The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1907-07-11
By Nine. De Meissuer

(A1me. Sophie Radford de Meissner.
daughter of the late Rear Admiral Rad
ford, of the United States navy, has lived
of the time in Russia where her husband
was long attached to the diplomatic corps.
Since his death. Nine. De Meissner has
her novels of Russian life have won wide
nonnliarity, ..-E Among her books may .,, be
THE Tcherkesse Prince" and an English
translation of Tolstos play. THE Death
Of Ivan the Terrible,
The brief summers in Russia do
not allow of prolonged sojourns in the
country, but no matter how limited
the means of Russian family two
or three months yearly visit to
datcha is considered utterly indis-
pensable. Should the male members
Of the family be unable to absent
themselves wholly from town this
datcha will be taken somewhere in the
environs sufficiently near to admit of
their going to and fro each day.
These datchas are all amply provid-
ed with porches. both upstairs and
down, and each one of these verandas
is gay with bright-hued plants and
draperies. the latter generally consist
ing Of long strips of white linen COW
cred with red cross-stitch embroidery.
or. as is the style in Little or South
ern Russia, with embroidery of every
hue
Most of the fine estates in Russia
have a number of these datchas of diff
ferent dimensions. built in part of
tho grounds especially reserved for
them, and they are rented at very
moderate prices in order that the
clerks and other city workers whose
means are limited may with their fam
lilies enjoy the benefits of the country
air and have the advantage of the
beautiful parks and forests.
During my summers in Russia l
have visited at some of the most beau
tiful country places there and of these
the most typical was certainly that be-
longing to friends whose home was
one hour distant by rail from Moscow.
l should rather have said that the lit
tie station of PodOlsk. at which we
alighted, was one hour distant from
the former home of the car, but when
we had left the train there was
good hours drive in troika with
swift galloping horses, during which
we followed for some distance the
great turnpike road over which Ma
Doleon led his doomed army to Mos
cow. Leaving this, we dashed along
a country road between great fields of
;ripening grain. with no houses visi-
'5le other than a few peasants cot
tages, which might we'll have been
mistaken for good-sized hay stacks,
with their circular. straw-thatched
roofs reaching to within few feet
of the ground.
Suddenly the road curves rapidly
downward, leaving on our right mill,
owned by an Englishman, about which
stand neat-looking workmen's cot
tages. Then the way is across broad,
shallow, swift-fowing stream, the
wooden planks of the bridge trembling
and reechoing beneath our coursers'
hurrying hoofs. A further onward
rush brings us to wide sweep upward
between grassy hillocks. Then we en-
ter the monumental gateway crowned
with two huge stone lions, and onward
with never slowing of speed along
the circuitous drive until we reach
the marble steps Of the broad terrace.
where our host and hostess are wait.
ing to receive us. There the horses
come to a sudden stand, but withal
so sllilfully that there is no shock or
Jerking discontinue of any sort what
ever.
That house. in which spent some
very happy days. is we'll worthy Of de-
scription. 1t dates from the time of
Empress Catherine H.. by whom it
was presented to Count Marmonoff
from whom it descended in direct line
until. the last of that name expiring.
it came into the possession Of his
nephew, the present owner.
1t is built in the Italian style. a
fashion gr; atty in vogue in Russia a:
that day. and is entirely of white
stucco. with marble porches. ter.
races and colonnades. The rooms
arc vast in size, as is indeed usual in
all the fine houses in Russia. the cell.
ings lofty. and the whole most beau
tifuliy proportioned. Everything il
the house is of the time of the impcri
al donor In the ballroom stands 8
huge mirror with magnificent bronze
Gilt frame. bearing the inscription
Catherine ii to her faithful servitor
Count Marmonoff.' This frame ha,
originally held the portrait of the
great empress, but the whole thin:
had been carried Oft. along with tn,
greater part of the valuables thi
house contained. by the French troop
at the time of the invasion. TIL
frame was afterward found in fiel,
many miles distant. where it ha
been cast aside by the retreatin
army as too difficult of transportation
but the portrait had been removed
and of that no trace has ever bee
discovered.