The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1913-12-20

| ties. ana Sne danced uengnteuly Win
him. And yet beneath all her sans
souci exterior there dwelt deeply
moved soul Of human companion. She
was. II Is sure, deeply sorry for her
husband. And pity Is akin to love.
The Moscovites had an instinct OF this.
On the few church and ceremonial
days when the Grand Duke Serge
drove out from the Kremlin the Grand
Duchess Elisabeth sat beside him, and
they returned safe.
AS the political black clouds weigh
ed down more and more threateningly
on the governor of Moscow the car
| In st. Petersburg was advised to abol-
ish the Office. This was decided on:
and one February morning Serge was
driving out In single horse closed
carriage to pay final poor prendre
congo" call on one of the successors
to part of his authority when the
young student. Kalaieff. threw tho
bomb that killed master and coach
man together. In few minutes the
Grand Duchess, bareheaded and wrap
ped In a pelisse, darted across the
snow and knelt by what remained In a
blood-drenched cloak Of her husband.
A day later, again bareheadeL. she
walked through the snow-clad streets
at the simple funeral of the coachman.
taking her place side by side with>his
peasant wife and the family OF poor
people. She went to see Kalaieff In
prison and begged In a simple. pitiful
way to be told why the young man
killed her husband. Kalaieff remained
unmoved by this appeal, but her own
distress brought tears to his eyes. He
would not ask for pardun, although
she said to him, stretching out her
hands, that she herself as Christian
woman pardoned him, and would pray
for him to God.
II is from that tragic day that the
Grand Duchess put this world behind
her and fixed her whole being on the
consultations of religion. For many
months she lived in complete seclu-
sion. Then Trepoff. who had been
transferred to st. Petersburg as gov
nor and had beaten down the angry
population, had himself fallen In dis
grace and died of sheer exhaustion and
his family were cruising at the time,
and none OF them. nor OF the mag
mates at the court, would return to
stand by Trepoffs grave. The car
even signified that the occasion need
not be recognized. but the Grand
Duchess Elisabeth defied his will.
She left her retirement In Moscow.
came to ST. Petersburg and attended
every one Of the elaborate services
for the dead held beside Trepoff's |
collins and stood by while 1t was put
In It's grave. ,fA
When she returned to Moscow she |
gave her mind to organizing her re-
ligious life into a system. At first |
she took the regular VOWS of a nun
of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Then in a large. bare house outside
the Kremlin gates she started on the
beginnings OF Convent of Mary and |
Marta. At first ten ladies of high |
Russian families worked under her.
Their day began at in the morning
themselves with needlework for the
aged poor and for the sick In hos
pitfalls, and they we're taught the dis
pensing of simple medicines. Since
hen the numbers in the convent
have grown to about thirty, Some
Of them go out reading to the bedrid-
lem and the Grand Duchess herself
performs the duty of wash
ng the dead. There are no servants
whatever In the convent All the
work is done by the aristocratic sis.
ers themselves.
AS Mother Superior the Grand
Duchess has four rooms. At first
some of her followers thought that
Ter complete devotion might pass
way as her personal sorrow was soft
med by time. But the travail of0her
oul is leading her rather to more
abnegation of earthly con-
ems She attends all the severe
light services of the Russian Ortho-
OK church where prayers Of interces.
ion are said. One of the sisters of
he convent has mentioned to her fam
" how the Mother Superior, the
rand Duchess, on returning from the
light service. pins an ikon over her
ed and again prays alone before It,
At times the life of Serge's widow
Gems to suggest remote parallel
With that other fate-crossed imperial
the Empress Elizabeth of
Austria. With both great beauty and
physical health bore them till middle
ife through years of what seemed
complete enjoyment OF this world,
md then came a sudden turning aside.
But with the Russian Elisabeth this
has been marked by no failing of the
mental faculties. Women like the
Grand Duchess Serge make their
choice definitely and with serene vi.
sion. Even among the Moscow poor, 4
AZ they see her tall. graceful figure in
her white robe moving actively and
noiselessly among their dwellings,
there Is just silent look OF recogni-
ton. They know of her VOWS and, like
all the other Russians, see In her
woman who will live for the rest of
her days, the world forgetting, by
|