A Cigarette-Maker's Romance

from the storm of Akulina's abuse, seeing that he had no means of checking the torrent, nor of exacting satisfaction for the insults received. However he might have acted had t

the tobacconist like a gentleman and to hold him responsible for his wife's language would

eek. The man was an idle vagabond of the worst type, with a pitiful tale of woe well worded and logically put together, out of which he made a good livelihood. Nature, as though to favour his designs, had given him a face which excited sympathy, and he had the wit to cover his eyes, his own tell-tale feature, with coloured glasses. He had cheated several scores of persons in the Slav colony of Munich, and had then gone in search of other pastures. How he had obtained possession of the Wiener Gigerl was a mystery as yet unsolved. It had certainly seemed odd in the tobacconist's opinion that a man of such outward appearance should have received such an extremely improbable Christmas present, for such the adventurer declared the doll to be, from a rich aunt in Warsaw, who refused to give him a penny of ready money and had caused him to be turned from her doors by her servants when he had last visited her, on the ground that he had joined the Russian Orthodox Church without her consent. The facetious young villain had indeed declared that she had sent him the puppet as a p

e imputation of being concerned in borrowing money which was never to be repaid. His natural impulse had been to promise repayment instantly, and as he was expecting to be turned into a rich man on the morrow the engagement seemed an easy one to keep. It would be more difficult to explain why he wanted to take away the broken puppet with him. Possib

house in which it was situated. There are not to be found in respectable Munich those dens of filth and drunkenness which belong to greater cities whose vices are in proportion greater also. In Munich the strength of fiery spirits is drowned in oceans of mild beer, a liquid of which the head will stand more than the waistband and which, instead of exciting to crime, predisposes the consumer to peaceful and lengthened sleep. The worst that can be said of the poorer public-houses in Munich, is that t

engaged. Each had before him a piece of that national cheese of which the smell may almost be heard, each had lately received a thick, irregularly-shaped hunch of dark bread, and they had one pot of beer and one salt-cellar amongst them. They all had honest German faces, honest blue eyes, horny hands and round shoulders. Another table, in a far corner, was occupied by a poorly-dressed old woman in black, dusty and evidently tired. A covered basket stood on a chair at her elbow, she was eating an unwholesome-looking "kn?del" or boiled potato ball, and half a pint of beer stood before her still untouched. As for the Cossack and Dumnoff, they had finished their meal. The former was smoking a cigarette through a mouth-piece made by boring out the well-dried leg-bone of a chicken and was drinking nothing. Dumnoff had before him a small glass of the common whisky known as "corn-brandy" and was trying to give it a flavour resembling the vodka of his native land by stirring pepper into it with the blade of an old poc

sly, and doubtless hoping that the Count would soon inform him of the conte

ter a pause, and looking dreamily out of the window at a street lamp

he Cossack, good-humouredly. "Are

g that they might listen, he broke off into Russian. "I shall go home, at last," he said, his face brightening perceptibly as his visions of wealth a

ney," said Schmidt. "So there is to be

nt, as though not understandi

ted it before," returned the Cos

o," said the other, evidently se

sipping his peppery liquor. "Eve

e mistaken," said t

taken for the clearing of his huge throat after the inflaming draught. The

see," he observed after a time, when the Count had got his morsel

"That is something which I shall probably

ed anything more than a cigarette to rem

idering Dumnoff's natural dulness,

are other things which could remin

tened by the Count's appreciation of his humour. At the same time he put out his

g what the Cossack told him to do, obeying mutely, like a well-trained dog, though he obeyed no one else. The desce

for he did not seem to resent Dumnoff's meditated attack upon the pa

w what it is, I will tell you," he

answered both

is it, in

amazement. Both knew something of the circumstances under which Fischelowitz had c

ks?" asked Schmidt, whose curiosi

l be convenient." The Count smiled to himself in a meaning way, as though already enj

sure of you-" With his usual lack of tact, Schmidt had gone further

allest degree any one to whom he was speaking, "to be exactly honest, there is a circumsta

ear credulous out of kindness. "Fischelowitz knows as well as

"But besides that, the Gigerl is broken-badly broke

have been very angr

ina knocked it from the counter in

," said Schmidt, more

answered the Count, reddening perceptibly

taking another sip. "She always gives the news of you, before

lour mantling in his lean cheeks. He hesi

ad better tell you the truth myself, instead

ssack, eagerly. "One can b

chimed in Dumnoff, who was on

to choose her language, and that started her afresh. It was rather a fine specimen of chosen language that she gave us, for she has a good command of our beautiful mother-tongue. She found very strong words, and she said among other things that it was my fault that her husband had got a Wiener Gigerl for fifty marks of good money. And then Fischelowitz, in hi

l you?" asked Dum

with anger again, so that the veins stood out on his throat

f. "I have been called by wor

he struck the only one of us three against whom she dared lift hand. That member of the company chanced to be the unfortunate doll. An

been in the shop!" said Dumnoff. "I w

itz's wife. To Dumnoff, mujik by origin and by nature, she was "barina," the town "lady," to the Cossack she was "chosjaika," the "mistress," the wife of the "patron"-to the

ting had been interrupted by the telling of his story, pushed the parce

from the waist, and trying to put it into position, until it almost recovered something of its old look of insolence, though the eye-glass was broken and the lit

orse for wear

hat is my Gigerl!" roared a de

he porters, a burly man with an angry scowl on his honest fac

heavy hand upon the board, and thrusting the

n Schmidt's keen black eyes looked wonderingly from the porter to the Count, while the latter leaned back in his chair,

lowitz, the well-known tobacconist, and has stood in the window of his shop nearly four months. Thes

ed the porter. "This is the Gigerl whic

ether mistaken. I will trouble you to leave us in peace and t

he porter, who seemed very

ur to me to leave you in peace and to make no more trouble. I tell you that this Gigerl

he one?" inquired the Cossack, wh

have to do with this man"-he pointed down at the Count-"who has

am not accustomed to being called 'man,' or to

d the porter, growing more and more excited. "The police

the name he had just applied to the porter. Without a moment's hesitation, he spra

the latter to one of his companions

he Count's chair in an attitude rendered highly uncomfortable by the fact that the said chair had been turned upside down at the beginning of the contest. Having satisfied himself that the blow had taken effect, Dumnoff proceeded to the other side of the field of battle, avoiding the quickly moving bodies of the Count and the porter as they wrestled with each other, and the mujik prepared to deal another sledge-hammer blow, in all respects comparable with the first. A pleasant smile beamed and spread over his broad, bony face as he lifted his fi

ed the porter, who was gasping for breath. "But if you have not dan

bacco with his fingers, did not constitute such a physical training as to make him a match for a rough fellow whose occupation consisted in tramping long distances and up and down long flights of stairs from morning till night, loaded with more or less heavy burdens. He was now very pale and his heart beat painfully as he endeavoured instinctively to smooth his long frock-coat, from which a but

was not altogether stunned, was kicking violently in the attempt to gain his feet among the fallen chairs, a dozen people had come in from the street at the noise of the fight and stood near the door, phlegmatically watching the proceedings, and the poor old woman from the country, who had been supping in t

remarked some one in

rfering with an honest porter." The Bohemian journeymen are detested in Munich on account of their willingness to work

the world," observed a mealy-faced shoemak

rwise materially contributing to swell the din and increase the already considerable havoc, had regained his feet and lost no time in making for Dumnoff. The Russian, enchanted at the prospect of a renewal of hostilities so unfortunately interrupted, met the newcomer half-way, and, each embracing the other with cheerful alacrity, the two heavy men began to stamp and turn round and round with each other like a couple of particularly awkward bears attempting to waltz together. They were very evenly matched for a wrestling bout, for although the German was by a co

p it there. The table at which the three had originally sat had miraculously escaped upsetting, and on it lay the poor Gigerl, stretched at full len

y the unfortunate situation in which he foun

feel it necessary to explain the truth of this-" But he was interrupt