Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-09
/ lets the bar down, singin' out, Who

an lets the bar down, singin' out, Who
is it?'
There was big young man twixt the
door posts drippin' W., wi smears o
blood on his face, an white teeth shown
when he talked. Twas half-furrin talk.
an he spoke bit faint too, bat fairly
grinned for JOY to see our warm ire-an'
his teeth were white as pearl.
All, sir, he cried, you will help?
Our bark is ashore below-15 poor
brothers! You viii send for help?-you
will aid?'
Then Isaac stepped back, and SPOKE
very low-'What nation? he asked. She
is Russ-we are ali Russ-16 poor brothers
from Archangel' SAID the young man d,
soon as he took IN the question. Ny man
slowed round on his heel and walked to
the hearth here; but the sailor stretched
out his hands an saw the middle finger
of his right hand was gone. You will
aid, en-? All, Yes, you viii aid. They are
cllngin '-so-15 poor brothers and many
have wives But Isaac said, Thank thee,
God, and picked up log from the hearth
here. Take EN- this message, said he,
facin' round; an runnin' on the sailor,
who was faint and sway in , beat him forth
wi the burnin stick and bolted the door
upon him.
After that we sat quiet, he an /, all
the night through, never takin' our clothes
off. An at day break Isaac walked down
10 the shore. There was nothin' to see
but two bodies, an he buried them an
waited for more. That evenin' another
came in, an next day two, an so on for a
e'nnight. Ten bodies in all he picked up
and bLri I'd i he meadow below. An on
the f urth day he picked up body wi
che finger mlssin', under the Mare Head.
Twas the young man he had driven forth,
who had wandered there and broke his
neck. Isaac buried him too. An that
was all, except that the coastguard found
an held an inquest over an carr'd off 10
churchyard.
$50 it befell; an for five year neither
Isaac nor me opened moth pom it, not to
each other even. An then, one MONDAY,
d sailor knocks at the koor: an goin' out,
| see he was furrier, wi great white
teeth shown dro' his beard. 1 be come
TO see Mister Isaac Lenine, he says, in
his outlandish English. So ] called Isaac
out; an the stranger grips 'em by the
hand an kisses EN- sayin', Little father,
takes me to their graves Ny name is
Feodore Himkoff, and my brother. Dimit1y
was among the crew of the Viatka. You
would know his body if you buried it, for
the second finger was gone from his right
Land. | myself-wretched one!-chopped
1t by bad luck when we were boys an
played at wood-cuttin' wi our father ak.
| have heard how they persisted far from
aid, and how you gave EN- burial in your
own field and | pray to all the saints for
you, he says.
so Isaac led EN- to the field and show
en- the grave that was staked off long wi
the rest God help my poor man! he was
too big coward to speak. So the man
staid wi US till shutdown an kissed US
pom both cheeks an went his way, bless
IN US. God forgive us-God forgive US.
Az ever since he's been breaking our
hear is dro' the post-ofice wi such ike
precious bams as these here" She broke
off to settle Isaac more comfortably in his
chair. ""Tis all we can do to get rid OF
en- on poor trampin fellows same as sour-
SELF