The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-01-08

Alhc SlueWnlskerSs palned hlm acutely:
but in the course of time this feeling
wore off, and now as he looked at the
dancers he no longer envied 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 everybody's way
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 a
half-dark cabinet, which he had not
passed on his way to the billiard room.
He stood there awhile, then he opened
the door before him and entered
perfectly dark room. The dull sounds
of melancholy mazurka were now
heard from behind the door. Here. as
in the parlor, the windows were wide
open, and the odor of poplar, lilacs
and roses filled the air.
Ryabovich paused in hesitation.
Suddenly quick steps and the
rustl'ng of a dress were heard, a wom-
ans voice whispered, emotionally:
AT last!" and two soft, perfumed,
feminine hands clasped his neck;
warm cheek touched Ryabovich's
cheek, and ringing kiss resounded.
But she soon uttered a soft cry, and,
as it seemed to Ryabovich, started
back with disgust. He was
also on the point of exclaiming, but
he controlled himself and rushed to-
wards the other door.
When he returned to the parlor his
heart was beating fast. and his hands
trembled so perceptibIy that he was
trying to hide them behind his back
At first he was tortured with shame,
fearing lest everybody in the parlor
knew that woman had embraced and
kissed him a little while before. He.
looked on all sides neasily, but salts
fed that people danced and chatted as
before, he gave himself up entirely to
his new, never-before-experienced
sensation.
He now felt like dancing, talking,
running into the garden. :. He
forgot that he was round-shoul-
dered, colorless and uninteresting.
At supper Ryabovich ate and drank
mechanically everything that was
served him; and paying no attention
to what was going on about him, en-
deavored to explain to himself how
the incident came about. &. The
incident was of rather mysterious
and romantic nature, but it was easy
to explain. A young lady must have
made an appointment with some one
in the dark room, she must have been
waiting there, and in her nervousness
have mistaken Ryaboyich for her
hero.
But who is she" he asked himself,
surveying the faces of the women be-
fore him. ''She is surely young, for
old women don't make such appoint
ments."
And, then, she is surely intelligent,
he thought; indeed, he felt it by the
rustic of her dress, by the perfume, by
her voice.
He fixed his eyes on one young lady,
with beautiful hands and shoulders,
an intelligent face and fine voice.
2. And as he gazed at her, he
wished her to be the one that kissed
him.
After supper the guests, having eat
en- and drunk their fill, began to take
the garden. They were half intoxi-
Gated, lively, satisfied, but the dark
ness and the silence threw them into
a rather pensive mood for awhile.
Ryabovich wondered whether the
time would ever come when he, like
Rabbek, would have large house,
family, garden; whether he would
ever be in position to show marks of
kindness to other people, to give them
to eat and drink; to make them salts
fed.
On reaching home, Ryabovich went
to bed Immediately. "Who is she?"
he asked hims elf, staring at the smoke
stained ceiling. Beautiful feminine
hands, shoulders, eyes, dress and
brooches hovered about before him
in his Imagination. He tried to fix his
attention on these images, but they
seemed to wink and hop about hither
and thither. When he closed his eyes
the images disappeared altogether,
and he heard quick footsteps, the rus
tling of dress, the sound of kiss
and he was seized with boundless hap
piness.
Rising in the morning he felt that
last nights joy was still throbbing in
his heart. He glanced with delight at
the windowpanes, which were tinted
into golden hue by the rays of the
rising sun, and listened with pleasure
to the noise on the street.
A quarter of an hour later the bri-
gade started off for the camps. As
they passed the generals house Rya-
hOyich looked at the windows The