Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-02

Sometimes for the Comfort or Oth'
 CTS.
 From Novoye vremyal
 Grandpa Ivan is dead. He was lyinl
 behind the oven, dressed in a rough liner
 shirt and covered with his sheepskin cloak
 It was quite dark in the corner; th.
 smoky, fickering light of the pine lini
 which lighted the room did not reach
 there. The cracking of the burning pine
 and the voice of cricket in the wall were
 the only sounds in the room.
 By the burning pine link sat AIenis,
 Ivan's dsughter-in-law, and her daughter
 Froshks, sewing long white shirt. At
 the other end of the room hung a cradle, in which Fedya, Froshka's boy, slept.
 When the child moved the young mother rocked him by means of board which, in
 the form of lever, was attached to the cradle With one end under her foot, like treadle, she could rock her boy with out being disturbed in her work.
 The heavy sighs or hoarse groans which Ivan had uttered were -csused merely by the mechanical action of his dissolving frame. As to himself, if he were con scious at all, he felt quite comfortable. He did not feel anything and did not think of anything. Scenes of his past, dimly conceived, swayed before his imagi- nation. Of such conceptions consisted his life. They were. indeed. the make up of his whole, uneventful, lsborious and patient living on earth
 Seventy five years ago a young woman, Malanya Boobnikhs, was moving rye in the field on hot day in July. She had been unwell in the morning, but her moth erin law had chased her out to work. At noon-time Malanya could no longer swing the scythe; her head was dizzy, rings of red fire played around her eyes; she had keen pain in her bones. She dropped her scythe and crept away to look for some water. Old Vsrvsra, neighbor, met her.
 "What ails thee, Boobnikhsp she asked. "Thy face looks not like thine own."
 'I am broken down, Varvara."
 "Thou shouldst not have gone to work. Come, I will assist thee"
 Malanya made on rejoinder; she could not speak. The old woman led her to the village But she could not walk far and lay down at the roadside to draw breath. Half an hour later she gave birth to a strong. healthy boy. Her husband came with cart and took her home. On the Sunday following the newborn boy was christened Ivan. Six days later Msianys was at work in the fields again, with her child in basket tied to her shoulders.
 The first five years of Ivan's life left no traces in his memory. He had deformed leg, and the people in the village said that his father, coming home drunk, had thrown him ont of the cradle and broken his leg. But Ivan never troubled himself about his deformity. If anything, the crooked limb was a favor to him, for it saved him from military service. He had strong arms and he could work like any other peasant. For the rest he did not care.
 At the age of nine Ivan was sent to the Diakon to learn his letters. He got more blows than learning from the teacher, but he learned to read and write. When he was eleven years old his father decided that he ought to eat bread no longer in idleness, and he was hired out ss 8 shep- herd boy to a wealthy farmer in the neigh His master fed and clothed him and paid to his father three roubles in cash and three bushels of rye every year. The little fellow was happy. In the warm seasons of the year he could enjoy him self to his hearts content in the meadows and the woods, in which were plenty of berries, mushrooms, nuts, birds nests, hares and squirrels What more does a peasant boy wanti That happiness, how ever, was of short duration. Ir lasted only three years. His older brother, Mi kolks, was sent to the army and he was taken home to fill his place.
 From that time the real life of a peas ant began for Ivan. His father was a ! h;a rorpoar hrnthar uinEl- and the care of the entire household was laid upon him, At the dawn of the morn ing he went to work; at dinner time he ate a frugal meal of bread soaked in kvass, and rested himself for half hour, and then he went to work again until late in the evening. There was neither rest nor recreation for him even on the holidays, for his father spent such days in the bar room, and he had to do what the peasants call the light work around the house chop wood, repair tie cart and the hsr- ness, plaster the holes in the chimney, Ie- pair the leakage in the roof, and so on. He had to work hard all the time, out of and out of fear, for his father, who had lost his reason in drink. was of very ugly disposition and used his fist and his whis on the slightest provocation.
 When Ivan was eighteen years old his parents decided that it was time for him to marry. They selected for him a girl from the neighboIing village. Her name was Matrena. The girl had ppeckled face and a cataract on her left eye. She also had bad reputation, because she was too condescending to the young fellows of her own village. Ivan did not like her and told his parents that he would not marry her: but his father insisted in his own ugly way. Mstrena was a stronng woman and good worker. The summer was near at hand, when a strong, hard working woman might be of great assis- tance in the household. Ivan's mother was growing too weak to do much work in the fieId. As to the ill favored appearance of the girl, the Russian adage says, "The face is nof glass to drink water from" In that wise Ivan's father reasoned about the match and gave effect to his reasoning with many hard blows. Ivan had to sub init.
 All the peasants of both Ivan's and Ma trends villages took part in the marriage celebration. There was plenty of brandy at the repast. Ivan got drunk for the first time in his life and gave his bride O good beating then and there. There was noth ing unusual in that. The guests even ap- proved of his conduct, because he mani tested the authority of husband on the NoTJ ony oL Aho oAiao SkAS1 a little, but that did not prevent her talk ing part in the next dance. After the marriage the young couple had vacation of three days, the customary honeymoon of the peasants, and then they went to work as usual in the field and about the little farm of Ivan's father. Ivan had the notion that peasant must beat his wife and get drunk on a holiday. He followed the example of his father, whose compan- ion he was at the bar-room. He and his father got drunk on the holidays and beat their wives when they came home. The two women cried when they were chas- tised, but everything was forgotten the next day, when all had to go to work again.
 The summer was hardly over when Ivan's elder brother, Mikolka, came home, having been dismissed from the army for some reason unknown. The unexpected increase in the family was too great a tax on the means of livelihood on hand. It was, therefore, resolved that one of the three brothers should hire out to work. Which should 1t bel Mikolks, as the eld- est son, had the right to take his fathers place at the family hearth. The youngest son, Stepka, was not strong and could not do we'll as a hired laborer. By majority 1. of voices in the family council it was de-