Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-11-29

| managed to explain, however, that
the sick man was the yamschik and
that / was the passenger. As thu
stable boys held the lights high, Il
enable them to draw poor Variks
from the sledge ! saw that all was
nearly over.
"O'' hi I" moaned the host, as hs
showed me into the contracted and
smoky sitting-room, 90 hi, the little
fathers prayers are more necessary
now for Varika than are the doctor {
drugs. The poor lad Is called tc
drive the white horse into the pres.
ence of ST. Peter tonight and give
him his reckoning" To my great
annoyance, ! found that could not
procure another yamschik at that
station to drive me on that night
made bold promises of vedro oil
vodka, II one could be found, but nc
one seemed willing to take Varika's
place. The mystery of death had fol-
the moment checked the interests OF
life in those superstitious hearts.
While / was employing useless ar
guments with a knot of men in the
room, there was q noise of horse 4
feet and the shrill cries which an
nounced the arrival Of sleigh. A
fat Russian maid was in the act oil
placing steaming samorer before
me when, with much stamping oil
feet outside, the door of the room
opened and man OF very noble bear.
ing came in. He saluted me with
dignity and then withdrew, imme-
diately returning with young girl
upon his arm. Her face seemed to
make sudden summer spring into
the wintry place.
My experience had evidently been
told them, for, as the girl glanced at
me, l heard her say The poor
yamschikl Dear father, how awful is
sudden death!'
With a little hesitation the man
advanced to me and said in good
English: +" / beg pardon. Can this
be, by chance, Mr. Francis Adams,
the engineer of the salt mines in
-" Then promptly followed a
pleasant solution of my problem
Count Bariatinski, the owner Of these
salt mines, was himself on the way
thither, hoping to reach the place by
the time OF my arrival, and this cross
ing of our paths had FASTENED our
meeting.
The count, of course introduced
me to his daughter, the Countess
Stephanie, explaining that she had
long wished for an experience Of
crossing Russia in sleigh, and add
ed that, as the cold had increased
very much, he feared he had lent u
too fond ear to her entreaties, in con-
senting to bring her. An hour later
found me very much at my ease in
the luxurious sleigh Of the Count
Bariatinski, the young Countess
Stephanie's face glowing with lowell
ness just opposite me.
AS watched her, that
startled look, with which the I'M
known mysteries of winter night
on the plains of Russia spoke to her,
l tried to analyze the quality of her
beauty. The word "elusive" con-
stantly came to me, as expressive OF
the character of her charm. Beauty
seemed to animate the face from the
depths of her blue-grey eyes, and
then when / had fixed the home Of
her attraction there, some witching
movement of the mouth-a smile
which chased from their hiding in
the soft contour of her cheeks and
lips ripping gambol of dimples,
would change my mind, and then l
would give to the mouth the definite
note of beauty which struck the first
harmony of the whole.
Thus l watched her, while the old
count twaddled on about minis and
mines, and the liveried yamschik and
footmen OF his excellency pierced
the night, every now and then, with
their strident Russian cries of en-
dearment to the feet horses that car
ried us swiftly over the snow. Pres
emily the old count began to nod, but
the young countess kept an ebert eye
upon the passing interests of the
night.
The road grew more irregular now,
and was broken up in great ukhabs
or deep burrows, causing us to sway,
every now and then, like sloop at
sea. 1t was during these tortuous
movements that / began to watch
for the radiating smile of the Count
ess Stephanie, while the Count, rude
ly jostled from his doing dreams,
would scold his yamschik in volley
of expressive Russian. When this
attack became violent, the Countess
Stephanie would slip her hand from
her sable muff, and caress her faith
er's arm, till the vituperative an
ger Of the Count would cease, or
merge into some qualifying correc-
ton. 1t was sweet to see the silent
influence of the girl, and one felt that
she took the part Of that poor SER
want, whose cringing phrases showed
how cruel his training had been, en-
abling him to accept with patience
reprimands which he did not de-
serve.
The snow had ceased. 1t had only
lasted long enough to veil the trees
and decorate with soft, cloud-like
delicacy the panorama Of the night.
The intense stiffness recalled to one
dreams of a primeval age. The very
heart-beats of Pan seemed suspended.
The sounds which we associate with
man inheritance OF the earth seemed
a strange suggestion in that hour. So
far have we become removed from
the actual reserve Of nature that the