Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-24

i magnificent, another was gowned all In
black and the third looked rather mean.
bowed down to the ground and began
to tell my story. Not here, not here
they said. l bowed again and went to
the next room. The same story, Not
here And so l hustled from room TO
room, from table to table. My strength
was leaving me, when finally a thin,
long gentleman took pity on old Eka-
trina and took me into the right cham
Der where the master sat in state.
'There waited upon the threshold
while my legs Shook like aspen leaves.
AT last the great one deigned to look
up. What is it?' he asked. Bravely l
unbosomed myself and told him every.
thing from beginning to end. He lis
tened, then again asked, What Is it?'
l repeated my story of how 1 went to
the children to die; how, being alto
gether sure of death, omitted to buy
a permit of residences; how the dear
Lord Jesus had seemingly forgotten
me, and how, because l continued to
keep on living, was summoned before
him.
1.-The great lord rang a silver bell.
Immediately another came in who
looked even more beautiful, for big,
shiny buttons were on his coat | had
to tell my story to him also. When l
finished, the master said. See here,
Ekatrina, thou owest the little father,
the czar, quite heap Of money. but
we will take pity on thee and let it go
at 51e rubles'
II wrung my hands. Five rubles and
half! The very amount to a kopeck
that had given my children to pay
for the funeral! Feeling swoony, I
leaned against the wall. 1t got dark
before my eyes, and q gale was blow
| Ing through my brain. And those fine
gentlemen jumped from their seats as
IL by one accord. One grabbed the
water bottle; the other brought chair.
Seeing the police masters compassion,
knelt down and embraced his knees
| -" Most gracious. most powerful lord
police master, have the goodness to
look at me! am just bit of useless
dust; no more. AS to the amount of
soul within me. it's not worth bother
| ing about. Believe me. I am taking no
ones place in this world; sleep on a
| truss of straw behind the stove and
| pick up no more food than a sparrow!
All, and I use very little air, for l am
too weak to breathe much! AS regards
sunlight, live in the cellar, where a
beam seldom penetrates.
know | ought to be dead long ago.
but what can l do against this persist
ent, damnable, costly habit of living!
Pray, take pity on me; it's surely the
heavens fault. The good saint who
| keeps the book of life must have over
looked poor Ekatrina. Don't punish
| me, lest the heavenly recorder may re-
sent it. assure your lordship have
been expecting death and preparing for
it ever SO long. have prayed for it
| daily, hourly. And while l owe the
little father, the czar-may the Lord
bless him-I paid my permit Of resi-
| denee to God. Thirteen children have
borne and have buried seven. Oh, !
worked for the czar too. gave him
two recruits, strapping fellows! One
of my boys was drowned; one daughter
an away with the circus; the youngest
burned to death in a hayloft like a
| sparrow under a matched roof Indeed.
my lord, God and are quits as regards
| the permit Of residence, quits by virtue
| of the children I bore in pains and
| sucked with hunger staring me In the
face.
He took it out of me in cares, in
hard labor, in cuffs and beatings from
q drunken husband, in the bloody tears
that cried on those burial grounds OF
yellow sand. seven of them; count
them, my lordv"
Old Ekatrina was overcome. Great
tears rolled down her 1eshless cheeks
Her lips trembled and her head in.
| clined from one side to the other
Indeed" said, "thou hast paid fol
thy permit Of residence in this world
After she had come to added, "And
what then?"
"Oh, they made me pay" replied the
old woman without shadow of resent.
ment in her voice. "'They took it all
my entire funeral money is gone. Blu,
l don't blame those fine gentlemen
They did their duty. The law is on the
books and must be obeyed.'
"And now thou hast taken to ped
dlingY
Eyes. sold the feather bed and
bought new permit of residence fol
the ensuing quarter. For the next am
trying to earn a few kopecks in ad
vance. With that constitution of mine
/ may live another year. l am begin.
ming to think can't die."-Philadel.
phia Times.