Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-01-15
The kiss

| - - oheBBN1 ~ pass INC
night in the village of Mestechko.
When the tumult was at its highest,
and the officers hustled about soisely
near the cannon, man in plain clothes
appeared on horseback from behind
the church, lifting his hat, said:
His Highness, Lieut.. Gen. Won Rab-
bek, invites the gentlemen officers
TO his house for tea"
And the man on horseback raised
his hat again and disappeared behind
the church.
A half an hour later the officers, 10
in number, stood at the threshold of
the generals house. They were met
by Won Robbek himself, a good-looking
old man of about 60, in plain clothes.
| The general shook their hands and
smiled though it was clearly evident
ON his face that he invited the officers
merely because he thought deeency
required il.
When the officers catered the large
dining room, ten or IL ladies and gentle
men were already seated by the long
table, drinking tea.
Gentlemen, there are so many Of
you here that it is impossible to intro
duce you one by one!" said the general
in loud voice, trying to appear very
cheerful. Introduce yourselves, gem
tlemen, as best you like!
The officers, some with very serious,
even stern faces, others smiling for.
cedly, and all feeling rather awkward.
made bows to those in the room and
seated themselves by the table to drink
tea.
Capt. Ryabovich, a small, round
shouldered man, in spectacles and
lynx-like sidewhiskers, felt more awk.
ward than any Of his fellow-oficers.
While some Of his colleagues tried TO
look serious. and others smiled for
cedly, his face, his lynx-like sidewhisk-
ers, and his spectacles seemed to say:
Il am the most timid, the most BASH
full and colorless officer in the entire
brigadel" At first he could not fix
his attention ON any one face or oh
ject in the room. The faces, dresses,
the cut-glass decanters filled with
cognae, the steam rising from the
glasses of tea,-all these blended into
one huge impression, which filed
Ryabovich with confusion and with
desire to hide his head somewhere. Bat
a little later he mastered himself, and
recovering his sight, began to observe
things.
Won Rabbek and his family were skill
fully entertaining the officers, looking
after their glasses and their mouths,
inquiring now and then, whether all
of them were drinking, whether every
ones tea was sweet, why this one ate
no biscuits, why that one drank no
cognac. And the more Ryabovich
looked on and listened the less he liked
this far from sincere but well-discip-
lined family.
After tea the officers stepped into
the parlor, where they found many /
young and good-looking women. The |
piano began to thunder; then a sad I
waltz was waited through. the wide
open windows, and somehow every !
body recalled that spring was in the
air. All began to feel the fragrance
of young poplar, roses, and lilacs,
which filed the room. Under the in |
fuence of the music, the cognac began |
70 tell on Ryabovich-he smiled and /
watched the women. and ii seemed to \
him that the odor of roses, poplar and 4
lilacs came not from the garden, but 4
from the faces and the dresses of the /
women.
Ryaboyich stood near the door, among f.
those that did not dance. He had
never danced in his life, he had never
clasped the waist of woman. RADIO
vich liked to see a man taking strange /
girl by the waist for a dance, but he |
could never imagine himself in the !
position of that man. There was a
time when he envied his comrades their |
daring and cleverness and he suffered. !
The knowledge that he was shy, round l
shouldered, long-waisted, with lynx
like sidewhiskers, panied him acutely;
but in the course of time this feeling
wore off, and now as he looked at the
dancers ne no longer enYled them, but
merely smiled sadly.
When the quadrille started. the
young Won Rabbek invited two of the
officers for a game of billiards. To
while his time away Ryabovich fol-
lowed them. He watched the PLAYERS
indifferently, and before long he be-
gan to feel lonesome, and it seemed
TO him that he was in every body's way
there.
He decided TO return TO the parlor,
but as soon as he walked out of the
billiard room he noticed that he did
not know where to go. He turned to
his right, and soon found himself in
half-dark cabinet. which he had not
passed on his way to the billiard room.
lie stood there awhile, then he opened
the door before him and entered a
perfectly dark room. The dull sounds
Of melancholy mazurka were now
heard from behind the door. Here, as
In the narior the windows were vida