Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1893 — The Kabak. [ARTICLE]

The Kabak.

There is one house in the center of the village which boasts of two stories and looks more imposing, though not less dirty and ruinous, than its neighbors; this is kabak. A greasy and begrimed swing door opens into the midst of the pandemonium. Here are the souls in all their gloryl Here we see the curse of Russia impersonifled. Half a dozen moujiks are lying about the floor quite drunk, a dozen others are in varying stages of intoxication, a few are still fairly sober, and two or three are drinking tea.

Among these last is Stepan Abramitch, the proprietor. This man is observable among the crowd of moujiks because, unlike them, he wears his shirt European fashion, not outside his trousers, as do the moujiks. If the Russian proverb is true, then Stepan is not to be trusted, for the saying runs that a Russian remains honest so long as he wears bis shirt outside his trousers; as soon as he hides away his shirt tails, away go the qualities of truthfulness and honesty with them. Stepan looks sleek and well fed, as, no doubt,' he is, for he fattens upon the substance of the community. All the money earned in Drevno goes one way, and that is into the coffers of Stepan Abramitch. He does not like the look of us; are we spies, secret police, or, least probable of all, customers? We order some tea, however, as an excuse for our descent upon his premises, and endeavor to tolerate the awful atmosphere of the place while we look around.—Temple Bar.

French soldiers will hereafter wear collars so marked as to identify them. The idea is probably adopted from the custom of the American politician.