Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-07
IN A CLEFT STICK.
lcornhnLl

PANTS burn pine logs upon the hearth.
lphe Pickering gleam Of their red flames
ghines through the small windows and is
lost in the gloom Of the forest; The sum
mer night is dark with clouds, and the
moon has not yet risen. The WIND soughs
roftly over the tops az the pines, other
wise all around rcigns the completest still
ness.
In n small room in one Of the cottages
Eve men sit around a rough table playing
rards by the light of the pine logs and
smoking short wooden pipes. Ihey areali
of them of middle age, between forty ana
fiftv. Drowned with the sun and the WIND.
Their beardlcss faces are covered with
wrinkles and their brrstling hair is cut
short. They wear ly-knitted, homo
made Jerseys, and are barefooted.
In A corner Of the room woman sits on
a wide bed. rocking with her foot cradle
in which baby Is asleep. Two bigger
children sleep on the bed behind her. me
woman has a rosary IN her hands ana ~
telling her beads. The men do not speak
rxcopt when the gasne requires IT., Ihey
are rlavinc for marks only, which they
make with piece Of chalk upon the table.
The monotonouS amusement lasts an hour
OF two. Meanwhile, the woman has lald
herself down on the bedand gone 70 sleep.
Al length the old. smoke-staIned wooden
clock strikes II with n dull sound reSem-
bling that Of cracked glass. As IT at a
word of command the men rise at once
from the bench and shuttle softly from the
room. an
The last Of them, man Of middle
height who liiups on one foot, carefully
puts out the FIRE. This IS the owner OF the
cottage, SkOkan.
Outside his companions waited IN the
card. One Of them had in his hands four
rods. each about three yards long, bent IN
the form of IA bow, and pole. All wore
something fastened az their sides which
looked like bag. When Skokan had taken
from under the caves a little, roundlSh
bundle of rods aud another Iong pole, he
sleo fastened bag at his side. That done,
he whistled 10 a small dog to come out OF
his kennel. and then they all left the yard
togetber SkOkan closing the gate care
fullv. 80 that the dos should not get out.
leaving the road at once. they entered
under the dark vault of the branches OF the
great pine trees. Not word was spoken
among them For half an hour they passed
on. following Skoksn, sometimes through
the thick woods. sometimes through new
plantations. where the branches OF the
vouug trees beat roughly against their
faces. At last they came TO lttle brook
that wound its way through tue tmckets'
There Skokan stopped.
q" Mates" he said in low voice, we
will stop here and rest, 50 that We shall
not 90 heated into the water
Thoy all sat down on the spODgy moss
unable 10 see one another ia the dark.
Listen. mates" went on Skokan, !
nave heard a report. You know mates
that we have worked together these twelve
wears. and up 70 now they nave never
caught any of us. But yesterday evening
heard something"
What them" asked two voices. The
third man was silent.
You know Frantishka. who was my
yife's friend. is in service with the baillt. d"
"Ay, what them" sSsented again the two
voices. -
"Yesterdav my wife went with her 10
xespers. and Frantiehka told her that they
say We ought 10 keep an eye on You. Llnka.
They say that Yesterday morning You were
talking for "a long time with the balm anu
the forester at the Office"
The man who had hitherto kept silence
answered quickly, Il went TO the Office to
pay the rent.
but Irantishka says That you were
there a long time"
"Skokan. YOU are not fooled by wo-
mans chatter answered the man who was
addressed. An these years We have
worked together you have never doubted
me. The forester was there only by
chance"
"Well, mate, did think it was just wo-
mans chatter. agreed Skokan.
II don't believe it," Nor l." said the
II have only told YOU, mates, that there
was something SAID. " replied SkOkan easily.
"Now we are cool, let us 90 down 70 the
mere. We can jump the stream easily Just
below here"
The men were pOaehers, and tonight
were going to catch carp In one OF the
Counts meres. They had been thither
often enough before, they and the villagers,
TOO. For they all poached-In winter game
and in the summer carp; stealing out at
night when the moon rose late, from their
quiet cottages in the lonely woods. 10 re
turn at dawn, soaking wet, and numbed
with cold: bent sometimes with the weight
of the carp in the bags on their backs, and
sometimes with the PAIN of gunshOt, and
sometimes leaving behind them on the
forest paths drops Of blood to mark their
steps. Now and again man never came
home at all.
Many of them had no occasion to pOach.
They could live well enough on the pro-
duoe of their fields and meadows. But the
pOaching was passion with them. Oi
Them all She most daring and the most eX-
perienced was the limplng Skolan. What
number Of carp that man had taken home
from the Counts tish-ponds for his chill
dren 10 eat, His wife also secretly took
the fish round for sale. The nelghborlng
country priests bought them for Fridays,
the schoolmasters, and sometimes the gen.
tlefolks in the ueighbOrlng towns. by
means Of this trade with the Counts carp
Skokan and his companions were plllnS up
nice little heap Of forms. The highest
ambition of the Counts gamekeepers was
TO catch Skokan IN the act. But all their
ingenuity had been hitherto III vain. He
always got away.
The poachers rose and CROPPED through
The dark to the edge of the stream. They
knew the place well. Three of them had
already jumped the brook Only Zlnka
remained Then he jumped too. but,
alghting on his right foot, gave sudden
shrek Of pain. The same instant ne
checked himself and was silent.
What's happened, Iinka!" asked Sko-
kan quickly.
81 jumped on the stump Of tree, and
have hurt my foot"
In fact, he had jumped barefooted on the
stump OF young pine. which had been
splinter stood up ike finger, ana mad
pierced the sole Of his foot.
at pains me fcarfully," moaned Zinka.
One of the pOachers tore OF strip about
four inches wide from the edge OF his bag
and gave 1t 70 Zinka, who bound his wound
with il, and, having picked up his rods,
limped after his mates.
MY wound will get washed in the water,
and after few days II will be quite well, D."
he comforted himself, bearing the keen
pain with the quiet philosophy Of a rough
nature, not a little assisted by the fact that
he had something heavier than the pam
weighing upon his mind. Already he had
set down his wound as judgment come
upon him for the treaehcry of which he
had been guilty against his mates; for he
was leading his friends with whom he had
poached over since he was a lad, and more
particularly his old, faithful, true mate
Skokan. into trap which the Counts
gamekeepers had set.
Oniy the day before the Counts bailiff
had sent for him TO come 10 the Office. and
there had said TO him dryly and shortly /;
"Zinka. ali the world knows that YOU
poach with SkOkan. Now. II you viii not
tell us when and where Skoksn goes for
the fish. so that we can take him in the act,
understand this-the time Is coming round
for the CONSUMPTION. Your only son VIII
have 10 stand, ana we viii have him en-
listed. without any chance of his q tting
OF. You will not see him, Mnka, for four
teen years-perhaps. never again"