The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-08

inches in diameter and the back ones thirty inches; and there is hood or top similar to that of an ordinary car riage which can be drawn up In wet weather. These baby victorias are drawn by the most beautiful horses in the world, of a breed introduced into Russia from Arabia by Prince Orioff. lone of the favorites of Catherine IL, and supposed to have been her morgan atic husband. They are tall, long leg Iged, graceful animals with luxurious imanes, and tails that reach to the ground. Their coats are as black as the plumage of a crow and their luster shows the care that is given to the horses. None but stallions are used and they have great speed and perfect Istyle. The harness is very light, con- lsisting of round cords of leather orna- Imented with silver or brass. The load , is pulled from a collar to which the Ithills of the drosky are attached and re-enforced by straps to the axles of the front wheels.
 The isthvostiks, as the drivers are l man of their characteristics. They live with their horses, and many of them have no other homes than the stables. Some of them own their own horses and vehicles, others rent an outfit of two horses and drosky and pay from to 5 rubles day to the owner; but the greater number are hired by livery stables at the rate of $S month and what they make over 3, 4, or rubles a day which they are Irequired to bring in to the employers. It their daily earnings amount to less the difference is charged against them and has to be made up.
 The legal charge for the use of a drosky is 10 cents for fifteen minutes, and 90 cents an hour in our money, but only q small portion of the patrons stick to that rate, and a foreigner, is expected to pay twice as much, No mater what or how much you give, an isthvoktik always grumbles and asks for more, particulararly if he sees that you are a stranger and unacquainted with the customs of the countyA The more you give him the harder, he will grumble, particularly if he is over paid the first time, because he is smart enough to realize that he has a ten derfcot to deal with and makes the most of it.
 They are peculiar looking fellows, these isthcostiks, and are always ob- jects of interest They wear long cloaks of blue cloth belted around the waist with an embroidered girdle and are stuffed out like feather beds. What they wear under their long garments is a mystery. but they are So inflated they they look as if they would col lapse If anybody stuck pin into their backs. It is said that the fater they , are the more wages they get when they go into private employment, and some of the coachmen on private vehicles must receive very high wages on that basis They wear low-crowned beaver hats which resemble an ordinary silk stovepipe as q Adachshund resembles an ordinary dag, and this adds to the oddi ty of their appearance.
 The drive like Jehu. A passenger who enters a drosky for the first time is likely to be alarmed for his safety The horses are very fast, They tear up and down the streets like whirl- winds and dash around the corners in a. most reckless manner, blut you never see an accident. Sometimes there is or- lily a hairs breadth between the hubs of the wheels, but there is always enough room to prevent collision.
 A drosky ride. therefore, is an ex- citing diversion as well as necessity to a person who wants to go anywhere in this city of naniflcent distances ana does not care to expose himself in the geological gardens that they call street cars-W. F. Curtis in Chicago Record Herald.