Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-04
IN FEAR OF IMMINENr DEATH.
A Great Russian Novciis,'s Description Of
. Ding Mans Thoughts.

a 0f00t 6uool0u 0OV0S1et9 DESCRIPTION Oh
DING Mans Thoughts.
Count Leo Tolstoi, in "Sebestopol, }"
thus describes the fall of shell: "To
earth!" shouted a voice. Mikhailoff and
Praskoukine obeyed. The latter, With
shut eyes, heard the shell fall somewhere
on the hard earth very near him. A Sec
ond. which appears to him an hour,
passed, and the shell did not burst. Pfss-
koukine was frightened, then he asked
himself what cause he had for fear. Per-
haps it had fallen further sway, and he
wrongiully imagined that he heard the
fuse Kissing near him. Opening his
eyes ne was satisfied to see
Mikhailoff stretched motionless st his
feet, but a. the same time he perceived 8
yard OF, the lighted fuse OF smell SPIN
ming around like top. A glacial terror,
which stified every thought, every senti-
ment, took possession of his soul. He
hid his face in his hands. Another Sec
ond passed, during which whole WORLD
of thoughts, OF hopes, Of sensations and
Of souvenirs passed through his mind
"Whom will 1t kill2 Me or Mikhaiioff, or
indeed both OF rs together II it is /,
where will it hit me? II in the head it
will be all over; If on the foot they will
cut it of. Then shall insist
that they give me chloroform,
and may get well. Perhaps
Mikhailon alone will be killed,
and later will tell how we were close
together and how was covered with his
blood. No, no; 1t is nearer me; it will
be II" Then he remembered the twelve
rubies he owed Mikhailoff and ano,h y
debt left al Petersburg, which ought to
have been paid long ago. A Bohemian
air that he sang the evening before came
to his mind. He also saw in his imagina
ton the lady he was il love with in heI
lilac-trimmed bonnet; the man who had
insulted him five years before, and who m
he never had taken vengeance on. But
In the midst of these and many
other souvenirs the present feeling
the expectation OF dta.h-did not leave
him. "Psrhaps it isn't going to ex.
plode!" ne thought, and was on the
point OF opening his eyes with desperate
ooldness. But at this instant red fire
struck his eyeballs through ihe closed
lids. something hit HIM in the chest with
terrible crash. He ran forward at ran
dom, tangled his feet in his sword, stun
bled, and fell on his side. "God be
praised, am only bruised" This was
his first thought, and he wanted to feel OF
his breast, but his hands seemed as il
they were tied. A vice gripped his head,
soldiers ran before his eyes, and he me
chanically counted them-"One. two,
three soldiers, and, besides, an officer
who is losing his cloak"
A new light flashed; he wondered wha'
had fired. Was it mortar or q cannon
Doubtless cannon. Another shot, more
soldiers-fve, six, seven. They passed
in front of him, end suddenly he became
terribly afraid of being crushed by them
He wanted to Cry out, to say that he wa!
bruised, but his lips were dry, his tongue
was glued to the roof OF his mouth. BIZ
had burning thirst. FL felt that hi
breast was\damp, ard the sensation o
! this moisture made him think of water
He would have liked to drink that which
drenched him. az must have knocked
the skin Off in falling" he said to him
self, more and more frightened at the ides
of being crushed by the soldiers, who
were running in crowds before him. HI
tried again to Cry out stake mel" but in
stead of that he uttered groan SO terri
| Bile that he was frightened at it himself
Then red sparks danced before his eyes
| it seems az If the soldiers were pilins
stones on him. The sparks danced more
rapidly. the stones piled on him stifeC
him more and more. BE stretched him.
self out; be ceased to see, 70 hear, K
| think, to feel. He had been killed in
stantly By piece of shell striking hin
full in the breast.