Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-21
dence in Southern Russia Edgar Marston.

uence IN ooutnern RUSSIA Edgar MarstOn
who was manager Of the Land Bank a
! Vasilkof-a post of trust to which he hat
been appointed through the influence O
relatives OF his, wealthy members of tn,
British Guild OF merchants at st. Peters
burg-had gained thorough insight into
the condition OF the province in which Ii,
lived and knew the bitter hate which tn,
Ruthenlan peasants entertained toward
the landowners, most of whom were Pol
lsh mobiles who had won their estate!
when Poland was wide-spreading King
dom. lie knew, too, that Count Galitzir
was personally obnoxious to his late vas
sails for hundred arbitrary acts ant
petty eXactions, and he trembled lest ht
should not reach the lonely manor hous,
in time to give warning to its inmates o.
the approaching peril.
And Annette is there!" said the young
man to himself half unconsciously, as he
encouraged the melted horses to do theil
best. Yes, that was the secret of Edgar
Marston's eagerness to give timely notice
OF the coming storm to those beneath the
roof of the Galitzin castle He had fallen
deeply in love with the Counts young
and pretty daughter-the Countess Ami
cite, as she was called, in compliance
with that courtly Russian rule which be-
slows titles on all the members of an
aristocratic family-and he knew that his
lovewas reciprocated. He had, indeed
been formerly on terms of intimacy with
Count Galltzin's household, although, on
proposing himself as sutton for An.
niette's hand, he had been met by decided
refusal.
Count Galitzin, whose large but ill-cul.
tivatede state lay on the bank of the Borys-
themes, but few miles from Vasilkof,
and who owed money to the financial cor.
poration of which Marston was the rep.
resentative, had other views for his daugh-
ter than to bestow her on young for.
eigner who was neither rich nor titled,
and the visits of Edgar, formerly well
come guest at Czerngorod, had for some
time wholly ceased. He was, however,
aware that Annette, with her parents, had
for several weeks been residing at the
chateau, and his first impulse was to hurry
thither and preserve her whom he loved
from the blind vengeance of the half-bar-
barous serfs now on the eve of revolving.
The short winters day was nearly spent,
and when Edgar reached the outskirts of
the village OF Czerngorod the sun had
sunk beneath the black screen of sullen
pine trees that marked the boundary of
the forest; while through those trees
glared an ominous, ruddy light, and
shouts, shots and roar as of an excited
crowd came confusedly to the ear.
Heaven help them! the castle must be
already on tirev' exclaimed the young
man, as he saw a tall column of smoke,
streaked by fiery showers of sparks and
burning flakes, rise high in the air.
" What, by this, may be the fate Of those
within?"
His apprehensions were, however, des-
tined to be promptly relieved, since, as he
drove past the low boundary fence of the
Counts gardens, he heard his name called
and saw Annette Galitzin herself come
running toward him from amidst the dark.
ling clumps of shrubs. Her dark hair
was hanging loosely over her shoulders
and her little feet, in their dainty Paris
shoes, sank at every step IN the deep
snow, making it evident that, in her
alarm, she had darted forth from the burn
ing manor-house, having merely time to
snatch up the short, hooded cloak, lined
and trimmed with costly fur, which she
wore.
" Mr. Marston-Edgar!" she exclaimed,
with terrific earnestness, oh, pray save
me! Take me with you before they seek
me out to kill me. | feel half dead, al
ready, at the very sound of their savage
shout and trampling feet. Papa, thank
Heaven, is safe at Vasilkof, where he and
my dear mother went but yesterday, leav.
ing me here alone with the German gov.
erness and, when the peasants broke in,
Mdlle Herzen thought of nothing but hei
own safety and fled into the woods, and
by this time Marston had sprung to the
ground, fastened the reins to projecting
Dough, and by a vigorous effort had sue.
ceeded in tearing away portion of the i'll
kept fence, so as to establish a gap through
which a slender figure might pass. Yet a
minute, and Annette was seated beside
him in the sledge, speeding rapidly away
from the pillaged castle
The road, which had hitherto traversed
cultivated district, at this point plunged
into dreary tract of forest land, so that
the black pine trees soon barred out the
seen except the white snow that CLEANED
from between their boles.
A chilly breeze sprang up, and the even
ing grew perceptibly colder; but the
sledge was well provided with wraps, and
Edgar was careful to draw a heavy furred
pelsse around the trembling form of the
young Countess, while, intond and so 9th
ing words, he strove to calm her agitated
nerves. She was safe. Within an hour
or two he should be able 10 place her, on
their arrival at Vasilkof, under the care OF
her parents, and that before the alarm OF
the revolt of the serfs should have spread
itself. The horses went well; the distance
was trifling, and
What interrupted Edgar's speech was a
fierce, snarling cry, accompanied by the
quick pattering of feet among the withered
leaves and the snow, and then a long
drum ...In MIN lnr.l that snnrn cd is.tln