The Penn's Grove record., 1888-08-18

| oldlCu LII CdllAbk hots ASNnC Dheyt
had 30 entwined herself about the goo
old priests heart, that he treated her
indeed, very differently from the rest
! Often IN the early twilights OF th
autumn and winter the child wouii
sit on the floor before the hot stove
close to the suffering oil lamp, he
book In her hand, while her foste
mother went about the house dutle
bravely.
And she would say, "Mother, 1 re
member a different house than this"
eyes, waIl?" And Marianka woult
sit down and prick up her ears.
"Where vas it?"
"How can l tellp'
"But did we not live somewhere else
in a large house, with many peopl
about, say, motherf"
"Not that I know"
swell, it Is strange, for I am sur,
that 1 remember it only when | try Il
remember it better, it fades all away
just as the fire dies down in the stove.
"Never mind. Try. What else
"Only the large house by the water
"The waterl' Marianka started.
"Yes-and a beautiful lady, no,
dressed like you and 1 mother-but-'
swell. how, howp"
"Oh, 1 don't know-there she goe:
now in the ashes, and 1 cannot catch a
good sight of her."
SWELL, let it alone"
"well, yes" And Roxandrs
munched some sweet seeds, and pre-.
sently fell asleep.
"If her memories sank deep In the
more an impression o. the priest. and
he encouraged the child to prattle
OF her pastl 1t was never more,
or much, only chat she seemed to be
struggling after some life that lay hid
den, or far beyond her grasp.
"She loved the palace Of Prince Okla
min. although, nowadays, this was a
spot full OF gloom aud shadows. The
prince had long since been arrested for
completely in some political crimes, the
princess for a time had lost her reason
they said, and nov only lived to seek
increasingly the pardon Of her husband,
who was confined In some prison
no one knew where-and to mourn the
little child that she had suddenly lost.
ALI this people said, and much more,
but people say many things, and Ivan
I%vanovitch and Marianka his wife were
sur Of lone Of 1t.
The palace, that was one thing they
were quite sure Of, the splendid palace
had been seized and turned into a
prison, at least the lower story, which
was level with the lake, was full OF
criminals, and the %iailer's wives came
to Oloi with their children, now and
then to church, on sundays and saint
days. and Roxandra knew well enough
the two daughters of Alexis Alexo-
witch, the head jailer. Indeed, on her
raft she had padded up to the palace
and lam on her back in the sun looking
at the splendid large windows Of the
upper part, and at the dungeons below
with the air holes cut In the masonry
and barred with iron.
"Where was it2 When was TIP"
Roxandra thought to herself, ''that she
had stood upon a beautiful parapet,
like this one yonder, and with flowers
in her hand had run to meet-well,
wlom?"
All, 1t was surely very perplexing.
and she would certainly talk more to
the good priest about 1t.
Which she did.
Month In and month out; year in and
year out; until the lake baby was finally
Is years old; a fine. nay a beautiful
young maiden with straight and erect
features, and long. silky golden braids.
SNOW" she said to the priest. one
early spring day, ''tell me about my
self. for l am sure you know; where
die l come fromP l am not the true
child of my mother, that l know-they
do not call me Lake baby'fo nothing;
come now, be agreeable, and tell me;
all l ask for is the good truth"
flush, Tush," the old priest SAID,
adjusting his s~pectacles.
"No, no, I know, l feel that I am.
you know, some One-some one elsel
that IS It'll just so-ehp"
"Well, well, what of itP"
"But l am listening, eh?"
He glanced at her, and then quite
simply he told her the history of the
day that Marianka found her asleep on
the Lake of Karka, all Of it.
"And let me see, now, the packet of
papers; oh, yesP" Her lovely eyes
sparkled and flashed. THAT tells who
/ am, chr"
He shook his head.
"Whati Well. what of 1t thenp"
81 will show you"
And he did so, unrolling carefully
the thin paper that had lain undis-
turbed for nearly twelve years.
A few words were written on the
outside In Russian thus: MY daugh-
ter, baptized Roxandra." She eagerly
seized them.
''Ahl" cried she, my mother wrote
this, and 1 can remember her-beauti-
ful-yes-and then, ah. she fades sol"
"WellY' The priest held up before
her eyes a picture.
Roxandra caught it and pressed 1t to
her lips frantically.
".Oh," she sobbed half laughing,
''this Is shell How many times l have
tried to describe her to-mother-and
1 could not-and thisp" she takes the
other portraits from the hands Of the
SIS this my fsther9" her tone sinks
to a whisper.
He mods.
w mere lS n6g"
The old priest shrugs his shoulder.
"And my motherr"
az know not"
"Who are theyp Who were they2
Oh, who am II"
"How do L know2'
"That is true"
"Why was l set adrift upon the lake
of Karka, ehf"
"Who Ia sayr"
''Sure enough"
"Are you satisfied?"
Roxandra walks away, and she
spends the rest OF the day, far into the
twilight, floating on the lake, although
times Ivan lvanovitch shofs
to her from his work on the shore that
the waters are rising and that all the
springs are overlooking, and that there
are foods coming.
The girl does not heed him, until
shrill voice rouses her
when the stars are out, and 1t IS chill
on the lake. Then she comes In. and
sullenly eats her supper and goes to