Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-31


Crimes-the Exchange, where I quaffed
kisia and raspberry qvass with the merchants,
ana mad visited the summer gardens, with the
statue OF Krilof. the author, in his dressing
gown, in the center. had duly admired the
statue Of Peter the Great on its huge block Of
granite and had visited fortresses and palaces,
museums and theaters until was fairly worn
out.
One morning awoke with an aching head
and broken heart. We had gone the night be-
fore to q ball Accommodated forget the
names OF half of them. 1t was not palace
ball, but one given by one of the lesser aristoc-
racy. I had been there introduced to Olga
basklrof, and for the first time in my life had
toppled over and succumbed. / was desper-
ately in love. She had seen how deeply was
smItten and had not appeared displeased We
had set out dance after dance, and AS gazed
at her creamy skin and beautiful intellectual
features, and she flashed her magnificent black
eyes into mine and shook back her wealth of
blue-black hair, in which nestled q single deep
red camelia, knew had met my fate and
that henceforward the world contained but one
woman for me. In reply to my eager ques-
tions she told me she was the friend of Vera
Labinski, the counts sister, and, with an arch
smile, told me that it should not be her fault
If we did not meet soon again; but there was
reserve and sadness about her that puzzled
me. and determined to ask Count Labinski
about her.
.'Ha! my friend" said Labinski, as he came
into my room, '.you look played out. eh? A
drive in the country will do you good. You
know today We spend with my mother and sis
ter; there 1 introduce you to my betrothed,
then some friends come to dinner and we drive
back by the moon. Come, the droschky is
ready"
Hardly had the '.isvostchik" tucked the rich
furs around us and adjured his team-"Ho! lit
tie mother, no! son of noble father!''-tO show
their best pace, than 1 turned to Labinski.
Count. my chum,'' he liked being called, II
am in love. love Olga Baskiroff with all my
SOUL tell me all about her, beg"
The count started and looked keenly at me,
then said simply, Il tell you all know: She is
an orphan; she is what you call pretty rich; she
is a medical student from choice, not necessity;
her father died from hardship, her mother
from grief. He was in prison over the Met
chayeff Observation-Disclosures was the precursor
of nihilism--but he was found innocent, so
Olga could keep the property he left-she is a
good girl" And he stopped abruptly.
/ could see there was something, SO said:
''She told me she was your sisters friend;
surely you can trust me-" He hesitated and
looked furtively around.
Il don't want her to know my sister, Think
1 don't know-she is mixed up with nihilsts."
My fears of something dreadful vanished,
and laughed heartily, but the count looked
grave. Tell me, count, what is nihilism."
I'm glad you ask me here, not in the pal
ace-walls have ears. 1 do not know much.
Nihilists are of two kinds, those who have moth
ing in their heads and those who have nothing
in their pockets. Their creed is there is moth
ing new and nothing true, and nothing signi-
fies; at first a mere passive negation OF what
our stern laws made everybody believe, or pre-
'end to believe, and which prescribed all revo-
lutionary works. and even philosophical trea-
tises reported dangerous; but before the assassi-
nation OF the late emperor reaction had set
in, and, together with much genuine enthusi-
asm for reforms of all kinds, the more active
minded of my compatriots began to conduct
themselves like schoolboys suddenly re-
heyed from the presence OF a master,
when the car liberated the serfs; and
instead of softening the hearts of the nihil-
lists by his granting certain measure Of liberty,
while making it evident more would follow,
the late emperor, by the mildness of his rule,
encouraged them to adopt an attitude of
defiance. The emperor threw the people their
freedom as one throws dog a bone to save
ones legs, their leader Mikilailoff declared,
by means of his secret newspaper press-Kolo-
kol, The Bell; Zimal-e-Vols, Land and Lib
erty, and Veliko Russ, Great Russia. This
was not 70 be forgiven the Romanoffs did not
fall from heaven; we do not want a power
which offends US, which impedes our intel
lectual development and the civic and econom-
ical development Of the country; we need no
car, no ermine mantle covering hereditary
incapacity, no emperor anointed in the Cathe-
dral OF the Assumption, but q simple, earthly
man, understanding human life and the people
by whom he should be elected. The emanci-
patton of the serfs and the events following
showed that the new government is good for
nothing. There is not one class which imperial
power does not offend. The emancipation of
the serfs is the first step either to a grand
future or to immense misfortunes for Russia.
1t is for us nihilists to choose. The emancipa-
ton is important because it has sown the seeds
Of general discomfort toward the government;
1t has alienated the proprietors, hitherto its
chief supporters and agents, without con-
tenting the peasantry. We have land
fhnnlanda of
years-if it is necessary to kill one hundred
thousand landed proprietors, We will do so. We
lost more in the Hungarian and Polish wars at
the caprice Of Nicholas without any advantage.
Slay-our association will have the humiliation
of state, church, property, marriage and every
institution on which society and government
has hitherto rested"
"A terrible and ubiquitous manifesto, count"
l said. when he ceased. II can see it has
deeply impressed you"
everything the nihilists proposed to destroy.
was first of all sacrificed. Who can tell when
the war on landed proprietors will commence?
The lava crust is very thin; any moment the
volcano Of instruction may burst forth, but
let US not think of these things. You have
your Irish troubles" he continued smilingly.
''The nihilist leader Katkoff was called Lord
Katkof, because he thought English institu-
tions the finest in the world, and our comic
journals always represent him with Scotch
cap Oh us uedu. dtTc we are. AIt6r QluQer,
when my mother and sister and betrothed have
retired, am giving my farewell drinking party
to my country bachelor friends-as bachelor,
for we shall be married soon, now;" and while
l was congratulating him the imperial droschky
stopped at the door of his mothers country
seat.
had met most of the company before and
we soon entered the banqueting hall 1t is
only fair to the count and myself to say what
we had, as it will account for the amount of
liquid refreshments We required later in the
evening and for what followed. The table was
laid in the sensible Russian fashion-which is
now almost universally adopted in England 1t
was covered with flowers and fruits, the place
Of honor being held by delicious small melons,
brought by caravan from Astrakan to Moscow
"a distance Of thousand miles-and thence
by rail to st. Petersburg. At the upper and
lower ends Of the table, though it was only
May, were placed two china vases containing
cherry trees in full leaf and fruit, which was
afterward gathered by the company. Arranged
on sideboards around the room was the ga
kouska," or preliminary feast, consisting of tiny
Sevres plates, on which were sailed lemons
cherries preserved in vinegar, sailed mush-
rooms, caviare, dried and picked behring's,
smoked raw ham and tongue and cheese all cut
up INTO portions about the size Of die, to pro-
duce an appetite and thirst; while, in exact
contrariety to the French custom, small glasses
of liquors we're handed around before the
repast. The dinner-carved on side tables
commenced with shchee, the national soup,
made Of beef, cabbage, parsley, carrots, salt,
and "English pepper" and eaten nv noble and