Wichita eagle., 1888-04-25

am doing for you-you must never address
me word here or hereafter, not word, Ii
you please, either to thank or explain
Before long they stopped again, and this
time it was at the frontier. Mime. Bara-
now extended TO the officials her travelling
papers, pointed TO the figure at the end OF the
compartment, and with brief 1t Is Ivan,
whose passport you have the ordeal was
over
During the whole Of that night they rode
thus, a-tete, mute, sleepless and lmpassl-
ble When they arrived at the first German
station the gentleman descended.
@'Pardon me, madame, said he, for break
ing my promise, but have deprived you OF
your servant; it's right that l replace him
Have you need of nothingf
"'Nothing,' said the cortesse coldly. save
the services of my femme de chambre Send
her to me- And he disappeared
aNevertheless, as she left the carriage Lean
ing upon tie arm of her tire woman, and ap-
preached the buffet, she perceived him re-
garding her from distance.
an due time they arrived at Mentone.
HOne day,r continued the doctor, applying
himself to fresh cheroot, -as sat In my
Office engaged with lot of patients, the
servant entered 70 announce the visit OF
stranger, Comte Alexis Petrovitch de
B, Russian, of course, as the mob Of
consonants alone would tell you, and shortly
afterward gentleman stood before me.
Doctor said he coming at once to the
point of his visit, i have to ask you for news
Of Mime. Baronow's condition l am, though
she does not know me, compatriot and a
friend Of her husbands. VIII she recoverf
".No,'I answered; it's impossible; she Is
slowly dyingn
land will she return no more to st. Pc
tersburgf
NO. 1 said again, unless in her cof.
fin
aAs suddenly as if had struck him, my
visitor wheeled about and, staggering like
drunken man, passed from the apartment. X
] had known that he would feel il so | should
scarcely have been so frank, but did not
know it, and consequently bad given BIN the
truth That same evening, while making my
usual visit to my beautiful patient, l told her
of toe occurrence and the emotion excited by
her condition.
@sDo you know himr l said, fancying that
perhaps had not been told all the truth.
know himF she repeated; mo and yes;'
and then, touched by the incident, she related
to me the adventure have given you here.
9'This man. she added, in conclusion, of
whose name even I was ignorant until you
told me, follows me like my shadow. l en-
counter him wherever l go; be looks at me
always with strange and patient wistful-
ness, but he neither approaches nor attempts
to speak to ma ViolaF cried the comtesse,
rising and going to the open window, he is
below nowr
"He was-seated upon bench in the prom
enede, his eyes lifted and fixed upon the
hotel
From that time on" said the doctor,
gravely II assisted at q strange and sorrow
full thing-the voiceless yet ardent love OF
these two widely separated beings, for they
loved each other, and ! knew it well. As for
Alexis Petrovitch, he seemed TO understand
that l had OWNED his secret and, while
never yielding to a word that the purest
might not have listened TO- he came to see me
daily, only to ask if there was hope of her
improvement. And still he had never spoken
to her, nor offered to approach her, although
as the end drew near. and they encountered
each other, as they frequently did in her
drives about the city, she greeted him always
with grave, sweet smile.
That she was resigned knew and happy,
believed. happy simply to feel herself, the
abandoned one, guarded by an affection that,
even if exaggerated in its devotion, was pure
and beautiful. Nevertheless, faithful to her
exalted obstinacy, she steadily refused to
allow me to bring him to her or to permit
him to speak TO her.
mo she cried, in answer TO my persist
ent entreaties, Il will not yield Would you
see me spoil and depraye this wonderful and
ideal friendship No, we must remain as
strangers, the one To the other
Determined as she was to hold to the alb
surd promise he had given her on the nigh.
she aided him TO cross the frontier. Petrovitch
did absolutely nothing to induce her to
change her decision: but perhaps he did not
know, as did, how often during these weary
hours of pain and feebleness, while waiting
for death to release her, Marie BaranOv
dragged herself from her couch to the win
dow simply to assure herself that he was
there.
HAs I went from the house on the morning
she died, found him waiting at the door,
pale, distracted and mad with grief.
81 must see her. he pleaded, i must see
her for q monent-but with your
"To the last, even, he was faithful to what
be believed TO be her wishes.
"fie also" added the doctor softly, died
yesterday-it was that which detained me.
OF what, did you ask! Ofad disease for which
medicine is useless"
And that strange appearance upon the
railway" cried one of the party, do you
know nothing of that!"
Nothing" answered the physician, ~and
nothing of Alexis Petrovitch himself, beyond
what ali the world knew-that he was polit-
ical refugee, condemned for one of those
trifling offenses for which Russia is famous.
I believe. however, as Marie Baranow be-
lieved herself, that he had risked not only
life but liberty to follow her in her exile.
"But change the subject" added the doctor
gently, 1.-The ladies are in tears. ."-Translated
from the French by E c. Waggener for New
York Mercury.