Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-07

| had done in the road, and woman ana boy,
as IL fash of lightning had struck them
10 the earth, fell on their knees beside tho
| bed, in wild, harsh tones, shrieking rather
! than crying, Jesus. Marial Jesus,
Maria" Then a waiting without words,
broken and piercing, filed the little cham
| Der.
Tho two poachers stood by the hearth
| looking now at their dead companion, now
at the weeping wife, now at the sobbing
son. The same gloomy thought haunted
/ them both. Perhaps some dark night their
end would be the same. The minutes
passed. The gray light crept into the room.
| Skokan turned his face toward the hearth
and looked thoughtfully at the sinking
| flames. Then he put on another pine log.
The fire took fresh life and burned up
again. Again tho dogs barked. Slow steps
I came across the yard. and Jarosh walked
/ into the room. Unable to find his mates
/ lac had returned home, and seeing the light
| had come to Zinka's cottage.
/ The woman and the youth did not notice
| him. With few signs and half a dozen
| words his mates enlightened him as To what
had happened. Then for awhile they took
counsel softly. After that Novak and ia
rosh went away.
Skokan sat down on the bench by the
| hearth. The pine-lOg flames, tiickering
restlessly, Jared up and fell, and in their
l
| face Of the dead man smiled coldly and
then again was cOutorted with pam.
IN half an hour Jarosh returned, having
| changed his clothes. lie sat down in SkO-
| kan's place by the hearth. SkOkan llmped
/ home. The eastern sky was colOred with
| tine red light Of dawn. Jarosh, sitting
down at the hearth. took coal, with winch
he lighted the tobacco in his short wooden
pine and smoked. gazing penslyely 40 the
| III l..,l
The wife and boy had wept all the tears
out Of their weary eyes, but they were stiil
| CrouChed by the bed sObblng plmuuvcly.
Little suspicion had the son that he was the
occasion Of his fathers death In an hour
or 30 il was known in all the cottages that
| Zinka was dead-shot, 1t was whispered.
I And the women said: That how my M
viii end one of these days. I'm always tell
I ing him So"
The Bailid was IN his Office engaged in
! looking over his accounts when the fCres-
/ ter came in with the news.
"Well. View -Ot rid at last of that limp
/ ing, poaching l, Ist. Skokan. One of the
gamekeepers finished MIN OF with shot.
"Then Zmka did not deceive US" said
/ the Balit cOOlly. " We Will save MS son
/ from being enlisted"
The subject was soon dropped, and they
/ talked of something else. Presently some
one came in mt the door, and they turned TO
/ see who ~ was. Pale as ghosts the Ballh
/ and the forester stood staring as If they
/ had been turned into stone. On the other
| side Of the table at which the rents were
paid, putting down mis- silver forms,
/ stoOd-SkOkan.
The cunning old fox, in order 10 give IN
! impression that be had no knowledge ai all
! of what had taken place the previous night,
/ had Jumped zap cOoilF and humtly 90 pay
! his rent. Ills experienced eye saw hat
| there WAS something amlss. bat he had uo
/ suspicion of the truth. For d moment tho
/ Balm and the forester believed they saw "a
| ghost.
/ 81 humidity kiss your Honor's hand" he
said. bending his back IN an awkward bow.
d" / came To- pay the rent and the tax and.
/ turning hi, rough hat ia ms hands, be
+ looked down at the door.
! Tho Bai.ih wrote the receipt IN his book,
/ and Skokan. carefully placing 10 IN the
pocket Of his shabby, knitted Jersey, once
| more bowed. and repeating, i kiss your
Honor hand, left the Office
! The Ballif turned 10 the forester.
1.-THE cursed thief. said the latter.
| myself saw him fall when the man shot az
| him. lie must have thrown himself down
| ON purpose to make as think that We had
| hin him. Wtll have him some day
Later iu the day the country doctor
| came i'm. le had been sent tor, he sad,
| to see the dead body of Joseph Lmka,
/ peasant. who had died OF gun-sbot the
/ previous night. He had bis foot wounded,
/ too. apparently from having trOdden ON
/ something sharp. he Balm ana the Tor
/ ester exchanged glance,
q" lie is no great loss said the forester
when the doctor was gone. A tibet and
a p0acher."
As the Doctor had been called in a sort
/ Of inquest was set on foot. The Bailif
was foremost in it. and that very day went
| down TO question Zinka's wife, but could
| ascertain nothing except that Llnka mad
! come home in the night from somewhere
| wounded and had soon afterward died.
! And that was all that ever came out. On
! the fourth day the man was buried, and
| the reports of the Investigations lie some
where covered with dust aud mold.
Zinka, however, had saved his son. The
! lad was now his mothers only support,
and SO exempt. lie kept away from p0ach-
| ing. too. warned by his fathers death.
Skokan. Noyak. and Jarosh, shocked by
! the fate of their mate, abstalned Tor few
weeks from the Counts tlsh-pOnds. But
| the impression of the grizzly adventure
! gradually became weaker, and after time
! their old passion for pOaching gained the
/ victory. and they went back 10 the mere
/ just as if nothing had happened.
! TwOycars afterward Skokan disappeared.
]
/ found at the bottom of one of the big
mcres, and it was generally supposed 10 be
| the remains of the limping poacher.
| NOyak and Jarosh knew that il was so.
| They had seen the shot fired at Skokan
| standing up TO his armpits in the water.
| The two surviving pOachers, when they
were old, were rheumatic, the consequence
| of the frequent wading at night In the icy
meres and the wandering home IN wet
| clothes through the freezing morning msts
| to their distant homes. Bent double and
/ scarcely able 10 move their joints. the old
| sinners, unable any longer 10 poach on a
| large scale. would betake themselves to
! the noighboring streams and catch small
| fish with "a rod and mean while narrate to
| each other the great catches of the days Of
! their youth Sitting on the bank under
] the shadow Of the willows watching with
! their dim eyes the float dancing in the
water they talked of their former mates
who were now gone there" They re
minded each other of how they had come
to 20 " there" and if ever Zinka and his
fate came into their memories they shook
! their heads. remarking that there was
some hitch in 1t that time"