Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-05-02
LEFT BEHIND in RUSSIA.
A True Incident.


LEFT BEHIND IN RUSSIA.
A True Incident.
The afternoons sun glimmered palely
cold and cherries. 1t seemed shofn of
all its golden glory of warmth and vivid
color, yielding but its bare presence to
this land whose vast extent and almost
fabulous wealth could insure the veal or
content of neither monarch nor people.
The feeble rays fell upon guarded
palace, gaudy temple and wretched howell,
finding everywhere the same discomfort
and aimless striving. They touched at
last, with a semblance of cheerfulness,
the narrow panes of railway car, from
which tho newly-embarked passengers
journeying from one of the old historic
Russian cities were idly gazing.
Even here the chill beams lighted upon
face whose heavy eyes and dropping
mouth told the same story of unhappi-
ness. A young girl sat alternately look
ing out upon the barren pine forests and
glancing hurriedly and anxiously to
where, few seats in front of hers, girl
of her own age was chatting, and claiming
the absorbed attention of the boy beside
her, both of them entirely oblivious of
their conlpagnons du roydge.
Across the car were two elderly ladies
who having arranged bag, shawl-strap
and bundle to their satisfaction, were
composing themselves for comfortable
nap.
"Yesl" sighed the first girl, as she
turned her eyes on the landscape again,
"those old wise men 'oere right, when
they said that happiness consisted more
in the anticipation than in the reality"
Such had been the experience of her
sixteen years in nurserydom and board
ing-school. How much she had longed
for this tour! How ardently she had
wished for the day when she should set
forth
"Strange countries for to see"
And now it has come to thisl She was
thrust into the background and forgotten
To be sure, in the first part of the trip,
it had been quite different-altogethe
different. In England and France she
had been the important member of the
party. Aunt Rose and Cousin Clement
had We'd with each other in their care of
her, and her French vocabulary had
been in requistion to her own satisfac-
ton and the thorough bewilderment of
the natives
But Auut Rose had insisted on coming
to Russia, and since their entrance into
that bleak country, with its closed pal
aces, timid Emperor, mystic societies
and sullen. smileless peasants, things had
ceased to look coulew dc rose.
At st. Petersburg their little party had
been Joined by Mabel st. Clare and her
mother, who was an old friend of her
saunt and her cousin, and since then her
path had, indeed, lain among thorns
Clement had deserted her for Miss
Mabels blonde beauty and timid little
ways. Since then she had been obliged,
in ramble or ride, to play gooseberry be-
tween the two older ladies, and listen to
their hints and dark suggestions of old
home scandals, with the full accounts of
which they would not sully her young
ears.
Well, all, we'll! She had heard that
as one grew older, life took on a deeper
shade-and she looked soberly up at the
sun riding pale and cold through the
surrounding cloud-banks
Suddenly, when only three or four
miles from their starting point, the train
slackened its speed and finally came to a
full stop. All around lay the dense pine
woods, with their dark suggestions of
lonely night rides and hungry, encircling
wolves
Agnes gazed out with eyes that
matched the gloomy landscape. Just
then she spied CLEAN of bright color
A gay little flower had thrust itself into
sight against the somber background.
Yielding to the impulse of the moment,
the young girl walked to the end of the
car, and stepped out upon the platform.
Swinging herself forward, she saw the
train officials collected into group, ges-
ticulating with vehemence.
They would be detained then. Well,
she would get that flower as a memento
of this dreary land. She had nothing
else. Aunt Rose had forbidden her
buying any of the malachite with which
the stores abounded, and for which an
exorbitant sum was demanded, and she
had long been supplied with brushes,
boxes, nick-nacks and what-not, bound
and backed in the odorous red leather.
She had seen Clement buying a mala-
chite paper-weight, and had hoped to add
that to her trinkets picked up here and
there rs souvenirs of foreign lands; but
Mabel had exhibited it with great de-
light as hers.
She would, at least, get this flower 10
press for her herbarium. The Others
would not miss her, she thought, bitterly,
as she peeped backed into the car.
The two young people were as much
engrossed in themselves as before; the
two chaperones nodded and blinked at
each other, only half aroused from their
maps.
Turning away quickly, the young girl
leaped from the car and made her way
towards the flower that shone out in the
encircling gloom like a sunbeam in a
darkened room.
She had just reached Il and was care.
fully breaking the tough stem, when,
without one warning clang or shrek
from bell or whistle, without even the
slow, hating movement usually accom-
panying start, the train moved off,
leaving her gazing after it pale with dis
may.
For a few moments she stood silent,
numb with bewilderment; then her firm
common-sense asserted itself. She could
not stay here. Night was fast drawing
nigh. She must follow the track back
to town where they had been stopping.
She could 90 to the same hotel; the land
lady would remember her, and she would
be safe there until she could go 10 her
relatives, or they return TO her.
As she stepped along FROM tie to tie,
she wondered, amusedly 10 herself, what
Mabel-timid, clinging Mabel-would