Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-26
A FAIR SMUGGLER.

Taman is the most wretched of all our
maritime towns. | almost died of hum
ger there. besides being nearly drowned.
arrived very late at night in
wretched telega, The coachman stopped
his tired horses close to a stone building,
which stands by itself at the entrance to
the town. A Black sea Cossack, who
was on guard. heard the bells of my car
I rage and cried out, with the sharp ac-
cent of a person suddenly walked up
who goes there?"
Out came the sergeant and corporal. l
told them | was an officer, travelling by
| order of the crown. and that wanted a
billet somewhere.
| The-corporal took US into town. All
the houses we tried were already occu-
| pied The weather was cold; had been
three nights without sleep. | was very
tired and our useless inquiries ended by
irritating me.
"My friend" said to the corporal,
take me to some place where | can at
least lie down, no matter where it is"
~ know hut in the neighborhood,"
replied the corporal, where you might
sleep; but am afraid it would scarcely
suit your honor"
"Go on" said. paying no attention to
his observation.
After much walking through dirty
little streets we at last reached sort Of
cabin on the edge of the sea-
The full moon cast its light on the
matched roof and the white walls of my
proposed habitation. In the court sur
rounded by sort of palisade saw a
hut, older and more broken down than
the principal one. From this hut the
ground sloped rapidly through the court
down toward the sea, and saw at my
feet the foam of the troubled waters
"This will do" said to myself. "To-
morrow morning shall start for Che
lendchik."
A Cossack of the line was acting as my
servant. | told him to take out my
trunk and send away the position, after
which ! called the master of the house.
could get no answer. | knocked, but
there was still no reply What could it
mean? knocked again, and at last a
boy of about fourteen showed himself.
"Where's the master of the house?"
There is none" returned the child, in
the dialect of Little Russia.
mo masterl Then where is the mis-
tress?"
, "Gone into the village"
) "Who will open the door, them"
cried, at the same time kicking at it.
The door opened itself and out came a
> wave of damp steam.
struck match and saw by its light
/ blind boy standing motionless before
me.
| must here say that | am strongly
prejudiced against the blind, the deaf,
= the lame, the hunchbacked; in short
a against the deformed in general. have
remarked that there is always singular
: correspondence between the physical for
\ | nation of a man and his moral nature
as though by the loss of member the
,. individual lost certain faculties of the
soul
|. examined the child's face, but wha
a can one make Of physiognomy without
9 eyes? l looked at him for some time
!, with feeling of compassion, when sud
t denly saw on his lips a cunning smile
b which produced upon me very disagree
9 able impression. Gould this blind boy
r be not so blind as he appeared" | said t.
q myself. Answering my own question
j. said that the boy was evidently suffering
g from cataract, and that the appearance
a Of cataract cannot be simulated. Why
moreover, should he affect blindness
"A Yet in spite of my argument | still re
,, manned vaguely suspicious
v 'Is the mistress of the cabin you
4 mother?' said to the boy.
"No."
n "Who are you, thenT'
!, "a poor orphan" he replied.
"a HAS the mistress any children"
n "She has one daughter, who has gon
r. to sea with Tartar"
a "What TARTAR"
- "How do | know? A Tartar of tn
! Crimea, boatman from Kertch."
a went into the hut. Two benches,
"a table, and large wardrobe placed nea
II the stove composed the whole of tn
! furniture. No holy image against tn
4. wall-bad sign!
Ny CoSsack took possession of tn
, other bench. Ten minutes afterward h
q was fast asleep. |, however, was sti
awake, and could not drive from m
y mind the impression made upon me
- the boy, with his two white eyes.
~ An hour passed. Through the windo1
" fell upon the floor the fantastic light {
the moon.
n Suddenly a shadow was cast, whe1
o before there had been bright light.
y sprang up and went to the window. 1
Is human figure passed once more, an
Is then isappeared-heaven knows where
u could scarcely believe that it ha
1e escaped by the slope into the sea, ye
a. there was no other issue.
10 Throwing on my overcoat and takin
u my saber went out of the cabin an
~ saw the blind boy before me- | col
OF cealed myself behind the wall, and
as passed on confidently, but with certai
or cautiousness. He was carrying som
thing under his arm. and advance
ne slowly down the slope toward the SCI
as "This is the hour" said to myself, 81
which speech is restored to the dunn
n 4 a..S @in,I,% ~ %1,a h1fnI