The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-07-09

's% W<A0ut 4t4k u t4Y<V4cus ono Oh
The last true knights Of 3 decaying and
corrupted autocracy From the soli-
lude o. bis modeot country seat The old |
General neither saw nor cared 20 know
how the IDEAL the deity be had wor-
shipped had long ago fallen 20 pieces
and lost tho last glitter Of it, former
prestige. For him the Cxar was still
the father Of his people, the ordained
and hallowed representative Of God on
earth.
Needless 70 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 Z curious life
Of the past-ihe life Of IN old man. not
looking forward into the dazzling un-
certainty Of the future, but seeking in
the remembrance Of the past all that Il
good. sacred and joyful. The boy
grew up behind Chinese wall apart
from all the joyful excitement. the busy
uproar of his generation. 'heavily Ia
den," as the great Russian poet I.er-
montoff says ''with the hoary wisdom
Of his sires."
When Andrusha was fourteen years
Of age his father brought him to St.
Petersburg 70 the Corps dcs 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 q good
boy. become an honest soldier; remem-
Der you have got an old father whose
life you hold in your hand. II you
should ever bring shame on our name
/ shall die" The boy felt two heavy.
burning tears fall on mis- brow, and be-
wildered. amazed by this unexpected
cutburst Of feeling he had hardly
suspected. he threw both his arms
around his father and broke out into q
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 Pcltava 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 Gar
General Savelief's fortune less than
modest When at length at the end Of
his studies. whichhe accomplished bril-
liantiy. the young artillery officer, An
drei lvanovitch Savelief. 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 tho perekladnaya
email cart) the General had awaited
with such throbbing Impotence, an
earnest. pale man, with nervously ex-
pressive, deeply-marked face, with 4
fiery, piercing and unflinching gaze
one Of those young faceA 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 tod. 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 micn Of
independence and manly dignity which
struck the old General with utter
amazcment though il pleased him
on the other hand to find in bis
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. Il
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 al HE 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 officers erudite
explanations Of the newest improve
mcnt 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 no read
without ever showing them to his
| father. Once the latter, coming un'
cxpcctcdly into his sons room. saw the
titles Of two Of these books, 1.-The Life
and Writings Of Ferdinand Lassalle''
and commentaries on John Stuart
Mill Political Economy" Both names
were naturally unknown to him, and
| the name Of Tchcrnyshevsky the cele
bratcd Russian Socialist, being not
printed on the last named book. thu
brave old General retained no Other
| impression from that incident than that
his son, though capital soldier, wa'
somewhat Of q b0okworm.
In autumn Andrusha returned 20 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 sigma
services, bringing him the dignity d