The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-05-11

was growing old now, and if / could
make my mark in this matter il
might be a great thing for me.
Dreams arose of a partnership in
the firm. The noisy wheels seemed
to clank out, Bailey, Robinson 4
Co.. Bailey, Robinson & Co" in a
monotonous refrain, which gradual
ly sank into a hum, and finally
ceased as | dropped into sleep.
Had known the experience which
awaited me at the end of my Jour
ney it would hardly have been so
peacable.
| | awoke with an uneasy feeling
that some one was watching me
closely, nor was | mistaken. A tall
dark man had taken up his position
on the seat opposite, and his black
sinister eyes seemed to look through
me and beyond me. as if he wished
to read my very soul. Then | saw
him glance down at my little trunk.
Good Heavens p thought /,
here's Simpkin's agent, | suppose.
1t was careless of Gregory to leave
those confounded labels on the va
lise.
closed my eyes for time, but
on reopening them | again caught
the strangers earnest gaze.
From Eng and, / see," he said in
Russian, showing 4 row of white
teeth in what was meant TO be an
amiable smile.
Yes" | replied, trying to look
unconcerned, but painfully aware of
my failure.
travelling for pleasure, perhaps?"
said he.
Yes" / answered eagerly. Ger
tally, for pleasure; nothing else"
''Of course not" said he with
shade of irony in his voice eng
lishmen always travel for pleasure,
don't they ? Q no, nothing else"
His conduct was mysterious, to
say the least of it. 1t was only ex-
plainable upon two hypotheses-he
was either a madman, or he was the
agent Of some firm bound upon the
same errand as myself, and deter
mined to show me that he guessed
my little game. They were about
equally unpleasant, and, on the
whole, | was relieved when the
train pulled up in the tumble-down
she'd which does duty for a station
in the rising town of Solteff-Soltef,
whose resources / was about to open
out, and whose commerce | was to
direct into the great world channels.
/ almost eXpected-to see triumphal
arch as stepped out to the plat
form.
was TO be expected at the end
OF my Journey, so Mr.. Dickson had
Informed me. / looked about among
the motley crowd, but saw no Mr.
Dimido1f. Suddenly slovenly, un-
shaved man passed me rapidly, and
glanced first at me and then at my
trunk-that wretched trunk, the
cause of ali my woes. He disap-
peared in the crowd but in a little
time came strolling past me again,
and contrived to whisper as he did
so: Follow me, but at some dis
tance, Immediately setting off out
of the station and down the street
at rapid pace. Here was myste-
ry with yengeancei trotted along
in his rear with my valise, and on
turning the corner found a rough
droschky waiting for ne. My un-
shaven friend opened the door and
stepped in.
as Mr.. Dim" was beginning.
"Hush y he cried. 'No names,
no names the very walls have
ears. You will hear all tonight ;"
and with that assurance he closed
the door, and siezing the reins, we
drove OF at a rapid pace SO rapid,
that | saw my black-eyed acquaint-
ance of the railway carriage gazing
after Us in surprise until we were out
of sight.
/ thought over the whole matter
as we logged along in that abomina-
ble springless conveyance.
They say the mobiles are tyrants
in Russia" ! mused, 'but it seems
to me 10 be the other way about, for
here's this poor Mr.. Domidoff, WHO
evidently thinks his ex-serfs willrise
and murder him if he raises the
price of grain in the district by ex-
porting some out of it. Fancy be-
ing obliged to have recourse to all
this mystery and deception in order
to sell ones own property Why
it's worse than an Irish landlord. 1t
is monstrous! Well, he dosen't seem
tolive in very aristocratic quarter
either" | soliloquized as | gazed out
at the narrow crooked streets and
the unkempt, dirty Muscovites
whom we passed. Il wish Gregory
or some one was with me, for it's a
cut-throat-looking shop. BY Jove,
he's pulled up we must be there !"
We were there to all appearance
for the droschky stopped, and my
drivers shaggy head appeared
through the aperture.
1T is here, most honored master.
he said, as he helped me TO alight.
rs Mr.. Dimi-," | commenced
but he interrupted me again.
anything but names" he whis-
pered anything but that. Yon
are too used to a land that is free
Caution, O sacred one !" and he ush-
cred me down a stone-hagged pas
sage, and up stair at the end of it.
'Sit down a few minutes in this
room," he said, opening door, "and
a repast will be served for you =
and with that he left me to my own
reflections.
well" thought l, whatever Mr..
Dimidoff's house may be like, his
servants are undoubtedly well train
ed. 20 sacred one J" and "revered
master !" / wonder what he'd call
old Dickson himself, if he's so po-
lite to the clerk L suppose it
wouldn't be the thing to smoke in
this little crib : but l could do a
pipe nicely. By the way, how con-
foundedly like cell it looks p
1t certainly did look like a cell.
3 M 4