New-York tribune., 1885-09-20
SENTENCED TO SIBERIA.

lam a Lancashire man and I rose from the
ranks i began life much as other mil-hands 90 !;
but my head was set the right way on my shoulders,
and got to be an oyerlooker. Five ana twenty
years ago, when great English firm. whose opera
tons exte1d over many parts OF knsssesSeta Most "a
cotton mill at Ekatcrinburg. was 0nered post as
manager. Ekaterinburg is, az dare say you
know on the Siberian side of the Ural Mountains
and in the heart OF the Government mining aus
tricts. man thinks twice before be transports
himself and his family to such place, DuC NM nad
made mp my mind to get on, and this was good
chance 10 one in my position.
was not disappointed. l looked after the mil
and IT prospercd We north-cOuntry operatives are
q thrifty folk, and like living in plain way:
saved money; and as 1t was the policy oil the nIlh
TO keep me in my post and to give me personal lh-
tercst in the undertaking was allowed to invest
my few hundred of roubles in the mill;
These commonplace particulars about my oVn
affairs can have very little interest ior you SIT.
only tell them because otherwise yon wOuld
scarcely understand what has to follow; o.
One evening, late in our short RUSSIAN summer,
when the long days were fast drawing III, we were
in our family sitting room. engaged WIN sohe Vi
the mill accounts. and my wife with her sewing.
when Lotic, our eldest daughter rushed ac i anu
This did not moro frighten my vile anu inyscIIi
than 1t surprised us, for lottie was stns,Dle grl,
and had never given way to any hysterlcai lnhcles
before. We knew that il must have taken good
deal 20 upset her in that way, and rs soon as Wo
had contriyed 10 bring her round, we made her
tell us what had been the matter.
Ii seemed thar she had been alone IN her room,
when. turning suddenly toward the window; she
became aware OF face preset ciESe aes' Yns ike itc
She was unable to describe, but II appeared 700
ugly ana horrible for human being. III u cotlu
have been called that Of man or wonlan' She
said she should not have been frightened:
went out and looked round the house. Nothing
was to be seen. We knew Lottie TO- be sensible
girl. but we we're inclined to think ihat her fancy
must have played her II trick Tor once.
After time my wife left tho room to see about
our supper My wife she has been dead now thls
nine years. had as strong nerves ~ any woman ,
h. n nnth upVp
of her balance. We'll, she came back III minute
or two and beckoned me TO the door. she was CAIN
enough but could see by her face that s1metg =,
was wr1ng She would not say What she had To
say before the girl for fear of frightening her again
So she whispered TO outside. "Lottie must nave
opemed re tbe door of the GGdoroy tho arer that Isl
- heard something at thc window. Whatever IL
may have been it took alarm, and DID no. leu me
SEQ it; but It has left its marks on the lattice
| followed her silently TO the k'GdoroG All was
now quiet there. | examined The yoriocaEd-as III
Russia we cali the little window of such place.
In summer time It's glass easement was removed,
and il was now only protected by lattice oil
crossed strips of iir-wood. These strips were
slightly displaced rs if some mad trod 10 force
them out, and thus to cEin entrance Inc io'tochkd
was about large enough TO nave admitted the pou'
of man.
Nothing was to be seen by looking out, for
thounh n reasonable amount OF twilight still re-
NAMED il was only enough to show things WIN
any distinctness ~ the Open and | had sheltered
the back of our house by planting number oi
should 90 back to Lottc aud thai wouId stay
where was for a bit aud see whether the robOer-
if il was a robbcr-wOuld come again.
IL was scarcely to be called late. yet lt was too
latc for any Of mill people to bo about anu they
were our only ueighbors. Indeed. we had no near
neirhbors Ny house, and one adjoining 1t lln-
tend I'd for another employc. but at that time unOc
cupicdl stood partly within tho high wooden fence
which inc oscd the mill that is, their backs opened
into the in,losurc tho dror. rs We call tl, WnHe
their fronts looked on public thOrOughfnrc. Thus
onr back premises were strictly private after the
gates TO the mill mad been closed and the person
N il was q person who had got To the WINDOWS
nust either have secrcted himself within tue drOr,
OF have gained access to 10 IN some improper man
ner Now however. all was still as could be-
nown / sat TO watch. close by the door Of the
ErJdoroH | chose n dark corner. and one where, in
ihednsk itwould have been Il hard matter to see me,
but had full view OF tho lattice l waited tl.l my
patience was beginning to wear ont, and then
fancied that | heard some slight sound outsde
under the tortochkd 1t WAS so slight that at hrst
| was not sure whether 1t might not bo merely
fancy, but after little pause heard II again.
louder and more distinctly. sac silll as mouse,
aud kept sharp lookout
slowly and gradually something raised itself be-
fore the opening. II was a head brt in the nncer-
tain light could not say whether it Mns homao
head OF that OF some hrnte gt'anro MmlenTNSt tha u
vn, such n wild. haggard. uneartbiy looking thiug
as had never looked upon before. Any quantity
of shaggy hair was hanging about it aud it, ouly
features To speak Of seemed 10 be eyes Eyes u had
rast nil gistake Never did see anything like the
way In which 1t garcd at our good PROVISIONS
,y;thi1 | have seen what n famshed wolf looks
NJ and shoud hardly think iamished wolf
worth comparing WITH that creature. IL was
raycnous after what 10 saw. Up beside the head
came two lunches of long claws, which wrenched
M the wooden lnttco as II 90 tear Il down But
they were too weak. Tho strips held last. And
then the thing fell To with It's teeth To qua" way
through.
While the creature was thus engaged eontfiye
IN slip quietly from my dark corner by the door.
and catching up n big stick went out at tho back
of the house. | stole round as n"seessly as could
toward the window. There were. as SAID, young
iir trees on that side OF the house so that with
little care il was net diiicL 10 approach the place
unubseryel When got To within a few yards.
saw that the man-for the creature was inan-
was still hard at work, trying 10 force way H.
I droppcd my stick. aud made rush ut him. and
had him before lie knew anything about IT. lie
did not give up Quietly. lIc struggled hard-des'
nerotrly, may say. But. bless you he'd not the
rhost OF a chance with me. ! am t0!erdbly strOnY
nan still as men 60 and ! was younger then. |
could have undcitaken thrco such rs be. and
thought nothing Of It, The poor wretch had no sort
of condition about him-hs was mere akin and
Jones-no muscle at all. He was nothing but
walking anatomy, with few rags by way OF
covering aud only very iew: ,v,s oood
sLaking for gave him ono that made every tooth
ir Lis head chatter; and then laid hun nat Oh
hls back.
had been long enough IN tho country to gain
sone knowledge Of Russian. ] could use 10 pretty
freely to our mill people; and must own that f0r
terms in which to blarkguard set OF lazy rhscas,
os most of those fellows are. Billingsgato ISN'T
uotch on II. SO | could make my prisoner under
stand me. Now. thon my friend l said to him,
9vnn needn't take the trouble TO show any more
fSSht You ssr 1t won't pay. So just get up, and
march quietly Oh with me TO the oacddsocE the
oncIasiok being. rs you perhaps Know equivalent
TO the pOlico-station in EnslIsh.
But instead of getting mp, and doing as he wos
told. like n reasonable being. the creature con;
trycd to wri2ge itself upon its knees. ana TO hold
np its hands while it begged OF me IN the name OIL
Tie Virgin and all the Saints not to hand IT over to
the p0iit.id It would rather be killed outright.
and was ready Ia bo peaton as much rs pleased
q Nv ragged friend" | said. {" you are n queer
chap Why do you object to the police so
stronglyp
Tho moor wretch made direct answer, bnt only
retcrated his entreates that would not give HIM
mn began to have some suspicion of the Quality
of nv guest. "a am inclined to thlnk.' said,
that you neither more nor less than an escaped
convictn