The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-09-05
THE DOCTORS STORY.
FROM H FRENCH OF GUY DE mAu

Marie Baranow, a very great lady, ex
quisitely handsome, you know no,
beautiful they seem to us, with thei
fine noses, delicate mouths, eyes rattle
close together and of indiscribabl
grayish blue, and that cold grace O
theirs, q little severe. They hav
something about them at once wicke,
and seductive, naughty and gentle, ten
der and harsh, which is very charmin,
to a Frenchman. But, after all, i
may be only the difference of race ar,
type which causes me to see so much j,
them.
Her physician had for several year,
tried to induce her to settle in til,
south of France, as he observed tina
she was threatened with consumption
But she obstinately refused to leave st
Petersburg. Finally, last autumn, be
lieying her life at stake, the docto,
warned her husband, who immediatel,
ordered his wife to leave for Mention.
She took the train, choosing to re
main all by herself in the car, while he,
servants occupied another compartment
She leaned out at the door, a little sad
as she watched the fields and village:
passing by-feeling herself very isolat
ed. very lonely in that life of hers
without children, almost without rel
%atiyes, with a husband whose love hat
grown cold, and who was sending hel
thus far away to another part of the
world, without as much as offering tt
accompany her-iust as he would seni
a sick patient to the hospital.
At each station her servant Ivan reg.
uiarly came to the door to find if hi
mistress needed anything. He was az
aged domestic, blindly devoted to her,
and ready to fulfill any order that she
could possibly give him. Night came
on, and the train was rushing forward
at full speed. She could not sleep, fol
excess of nervousness. Suddenly the
d e occurred to her tocount the money
her husband had placed in her hand Al
the last moment, in gold coin of France
She opened her little bag and emptied
the shining mass of metal into her lap
Just then a Whit of cold air smote
her in the face. She lifted her head in
surprise. The door of the railroad cal
had just opened. Hastily the Countess
Marie dropped her shawl over the mon.
ey lying in her lap and waited. A sec.
ond later a man entered, bareheaded,
wounded in his hand, painting violently
and attired il. evening full dress. He
closed the door, sat down, gazed at his
neighbor with glittering eyes and COM
menced to bind a handkerchief about
his bleeding wrist.
The young woman felt herself ready
to- faint with fear. That man certainly
must have seen her counting the gold,
and he had come in only to rob and
murder her.
He kept his gaze upon her, still out
of breath as he was, his face working
strangely, as though he were preparing
to leap upon her.
Then he said sharply:
Don't be afraid, madam"
She could not speak; there was q
sound of buzzing in her ears, and she
could hear her own heart beat.
He spoke again. Il am not q Grim
inal, madam"
SPECIFICS with fear, she could an
swer nothing, but III the sudden move
ment of her start at the sound of his
voice her knees coming together caused
the gold to tr1ckle down upon the floor
piece by piece, as the water trickles
from a spout.
The man observed with surprise the
falling stream of gold pieces, and sud-
denly bent down to pick them up.
Then, wild with fear, she rose to her
feet, dropping all her fortune on the
floor, and rushed toward the entrance
to leap cut upon the track. But he
comprehended what she was going to
do, and turning. seized her in his arms,
reseated her by force, and grasping her
wrists, exclaimed:
Listen to me, madam. I am not a
robber; and the proof is that 1 am go
ing to pick up all your money and give
it back to you. But I am a lost an
/ am a dead man-if you do not aid me
to pass the frontier. 1 can tell you
nothing more. In another hour we
shall reach the last Russian station; in
one hour and twenty minutes we shall
cross the frontier line. Ii you do not
succor me, I am lost. And nevertheless,
madam, / swear to you that [ have not
killed anybody. stole anything, or done
one dishonorable act. This I swear to
you. But I cannot tell you anything
more
And, going down upon his knees he
up every coin to the very last,
seeking the gold pieces under the
benches, and grasping after those
which had rolled into obscure places.
Then, when the little leather bag was
full again, he handed it to his neighbor
without a word, and retired to a corner
of the car, where he sat down. Meth
er of them made the least movement.
She remained motionless and dumb,
still faint with terror, but. gradually be-
coming calm. AS for him, he made
not Il gesture, not a sign: he remained
erect and immobile, with eyes
looking straight before him, and so
pale that he seemed to be dead. From
time to time she cast a quick side glance
at him, which was as quickly turned
He was a man of about thirty,
very handsome, with all the outward
appearance OF a gentleman.
The train rushed on through the
darkness, finging out Its piercing
shriekes to the night, sometimes slack
ening its pace q moment, only to start
off again under full steam. But at
last its course became steadily slow, it
whistled several times, and stopped
short.
Ivan appeared at the door to receive
orders.
The Countess Marie gave a final look
at her strange travelling companion,
and then said %brusquely to her servant:
"Ivan, thou will now return to the