The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-07-14

the last true knlRntS Vi q uccaylnS anu
corrupted autocracy. From the soil
tude Of his modest country scat the old
General neither saw nor cared 20 know
how the ideal, the deity he had wor-
shipped had long ago fallen to pieces
and lost the last glitter of its former
prestige. For him the Car was still
the father of his people, the ordained
and hallowed representative of God on
earth.
Needless to say, he had educated his
son in precisely the same creed. From
his tenderest infancy Andrusha had
been isolated from the outward world
and lived with his father curious life
Of the past-the life of an old man, not
looking forward into the dazzling I'M
certainty of the future, but seeking in
the remembrance of the past all that is
good, sacred and joyful. The boy
grew up behind a Chinese wall apart
from all the joyful excitement, the busy
uproar of his generation, "heavily la
den," as the great Russian poet Ler-
montoff says. with the hoary wisdom
of his sires."
When Andrusha was fourteen years
OF age his father brought him to St.
Petersburg to the Corps DIES Pages, the
first military school of the Empire. On
taking leave of his son in the recep-
tion-room Of the school the General for
the first time in his life betrayed some
weakness. He clasped Andrusha in
his arms and whispered "Be good
boy, become an honest soldier; remen-
Der you have got an old father whose
life YOU hold in your hand. If you
should ever bring shame on our name
l shall die" The boy felt two heavy.
burning tears fall on his brow, and be-
wildered, amazed by this unexpected
outburst of a 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,
seemed at that moment to stream out
at once, shaking his body from head to
foot, and mingled with 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 loyal subject of the Gear.
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
drei Ivanovitch 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 merry, somewhat
silent but healthy and blooming boy
there sprang out of the perekladnaya
(mail carD the General had awaited
with such throbbing Impotence, an
earnest. pale man, with nervously ex-
pressive, deeply-marked face, with a
fiery, piercing and unflinching gaze
one of those young faces only to be
found among the Russian generation
of to-day, face telling 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 the latter
respectfully, but with certain mien OF
independence and manly dignity which
struck the old General with utter
amazement, though it 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. II
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 littl,
interest and showed still less under
standing for the young officer eruditt
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, no
treatises on artillery, which he reat
without ever showing them to hi
father. Once the latter, coming un
expectedly into his sons room, saw tn,
titles of two of these books, 1.-THE Lii,
and Writings of Ferdinand Lassalle,
and Commentaries on John Sluar
Mills Political Economy" Both names
were naturally unknown to him, ant
the name of Internationally, the cele
brated Russian Socialist, being no
printed on the last named book, tn
brave old General retained no othe
impression from that incident than tina
his son, though a capital soldier. wa
somewhat of bookworm.
In autumn Andrusha returned to 81
Petersburg and entered the militar
academy. He passed rapidly one grad
of the military career after the other
was in 1870 promoted Captain, tn
Shipka Pass affair, during which tn
young artillery officer rendered sigma
services, bringing him the dignity 9
Colonel and the grand cross of the 81
George Order. At the same time hi
name became wildly known il
scientific circles. He became editor G
one of the best military reviews Of 81
Petersburg, and his house was tn
L i. L q IL