The daily Alaskan., 1906-01-15
VANS CHOICE IN
 TR- CHRISTMAS GAME
IorLglnaLl

tiyitIes would be held at his house and that the marriage game would be play ed p In this game the young girls are rnuffied so that they cannot be disttn. guished. The young men one by one are admitted to the room where the ghls- are sitting and each man chooses ,a girl. She Is unveiled, and the man must either marry her or pay a heavy forfeit. S-F-. AE -.- Now; Peter lOllzoB had met Sonia Nlcholaevna and had fallen in love with her. Though he had been thrown with her on several occasions hescould not discover that she showed him my preference. Possibly this may have been because Peter was too bashful or too uncertain of meeting q favorable response; possibly she did not care for him; possibly she loved another. Peter went to the Christmas celebration, knowing that Sonia would be there, with very conflicting emotions. If In the marriage game he could pick out Sonia he would be very happy, but his happiness would also depend upon So- nIa's desire to be picked out by him. But if Sonia had any preference for him she would have indicated 1t, for, though he had never spoken his love, he had looked 1t, and no girl is so stu Did as. to be ignorant of a mans pref erence for her, especially when he takes no palms to conceal 1t. But then, as have said, the two had met but a few times, and 1t was not likely that a girl would be won so soon and without a courtshlp.
 At the Christmas festivities Sonia, dressed in the costume of the country, looked enchanting. She wore skirt reaching to her ankles. About her waist was a girdle of narrow blue rib bon wound several times around, the ends gathered loosely and hanging in two streamers, each end tipped with a coin. The early part of the evening was passed In dancing, singing and or dlnary games. Peter tried to get a dance with Sonia, but she was always engaged-at least she always claimed to be, and Peter was discouraged Even If he should happen to choose her In the marriage game 1t would bring him DO pleasure, and he would pay the forfeit rather than marry one who did not prefer him to all others.
 At last Maria, the wife of IvanoYltch announced that they would play the marriage game, to which they had all been looking forward expectanuy Maria took the girls all into an adjoin' ing room, where each was envelOped ln a sheet. When all was ready the young men drew lots to determine the order in which they should enter. Ol course the first man, If be had a prefer ence, would have the best chance tc secure 1t. The last man would have but one girl to choose. Peter drew the fifth entry. When the first couple came out the girl was smiling and blushing and all knew that she had been chosen in accordance with her wishes. The swain did not look displeased, only silly. The second couple were both poutlng, and both had evidently had had luck. In the case of the third the man was radiant with happiness, the girl evidently displeased. In the fourth It was plain that both had been much disappointed.
 It was now Peters turn to enter the room and choose. The varied appear ance of the couples who had emerged had told him how slim was the chance first, of his choosing Sonia, and, second of her being his willing bride. Never theless he had been caught by the spirit of chance. He was wild with desire to choose Sonia, aud he would at least have the privilege of seeming to he glad of the alternative to pay the for felt
 He entered the room with a thrOb- ping heart. There sat line of girls looking very like large Indian papooses. Peter cast his eye along the line vainly endeavoring to distinguish the girl he loved by her size or some other feature, but Sonia was of the middle height and several of the girls were very nearly her size. Peter dallied.
 Choose" said the matron.
 Peter, still hoping to discover through the sheet some guide, still hesitated.
 Come, choose" said the matron; "others are waiting"
 Peter, In despair at having to trust to luck, was about to step forward and choose haphazard when his eye lighted on a little coin hanging below q fold in the sheet that enveloped one of the girls In a .twinkling he remembered that the ends of the ribbon encirclIng sonla's waist were tipped with coins. He had not seen the coin on first run nlng his eye along the line and was sure 1t was not then visible. Indeed, while he looked it disappeared, having been exposed only a few seconds, s E.
 A flood of joy welled in Peters heart. Sonia, who before had given him no sign of preference, who could not even save a dance for htr. who had given any of the young men present more Of her favor than he, had contrived to give him a signal. More than this, she had come to the gathering with the ribbon loosely wound about her waist, so that she might drop it at the choosing of the man she wanted, and had dropped It