The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-07-11
THE BEAR PRINCESS.
FROM THE FRENCH.

Behind the house Serbian sat dreaming
upon bench over which the lilacs form
ed SORT of canopy, perfumed with their
own fresh odor.
The house was e fine building, with
white-washed walls, and roof of red
tiles. 1t belonged to Serban's mother, the
Widow Lepkowitsch, and was situated in
the Galician quarter of Zukoff, not far
from the Custom-house, and very near
the woods
Dame Lepkowitsch was a powerful wo-
man, about forty years of age, whom
everybody both respected and feared. She
was respected because, ever since the death
of her husband, she had managed the
property and its dependencies all by her
self, cultivated her own fields and carried
on little trade as well in wood and tai
low. Her great gray eyes made people
afraid as they heard her voice, harsh as
the sound of knife passing over grind
stone
Not knowing how to read or write her
self, she had taken care to send her son to
school at an early age. Serbian kept her
accounts and read the papers to her; for
the good woman, who could not make out
single letter herself, burned with curios-
ity TO know what was going on in Paris,
at Vienna, and other remote places.
She loved Serbian as mother loves her
only child. but she took care not to let him
see it. Was it not enough TO think of to
work for his future fr.m morning until
evening?
Serbian was dreamer. The only thing
which gave him delight was his violin
his mother had bought him the instrument
as an object of distraction-for she
thought her son was melancholy only be-
cause he was too fond of solitude and too
much given to his own sombre thoughts.
Dame Lepkowitsch was far from sus-
pecting that her son needed a hand to
direct him, and that that hand must be
tle hand of woman.
For the time being his mothers hand
was sufficient, but later on it would have
TO be another s; that was certain. Like
child, he would have to be passed from
one hand to another, but the thing did not
seem at all easy to do, for it did not APP
pear to please this great strong youth, with
his girls face and blond curls. He seem
ed to have horror of everything that
wore trailing dresses and long hair: and
the moment that the fresh and beautiful
face OF young girl appeared before him,
or that sweet voice spoke to him, he
made his preparations to flee.
He never frequented the tavern, never
went to balls; he was never seen at the
fountain, nor at the evening spinning
parties, nor at any of the fayorite resorts
of the other young men, None of those
amusements attracted him. So that after
a while his mother became a little anxious,
and particularly when she saw him sitting
on the bench. as he was to-day, like some
prince of fairy tale bewitcheu by fairy.
He had been sitting thus 10 brown
study for some time, when suddenly
strange noise fell upon his ears tEat dis
turbed his reflections. A sound at once
ringing and yet melancholy seemed,
through the calm of the evening. to come
from the market place, and break its
echoes magically against the houses and
among the gardens. There was gentle
harmony in the noisy concert.
Serbian got up. and, with his violin and
bow still in his hand, he slowly followed
the meIodious summons, and crossing the
huge gardens be reached the Zukof street
which leads to the market place.
There, a compact crowd had formed in
= p0idlClo, SClVaulc, C0iiuA Cu---ouu
in the middle stood young girl of great
beauty, who was making big brown
bear dance
While the latter was turning clumsily
upon his hind legs, uttering grunt of
satisfaction from time 10 time, the young
girl was tapping tambourine, the boom
ing of which, blended with the argentine
clash of little bells, produced uniform
sound characterized by sort Of melancholy
fury.
The profile of the 1.-THE young girl was
splendidly outlined against the bright
evening sky; it seemed like the head of
some Byzantine saint relieved against
background of gold.
Her feet were shod with dainty red mo-
rocco shoes; she wore short striped tunic,
and round her neck string of coral and
silver pieces which fell ever her richly
embroidered garment A piece Of red
cloth was gracefully twisted about her
handsome dark head, and gave her face a
somewhat Oriental and prophetic aspect.
The animal understood every one of her
signs; he listened to her with the blind
obedience of slave who loves and fears
his mistress; he sat down and gave his
paw, rose up again, and the beautiful girl
stood triumphant upon his rugged back;
he assumed all the pastures of clown,
and, at another signal, began to perform a
kind of pant0mime. To end with, he
threw himself on the ground, pretended
to be dead, and the young girl stretched
herself upon him, in the attitude of con-
Queror that has ovcrthrown his enemy.
Serbian stood there without moving, but
he never took his eyes off her.
Don't go near her!" cried neighbor,
the tailor, Atlas Mensch, "she is as proud
as she is wild. l know her we'll; they call
her the Bear Princess. The best advice
can give you is to keep out Of her way
This warning came too late As the
young girl approached Serbian to pick up
the CONS that had fallen ut his feet, it
seemed to him that she had suddenly
pulled out his heart, and hidden it away
under her magnificent dress. And when