Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-08-30
. RUSS RO NANCE.
In Which an Innocent Maiden is
Badly Duped

In Which an Innocent Maiden is
Badly Duped
A story of a fraudulent mar
riage contract, the details of
which are rather sensational,
comes from Minot. 1t seems
that a young Russian farmer,
Stephen Ballisski, by name,
we'll off as regards this worlds
goods, pined and longed for
fair young spouse. With this
object in view he wrote to a
friend in the land of the Car
setting forth his troubles and
wants. The friend got busy,
and soon put Stephen in COM
munication with a young maiden
of the old country, who was also
matrimonially inclined. A cor
respondence was started between
the twain, and soon a wishAfor
an exchange Of photographs
was voiced by the fair oamsel.
1t was then that Stephen found
himself up against 1t. He view
ed himself many times in the
mirror. Certainly he was not
fair and progressing to look
upon. Would that the gods had
created him handsome instsad Of
rich. But he was seized with a
cunning and devilish thought,
which ultimately proved the
Lothario's undoing. He hied
him to neighboring acquaint-
ance, to whom the gods had be-
slowed fairness of face and
form, and purIoined one Of his
trends photographs. This, he
sent to the maiden, who immed-
lately fell in love with the like
ness. She agreed to decamp
forthwith to the land of milk
and honey and spend her future
life as Madam Stephen Balliskki,
milk the cows, feed the chickens
and hold the purse strings. For
this purpose the embriotic hus-
band sent Ter one hundred
plunks and bid the choice of his
heart come on.
In time the fair one arrived,
bringing with her bag and bag
gage, and her name. This last
must have been difficult to hand
lie at times, as it was Teresski
lllinisskhi. She was met at the
station by Stephen, who inform
ed her that he was the groom to
be. Teresski violently objected,
noticing, no doubt, the great
difference in physical architec-
ture between the picture and
the original. Besides, be it
known, the maiden had fallen
violently in love with the pho
ltograph and was not going to ac-
cept a shop-worn article for the
original. She agreed, however,
to repay Stephen the $500 if she
could procure work in order to
make it, for be it known the
amount of coin reposing in her
purse was exceeding small.
After seeing that further per-
suasion was useless, Stephen at
last agreed to this proposition
land told the maiden that she
would have to accompany him
to the court house to- draw up a
contract to the effect that she
would repay the money.
Here he again displayed his
foxy cunning, and took a sad
and undue advantage of the girls
ignorance of American ways
and customs. He hied him to
the county court room where he
procured a marriage license for
himself and Teresski and from
thence to a magistrate where
the twain were made one in the
holy bonds of matrimony. They
started towards home, the girl
all the time believing that the
Schemlng lover was to procure
her a place to work. On arrival
at Stephens farm he told her of
the true state of affairs, and
that he was now the maiden s
lord and master. To say that
Teresski was shocked and grieved
would be stating the case mildly
She ''bucked'' and stubbornly
refused. At this. it is chronicled
that the angry bridegroom pull.
ed an arsenal and threatened
Teresski's life, but instead of in.
stilling terror into the maiden's
soul, it added wings to her feet,
and she fled. She found shelter
with a family Of her kind in the
' neighborhood, and was left fol
the nonce in peace.
Later on at a county fair, she