Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-01-28

dnsalry- they reached sns ena or the
garden. In the road a sledge awaited
them.
The horses, from cold, would not stand
still. Vladimir's coachman was walking
to and fro in front of them, trying to
quiet them. He helped the young lady
and her maid TO their seats aud, packing
away the bundles and dressing case,
took up the reins and the horses flew
forward into the darkness Of the night.
Having intrusted the young lady to
the care Of fate and of Tereshka, the
coachman, let us return to the young
lover.
Vladimir had spent the whole day in
driving. In the morning he had called
ON the Jadrino priest and with difficulty
came to terms with him. Then he went
to seek the witnesses from among the
neighboring gentry. The first on whom
he called was former cornet of horse,
Drawn by name, a man in his tortles,
who consented at once. The adventure,
he declared, reminded him of old times
and Of his larks when he was in the
Hussars. He persuaded Vladimir to stop
to dinner with him, assuring him that
there would be no difficulty in getting
the other two witnesses. Indeed, imme-
diately after dinner in came the sur
veyor, Schmidt, with mustache and
spurs, and the son of q captain magis-
trate, boy of sixteen, who had recently
entered the Uhlans. They not only ac-
cepted Yladimir's proposal, but even
swore that they were ready to sacrifice
their lives for him. Vladimir embraced
them with delight and drove off to get
everything ready.
1t had long been dark. Vladimir dis
patched his trustworthy Tereshka to
Nenaradova with his two horse sledge,
and with appropriate instructions for
the occasion. For himself he ordered
the small sledge with one horse and
started alone without a coachman for
.Jadrino, where Maria ought to arrive in
couple of hours. He knew the road,
and the drive would only occupy twenty
minutes.
But Vladimir had scarcely passed
from the inclosure into the open field
when the wind rose, and soon there was
q driving snowstorm SO heavy and SC
severe that he could not see. In mo.
ment the road was covered with snow.
All landmarks disappeared in the murly
| yellow darkness, through which fell
white fakes OF snow. Sky and earth be-
came merged into one. Vladimir, in the
midst of the field, tried in vain to get tC
the road. The horse walked on at ran
dom, and every moment stepped either
into deep snow or into rut, so that the
sledge was constantly upsetting.
Vladimir tried at least not to lose thu
right direction, but it seemed to hin
that more than half an hour had passed
and he had not yet reached the JadrinC
wood. Another ten minutes passed, ant
still the wood was invisible. Vladimi
drove across fields intersected by deel
bitches. The snowstorm did not abate
and the sky did not clear. The hors
was getting tired, and the perspiratiol
rolled from him like hail, in spite of tn
fact that every moment his legs wer'
disappearing in the snow.
At last Vladimir found that he was go
ing in the wrong direction. He stopped
began to reflect, recollect, and consider
till at last he became convinced that h
ought to have turned to the right. H
did so now. His horse could scarcel,
drag along. But he had been more thai
an hour on the road, and Jadrino coul
not now be far. He drove and drove
hut there was no getting ont of the field
Still, snowdrifts and bitches. Every me
ment the sledge was upset, and ever
moment Vladimir had to raise it up.