The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-01
The LIEUTENANT'S FATE.

1.-THE third time I laid out the cards,
said the lieutenant, exactly the same
thing happened again; the queen o
hearts at the top meaning love, the
| king of clubs to the right of her, show
ing heroic character, and the seven o
spades in the last three, showing thai
the sign was to be fulfilled immediate
ly. had always hoped that
shouldn't marry a heroine; I cam
stand your masculine women" He
sighed with Slavonic resignation, and
added @'Roku ne minovat," which If
Russian for Kismet
I pitied him from the bottom of my
heart, and was glad that the cards mao
no such power over destiny in Ehglaho
as they have in Russia
We were marching along the white
road under Kislovodsk down into the
green valley of the Terek, l with my
wanderers wardrobe and sketch1ng
pack slung over my shoulders Inc
six soldiers of the lieutenant's detach-
ment tramped behind us, softly sing
ling; the big corporal was taking his
lturn as soloist. the five privates join
ing in with a monotonous "Ay luli lu-
ILL.," at the end of each line, The shad-
ows of the hills were creeping slowly
up to the white top of Mount Elbruz
which faced us imperturbably over vel
vet forests from the distance.
The lieutenant's orders were to reach
Colonel Orshas house, on the lower
slopes of the OlSova. by nightfall, and
hold 1t against the rebellious Chechens;
and I, the peaceful landscape painter,
had been swept away protesting In the
current of his march, sketching UNI
brella and all, from my roadside attl-
tude of artistic unconcern with the
uuarrels of governments and subjects
The trouble between the tribesmen
and the Russians had arisen from the
inveterate incompatibility of their
ideas as to the right method of acquir-
ing property in horses. Arak, son of
the powerful chieftain Feraz, was to
be married to Bella of Siziaul; and by
way Of kolyna, or dowry, the bride
groom was to present Bela's father
with twenty mountain horses. Feraz
had no horses to spare. What Chechen
has? They must be got. But in mat
tiers of horsenesh Chechenian aristo-
crat cannot stoop to the sordid meth
DDS of purchases; nor would a Che
chenian bridegroom be respected by a
wife who could say of him: "He
bought a horse" Therefore father and
son raided the war office pastures. A
hireling Waterman betrayed them; or
ders were issued for their arrest and
six villages went on the warpath for
the honor of the tribal custom. 1t was
plain that the tribesmen would try to
hold the Okova range, as they had
done in '93; the business of the lieu
tenants regiment was to anticipate
them; and Colonel Orsha's house was
the one of the first positions to be oc-
cupied for it commanded access to the
hills from the Terek side.
The lieutenant and | stopped at the
divide and waited for the soldiers to |
come up
(Which is the way, Pavel?" asked |
my companion of the big corporal.
Cup here replied the giant pointing
to a narrow path which wound its !
way up among the fir trees to our t
right
Lead the way" said the lieutenant,
and the corporal Joined us in the front.
He willingly impaired his large |
knowledge of the people and places
about US. He told us of the exploits of
Colonel Orsha against the hllmen in
the days before he lost his right leg in
an aul of the Gruzians.
1.-THE apple lies near the apple tree
as the saying is, masters: like father
like daughter. Varvara Petrovna's
fine lass, tall and strong, and as bold
as lion. When the Gruzians broke
into the empty barracks that day and
the stablemen fled to their stalls. she
faced the rebels like man and rated
them for their cowardice, till thew
skunk away from before her with their
tails between their legs fine
lass! But you'll judge for YOUR
heroine she is! Every one says so: a
selves this evening when you see her. A
true heroine"
The lieutenant and I eyed each other
with a wild surmise." Were the cards
true prophets?
Half an hours climbing brought us to
Colonel Orsha's house. a low white
building on a rocky proMontory from
he hillside, we stepped on to a fresh
green lawn running up to the house.
From the rocks to the right dubbed a
spring, whose waters ran in a little
stream across the lawn and flashed
Town the sheer hillside to the left. Be !
Jond the stream stood a girI--a little l
slender figure clad in pink and topped
" a broad straw hat She was feeding 7
. flock of white Caucasian pigeons; G
,ome were picking the bread-crumbs a
rom the grass at her feet, others We're
poised in the air waiting for a morsel
o be thrown them, and one was seated r
N her arm helping himself from the t
,late which she held in her hand. Her rs