  Next morning my father took me to an exhibition held to show something of the resources of Siberia. While I studied the many evidences of great mineral wealth, On the way back to my aunt's I learned that we were not to go home yet, father having decided to stay for the week of repentance, a religious custom observed by orthodox Russians. "You are now old enough to take your first sacrament after confession," he said to me. When I went next to the big church, with its onion-shaped dome, I felt quite nervous thinking of all the faults and sins that I would have to confess for the first time in my life. The service was a very solemn one. Every once in a while one of the black-robed priests came out from behind the sacred gates on the altar and read the prayer: "Lord and Protector of my life, Keep me from idleness, Keep me from disappointment, Keep me from false ambition, Keep me from idle chattering. Give me chastity, Give me humility and love, Me, Thy servant. O Heavenly Czar, open my eyes to my sins; Let me not judge my neighbors, Let me reverence Thee always." Not until the end of the service did the choir sing something very sweet in a minor key. Child though I was, I left the church with a sense of the vanity of earthly things. I was On the night of confession, when, after a very long wait, my turn came, I found myself before a priest whose long beard made his face remind me of pictures of prophets that I had seen. It was very late, and he looked tired, but his eyes shone with sympathy as he listened to my brief recital. I was so overcome with weariness I awoke very hungry next morning and after washing, hurried to the table where breakfast usually awaited me. The table was empty and "Get ready quickly," said my father, "to come with us to church." "But can't I have some bread and tea first?" I asked. "No, indeed," said my father sternly. "You must not drink even a drop of water between confession and the taking of the sacrament." "A drop of water!" I repeated in confusion. For it had happened that I had swallowed a drop when washing that morning. This troubled me until later the priest assured me that that did not count, since it had been involuntary. I went to church with my stomach groaning for food. This, and the incense-laden air, caused me to feel faint until at last with many others, I received my share of the consecrated bread and wine. This somewhat revived me, and I looked around with more interest at the people near by. There were several persons of note in the church, some in government uniforms with numerous medals on their breasts. Mongalov and his Cossack officers were among these, dressed in entirely new uniforms, but without fire-arms or ammunition, even their swords being detached and kept for them by outsiders until they had partaken of the sacrament. When we came back to my aunt's I found many preparations already made for the Easter festival. The big dining-table had been much enlarged. It was covered with a white cloth and decorated with flowers and greens. On it were all kinds of attractive food. I was most impressed by what the Russians call pashka. It was in the shape of a pyramid and had been made by my aunt from cottage cheese, mixed with cream, sugar, and raisins. On it were figures of the Cross. On each side of the pashka, which occupied the center of the table, was an entire ham baked in dough, several dozen eggs covered with various bright designs, and many other things. To my great disappointment, nobody was allowed to touch even a bit of bread. Everything had to wait for Easter morn. I was told that I should be awakened that night, and I was by the solemn ringing of the heaviest bells in the neighborhood. We dressed hastily and hurried to the church for the midnight service. There were so many already there that we had difficulty in entering. Everybody looked happy, even the priests who were all dressed in white, silvery robes. When the service was over there was much kissing, every one repeating, "Christ is risen," or the response, "He is risen indeed." It was almost four o'clock before we returned home with two or three guests who had The next day was spent by the men in paying calls to all whom they knew. As they had to eat and drink at every house, the result can be imagined. The Easter celebration lasted a full week. What I liked best about it was the merry rolling of eggs down hill, the swings, enormous slides and see-saws, and other amusements provided for the children. At last the joyous time came to an end, and after a last breakfast with Dimitri in the dining-room of the Second Platoon, father and I mounted our horses for home. It seemed very long to me since I had come away. I thought several times of Peter and wondered if I could not show him some of the tricks of the jigatovka. When we neared our
FOOTNOTES:Selections from THE BLUE BONNET SERIES Each large 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, per volume $1.75 A TEXAS BLUE BONNET By Caroline E. Jacobs. "The book's heroine, Blue Bonnet, has the very finest kind of wholesome, honest, lively girlishness."—Chicago Inter-Ocean. BLUE BONNET'S RANCH PARTY By Caroline E. Jacobs and Edyth Ellerbeck Read. "A healthy, natural atmosphere breathes from every chapter."—Boston Transcript. BLUE BONNET IN BOSTON By Caroline E. Jacobs and Lela Horn Richards. "It is bound to become popular because of its wholesomeness and its many human touches."—Boston Globe. BLUE BONNET KEEPS HOUSE By Caroline E. Jacobs and Lela Horn Richards. "It cannot fail to prove fascinating to girls in their teens."—New York Sun. BLUE BONNET—DÉBUTANTE By Lela Horn Richards. An interesting picture of the unfolding of life for Blue Bonnet. BLUE BONNET OF THE SEVEN STARS By Lela Horn Richards. "The author's intimate detail and charm of narration gives the reader an interesting story of the heroine's war activities."—Pittsburgh Leader. THE HENRIETTA SERIES By Lela Horn Richards ONLY HENRIETTA "It is an inspiring story of the unfolding of life for a young girl—a story in which there is plenty of action to hold interest and wealth of delicate sympathy and understanding that appeals to the hearts of young and old."—Pittsburgh Leader. HENRIETTA'S INHERITANCE "One of the most noteworthy stories for girls issued this season. The life of Henrietta is made very real, and there is enough incident in the narrative to balance the delightful characterization."—Providence Journal. STORIES BY I. M. B. OF K. Each one volume, 12mo, illustrated $1.75 THE YOUNG KNIGHT The clash of broad-sword on buckler, the twanging of bow-strings and the cracking of spears splintered by whirling maces resound through this stirring tale of knightly daring-do. THE YOUNG CAVALIERS "There have been many scores of books written about the Charles Stuarts of England, but never a merrier and more pathetic one than 'The Young Cavaliers.'"—Family Herald. THE KING'S MINSTREL "The interesting situations are numerous, and the spirit of the hero is one of courage, devotion and resource."—Columbus Dispatch. "It is told with spirit and action."—Buffalo Express. "The story will please all those who read it, and will be of particular interest for the boys for whom it was intended. It is a tale of devotion to an ideal of service and as such will appeal to youth."—Portage Register-Democrat. "There is a lofty ideal throughout, some court intrigue, a smattering of the decadence of the old church heads, and a readable story."—Middletown Press. THE BOYS' STORY OF THE By Burton E. Stevenson THE YOUNG SECTION-HAND; Or, The Adventures of Allan West. "The whole range of section railroading is covered in the story."—Chicago Post. THE YOUNG TRAIN DISPATCHER "A vivacious account of the varied and often hazardous nature of railroad life."—Congregationalist. THE YOUNG TRAIN MASTER "It is a book that can be unreservedly commended to anyone who loves a good, wholesome, thrilling, informing yarn."—Passaic News. THE YOUNG APPRENTICE; Or, Allan West's Chum. "The story is intensely interesting."—Baltimore Sun. THE DAYS OF CHIVALRY SERIES Revised and Edited for the Modern Reader THE DAYS OF CHIVALRY By W. H. Davenport Adams. "The hero is Aimery, son of a poor armorer, who becomes page to the Lord of Rulamort. It is a tale of wars, but a tale which brings peace; a peace and contentment in the knowledge that right, even in the darkest times, has survived and conquered."—Portland Express. THE CHAPLET OF PEARLS By C. M. Yonge. Catherine de Medici and gay King Henri II; their sons Francois II, Charles IX, and Henri III; and finally the great and martial figure of Henri of Navarre are prominent in these pages. "A splendid piece of work, and lovers of French history will find it most agreeable reading."—Buffalo Courier and Express. BARBARA WINTHROP SERIES By Helen Katherine Broughall BARBARA WINTHROP AT BOARDING SCHOOL "The book has pleasing spontaneity, high ideals and wholesomeness."—New York Continent. "High ideals and a real spirit of fun underlie the story, which will be a decided addition to the bookshelves of the young girl for whom a holiday gift is contemplated."—Los Angeles Saturday Night. BARBARA WINTHROP: GRADUATE There is in this new story gaiety and laughter, the light-heartedness of youth, with its little tragedies and a real mystery to complicate matters and make the days of Barbara Winthrop and her chums, Peggy and Jo, more alluring. A story of the highest order written by "a real girl" for girls, up-to-date in all that is helpful. DOCTOR'S LITTLE GIRL SERIES By Marion Ames Taggart THE DOCTOR'S LITTLE GIRL "A charming story of the ups and downs of the life of a dear little maid."—The Churchman. SWEET NANCY: The Further Adventures of the Doctor's Little Girl. "Just the sort of book to amuse, while its influence cannot but be elevating."—New York Sun. NANCY, THE DOCTOR'S LITTLE PARTNER "The story is sweet and fascinating, such as many girls of wholesome tastes will enjoy."—Springfield Union. NANCY PORTER'S OPPORTUNITY "Nancy shows throughout that she is a splendid young woman, with plenty of pluck."—Boston Globe. NANCY AND THE COGGS TWINS "The story is refreshing."—New York Sun. THE FRIENDLY TERRACE SERIES By Harriet Lummis Smith THE GIRLS OF FRIENDLY TERRACE "It is a book that cheers, that inspires to higher thinking; it knits hearts; it unfolds neighborhood plans in a way that makes one tingle to try carrying them out, and most of all it proves that in daily life, threads of wonderful issues are being woven in with what appears the most ordinary of material, but which in the end brings results stranger than the most thrilling fiction."—Belle Kellogg Towne in The Young People's Weekly, Chicago. PEGGY RAYMOND'S VACATION "It is a clean, wholesome, hearty story, well told and full of incident. It carries one through experiences that hearten and brighten the day."—Utica, N. Y., Observer. PEGGY RAYMOND'S SCHOOL DAYS "It is a bright, entertaining story, with happy girls, good times, natural development, and a gentle earnestness of general tone."—The Christian Register, Boston. THE FRIENDLY TERRACE QUARTETTE "The story is told in easy and entertaining style and is a most delightful narrative, especially for young people. It will also make the older readers feel younger, for while reading it they will surely live again in the days of their youth."—Troy Budget. PEGGY RAYMOND'S WAY "The author has again produced a story that is replete with wholesome incidents and makes Peggy more lovable than ever as a companion and leader."—World of Books. "It possesses a plot of much merit and through its 324 pages it weaves a tale of love and of adventure which ranks it among the best books for girls."—Cohoes American. FAMOUS LEADERS SERIES By Charles H. L. Johnston FAMOUS CAVALRY LEADERS "More of such books should be written, books that acquaint young readers with historical personages in a pleasant, informal way."—New York Sun. FAMOUS INDIAN CHIEFS "Mr. Johnston has done faithful work in this volume, and his relation of battles, sieges and struggles of these famous Indians with the whites for the possession of America is a worthy addition to United States History."—New York Marine Journal. FAMOUS SCOUTS "It is the kind of a book that will have a great fascination for boys and young men."—New London Day. FAMOUS PRIVATEERSMEN AND ADVENTURERS OF THE SEA "The tales are more than merely interesting; they are entrancing, stirring the blood with thrilling force."—Pittsburgh Post. FAMOUS FRONTIERSMEN AND HEROES OF THE BORDER "The accounts are not only authentic, but distinctly readable, making a book of wide appeal to all who love the history of actual adventure."—Cleveland Leader. FAMOUS DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS OF AMERICA "The book is an epitome of some of the wildest and bravest adventures of which the world has known."—Brooklyn Daily Eagle. FAMOUS GENERALS OF THE GREAT WAR Who Led the United States and Her Allies to a Glorious Victory. "The pages of this book have the charm of romance without its unreality. The book illuminates, with life-like portraits, the history of the World War."—Rochester Post Express.
THE FOUNDERS OF AMERICA (Lives of Great Americans from the Revolution to the Monroe Doctrine) THE BUILDERS OF AMERICA (Lives of Great Americans from the Monroe Doctrine to the Civil War) "How can one become acquainted with the histories of some of the famous men of the United States? A very good way is to read these books by Edwin Wildman, wherein the life stories of fifteen men who founded our country are told."—New York Post. FAMOUS LEADERS OF CHARACTER (Lives of Great Americans from the Civil War to Today) "... Is a book that should be read by every boy in the whole country...."—Atlanta Constitution. FAMOUS LEADERS OF INDUSTRY.—First Series "Are these stories interesting? Let a boy read them; and tell you."—Boston Transcript. FAMOUS LEADERS OF INDUSTRY.—Second Series "These biographies drive home the truth that just as every soldier of Napoleon carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack, so every American youngster carries potential success under his hat."—New York World.
FAMOUS AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICERS With a complete index. "In connection with the life of John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, and other famous naval officers, he groups the events of the period in which the officer distinguished himself, and combines the whole into a colorful and stirring narrative."—Boston Herald. STORIES BY EVALEEN STEIN Each one volume, 12mo, illustrated $1.65 THE CHRISTMAS PORRINGER This story happened many hundreds of years ago in the quaint Flemish city of Bruges and concerns a little girl named Karen. GABRIEL AND THE HOUR BOOK "No works in juvenile fiction contain so many of the elements that stir the hearts of children and grown-ups as well as do the stories so admirably told by this author."—Louisville Daily Courier. A LITTLE SHEPHERD OF PROVENCE "The story should be one of the influences in the life of every child to whom good stories can be made to appeal."—Public Ledger. THE LITTLE COUNT OF NORMANDY "This touching and pleasing story is told with a wealth of interest coupled with enlivening descriptions of the country where its scenes are laid."—Wilmington Every Evening. WHEN FAIRIES WERE FRIENDLY "The stories are music in prose—they are like pearls on a chain of gold—each word seems exactly the right word in the right place; the stories sing themselves out, they are so beautifully expressed."—The Lafayette Leader. PEPIN: A Tale of Twelfth Night "A creation almost as perfect as her 'Christmas Porringer.'"—Lexington Herald. CHILDREN'S STORIES "The stories are light and fanciful and worthy of a place beside Grimm and Hans Andersen in the child's library."—Cincinnati Post. MINUTE BOYS SERIES By James Otis and Edward Stratemeyer This series of books for boys needs no recommendation. We venture to say that there are few boys of any age in this broad land who do not know and love both these authors and their stirring tales. These books, as shown by their titles, deal with periods in the history of the development of our great country which are of exceeding interest to every patriotic American boy—and girl. Places and personages of historical interest are here presented to the young reader in story form, and a great deal of real information is unconsciously gathered.
THE YOUNG PIONEER SERIES By Harrison Adams THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE OHIO; Or, Clearing the Wilderness. "Such books as this are an admirable means of stimulating among the young Americans of to-day interest in the story of their pioneer ancestors and the early days of the Republic."—Boston Globe. THE PIONEER BOYS ON THE GREAT LAKES; Or, On the Trail of the Iroquois. "The recital of the daring deeds of the frontier is not only interesting but instructive as well."—American Tourist, Chicago. THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSISSIPPI; Or, The Homestead in the Wilderness. "The story is told with spirit, and is full of adventure."—New York Sun. THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE MISSOURI; Or, In the Country of the Sioux. "Vivid in style, vigorous in movement, full of dramatic situations, true to historic perspective, this story is a capital one for boys."—Watchman Examiner. THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE YELLOWSTONE; Or, Lost in the Land of Wonders. "There is plenty of lively adventure and action and the story is well told."—Duluth Herald. THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLUMBIA; Or, In the Wilderness of the Great Northwest. "The story is full of spirited action and contains much valuable historical information."—Boston Herald. THE PIONEER BOYS OF THE COLORADO; Or, Braving the Perils of the Grand Canyon Country. "The story is written by a fine storyteller. It makes instructive and inspiring reading for boys."—New Bedford Standard. |
|
