The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-21

and achieved his wife's misfortunes by
getting shot on the heights OF the Shipka
two years later. The poor widow had
returned TO the stage, and struggled gal-
lantly on for fifteen years, then died,
leaving no fortune but a tender recol-
/ lection behind her. Colonel Orsha had
| sought out his brothers child and made
/ her welcome TO his mountain home.
| There was large admixture of contemp-
| tuous pity i'm his tenderness for her. she
| had none OF the stern virtues OF VAR
| vara Petrovna. "She is not an Orsha,
said the colonel She seemed in the
household like tender larch budding
among the pinetrees
When We passed into the drawing room
after supper. the lieutenant went TO Var
vara Petrovna like a lamb TO the
slaughter-roku ne minovat. AS an ar
list without "A destiny 1 was able 10 de-
vote myself 10 the less heroic charms OF
Sofia Semyonovna. She had soft and
pretty voice, and at the colonels request
she sang us two or three little Russian
songs sad little duInhI of her native
Ukraine, accompanying herself on zit-
ter. She ended the evening In disgrace.
Fascinated by the sound of the music,
mouse crept out from corner toward
the musician. Sonia was the first To
perceive It, Dropping her xitter on the
floor. she leaped upon a chair, holding
up her skirts and utterihg a series of
little screams as high pitched almost as
the mouses own squeak. She was not
an Orsha- Varvara Petrovna's cat rose
at the sound. and the mouse fed for re-
fuge to the window curtains.
SILLY Sonia" said the stately Narvara,
rising and going TO the window; its
only mouse. Here, Misha!'
She shook the curtains. the mouse fell
to the floor and the cat pcunced upon IT.
With The utmost unreason Sonia burst
into a flood of tears.
Cruel. cruel Misha." she cried.
Hush, Sonia" said her uncle; don't
disgrace yourself before our guests"
Sonia ran out of the room like petu-
liant child, and was no more seen that
night.
We were up betimes in the morning.
Long robed hllmes had been sighted at
dawn IN the pass; we might expect an at
tack before many hours had elapsed.
Going to the drawing room at about
o'clock, | found Narvara PetroVna and
the servants kneeling before the eikons;
Nsrvara Petrovna was reading Slavonic
prayers out of large leather book,
while the servants crossed themselves
vigorously at every pause. and answered
Ilospodi pomiiui--Iord. have mercy on
us. Sonia was nowhere TO he seen.
p She was discovered later in the great
servants hall, amusing herself with the
soldiers. When the lieutenant and | en-
tered- tho apartment she was performing
the national shawl dance with the big
corporal. while the rest stood by as
chorus, singing. you sadu II ogorode,"
and clapping their hands In measured
time. She was gliding coquettishly
away on heel and toe with the shawl
raised above her head. while the corporal
stamped rhythmically after Aer In the
role OF the gallant lover At the emu
OF the dance the singers broke into rapt-
urous applause:
"Ay da Safa Semyonovnav they cried:
"molodetz.
The crash OF rifle butt on the stone
floor or the vestibule broke up our musi-
cal party: one of the sentinels had come
i'm with the news that the Chechnenians
were ascending the hillsides. Varvara
Petrovna summoned the whole company
into the drawing room. We stood in
circle about the room and sang the ma
tional anthem. "Bozhe Tsarya chrani."
Varvara Petrovna leading the music In
a clear ringing voice.
Our hymn was hardly ended when the
crunch OF a bullet I'm the top OF the
French glass over the piano. followed
by the crack Of a rifle outside. warned
us that the attack had begun. Sonia
turned pale and uttered just such anoth-
er little scream as she had uttered the
evening before at the sight of the mouse
then she looked round from face to
face, with tears I'm her eyes and a little
frightened smile playing about her lips.
Narvara PetroNna took her by the hand
and led her from the room: women We're
not wanted In the apartments facing the
enemy.
The house stood as ! have said. on a
promontory jutting from the hillside on
two sides the rock continued the lines OF
the walls precipitously downward; on
the third there was no more than ter
race between house and cliff: attack and
defence were concentrated on the side
facing down the garden. The enemy took
UP their places behind the low wall which
divided the garden from the hillside and
the fighting resolved itself into a dogged
exchange of bullets between sheltered
men. Meanwhile the spring bubbled and
ran peacefully across the middle distance
with cheerful unconcsrn.
The enemy had made Their attack fnop-
portunely Just at the hour when we had
hoped TO be sitting down TO comfortable
dejeuner. As a man | resented the wrong
To my appetite; as an artist could do no
less than let OF an Ineffective gun
through a loophole TO add to the pictu-
resqueness OF our defence. Man and artist
rejoiced together when Sonia and Var
vara Petrovna ran into the room with
dishes of smoking outlets I'm their hands,
and stole along the shelter OF the walls to
distribute the delicacles among the war
riors at the windows Tor some reason or
other Sonia had arrayed herself in
large white apron, and fixed a cooks cap
on her head; in this setting her little
slender figure and flushed face made the
most bewitching picture I'm the world as
she held her plate daintily out toward
me. here was still one outlet left: she
put out her hand to lay the plate In the
bottom OF the loophole. between the sand
bags. when an envious bullet howled
through the opening grazing the skin
from her white flesh. VI was a tiny wound
--our first casualty. Sonia drew her hand
quickly away. sank 20 the noor. and cried
helplessly between pain and terror. She
refused 10 be comforted. aud was led
away sobbing bitterly by the imperturba-
ble Narvara Petrovna
The forthcatlons of our loopholes were
made of inhammable stun. and I'm spite
of all carefulness we were I'm perpetual
danger Of setting our defences on fire To
prevent disaster from this cause the lieu
tenant had had all the water I'm the house
| brought into the front rooms. The event
proved the wisdom OF his precaution; a
bolster IN one OF the windows caught. and
burst at once into a mass of flame. our
| united efforts extingiished the main con-