Show THE by VIRGINIA LEILA in every russian village sou will find one building that Is conspicuous because ot its location and its height it Is always exactly in the center ol 01 the village and it is always two storied this consa chous two storied house belongs to the village koonyets koop it is his residence and shop the hoop or village trader is a person ot the utmost importance from the s point of view well makar the koop of the village of was no exception to tho rule he was a thrifty ivan the troughs cartside his louse one filled with water the other with grain never led an idle life they were constantly in use by the steeds of the who traveled from warsaw to moscow among all the who passed that way none was so gay and none so well liked by as ivan he was a handsome fair haired curly headed young fellow full of tun and always singing arsenov passed through twice a month sometimes oftener now one day now another according to his loads one morning toward the end 0 may he and several other cus bomers were drini ing tea with makar in an inner room adjoin ing that in which the koonyets koop dis played his stock one by one the mou biks had turned down their tumblers in token that they had really had enough one by one they had risen shaken hands with their host nd thanked him tor his hospitality fin ally and al benov remained alone in the room well friend said looking the young fellow straight in the eye I 1 ve a secret to tell thee then he dropped his eyes somewhat as one abashed and began stroking gogol s sleek tides I 1 am boing soing to marry he an bounced I 1 have decided it is not good for a koonyets koop to live alone he gets too hardened he needs A woman s softening influences supplied arsenov holding his sides with laughter by st michael and all the holy angels friend it is true nevertheless said se benovitch me softly and im going in to moscow to fetch her next week we are to be married on the last day of the month of mary she s barely 20 unhappily but then tor a man past 50 I 1 m a pretty vigorous looking fellow dost not think aksenovs that you are cried the young roan heartily and I 1 wish you joy makar demenovitch Seme three weeks later when passed through again he saw the young bride he was in the tractor or shop trad ng some niki and herring tor some gorgeous colored calico when a peal ot merry laughter reached his ears what is thata he exclaimed boy ashly laying down the calico for it was lovely laughter full of music and it billed and rippled through the quiet like a flock of wild pigeons thata said the koonyets koop that s my young wife I 1 suppose she s play ing with gogol she s a veritable child far joy and so beautiful but you must see for yourself led the way to the inner room sergia kara he called tenderly arsenov followed him and there beside the tea table they both waited tor a second then the curtains swung back in one hand held a mass of june roses which showed a ripe crimson against her blue dress and matched her moist lips exactly the other hand was stretched out se to the greyhound leaping that you arel cried the young man heartily round her A crystal buckle flashed at her waist the sunshine coming n through the open window caught the red gold of her hair the pink cheek the white moving hand and it was so that arsenov and she met twelve months rolled by and life in the little village of grew wearisome to Sergi aKara often in her morning and evening walks she would pause and ic k far off follow las the course of ahe thick wooded country which ran toward moscow moscow the beautiful moscow the glad mosco v the gay and laughing ah why had she ever left her dear old homec true she had been very poor there often she had not enough to eat but then there had been plenty of mirth and youthful corn pany ah makar demenovitch Seme good man youth will seek youth as alie bees will seek the lavender sergia kara grew almost happy again when arsenov s period cal vis its came around he could tell her all about her dear moscow forsooth and so side by side the ano who for youth and gayety matched each other like the candlesticks on an altar would talk together often however they were silent not speaking but fol lowing the same train of thought alas if I 1 had known sighed sergia iara one day yes if we had known replied ak benov from that moment without the ut terance of another word al benov multiply ed his trips for to him hence forth as to the only happy moments were the rare moments the spent with each other gossip came to makar demenovitch Seme of course but being a man tree from evil thought who respected his wife and knew arsenov for a friend he chose to cusp over other things it was a holiday one of those in numerable russian feast days and demenovitch Seme had closed his tractor and gone to take a walk in the woods his thoughts were not the pleasant est tor he was trying to shift off his mind some more of the horrid gossip which stab demenovitch Seme 1 sa d he had just reached his ears that morn ing after mass some one had said that the last time arsenov passed through the village he had been seen secretly entering a hut with sergia kara the hut referred to was an i empty log house of demenovitch Seme s used by the koonyets koop for the storage of grain demenovitch Seme had almost reached the hut and was regarding it with a scornful pride on his 1 ps when the regular tic tac of great wheels turning on the axles announced the arrival of a cart why it was arsenov himself he was just going to step forward when the cart stopped and from the back end a woman sprang down into the dusty road he stood there livid behind the bushes his heart thumping like a huge fire engine waif sergia kara you are forget ting the key called arsenov holding up something which blinded the koop like a flash of lightning it was the key to his grain hut run sergia kara some one comes cried arsenov suddenly turn ing pale and sergia kara having run away with gogol at her heels arsenov turned with folded arms toward se me he did not see him but divined who it was hearing the heavy panting of a man s breath and de teching the flash of a knife s steel blade among the bushes stab demenovitch Seme said he then out stepped the koonyets koop and stabbed blindly you have killed me friend cried arsenov as he fell pressing his hands to his breast demenovitch Seme one last service whispered the dying man hand me the knife which is behind my guitar the koonyets koop hesitated not under standing but when he handed it to airn arsenov frowned between his alps asps of pain no ap stain t with blood there like that now put it in band good do ou see it is for your sake for the sake of sergia no one must suspect you every one must believe t was I 1 myself then making a last strenuous et tort tvan arsenov shouted to his horses to go on they started at his voice and t was not ong before the cart came to the next the horses trained by long habit stopped at the village traders and the koonyets koop himself came out to greet arsenov when he caught sight of him stretched out on the floor of the wagon a stream of blood flowing from his breast he called to some mauj ks for help there grasped tight in s hand they found his knife with binl bials carved in the handle they are his own initials ex claimed the he ha died by his own hand poor arsenov whoever would have thought ita and he the gayest of the gay new york press |