New-York tribune., 1908-06-14
slben Sonia Was a Little GIRL

@ffv wears ago. in remote part OF Rus
49, stood at the edge OF a great imperial
Sc large manor house, with massive stone
orr se-bordered terraces hothouse oranseries
ss'N .,r5en running down TO a beautiful lake
sna s,.,,sv this was a house Of wealth and luxury.
f"0 :. xorrned a strange contrast to the surround
~ ,rn-ry which was wild. picturesque and DESC
Nt p.ssts Of prey roamed in the forest. which
N,,,ea fol hundreds OF miles. and in winter the
o,.,ns wolves even came down to the edge of
= lske where they howled mournfully The huts
- ,.ssauts were miserable that they scarce
.-,as like the homes OF human beings and in
- a the great houses OF the district only chill
- end old people were TO be found There had
Polish revolt not long before and as the
"" u-ners had been mostly Poles many of them
ss left the country.
-. the manor house life was as lonely as it
= ou;side The family lived apart in four diff
-, sroups and met only at dinner and even
80 they cid not talk, for they all had separate
'-.,-ss-s Somehow, although they were all in
.Sgsrt and agreeable people, who would have
.-,ored one snother's society if they had known
=. enether. they had never succeeded in getting
seauanted
T-s Krukorsby had her apartments on the Sec
- soor with her eldest daughter Aniuts She
&c much younger than her husband and was
tssu,tsuI accomplished and amiable. But she was
,-v trnid. and dared not interfere either in the
-srsgemert Of her house or the care Of her chill
,-e, There were serfs in Russia in those DAYS but
y Ibis case THE serts ruled their mistress instead
= her ruling them. They had been in the family
ls.e before she came into IL. and they resented
,v interference with customs handed down
,sreush generations Of krukovskys
General Krukovsky's study was on the ground
saor Of a tower. which formed building by itself
ssre ne lived in q world OF his own TO which no
ozs else was admitted His wife was q child to
hin and though he was very fond of his children
10 scarcely ever showed It except when they were
N Then they adored hrl-at other times they
s.-e afraid Of him.
Tie second daughter, Sonia, six years younger
,hsn Aniuta. and her governess. had most of the
rrcund floor 10 themselves, and TIE only son,
Te5is shared wing with his tutor
This kind Of life must have been very dull for
everybody. except, perhaps, the general. who was
-uch older than the others and liked solitude but
m me was so lonely as Sonia. Aniuta had been
siuoafed for society and had been queen OF the
,tHdrens balls in the larger towns where they had
Hwd before General krukovsky being relieved
.-ou active service, had retired 20 his estate so
ess was dreadfuly bored by country life and pined
~ S. Petersburg. But she at least had the So
osT Of her mother, and poor Sonia had nobody
TIE governess was not an agreeable person. and
eoais was such a strange child that Mime. Kru-
ksrzEy cid not understand that she was longing
&c be loved. She had not the beauty and charming
-xuners that made every one love Aniuta, and she
had unfortunately, overheard the nurse say that
s.e she arrived her parents had been disappointed
ssxgse she was not q little boy. So she got the
5ss that she only tolerated in the family. and
ts made her shy. awkward, and little disagree
ssh When taken TO the drawing 10 be in
.rsacei 70 her mothers guests, she would cling
:, ssr nurse s dress and look sullen that Nine
grsuysky would get impatient and say TO the
I-x Take her away, am quite ashamed Of