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

master. = IL Is mere mucn harder ana HucD
more disagreeable than winter. People
sometimes sink up to the breast in the moist
soil, which is mixed with a kind of white
marmalade"
The life led by Yegor III the governors
family would have been supportable, in
spite of all, had it not been Tor his cares of
the future and his thwarted projects OF
liberation which required those precious III
stants he was forced to lose.
He filled the album of the governor-gen
erals wife with caricatures, sketches and
colored designs, executed quadrilles upon
the young ladies' piano, played chess with
the governor, invented charades, and organ
lied dancing-parties to which the few ladies
of Yakoutsk were invited All this for fifty
four dollars month.
M. Lafeur was at all these little parties
given by the governor. At these reunions
the dancing master resumed all his advant-
ages. Nothing was more comical than to
see him regulate the movements of the
'Siberienne" with the delicate sounds of his
pocket violin, interrupted during certain
steps the time for which he beat himself,
supplying in these intervals with his voice
the missing music of the instrument.
On such occasions he assumed the noble
attitudes of the old French school, which
had reached him by one lzn4w not what ira
ditions; then, suddenly, shaking himself,
loosening his joints and twisting himself, he
mingled the free and easy movements OF
the balls of the baIrieres of Paris with the
classic rigidity Of the dances of the Old-time
| court.
Yegor finally obtained, to his great joy,
permission to hunt with the governors
guns. He had bought, secretly, at Irk
outsk at the moment of his departure, a
double-ba1reled carabine and a pair Of re-
volvers; but these weapons remained care
fully hidden.
The chase would give him an opportunity
to study the region. He made many excur-
sions during the winter, and was even &c-
companied, once or twice, by Milo Agra1e-
ma, with few Cossacks as escort
He sometimes quilted the town with
sledge drawn by horses, and remained away
three days, in order to accustom the COVER
nor to prolonged absences.
Yegor was treated with atfability by the
governor and all his family. Notwithstand-
ing, he never took Nadege to the govern
meat palace. He asserted that the young
| girl suffered from weakness to justify her
| seclusion.
One spring morning, Yegor, at an early
hour, had started with his sledge over the
softened snow Driving himself, he was
| proceeding, as fast as two good horses OF
the country could go, along the great west
ern highway, when he met another Sledge
| in which was traveller carefully enV9lOped
| in furs, in whom YegOr thought he rGcOg-
nized the man of the whip of the OulzbOul
mine, the corporal whom he had struck and
defed. Such a meeting In this spot was
passably strange! What strengthened veg
or in his supposition, almost inadmissible,
however, was an involuntary movement he
surprised He could not doubt that this
man was the Russian, Yernac.
1t was he i'll fact. Yegor knew it with
| certainty that very day.
| Yermac had been relieved Of his VOW OF
| eXpiGtiOn and humiliation. The governor OF
| western Siberia, when he learned the mo-
| tives for the resignation of the Ipravsnik of
| Nertchinsk and was infOEmQd of his en-
trance into the service Of the mines, resolved
| to induce the honest functionary to recon
| slider his determination. He fell to work
| and succeeded in overcoming his obstinate
resistance and excessive scruples. At last
| Yermac yielded; but he made condition,
namely, that he should leave the district
General k gave him letter of recon-
| mendatiOn to the governor of YakOutsk and
enabled him to go to him.
On the day succeeding this meeting, veg
or saw the eX-guard enter the governors Of
fee. An instant afterwards, the latter
summoned his secretary.
monsieur Semenoff," said me, ''this is
our new chief of police, M Yormac; aid
him in taking possession of his post. M.
Yermac, however, has been long in the adj
ministration and has no apprenticeship tC
undergo"
The governor noticed the constrained air
of the two men, the smiles of irony upon
| their lips, and their strange glances
''Pcrhaps you know each other already?"
said he
''Your Excellency is not deceived" re-
piled the new chief of police. Monsieur
seems greatly surprised to see me again
here"
CATER having left you with those con.
| victs at Oukboul; yes, [ admit it," said
Yegor.
''Ah very WELL I see how it isl" ex
claimed the governor.
''But," resumed Yermac II beg Mon.
sieur to believe that the chief of police OF
Yakoutsk has left at the bottom of the mine
the remembrance of the sometimes rigorous
relations OF the Oul1boul guard with the con-
victs placed under his surveillance" And he
added, with emphasis II never remember
but one thing-the strict accomplishment OF
my duty"
81 extend to you my compliments, Mon
sieur, answered Yegor, 'and regret that
the somewhat naughty fashion in which yoT
have spoken fo2bids me to thank you person.
ally"
every WELL Ihessieurs, very WELL" inter
rupted the governor, who feared that the
words exchanged might become bitter.
''You will have leisure to renew your ac-
quaint llcc under different and, above all,
bettcl. conditions"
These words cut short a sort of presentar
tion deprived of all cordiality
Yegor saw in the presence of the former
corporal of the mines another obstacle to his
projects.
This Yermac," thought he, cannot have
completely forgotten the affront put upon
him. Should he find occasion to avenge him