The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-03
AcossAcK FLOWER.

| siADeAeA Al eno soNtt JA1t Axyubu Inc tHtn
Ing river that flows grandly and with sol
emn majesty through the land Of the Cos
sacks and the occasional home Of the Tar
tars.
In the assembled throng kneelipg In the
cathedral, listening with rapt attention to
the monotoHous intonation OF the priest
was q young girl Here, safe from the
wars alarms, her heart yesrning for iso.
lation from the strifes which were agitat.
ing the land In that early stormy period,
she offered up her petition, asking that
tranquil condition Of mind which should
accompany soul longing for freedom
from turbulent surroundings.
Her beauty was that of flower of the
steppe, which, though perhaps never seen
by human eye, waves itself proudly in the
sunlight. Her figure was stately, her hair
dark as night; her eyes had diamond
luster (stars looking at stars at twilight
timel and the gentleness of her nature
was apparent In the lines Of her face and
In tho graceful posture.
"See her, - whispered one Of the wom.
en-. "Her thoughts are for her absent
lover"
"He who was killed in the expedition
against tho Mussulmans?"
Eyes; Pan Ostap She Is going into q
convent"
The voice of the priest was heard in ex.
hortation. Blood had flowed on every side
Widows and fatherless children were there,
who sobbed for the absent ones, and now
there were tears in the eyes of the girl, for
she remembered how manly was her lover,
how pleading the tones of his voice, and
how his glance, so terrible in battle, grew
soft and tender when he gazed at her and
in his impetuous way told her of the booty
he had collected from the Turks, the home
he had prepared and the broad estates
which would be ruled over jointly by
them. And now he was gone, and only
the wandering MINISTRIES were left to sing
the tale of their unrequited affection,
narration which perhaps would go down
to posterity Through the ages Of ages"
She remembered their parting when they
strolled together over the steppe and he
had placed q, cross upon her neck and kiss
ed her brow. 1t was sad when life held so
much that was sweet, that tho law Of ex.
termination had quenched young and
fiery spirit, and the words Of the priest
brought to her that sense of profound iso.
lation which follows the loss of loved one.
Suddenly as storm sweeps the steppe-
the yinga, most terrible of lurricanes-a
shout was heard outside, hundreds of fig
ures of the Tartars poured in, sabers flash
ed, shrieks and lamentations arose, and
all tho merciless horror of warfare in
barbarous land was apparent. On all sides
men and women were put to the sword,
and the priests were killed at the altar
Instead of the tones Of the organ, bringing
solace and joy, shrieks of anguish arose.
and where before were knceling figures
now was confused, struggling mass
the spectacle, not an uncommon one, of
an entire congregation without warning
being ruthlessly butchercd.
The figures approached the girl. The
cries became more trightful, and then she
lost consciousness. So the hands of the
barharians desecrated the peace and calm
of that Easter Sunday, and the steppe wit
messed once more one of those horrible
scenes which were so frequent.
Many hours later, when the girl recoy-
cred consciousness, the band of Tartars
were resting their horses near the banks Of
the great river. Silently she remained
seated amid the marauders and had her
hand been free she would have seized
dagger and ended her life.
Tho Iartars were engaged in their prep
arations for the evening meal, and one of
them even approached her and offered her
retreshment but she only closed her eyes
to shut out the sight of him and shudder-
ed, praying for that death which had come
to the others and passed her by. About to
enter tho convent to worship and cherish
fond memories of her lover, fate had been
unkind to her and wrested her from the
very gates of the holy edfice.
The mist that arose from the river
wreathed itself in fantastic shapes, like the
spirits of the departed, which were said to
hover over its broad bosom, and she clasp
ed her hands and thought of escape where
release seemed impossible.
But bark From the distance comes
faint sound. Louder 1t grew, and the Tar
tars started to their feet. The sound be-
came u rumble, and then the pattcr of
horses feet was apparent. The Tarturs
grasped their weapons and looked appre-
hcnsively over the steppe, where band of
horsemcn was seen approaching.
"Ihe Cossacks!'' they cried.
An answering shout was heard.
''Nengcanee"
"Across the rivcrr' commanded the
Tartar chief.
Too late. Like whrlvind the horse
men approached, with noise like thunder
''IO The swOrdp'
AS leaves before the blast so the band
of maraudcrs were exterminatcd. Some
sprang into the river and were drowned
The rest fell before the fury Of the horse.
men. The leader of the band gazcd upon
the girl, and the latter, with u glad cry,
sprang into his arms.
"OstapP'
"My flower of the stepCe!''
"You are here Alivci'
"Aliyc, trembling dovev'
How tranquil the flow of the moving
water as in the twilight time they wan
dered by the shore. Afar the wild swans
were seen clcaying the air. The rcd east
ern sun sank in q blaze of glory The star
thistles in the grass dropped as if to sleep,
but the two walked on and talked in sub
dued tones.
"They carried me off when l was about
to enter the convent"
"Bnt now you arc safe, my star"
"They told Inc you were killed.
Captured only. escaped and was re-
turning to you"
Some destiny guided you TO me-"
"The destiny of love that waits fulfill
ment."
You arc changed"
"a soldiers lot transforms man,"
"You are handsomer and taller"
"If l am all in all in your eyes, am
fortunate"
my hcror'
Flower of the steppe!"
The day ended. The murmur of the riv-
cr as 1t splashCd against the banks was
like rcquien-pcace, tranquility, rest
Nowhere can they more be found than up
IN the broad stoppe near the mighty river
No more is seen the flight of winged crca-
lures. The bird has found its mate, the
fragrance of the night is felt, the stars
come out, and silver visions seem to rise
from the swiftly flowing river. Exchange
His Occupation.
I'd