The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-10-31
IN General.
Two Queer Servants.--A Stery Of
Central Russia.

tentThl huSslHs
"You talk of having trouble with
your servants, Courtenay, my boy"
said Captain Lansdowne, of the British
! Dragon Guards, as he sat at the double
window of his hotel in Moscow, watch
ing the red winter sunset fade behind
! the great white battlements and green
! tiled towers encircling the "Gorod-
skaya Tchast Getty quarte). swell,
! Just you come and live in Russia for
year or two, and then you'll think all
western servants absolute perfection"
THAT'S So" assented Mr.. Hiram Boy
Ter, with dry smile upon his keen
American face. I've engineered three
railroads between this and the Volga,
and | ought to know what sort of crit
ters the Russians are" but, really,
now, you know" expostulated Courte-
nay-who, as a new arrival, was being
put through a course of Russian man
ners and customs by his two friends
&" some of these stories that they tell
about servants can't possibly be true.
For instance, fancy anybody expecting
one to believe that an officers servant
could bring his masters two odd boots,
and say: Faith, l don't know what's
0Ol lDIO lnllu DOOtS lO-udl. utIC ,
another pair down stairs in that very
same scrape, shure ~ Well, I'm
sorry to contradict you, old fellow"
said the captain, laughing, but
it happens that l Sd,C that done
myself, and the officer was the senior
major of our regiment" "And if you
want parallel case" chimed in Mr..
Boyler, d" guess we can accommodate
YOU right away" So saying, he stepped
to the door and shouted into the pas
sage, Vanyal" (Johnny). "Sei-
tchass" directly answered hoarse
voice, and in came short, square, low
browed fellow with a red calico shirt
outside all his other clothes, and face
whose profound and placid stupidity
was worthy of Tartar idol. " Bring
two logs for the stove" said the Ameri-
can; "and mind that one must be
longer than the other" Away plodded
honest Ivan like plow-horse, and re-
turned presently with two split logs
of une quail length. "Durakr' Oool)
cried Mr.. Boyler, with admirably
feigned anger. /" l told you to have
one piece longer than the other, and in
stead of that you've got one piece
shorter than the othern' Ivan hung
his big head in confusion. $50 | have,
sure enough. It's all my fault, BARN -
(master); Z" but III 90 and change it
this moment" WE'LL" cried Court
ney, as Ivan disappeared, I" if there is
another such fool as that in Russia, I'd
like to see him, that's allH' " So you
shall, in half minute" said Captain
Lansdowne, going to the door in his
turn. Meeha" (Mike.) A hasty
step was heard outside, and tall
scraggy fellow entered whose gaunt
face had none of that stoid self-satis-
faction which marked the heavy fea-
lures of Ivan. On the contrary he
wore restless and troubled look, as
if he were dimly conscious that he
was fool, and was always trying to
find out how and why. "Were you
pleased to call, Yury Petrovitch?'
George, son of Peter, asked he.
Yes; l want you to do job for me.
You know Pashkoff's store Just across
the street? Well, here are two twenty
kopeck pieces (silver coins worth
about dime). $50 and bring me
twenty kopecks worth of white bread
and twenty kopecks worth of cheese"
Off went Michael on his errand, and
| MT. OOurltIdy-WnO COulu llOl llLdVllC
how any one could manage to bungle
, such a plain commission-was greatly
puzzled when quarter of an hour
went by without any sign of his return.
Something must have happened to
him, surely" said he at last. -
haven't the slightest doubt of it,"
answered the captain, with a sly smile,
"and can pretty well guess what that
something is. Clap on your hat, and
come along. Pashkoff's isn't far off
and III be bound we shall find Master
Michael at the door of the shop"
There they found him sure enough
+ with such an expression as might be
worn by man who had just upset a
, plate of soup over his wife's new dress
He was scratching his head perpleXedly
with one hand while he held out the
two silver coins in the other. ooh
BARN, BARN." cried he, on seeing them
cit was written for me at my birth that
| should be unlucky, and there's nc
; escaping it," "Why, what's wrong?'
asked the captain, with side glance al
Courtenay's astonished face. "Ive
: mired the two coins," answered
Michael, in heart-broken tones, "ant
now don't know which was the one
for the bread, and which was the one
for the cheese. "-EditOr' Drd,cer n
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