Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1886-07-08

DOy, become an honest soldier; rcmem-
Der you have got an old father whose
life you held in your hand. II you
should ever bring shame on our name
| shall die" The boy felt two heavy.
burning tears fall on his brow, and be-
wildcrcd, amazed by this unexpected
outburst of feeling he had hardly
suspected, he threw both his arms
around his father and broke out into a
fit Of wild, uncomfortable sobbing.
All the passion, all the love which had
been hitherto chilled in his young heart
by his fathers repulsive severity,
! ;ieemed at that moment TO stream ou,
at once, shaking bis body from head to
foot, and mingled with a half-conscious
feeling of pity for himself, for his cold,
bleak childhood.
And thus father and son parted.
During the four years of his studies
Andrusha but rarely saw his father.
The journey to Poltava was long one.
The net of railroads which now con-
meets the South OF Russia with the
capital did not exist even in the widest
dreams Of a loyal subject of the Car.
Travelling was slow and expensive and
General Savelieff's fortune less than
modest. When at length at the end OF
his studies, which he accomplished bril-
liantIy, the young artillery officer, An
drci lvanovitch Savelieff, came TO pass
the long vacation with his father in the
small country house of Poltava, the
latter was deeply struck with the change
in the appearance and temper of his
son. Instead of a merry, somewhat
silent but healthy and blooming boy
there sprang out of the perekladnaya
(mail carD the General had awaited
with such throbbing impatience, an
earnest. pale man, with a nervously ex-
pressive, deeply-markod face, with a
fiery, piercing and unfinching gaze
one Of those young faces only to DC
found among the Russian generation
of to-day. a face telling n tale of deep
thought of premature suffering and OF
great tormenting love. And the
boys temper was changed too. OF his
former awe, mingled with an impulsive
tenderness towards his father no trace
was TO be found. He met tho latter
respectfully. but with certain mien of
Independence and manly dignity which
struck the old General with utter
amazement, though il pleased him
on the other hand to find in his
son something akin to his own iron
nature. They met no more like father
and son, but like two soldier friends.
one younger than the other, but both
hardened in the great battle of life. 1t
was, however. precisely this resemb-
lance In both their natures that brought
them further apart than ever Both
were not slow in detecting that they
had no interest, no idea, no aim in life
in common with each other. While
the son was hardly able to answer cor
rectly all his fathers queries about the
whereabouts Of this or that General.
the newest patterns of uniforms, or the
most recent events in the life of the I'm
perial family, the father felt but little
interest and showed still less under
standing for the young officer's erudite
explanations of the newest improve
ment in artillery or the projected re-
forms in The military administration.
Besides. the son had other studies
which engrossed him, other books, not
treatises on artillery. which he read
without ever showing them TO his
father. Once the latter, coming un-
eXpectedly into his sons room. saw the
titles Of two OF these books. "The Life
and Writings of Ferdinand Lassalle"
and Commentaries on John Stuart
Mills Political Economy" Both names
were naturally unknown to him and
the name of Tchernyshevsky, the cello
brated Russian Socialist, being not
printed on the last named book, the
brave old General retained no other
impression from that incident than that
bis son, though a capital SOLDIER was
somewhat of bookworm.
In autumn Andrusha returned to St.
Petersburg and entered the military
academy. He passed rapidly one grade
of the military career after the other
was in 1870 promoted Captain, the
Shipka Pass affair. during which the
young artillery officer rendered signal
services, bringing him the dignity of
Colonel and the grand cross OF the st.
George Order. At the same time his
name became wildly known in
scientific circles. He became editor of
one of the best military reviews Of st.
Petersburg, and his house was the
gathering-place of the best and ablest
representatives of civil as well as mill
tary intelligent circles.
Thus years went on. The great
Nihilist movement broke out, holding
Russian society in a constant state of
agitation and terror. The storm
reached even the old General In his
solitary retreat. His evaporation
against the ''mIscreants and muir
derers' knew no bounds. He even
went so far as to write a letter, ad-
dressed personally 10 the Gar. prof
fering his services for the good and
holy cause" He never received any
answer. The great number Of young
mobiles implicated in the conspiracy
was what especially appalled, him.
Have all those young knaves no
fathers with honor enough in their
hearts 10 kill the yipers they have
nourished in their bosom?" he used TO
exclaim when the papers brought to
him the name Of some new aristocratic
''criminal." And then he added in an
undertone: Thank God! thank God!''
thinking Of his son. and what a bless
ing il was that he had turned out such
a serious, hard-working, brave soldier,
without any nonsense about him"
Then came the eliminating point Of
the revolutionary horror-the Winter
Palace explosion. rhe old Generals
Indignation knew no bounds. At the
same time strange, apparently
groundless feeling OF anxiety for his
son, from whom he had not received
any letters for some time, seized on
him. II am growing old" he wrote
10 Andre, land would like 10 see you,
perhaps for the last time. Try to get
leave Of absence and spend a couple of
months with me-"
The son had obeyed the fathers
wishes. And this night, the 10th of
May, he had arrived at Dubrovka-this
was the name of the Sayelieff estate.
The same position who had brought
him from the nearest railway station
IA ag algo the baaror of a Iaffar fo. eb.,