The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-10-30

flat-bottomed boat, upon the Lena, which
already was carrying along with it it's first
ice.
The night began at this time of the year at
three o'clock in the afternoon, and the jour
ney would last more than a month.
At length, the high functionary and those
whom he already called his proteges reached
Yalkoutsk
The first person whom Yegor perceived in
this thoroughly oriental town, where he
thought he would find no known counten-
ance, was M. Lafeur, the dancing master,
with his pocket violin-M. Lafeur, rosy and
fresh as his name, always smiling, always
polished, and always frisking about like the
true dancing-master he was.
To see him, clad in his swallow-tail coat,
tolerably out of fashion, with brass buttons,
in his white cravat, with his legs as thin as
! his bow thrust into tight pantalo0ns of pearl
gray somewhat faded and wearing pumps
which shone like varnish, one might have
! thought that he ran hastily over all Siberia
/ to give his instruction in the Tepsichorean
art, and was not frightened by a few thou
sand miles between one lesson and anoth er.
| The fact is that his life was something OF
that sort.
He was perfectly at home in Irkoutsk.
| Some years before he had brought his wife
! there; she was a Parisian like himself,
! and made hats for the ladies of the place
until the phthistic carried her off. The
work-room, however, remained open under
the intermittent direction Of the dancing
master.
NJ Lafeur, man as universal as cos1no-
| politan, added to the sacred art of the 0ance
! and to his talent as man milliner the man
ufacture of champagne-whi foamed and
| sparkled-with the fresh sap Of the birch
tree, and, besides, traded in furs, small az
| ticles of glassware and bricks of tea. But
| his true vocation was to shine from af2r
and civilize the natives with the sound of
his violin.
| Not to deprive M Lafeur of anything that
was his due, let US add that, having once
I been an herbalist and well instructed in the
natural sciences, he was gathering the Gle
ments of collection of plants, fossils, and
| minerals, which he proposed to offer to the
town of Chateau-Thierry, the ''cradle Of his
| family" as he somewhat enphatically called
it, where he had formerly passed his iloli-
days and where it was his dream to finish
| his life in ease and consideratiOn-thanl
to the roubles amassed in d foreign country
and the renown which his collection, uniG lie
in it's way, would bring him.
"Ah!" cried he, on perceiving Yegor, ''that
eternal Hades of a mine was purgatory for
you, was it not? And now see youin p Ia
disc, escorted by angels" added he, boxing
gallantly to Nadege, and tapping the rosy
cheek of Ladislas.
cit is as you say, Monsieur Laheur, !"
answered Yegor, cordially grasping his
| hand
M Lafeur, with the French warmth and
old-fashioned courtesy which characterized
him, placed himself at once at the disposal
Of the travellers.
The iovial Partisan seemed very happy to
hear of the amelioration of the lot OF tae
Young man, whose pensive and honest co \
tenance had Immediately gained his syn2 l.
| thv when he met him, for the first t %,
wrapped in his convicts cloak. Dav-lo.t S
daughter when he learned the history of
her devotion, interested him strongly, and
he conceived great friendship for little Lad
| islas.
II am attached to the governors chan
cery" said Yegor, thanking him for lis
offers. 81 accept all your services in the
hope of being, in my tnrn, useful to you
some day"
cit is for the BEST" cried M. Lafeur.
| 'YOu have done well to come here. Al
ready can fatter myself that I am in the
good graces of the gOvernor-general's wife,
a tall, thin woman, with whom [ get along
very, very well. She patronizes me. ]
make her loves of Partisan hats and fur
nish her with champagne of my manufac-
ture for the Soirees to which the natives
are invited-providad it fOa1aS. There are
| the two young ladies, also, who embell1Sh
with their presence this inhospitable coun
try. You shall see them! The elder, Ag-
rafena, is a wilful, daring girl, with q
healthy complexion and somewhat mascu'
line beauty. The younger-I call her Miss
| Elena-pleaseS me more. She is a genuine
little English lass of eighteen, languishing,
but glutton Notwithstanding, she is very
pretty These girls besides, rule the gov
ernor despotically But let me pass from
gentleness to the most repTlsive ugliness
the escaped robber, whom we saw at Ouh
boul-"
eyes, interrupted Yegor; 1.-The wretch
who furnished you the occasion to show me
your kind heart-well, what of him."
'Well, he parted company with the two
gendarmes who were taking him to the
fortress of Alzatouia. He threw himself
into the forests, and was not recaptured,
this time"
''Poor soulr" exclaimed the exile; she
must have died of want"
Anything is better than the fortress, said
the dancing-master-" nything!"
Conducted by M Laf1eur, Yegor hired 3
little wooden house. the last one Of the towr
on the shore of the Lena, the only one
perhaps, which was not surrounded by those
palisades of planks driven into the ground
which give an air SO devoid of sOciability tc
the inhabitants Of Yakoutsk. The new Sec
rotary of the governor had some partitions
hastily put up in it, in order to provide q
suitable apartment with an alcove for Mad
eye and little room for the child.
The installation was rapidly made. In
Siberia beds are unknown. People sleep or
a heap of skins or carpets and cover them
selves with the same materials. In the
matter of furniture the young people,
with their fixed idea of escaping on the
first occasion, limited themselves to strict
necessity.
Tt was then the middle of November: the