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Show H THE HONEST MAN m By Jan Gordon. M . IN old Montenegro, those high, bare mountains be- M tween Rieka and Grabavo in the midst of H which Cettinjo nestles in its fertile cup so illsup- fl plied are the farms with soil that from one acre fl a man might cai ry away on his back all the arable H land in one single journey. Hunger and the M Montenegrin are sons of the same soil to which M liberty has a near cousinship. Thus the children M of the Black Mountains are driven into other H lands seeking for work, to withdraw from their H pinched homes the craving of their own appetites. H One such wanderer traveling across Bosnia, H Slavonia (where he enriched himself by a cunning H robbery), Baska and Transylvania, crossed at last H ' the borders in Russia Galicia, where he married H a fine, healthy maiden of the country; founded H with his ill-gotten capital a small hotel and other H enterprises; prospered exceedingly and at length H came to die, leaving behind him an iron-bound H chest tilled with a pretty treasure. H Child tliere was none, and the buxom girl, H grown old and fat, had preceded him into the H unknown. Her relatives came post-hate to the H good man's burial, but great was their chagrin H to find that the whole chest, also whatever moneys H the sale of the Montenegrin's houses might pro- H cure, were all bequeather to the Gospodar of his H " old country, by him to be divided for the good of M the nation. The relatives returned to their own H homes, cursing all strangers and venting their H disappointment upon their disappointed wives. H' The iron-hand trunk less the death duties, was H sent by train as tar as Cattaro and thence car- H ried by mule-back to Cettinje, till at last the agent H in charge of the affair had placed it between the H hands of the Gospodar himself. H The Prince pondered for some while over the H problem of this money. At length he sent for the H Chief Minister. The Minister came smiling and H rubbing his hands. H "Petko," said the Prince, "you know of these H moneys which have been left us. We must ap- h point a man to divide them amongst our people." H "Gospodar," said the Chief Minister, "I have M the very man. Svetko Maritch, Gospodar, Appoint H'j him." H The Prince pulled his moustache, H "Dm," he considered. "I have not heard such B an excellent report of Svetko. ... Is he not B a cousin of yours?" H "Therefore the man to entrust with this busi- M ness," said the Chief Minister. Jg The Prince smiled, for he had a sense of hu- m mor. He sent for the "War Minister. H "Ilya," said the Prince to the War Minister, M -who had been in office more than twenty-five M, years and could not sign his own name. "Do you ' H H ' m know of a man who could divide this money for me?" Ilya rubbed his chin. "There is Lazar Moiko-vitch," Moiko-vitch," ho suggested. "I was looking for a man," said the Prince, looking into the air and smiling softly, "not a moneybag, Ilya." "But those who have money would divide this more justly," urged Ilya. The next day as he sat beneath the arbour receiving re-ceiving the petitions and hearing the complaints of his people, the Prince said to all: "Who of you is the most honest man in all Montenegro?" Some said this man, some said that other; but at last all agreed that Yevto Milutin might be counted the most praiseworthy. "I have heard of Yevto," saidj.the Prince, and sent for him. Yevto Milutin came stepping through Cettinje to speak with the Gospodar. Forty years old was he, but looked still twenty-five; his eyes were clear like the black lake of Jabliak, his nose was fine as the beak of a hawk; six-foot-two was he in his sandals, and a great fighter, yet no man could say that one unjust deed was laid against him in heaven. He took his small, round cap in his hand and bowed before the Prince. "Yevto," said the Prince, smiling, "they tell me that you are the most honest of all my subjects." sub-jects." "Who say so?" said Yevto. "The people," said the Prince. "Whom the people like they idolize," said Yevto. "You should ask the Turks, Gospodar. "This is nothing to do with the Turks," answered an-swered the Prince. He signed to two of his "Perianik," who came forward bearing the chest. "Yevto Milutin," said the Gospodar, "this is the treasure from Russia. Swear to me that you will divide it fairly and justly between my people." "I swear," said Yevto. "Swear that xou will divide it like God Himself." Him-self." "I swjar to divide it like God Himself," said Yevto. The Prince signed, and the "Perianik" strode away bearing the treasure between them, while behind, Yevto followed, his eyes looking towards the ground, deep in thought. In his own home Yevto unlocked the box and counted out the gold and the silver between his fingers. He made a list of names, and against each name set a figure. According to the figures he made the money into packages. The next day, accompanied by a Kvass, he visited the Ministry. With each Minister he loft a parcel of the money, and each Minister as he opened the parcel, and the gold and silver rolled over the papers rejoiced, for nobody had held Yevto for a courtier. He visited the homes of the wealthy, he visited the voivodas and the greater merchants. At the end of a week, very weary, he came to the Gospodar with a large parcel in his hands. "Oh, Gospodar," said Yevto, "I bring your share of the treasure." "Does that much remain over?" asked the Priince, astonished. "This is your share," said Yevto, and the Prince took the money, for ho held Yevto an honest hon-est man. But in a little while complaints began to reach his ears. Yevto was a scoundrel, said the peasants. peas-ants. Not one piastre of the Russian money had he given to the poor and needy, but all to the rich to the Maritch, to the Sorchitza, to tho Moiskpvith and a host of others, who, God knows, wore wealthy enough. Very angry, the Prince sent for Yevto. And he was frowning as the man came to him. "What is this?" said the Prince sternly. "You have deceived me. You have divided tho treasure like a sycophant and a courtier, and not like an honest man, Yevto. My peasants have not touched one piastre of the treasure, but you have given it to the rich and powerful." ' ' "I have obeyed your commands, Prince," said Yevto with dignity. "Had you told my honesty to ' divide the treasure, then I would have given to each his portion, especially to those who were poor. You told me to divide the treasure like ( God and like God I have divided it." - From The New Witness. , |