showed his two rows of
peaIly whl,e teeth to the best advantage. "They
might send me TO the mines" he said. for aught
care mademoiselle. | could get away easily enough
from village to village to my own country and
once there il would be easier for the Car TO take
Copstantnople and Bagdad and Calcutta than 10
track and dslodge Alexander MAJ IN his mountain
fortressT
slAlexander MAJ! Olga noted the name TO herself
hnrIiedly; He was converted then he was