Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-11

ana SO on. At the same time he was
receiving on Russia's greatest river
MS nrst Impressions of Russias ma.
lure on a grand scale.
He next changed his situation I'm.
ger the ships cook for that of as.
sistant gardener. and remained at this
until he was IS.
Then the craving for learning in
him grew too strong and he travelled
to kazan in the naive belief that at
learned university town knowledge
was impaired gratis.
Ihis proving a delustion, he was
Obliged to apprentice himself to bak.
er, receiving in return for the hard
est work of which he had as yet had
any experience the sum Of three rou.
bles ($1.5O) a month.
So 1T was really more profitable to
seek chance employment on the
banks Of the volga. Cork worked
first as a porter, then as a woodcut-
ter, and read what books he could
get hold of through the kindness of
good hearted people.
But he was earning only Just enough
to keep himself alive, and in the year
1888 he shot himself.
He was in the hospital for some
time, recovered, and when he came
out took to selling apples. But this
business proving, as will readily be
believed, very unremunerative, he
went to Zarizyn, where he obtained a
situation as signalman.
Thence he returned to Nishnij, be-
ing obliged to present himself there
for the meeting of the officers board
Tor the CONSUMPTION. But, as he writes,
they had no use for fellow with
holes in his body" and his wound
not yet having healed. he was spared
military service, and took to wander
ing about in the workingmen's quar-
tiers and in the market streets with
beer barrel on a barrow, selling his
beer by the glass.
After that he obtained a situation
as clerk in a lawyers Office. This
man, whose name was Lauin, was the
first educated and high minded man
he became acquainted with. Accord
ing to his own account he owes the
foundation of his education to him.
Nevertheless he did not stay very
long with Lauin. For him, as for the
great number of characters in his
books, a vagabond life had an inorvli-
nate attraction.
He began once more to roam up
and down the vast realm of Russia,
living now as herdsman, now as a
chorus singer, and for time in the
neighborhood of the Caucasus. as a
reporter for small papaers, so that
he is acquainted with all the occu-
patiOns that the characters in his
books follow.
A broken down student suggested
to him in 1892 the idea of coming
forward as an author. He has por-
trayed this man, to whom he owes a
great deal, under the name of Alex
ander Kalusini.
A lucky chance brought him, year
later into communication with Koro-
lenko, and this exceptionally ami
able and already celebrated writer,
whose upright, almost child-like char
acter and broad shouldered red cheek
ed strength are unforgettable to any
one who has ever come in contact with
him, took up the gifted vagrant and
made him known in the Russian en-
pire, as it were. in one bound.
His reputation grew to such an ex-
tent that an edition of his works in
four volumes, published few weeks
ago, sold to the number of 10000
copies in the course of six months.
The figure is not remarkably large
|shen we think of Russia's 100000
900 inhabitants. But there are not
many of them who can read, and the
number of those who buy books is not
much larger than in Scandinavia.
There is peculiarly attractive
gruffness about Gorlzi's personality.
He was once in a theater in Moscow
with Anton Tschekopp. During an
interval he went out to drink a glass
of tea. and was recognized and sur
rounded by hundreds of students and
other young people, who gave vent
to their delight at seeing him in i'm
moderate clapping and applause.
But Cork responded sharply: "Am
I ballet dancer that you should ap-
plaud me like this? Go back to your
seats, and look at the piece and not
at me-"
When the papers vehemently attack
ed him for his ungraciousness he re-
piled with very earnest and ener-
getic piece of pleading, in which he
urged that in Russia there was only
public who could clap, but no peo-
pie of activity who could make them
selves respected.
One of the first essentials to prop
err understanding of Gorki's works is
an acquaintance with the outlines of
his life, for they obviously describe
only what he has seen and exper-
fenced. Never theme from the past,
never a flight into the regions of the
cultured.
A world of material that to the for.
eign reader is wholly new. So new
that verdict on Gorki's ability to re-
produce real life. or on his poetic tai
ent, is no easy matter for the non
Russian reader.
One has to know the original in or
der to Judge the verisimilitude of a
portrait.
Dear Gus: have solved the moth
er-in-law problem, just give her regu.
larly HOLSTERS Rocky Mountain Tea.