The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-04-20

" W. never NuhI v NGL
-Bosion gasels.
UNDER RUSSIAN ESCORT
No, no, thank you! Never mine
me can find my way well enough L
the Mobiles club on foot, and I'll wal.
Tor you there, il you like, Ladislas, aftel
You AVE seen the ladies' safely home
20 saying, | wrapped my furred coat
more closely around me, and, lifting INV
hat in parting salutation to the occu.
pants OF the carriage, turned away. The
~blackness OF the night, as | traversed the
vide, 1ll-lighted streets, seemed all the
darker by contrast with the bright.
warm theater from which | had lust
emerged. The crisp o cracked be-
meath my feet, and a few drops of pre-.
monltory sleet slashed my face as | set
OUT, ana gave warning of a coming storm,
while the cold was intense; more bitter
as 1t seemed to me than any which | had
experienced during the two winters |
spent in the Russian capital. Nv own
name was Hugh Forster, and | had just
completed a two years probation in the
c~ountlng-house OF the wealthy St. Peters.
Durg hrm, OF which my father was the
chlef London partner, and was now on
My. way home. | had, however, accepted
an invitation from a young Polish noble,
Win whom | was on intimate terms, to
VISIT MN at Warsaw on my homeward
route, n to act as what in England is
famllIarly known as best man " on the
occasion OF his wedding. The name of
this young Pole was Count Ladislas
foniatowskl; the marriage was to take
place ON the morrow; and | had lust ac-
companled the bride and bridegroom
elect, with the old Princess Sapieha,
aunt to my friend, and mother to Made
molselle Marie, to the theater, where an
unusually good performance had at.
tracted half Warsaw.
The carriage-lamps flashed past me as
the long line of equipages drove rapidly
OF, moving owe the snow with that
swift, silent motion which always an
pears so strange and ghostly to a traveller
familiar with the rattle of the wheels
over a stone pavement, and the sleet be-
gan to fall more thickly. Suddenly it
occurred to mt that | was followed.
W tall figures, muffled up with even
more %precaution than the sharp cold die
lated, appeared to dog my steps, regu- q
.atlng their pace by mine, and keeping q
at the same distance from me, .
Nhatsoe yer my rate of progression. ,
Thinking | might be mistaken, | saun- a
cred so that the tall man might have a II
'hance OF passing me-, Those behind me " n
+lso diminished their speed. l stepped +,
ut brlskly but in vain. My pursuers 81
not to be shaken off. 10
1t did not occur to me that my peril ~,
.acious followers were thieves. Street ~,
obberies, once unheard of, are still rare oo
Tlthin the Russian domains. | was "
lore inclined to believe that this pur- W.
nit was a mere freak of some halfin- r w
idlers, and, knowing the )"
MAGICAL effect of politeness on the excit- w W.
BILE Sarmatian nature, | turned so as to H.,
ont the two men, and, with ceremon- Wv
'us civility, raised my hat. Jott
"My lords,"I said in the best Polish ,+a
could ~master-every wearer of a cloth ~,
'at is "my lord" in Warsaw or era VI,
Owl fear you have mistaken" e"rs
" No mistake at all I" interrupted the ~,
of the two, speaking in French, aph,,
know you, monsieur, Call them, Cn
lk0ff." 20
His companion raised his finger to his MI
'uth, and gave a long, shrill whistle. ON,
was answered instantly, and then Of
ne the Sound of hurrying feet and the ma
81 of weapons, and l was surrounded Fl,
seized byseveral men, some of whom brc
e evidently police, while the Others ella
e soldiers in gray watch coats. sew
Gag him if he calls for helpp' COM OF
lded the first speaker, opening his a q
mantle, and showing the uniform csc
medallod breast of a Russian major. rio
here loiters the sledge ?" din,
s he spoke, my ears caught the jingle {
yaldai bells, and a kibitka drawn by the
,e horses came swiftly up. What keI
| horsemen, with their fur caps and tbaa
spskin pelisses, a long lance tucked ticl
er each right arm, were those who "tl
to left and right of it? Cossacks, 7
,ly. for
In the Emperor's name |" said the fra,
or, putting his gloved hand on my VIII
and pushing me towards the ind
&c. nio,
for a moment, | now found IF
and vigorously demonstrated, tbo
.ng my captors that | was an English Tho
/, a peaceful traveller, and guiltless A.,
my offence. My plea was received 7 he
1 utter incredulity. ,nr
We are not your dupes, count" said arol
who had been called Imkof, sSaIe
III had better give your parole not to cuIt
naPO o. u roloe uI 70 use jure
~ ~ = ionS JouLney "hich- the
you mau, ~ ny "naV ilgh1 sine,
a desperate effort to shake myself
but, though | dealt a few heavy r.,
s, | was con overpowered by su. II
was eung into the kibitka w;thu poinf
enop bv w s;Jo i and
Ron vovaoein sneered tho ro;or rail,
as dragged away. Hotter blood
his has cooled, | warrant you, be. New
q S IBERIA and this" RR1sga =
The dreadful word sent a .Chica
ib,ouob n,v va;ne ord oIn,os. - Milwa
become insensible to the rapid mo. Toledo
through the air, for the carriage bad .0sse
and at such a pace that the sseoTiisa
cks of the escort were compelled to 3 .stor
why little nags at a hand al Month
As we flew through the des r ell "a Ia
=, and loi g after the suburb, mad Kansa
cleared n the lights of Warsaw BB,,iII,! y
lost to sight. | continued to ponder week
his strange event, and to puzzle AhOa'
( by vain efforts to guess why |, an Mar,
s1nlan, qulUe Tree from political April 2
ications OF any sort, had been thus |,Esti