The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-03-25

was walking back tOwar1 the ga.
upon the narrow plank whicl 'ia
been laid across the dark FU'dies Il
/ the dirty court yard. / looked at hei
head, now entirely uncOyerel, gC f.
voluntarily clapped my hands W.
astonishment. Sophia B Tas
/ before me.
She turned quickly, ana liked ha-
eyes, mOtionless a. ever, upon Ae.
! She was very much emaciated. Her
/ complexion was coarse and sunburn-
( ed, the nose more pointed, and the
lips more sharply cut. But she had
grown ugly, and with her former
meditative, astOnished expression Wa
/ combined another, a more decided, a.
most bold, at the same time cOncen-
trated and inspired expression. There
remained no longer a trace of any
thing infantile in her face.
approached her. HSOphia, Sophia
WaldimirOwna," l cried, "can it be
/ you2in this dress-in this compsny ~
She started and trembled; gaZed
still more fixedly at me, as if she wish
ed to make out who was speaking 10
her; then, without answering word,
rushed to her companion.
"Akulinchen," stammered the lat
ter, with heavy sigh-"our sins
sins"
"WassiIi Nilititirch, We must go at
Once-do you hear, at Oncew she
cried, while with one hand she drew
the kerchief over her brOws, and with
the other seized him by the elbow.
'Iet us 90 Wassili Nikititsch; there
is danger here"
'T am going, love, am going" an
swered the fanatic Obediently; and,
bending forward his body, he rose
from the bench. "Only the dear lit
| tie chain-we must put on
| I drew near to Sophia once mora ]
mentioned my name. l began to beg
her to hear me, to say but n single
word to me. / pointed to the rain,
which was falling in bucketfulls. !
besought her to have regard for her
own health, the health of her COM
panion. i reminded her of her father.
But kind of defiant, dOgged excite
ment seemed to have taken posses
sion of her. Without answering me
word, with set teeth and breathing
convuIsively, she urged on the help
less fanatic, in low voice, with short
imperiOus words arranged his dress,
hung the chain about him, pressed up
on his head cloth cap with broken
viZOr, put staff into his hand-then
threw sack over her own shoulders,
and hurried him out through the gate
| into the street. To detain her by force
had no right-and, indeed, it would
have availed nothing. On my last
despairing appeal, she did not even
once turn around. Leading the man
of God" by the arm, she strobe away
rapidly through the black mud of the
high-road, and in few minutes there
loOmed up for the last time before nay
eyes, through the dull gray morning
mist, through the thick network of
the falling rain, the two figures of So
phia and the fanatic. Then they
passed round the corner of a project
ing hovel, and disappeared forever.
turned back into my room. / fell
into reverie. / could not compre-
hend how a young girl, so rich, so well
brought up, could leave everything
and everyone, her fathers house, FAM
| ily, friends, all associations, every
comfort of life, and for what? To fol-
low a half-craZy vagabOnd-tO become
MS slave. OIl6 cOlllu IlOt AOA al AlO-
ment entertain the idea that the in
ducement to such a resolution could
have been affection, however misplac-
ed-lOve-or passion. It only needed
to look at the repulsive figure of the
"gOdly man." to put to fight any sIch
conjecture. No, Sophia was pure, and,
as she herself had once said, for such
there is nothing impure. | did not
understand the step which she had
taken, but judged her not harshly.
could not help regretting that she
had taken just this course, but could
not refuse her my admiration
will say more-even my respect. Net
lightly had she once spoken TO me of
self-abnegation-o humiliatiOn-with
her, word and deed were one. She
had sought guide, a teacher, and she
had found him; but, gracious Heaven!
what a guide!
Alta subsequent period, report reach
ed my ears that her. family had sue
ceeded in finding the lost sheep, and
I led it back to the fold. She had not
lived long, however, at home, but had
died without eversPeaking to any one.
Her partner in fanaticism never saw
again, nor have 1 ever been able to
learn anything about his subsequent
history.