Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-08-15
Roxandra gets upon her raft.

hO4andra gets upon her raft.
swell, what now?" cries Marianka
, 81 am going to see how the prison o
Okaniu fares -
, ''Better stop at home and look afte
the cabin OF Ivan Ivanovitch, you
father"
: "What can do?''
: always little"
) "Oh, no; you are safe. All oul
things are already up on the hill by tn,
church, and, after all, we have nothing
much to lose.''
Everything"
'Well, l am going"
You are bad one."
mo, mother; but L have to go-l
cannot help it. Ask the priest; he will
tell you why"
"Oh, bahl''
Roxandra laughs and goes on. She
has seen spring floods in her short life
beside the Lake of Karka, but not
quite so bad as this. Even as she pad
dies on she feels the sluggish waters
swell beneeth her little craft. And,
yes, truly, all the dungeons are under
water. almost as high up as the prison
ers' heads must come. This has not
happened before.
The young birches and the pines lie
strewn on the surface of TIE lake, their
tangled roots breasting the rush of
waters, the young partridges fiutter and
whistle over the places where their
nests were yesterday, the sky is gray,
| with ominous yellow streaks In the
north, that BODIES more wind and more
rain.
| Oh, well, she hurrIes on, and pre-
sently she has reached the Palace of
! Okanin.
y scene of terror greets her sight.
The jailers and their families stand
on the parapets shrieking and praying,
and even curslng, as they gaze blankly
down at the rapidly rising water5-for
again it is raining.
When they behold Roxandra on her
raft they call to her to approach and
| take them on.
''Sayp she calls back, making a hol.
low trumpet of her hands, as she stands
on the swaying raft. "Have you let
out the prisoners down below there?"
You fool! no" yells the head jailer,
that would be worth my head to me;
come along quick and take US on, we
will let ourselves down with these
roDes; seel''
II won'tr' Roxandra says. "Youl
are safe enough up there for hours tol
come; but they down yonder, they havel
not half an hour to get away IN with
their hves''
''Oh, bah, what of their liveslr they
all called in concert. The place is
surrounded by water on every side. and
we have no means of escape; aid US,
comei cOmel you, now. sayl'
The prisoners first" the girl said
doggedIy.
''Oh, "shriek ed an old woman. You;
ara a witch, you are, you have no lead
of the lake, you sprung from it."
"Y es," cried young man as Roz
andra pulled away and around towai
tine side OF the dungeon. "You W.
set the prisoners free will you-eh? al
where are the keys?" He jingle
them In his hand as be spoke, and heIds
them up for her to see. But she saw
nothing of him. She saw, by this time,
merely one thing. 1t was that one or
the prisoners-perhaps he had worked
at 1t for many years-had filed the
three bars at his dungeon window. that
he had cut through the masonry, and
that-ohi wonder and irony of Fatel-
he stood up to his throat In water, with
his body free 20 go-and could not
stirl
She looked again. She shaded her
eyes with her hand for an instant-and
then, with a low, pitiful shrek that
yet was joyful through all-Roxandra
threw up her arms and said: MY
father!''
The original or the portrait she had
seen a week ago was before her.
She pulled hard TO reach him. She
made signs and shouted, she got to
him-she kuelt down, and dragged him
and pulled him on the raft-she kissed
his hands and forehead, and wept and
shrieked, and all those others watching
thanked God as they said:
''It is Prince Okaninl Well, well.
well, twelve years is long slice out OF
mans life. But pshaw! he Will be
sent now to Siberia-that is all-that
is all.'
When Roxandra was once more back
at the village of Oloi, she sent others
to help those unfortunates at tue |
prison, while she half led, half dragged
her father up the little hill to the |
priests house.
He said little; lie was terrified.
Prince Okanin, stunned and blighted, |
was too daZed to understand how Rox- !
andra was his daughter. But she |
brought him dry garments and hot |
milk-Oh, heaven.
Well, he had worn damp clothes ami |
eaten cold food-often froZen-ror a |
dozen years, although in his own pal
ace; there is AIN the irony OF destiny.
And presently he began to speak, |
and was looking at his own picture |
when there arose a clatter before the |
house. ROxandra started to look out.
l he good priest shrank with terror as +
he saw himself already in the mines OF |
Siberia for harboring an escaped Mill
istI and Prince Okanin, meantime |
daze1, picked up the portrait of his
wife. The tears rushed to his eyes.
He pressed ii to his bosom. Yes, yes;
he remembered how grief had crazed |
her when she learned of his arrest that
day; and how they had told him she
had thrown her child into the lake OF
Karka. Yes; al, yes"
Roxandra had flown to the door,
trembling; she sd ~ there what, to her
eyes, seemed magnificent travelling
carriage-it WAS, inieei, a very ordi-
nary one-with three horses with fine
trappings, and bells all covered with
mud, as indeed were the positions and
the robes of the lady who sat therein.
Yesl no. Roxandra stood breathless
ng-blinded-she fell upon her
kness praying.
This lady was her mother.
She left the carriage, and waving
aside the good priest, who shlvered no
longer since his visitor proved to be a
lady, and not the officers of the police
she said very gently:
Il think the Prince Okanin is here.
am his wife-oh, yes, L am quite
sane these many years altnoughn-s
''once i'll was different.
have toiled to obtain his pardon for ten
years. This" she held up a little sealed
paper-''is It," And very soon In the
little church OF st. Isaac, between the
two malachite columns, before the
ieweled Icon, there knelt very thank
fully the Prince Okanln and his wife
the princess, and their daughter Rox-
andra-
Surely, when they went away to
they did not forget to leave a
j