Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-08-11
tanned THEM BOTH.
The Bear-Princess, Cadina, and
Her Two Followers.

b,a'nd the house, Serbian sat dream
ING upon bench over which the lilacs
formed a sort of canopy, perfumed
with their own fresh odor. The house
was fine building, with white
washed walls, and Il roof of rcd tiles;
it belonged to Serbans 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 Lepkowtsch was powerful
woman about forty years of age, whom
every body 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 herself, cultivated
her own tickls, and carried on n little
trade rs well in wood and tallow; 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 herself, she had taken care to
send her soH 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 curiosity to know
what was going on at Paris, atVienna,
and other remote places. She loved
Serbian as a mother loves her only
child, but she took care not to let him
sec IL. Was it not enough to think Of
and to work for his future from morn
ing until EVENING"
Serbian was a 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 melan-
choly only because lie was too fond of
solitude and too much given to his
own somber thoughts. The pco-
pie Of the neighborhood had quite
another idea about him; they sim
ply thought he was sick; aud not
one Of them would have given two
groschen for his life. Dame Lcpko-
witsch was far from suspecting that
her son needed a hand to direct him,
and that that hand must be the 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 a 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 appear to
please this great strong youth, with his
girl face and blond curls. He seemed
TO have horror of every thing that
wore trailing dresses and long hair;
end the moment that the fresh and
beautiful face of young girl appeared
before him, or that sweet voice
spoke TO him he made his preparation
TO Zee. He never frequcntcd the tav-
ern, never went to balls; he was never
seen OF the fountain, nor at the
evening spinning parties, nor at
any of the favoritc resorts of the
other young men. None of these
amuscmcnts attracted him. So that
after awhile his mother became little
anxious, and particularly when she saw
him sitting on the bench, as he was to-
day, like some prince of fairy-talc be-
witchod by fairy.
He had been sitting thus in brown
study, for some time, when suddenly q
strange noise fell upon his cars and
disturbed his reflections. A sound at
once ringing and yet melancholy
seemed, through the calm Of the even
Ing, to come from the market-placc,
and break its echoes magically against
the houses and among the gardens.
There was gentle harmony in the
noky concert. Serbian got up, and,
With his violin and bow still In his
hand, he slowly followed the melodious
SUMMONS. and crossing tho huge gar
dens,he reached the Zukoff street which
leads t. the market-place There, a
compact stswd had formedIin acirclc--
s9laieis, jews, servants. childrcn--snd
In the middle Stood JeGfg girl b