The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-10-07
BIruANrAN wOOING

OCSHId, ever oIl HIS HUI oC D OoAciN' S rife across his lap, and long knife stuck in his belt.
 I am an old man, and have travelled through many a land and seen much, but the like of Cosma Racoare I never met. He was of medium height, bony, sun-burned, looked like the average man, yet was unlike any of them.
 In those days our country suffered many tribulations, Turks and Greeks devastated our Rumanian land, and our people lived in misery and fear, Sor- rowful times they were! Cosma seemed the only human being exempt from suffering going and coming without thought of tomorrow. All fled before the enemy, but not so did he. Taken prisoner. they put him in chains; these he cast off, as by magic Jumped on his horse, and fled. It was written in the stars that none but a silver bullet could harm him. No such man lives in our times; those were the good old days. You may have heard of the oth- CT hero, the son of the, Maid with the Golden Hair? We'll, he stole in Wal lachia, on the other bank of the Milcar river, while Cosma plundered in the Muldan. At nightfall they would meet and exchange their booty. No gendar- mes ever caught him, for his horse was the t1eetest of the fleet, and their bull lets whistled powerless about his ears. He lived in the forests, knew neither pain, fear or love. The hour when he should know the latter was drawing near.
 At that time the estate Vulturesti be- longed to a Greek, Nicola Zamfiride. Near by, at Frasin1, lived the beautiful Rumanian, the widow SuItana. Nicola vowed she should be his, but all eff forts seemed futile; neither soothsayers nor witchcraft were powerful enough to help him. Was he unsightly, misshap- en? On the contrary, he was a proud Creek brown-eyed, black k-bearded, tail, and handsome; yet in spite of these lover, for I have had the house physical attractions she would none of him.
 One day Nicola sat in his room cogi- tating. He was thinking of the young widow Why did she reject his WOOL ing. "A few nights ago I hired gypsy who sang touching serenade under her window, but the house re- 1 mained dark and silent. What must I do?'' Nicola reflects: T am well to look at and have a clear mind; why then does she scorn me? She has no watched, but no one has been seen to 1 enter.' Nicola loses his temper. AS 1 he steps in to the courtyard he sees a groom currying horse. Do you call that a well-curried horse?,,' he bel 1 lows; and, with that he lashed the fel- 1 low with his whip The gardener whom he finds resting in the shade, fares no betteS
 But what avails venting ones fury 1 on innocent parties?
 He strolls into the garden and lies down under a linden. Sadly, autumn winds are signing and golden leaves, like butterflies, fiutter to- the. ground. An old man enters by the garden gate. 1 "Vasili, Vasili, come here!" What would st thou, master?'
 "Vasili, thou hast ever been faithful; neither the old soothsayer nor the gypsy wench have. been able to help me; have but you to look to. Vasili, | tt" Sultana must be mine.,' ! 4 might counsel, but dare not" re- piled Vasli.
 ! Here is a ducat; speak
 T know my master will find my counsel worth two, yea, three ducats. i My advice is that the master ride to | Frasini and carry the sultana off by | feTce.''
 T will do as you say, Vasili. Here are two ducats.
 That very night Nicola, accompanied
 by six sturdy young grooms, reaches | Frasini The castle seems shrouded in gloom. By means of rope ladders,
 Nicola and his follers scale the 1 outer walls. As they enter the open
 gate cries of "Help!" are heard. A
 door opens, and there appears the Sul-
 tana radiant in flowing hair and soft
 white garment. She turns her glow ing eyes on Nicola, who, beside him. self, attempts to throw his arms around
 her.
 How dare you! And now I see it is
 only the worthy Nicola, when I had feared to face a band of robbers" :"
 Suddenly she strikes Nicolas. head with 1 the fiat of her scimitar blade, He is
 stunned. His men rush to the rescue. 1 One is wounded, the rest take to their
 horses. By this time the alarm is ] sounded and the sultana's servants 1 come rushing in. Nicola gains his horse and reaches Vulturesti more dead than alive. All that night he losses and
 moans. Wretch that am! An, woe,
 ah, woe is me! Such 8 woman Such ] eyes! God have mercy on mel" He 1 calls Vasili. ''Vasili, my faithful one, I have come back covered with shame
 and disgrace. Vasili, I'll give thee
 three ducats if thou'It counsel me once 1 more"
 ] Yea, master, I know it all. A superb
 creature, the sultana; but I also know l that my second counsel will be worth
 f1ve-six ducats.'
 Speak, Vasili, speak!''
 When my master wins the sultana,
 he shall want to give old Vasili six
 times-yea, twenty times as many du-
 cats. I will bring Cosma Racoare; he
 will do your work Nicola starts.
 Be it so,' he mutters.
 On the third day after this interview, COsma appeared. He was clad in a
 close-tftting fustian, heavy boots, and
 a Russian cap well drawn over his head. His rife slung across his back
 and leading his horse, he leisurely and
 sullenly approached Nicola, who sat | under the linden, smoking his pine,