University of Virginia Library

1. CHAPTER I.

POLIKEY was a court man—one of the staff of
servants belonging to the court household of a

boyarinia
( lady of the nobility).

He held a very insignificant position on the
estate, and lived in a rather poor, small house
with his wife and children.

The house was built by the deceased noble-
man whose widow he still continued to serve,
and may be described as follows: The four
walls surrounding the one
izba
(room) were built
of stone, and the interior was ten yards square.

A Russian stove stood in the centre, around
which was a free passage. Each corner was

fenced off as a separate inclosure to the extent
of several feet, and the one nearest to the door
(the smallest of all) was known as "Polikey's
corner." Elsewhere in the room stood the bed
(with quilt, sheet, and cotton pillows), the
cradle (with a baby lying therein), and the
three-legged table, on which the meals were
prepared and the family washing was done.

At the latter also Polikey was at work on the
preparation of some materials for use in his pro-
fession—that of an amateur veterinary surgeon.

A calf, some hens, the family clothes and house-
hold utensils, together with seven persons, filled
the little home to the utmost of its capacity.

It would indeed have been almost impossible
for them to move around had it not been for the
convenience of the stove, on which some of
them slept at night, and which served as a table
in the day-time.

It seemed hard to realize how so many per-
sons managed to live in such close quarters.

Polikey's wife, Akulina, did the washing,

spun and wove, bleached her linen, cooked and
baked, and found time also to quarrel and gossip
with her neighbors.

The monthly allowance of food which they
received from the noblewoman's house was
amply sufficient for the whole family, and there
was always enough meal left to make mash for
the cow. Their fuel they got free, and like-
wise the food for the cattle. In addition they
were given a small piece of land on which to
raise vegetables. They had a cow, a calf, and
a number of chickens to care for.

Polikey was employed in the stables to take
care of two stallions, and, when necessary, to
bleed the horses and cattle and clean their
hoofs.

In his treatment of the animals he used
syringes, plasters, and various other remedies
and appliances of his own invention. For these
services he received whatever provisions were
required by his family, and a certain sum of
money—all of which would have been sufficient

to enable them to live comfortably and even
happily, if their hearts had not been filled with
the shadow of a great sorrow.

This shadow darkened the lives of the entire
family.

Polikey, while young, was employed in a
horse-breeding establishment in a neighboring
village. The head stableman was a notorious
horse-thief, known far and wide as a great
rogue, who, for his many misdeeds, was finally
exiled to Siberia. Under his instruction Pol-
ikey underwent a course of training, and, being
but a boy, was easily induced to perform many
evil deeds. He became so expert in the various
kinds of wickedness practiced by his teacher
that, though he many times would gladly have
abandoned his evil ways, he could not, owing to
the great hold these early-formed habits had
upon him. His father and mother died when
he was but a child, and he had no one to point
out to him the paths of virtue.

In addition to his other numerous shortcom-

ings, Polikey was fond of strong drink. He
also had a habit of appropriating other people's
property, when the opportunity offered of his
doing so without being seen. Collar-straps,
padlocks, perch-bolts, and things even of greater
value belonging to others found their way with
remarkable rapidity and in great quantities to
Polikey's home. He did not, however, keep
such things for his own use, but sold them
whenever he could find a purchaser. His pay-
ment consisted chiefly of whiskey, though some-
times he received cash.

This sort of employment, as his neighbors
said, was both light and profitable; it required
neither education nor labor. It had one draw-
back, however, which was calculated to recon-
cile his victims to their losses: Though he
could for a time have all his needs supplied
without expending either labor or money, there
was always the possibility of his methods being
discovered; and this result was sure to be fol-
lowed by a long term of imprisonment. This

impending danger made life a burden for
Polikey and his family.

Such a setback indeed very nearly happened
to Polikey early in his career. He married
while still young, and God gave him much hap-
piness. His wife, who was a shepherd's daugh-
ter, was a strong, intelligent, hard-working
woman. She bore him many children, each of
whom was said to be better than the preceding
one.

Polikey still continued to steal, but once was
caught with some small articles belonging to
others in his possession. Among them was a
pair of leather reins, the property of another
peasant, who beat him severely and reported
him to his mistress.

From that time on Polikey was an object of
suspicion, and he was twice again detected in
similar escapades. By this time the people
began to abuse him, and the clerk of the court
threatened to recruit him into the army as a
soldier (which is regarded by the peasants as

a great punishment and disgrace). His noble
mistress severely reprimanded him; his wife
wept from grief for his downfall, and every-
thing went from bad to worse.

Polikey, notwithstanding his weakness, was
a good-natured sort of man, but his love of
strong drink had so overcome every moral in-
stinct that at times he was scarcely responsible
for his actions. This habit he vainly endeav-
ored to overcome. It often happened that when
he returned home intoxicated, his wife, losing
all patience, roundly cursed him and cruelly
beat him. At times he would cry like a child,
and bemoan his fate, saying: "Unfortunate
man that I am, what shall I do?
Let my eyes
burst into pieces
if I do not forever give up the
vile habit! I will not again touch vodki."

In spite of all his promises of reform, but a
short period (perhaps a month) would elapse
when Polikey would again mysteriously disap-
pear from his home and be lost for several days
on a spree.

"From what source does he get the money he
spends so freely?" the neighbors inquired of
each other, as they sadly shook their heads.

One of his most unfortunate exploits in the
matter of stealing was in connection with a
clock which belonged to the estate of his mis-
tress. The clock stood in the private office of
the noblewoman, and was so old as to have
outlived its usefulness, and was simply kept as
an heirloom. It so happened that Polikey went
into the office one day when no one was present
but himself, and, seeing the old clock, it seemed
to possess a peculiar fascination for him, and he
speedily transferred it to his person. He car-
ried it to a town not far from the village, where
he very readily found a purchaser.

As if purposely to secure his punishment, it
happened that the storekeeper to whom he sold
it proved to be a relative of one of the court
servants, and who, when he visited his friend
on the next holiday, related all about his pur-
chase of the clock.

An investigation was immediately instituted,
and all the details of Polikey's transaction were
brought to light and reported to his noble mis-
tress. He was called into her presence, and,
when confronted with the story of the theft,
broke down and confessed all. He fell on his
knees before the noblewoman and plead with
her for mercy. The kind-hearted lady lectured
him about God, the salvation of his soul, and
his future life. She talked to him also about
the misery and disgrace he brought upon his
family, and altogether so worked upon his feel-
ings that he cried like a child. In conclusion
his kind mistress said: "I will forgive you this
time on the condition that you promise faith-
fully to reform, and never again to take what
does not belong to you."

Polikey, still weeping, replied: "I will never
steal again in all my life, and if I break my
promise may the earth open and swallow me
up, and let my body be burned with red-hot
irons!"

Polikey returned to his home, and throwing
himself on the oven spent the entire day weep-
ing and repeating the promise made to his
mistress.

From that time on he was not again caught
stealing, but his life became extremely sad, for
he was regarded with suspicion by every one
and pointed to as a thief.

When the time came round for securing
recruits for the army, all the peasants singled
out Polikey as the first to be taken. The super-
intendent was especially anxious to get rid of
him, and went to his mistress to induce her to
have him sent away. The kind-hearted and
merciful woman, remembering the peasant's
repentance, refused to grant the superintend-
ent's request, and told him he must take some
other man in his stead.