Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-06-04

Two Al the house Of q cousin OF miBe
who was married to a Russian General.
The Zagarines lived IN a large pro-
wincial town, and as they were Sociaole
beople and entertained a good deal
made the acquaintance at their house
with the best society OF K: the officials,
kivll and military, their wives aud
daughters, and the country gentlemen
who staid at the principal hotel and
Rambled from morning 70 night Till the
/. lightness Of their purses obliged them
10 return to their own houses. The
! most conspicuous parsonage among the
latter class, the leader OF the JeltneSse
FOree, was q certain Prince Serge En-
Yisof.
Being a Lieutenant In the Chevalier
Guard, the Prince generally adorned
the brighter sphere Of the capital ana
was only spending his leave at h, near
which his property was situated. de
was q big, dark, brOad-shOuldered man,
Of seven or eight and twenty, handsome
rather than otherwise, with a rudy
complexion, hard, restless black eyes,
and waxed black mustaches twisted up
to his prominent cheek bones. His man
Nner had little Of the polished courtesy
peculiar 10 Russians Of the best class,
and his every look and word be-
trayed an irrepresSible arrogance, but
In spite OF this be was generally popu-
lar and much admired by women. My
own feelings toward him were OF a
friendly nature, for IL so happened that
he went out OF his way TO be civil to
me, and, in spite OF his arrogance, l
found him pheasant companion. Thus,
when he pressed me 70 spend a few days
At his country home so soon as my visit
TO the Zagarines should be over, l
readily accepted his invitation.
"My place." he said, 'is a wretcned
old barrack, at which l don't spend half
q dozen weeks in the year; but II you
can put up with q bachelor menage, l
promise you a wolf hunt and some fair
shooting"
:, 1t was late on az October afternoon
that l reached PaulovSk, as ErisOtS do
main was called. A thick drizzle was
falling, and the rain dripped from every
cave and cornice OF the old s%eigneurial
dwelling. A barraCk 1t certainly was
not, nor even an ordinary whiteWashed
Russian country house, but a manslen
built in the finest rocco style by an am
bilious ErlsOff OF the eighteenth century
The stucco on It's facade was dis
eclored by the damp Of years, thistles
Ind wild oats grew undisturbed round
the steps, the outbuildings seemed lall-
ing into decay, and the whole place nad
q neglected, deserted appearance, Inc
interior OF the house exactly CORE
spouded with its exterior. The large,
lofty reception rooms, over the ceilings
OF which sprawled gods, gOddesses and
cupids, damp-stsined and Scared by
ugly cracks, were furnished with a
faded magnifcence OF pale brOcades and
tsrDished mirrors. Only the Princes
smoking room wore a comparatively
modern air.
In any case the old house would have
interested me. AS it was, 1 heard queer
stories about it and my hosts grand
father, the man who built II; Tor OF
Serge Stephanevttch Erisof, his bound
less protiigacy and pitiiess cruelty
CHASTITY legends still survived, and ABOUT
the house which be had been made motor
ious by his crimes fingered the ghost OF
its old evil reputation. On the night l
arrived we were q party OF ten at din-
ner. Among the servants who waited
on us&kas an old man whose appearance
attracted ny attention, partly because
OF the contrast Ii presented 70 that OF
his fellow-servants. He must have been
at least seventy five and his tall lean hg-
ure was bent with mis- years; his
thin aQuiline features were the reverse
OF Museovite, nor less so were his large,
piercing, black eyes. Once, CHANGING
to meet mine, those eyes flashed at me
from under their shaggy brOws a wild
stare that almost startled me. After
this often found myself watching him,
and rs be waited land he waited deftly)
It seemed TO me that, though he render
ed like one accustomed to II the service
required OF him, he yet did so under ST.
lent protest and against his will.
The next day we were out shooting
till late in the afternoon, and made q
KRood bag Of wild duck, but toward
Evening the rain came down in torrents
,snd we got home wet 10 the skin. The
Prince, who had shot badly, was In a
vile temper, and since he could not vent
his wrath on US at dinner the servants
suffered for IL. VaSSill in particular,
(the old servant whose looks had inter
ested mel he rated like a dog. The old
man listened with lent mead, meekly
enough, but on n occasion looking
M suddenly, l saw his face reflected In
a mirror on the wall opposite, a face so
distorted with hate, that i%nvoluntar-
fly started, sending a fork at my elbow
Gathering 10 the floor. Instantly Vas
sill was on his knees cropping for 1t. As
Che replaced IL his eyes met mine, aud at
the same moment q shiver passed over
me from head TO foot, accompanied by
a curious feeling which l hardly know
how TO describe, q feeling akin to fear.
Puzzled aud annoyed at this inexplic-
able sensation, 1 went on with my dim
ner Ia silence.
We were none Of us very laxative
that evening till the champagne had
lOOsened our tongues, and our host, IN
der the same benign influence, had par
italy recovered his good humor.
"Haye you observed poor Serge Feo-
dorovitch?" said my left hand %neighbor,
NJ. Boris Volutine, the eldest and sober
est Of our party. "He is a charming
rfellow-the best OF fellows; but what an
internal temper be r~ejoices in! II is a
possession that be inherits from both
father and grandfather"
. did you know Prince Feodor?" l
asked.
..No. He died while his son was a
child. He married a pretty French
widow, the COmtesse de Leiris, who
also, l believe. had a temper. She lives
IN Paris, regarding our poor Russia as =
b~arbarous country unfit for human hao-
itation."
1.-THE Prince, 1 know, is an only son, ="
I said presently. ibid his grandfather
49, - .kFI-o,On