The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-02-02
SENTENCED TO SIBERIA

I am q Lancashire man and I rose from
the ranks. began life much as other
mill-hands do; but my head was set the
risht way on my shoulders, and l got to
be an ~overlookcr. Five and twenty
years age, when a great English firm,
whose operations extend over many
parts of Russia, started a cotton mill at
Ekaterinburg, I was offered n post rs
manager. Ekatcrinburg is, as I dare
say you know, on the Siberian side of
the Ural mountains, and in the heart of
the Government mining districts. A
man thinks twice before he transports
himself and his family to such a place,
but I had made up my mind to get on,
and this was u good chance to one in my
position.
1 was not disappointed. I looked
after the mill, and it prosocrcd. We
north country operatives A.e a thrifty
folk, and like living in a plain way. 7
saved money; and as it was the policy Of
the firm to keep me in my post, and to
give me q personal interest in the I'M
d~ertaking, I was allowed to invest nv
few hundreds of roubles. in the mill.
These common place particulars about
my WI affairs can have very little in.
terest for you, sir. I only tell them be-
cause otherwise you would scarcely un-
derstand what has to follow.
One evening, late in our short Rus
sian summer, when the long days were
fast drawing in, we were in our family
sitting room, l engaged with som, Of
the mill accounts, and my wife with
her sewing, when Lottie, our eldest
daughter, rushed in, and, without a
word, tainted right away on the floor.
This did not more brighten my wife
and myself than it surprised us, for
Lottie was a sensible girl, and had never
given way to any hystcrical fancies be-
fore. We knew that it must have taken
a. good deal to upset her in that way,
and as soon rs we had contrived to
bring her round, we made her tell us
what had been the matter.
1t seemed that she had been alone in
her ROOM. when, turning suddenly
toward the window, she became aware
of a face pressed closely against the
glass and glaring at her. What the
face was like she was unable to describe,
but it appeared too ugly and horrible
for a human being. If it could have
been called that of a man or woman, She
said, she should not have been so
frightened.
I went out and looked round the
house. Nothing was to be seen. We
knew Lottie to be a sensible girl, but
we were inclined to think that her
fancy must have played her a trick fol-
once.
After q time my wife left the room to
see about u supper. My wife (she has
been dead now these nine years. had as
strong nerves as any woman that I ever
knew-nothing ever seemed to knock
her off her balance. Well, she came
back in a minute or two and beckoned
me to the door. She was calm enough,
but I could see by her face that some,
thing was wrong. She would not ga,
what she had to say before the girl fol
fear of frightening her again. So she
whispered to me outside:
"Lottie must have been right, there
is something about. When I opened
the door of the Had0roy'' (the larder
that is) 81 heard something at the win:
dow. Whatever it may have been il
took alarm, and did not let me see it
but it has left its mark on the lattice
/ followed her silently to the Madopoy
All was now quiet there. / examined
the. to7tuchkU-as in Russia we call tn,
little window of such a place. In sum:
mer time its glass easement was re
moved, and it was now only protected
by a lattice of crossed strips of fir-wood
These strips were slightly displaced, a
If some one had tried to force them out
and thus to gain an entrance. The for
tochk1 was about large enough to hav,
admitted the body of a man.
Nothing was to be seen by lookins
out for though 4 reasonable amount o