Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-14
THE EXILES.
A RI SSIAN STORY

piled to everything:
II am ready to follow you"
Suddenly an incident happened which an
initiated all their hopes
One evening Nadege saw her betrothed
arrive with troubled face.
'All is lost!n cried he, as he entered
Have they discovered our plans!n asked
the young girl.
No; but an unexpected accident has re-
duced them to nothing" said Yegor drop
ping overwhelmed upon the bench which ex-
tended along the deal partition.
perhaps you exaggerate things" said
Nadege.
Judge for yourself" responded Yegor.
1.-The governor of Yak cutsk has been here.
as you know, for several days, on visit to
his colleague of eastern Siberia. This morn
ing, he had occasion to converse with me in
M. Nadeieff's offices. What could 1 have
done to give him such high idea of my ca
pacity? After his departure, M. Nadeieff
told me that struck with my intelligence and
numerous talents, he had asked him to as
sign me to him"
And M. Nadeieff?"
HE could not refuse so powerful per-
sonage, although, as he assures me. he
strongly regrets losing his secretary. All.
consent has not been asked you may be
sure of that, and l am ordered to attend
to the little formality at the chancellor's
office necessary on changing my proprietor"
You must strive to gain time" said Mad
ege; ''you must speak of the authorization
to marry which we expect"
II have done SO, but in vain. was
forced to limit myself to soliciting the favor
nf I
But what viii the governor say! Can he
not be brought over to oriuterests! Can he
not be Induced to keep you near him, since
he is friendly towards you!"
THE governor-general," replied Yegor,
"has already given his full consent"
1t was IL terrible blow, but it could not
be avoided. The young people were obig-
ed to charge one of their new friends with
selling Davidoff's little house and certain
articles of furniture difficult of transporta-
ton.
few days afterwards, they set out i'll
the suite of the governor of Yakoutsk,
without forgetting Wab, a beautiful brown
dog born i'll the Himalaya Mountains,
which bore the name of it's race and had
been given to Yegor upon his arrival at Irk
outsk
They were to travel more than two thou
sand miles in bitter weather, partly in light
vehicles and partly on a provosok, large
1at-bottomed boat, u2ol the Lena, which
already was carrying LONG with it its first
ice.
The night began ut this time of the year at
three o'clock i'll the afternoon. and the jour
ney would last moro than month
At length, the high runctionary and those
whom he already Gallo / his proteges reached
Yakoutsl1
The frs person whom Yegor perceived in
this thoroughly oriental town, where he
thought he would find no known counten-
ance, was NJ. Eatiear, the dancing master,
with his pocket violin-M. Laieur, rosy and
fresh as his name, always smiling, alive vs.
polished. AMI always flisl1ing about like the
true dancing-maSter he was.
TO see him, clad IN his swallow-tail coat.
toerably out of fashion, with brass buttons,
in his white cravat, with his legs as thin as
his bow thrust into tight pantaloOns 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 few thou
sand miles between one lesson and another,
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 Partisan, like himself,
and made hats for the ladies of the place
until the phthistic carried her off. The
worl1-room. however, remained open under
the intermittent direction of the dancing,
master.
NJ. LG1lcur, man as universal as cosmO-
politan, added to the sacred art of the dance
ufacturc of champagne which foamed and
sparllled- with the fresh sap of the birch
tree, and besides, traded in furs, small ar
ticles of glassware and bricks of tea. But
his true vocation was to shine from afar
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
been an herbalst and we'll instructed in the
natural Sciences he was gathering the ele-
ments of a collection of plants, fossils, and
minerals. which he proposed to offer to the
town of Chateau hierry, the ''cradle of his
family" as he somewhat emphatically called
it, where he had formerly passed his holt
days and where it was his dream to finish
his life in ease and Observation-Disclosures
to the roubles amassed in foreign country
and the renown which his collection, UNIQUE
in its 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 l see you in para
disc, escorted by angels" added he, bowling
CALAMITY to Nadege, and tapping the rosy
cheek of Ladislas.
at is as you say, Monsieur Latieur
answered Yegcr, cordially grasping his
hand.
NJ Lateur, with the French warmth and
oid-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 the
young ran, whose pensive and honest coun-
n tenance had immediately gained his sympa-
thy when he met him, for the first time,
wrapped in his convict's cloak. Davidoff S
daughter, when he learned the history OF
her devotion, Interested him strongly. and
he conceived great friendship for little Lad
islas.
''T am attached to the governors chan
Gerry" said Yegor thanking him for his
offers. Il accept all your services il. the
hope of being, in my tnrn, useful to yor
some day
ut is for the best" cried M. Lafleur
you have done well to come here. AL
ready can fatter myself that 1 am in the
good graces of the governor-general's wife
tall. thin woman, with whom get along
very, very well. She patronizes me.
make her loves Of Partisan hats and fur