Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-04-06
KILLED BY A SHELL.
Sample of Vivid Word-Pain ting by .
Famous Russian Novelist.

Famous Russian Novelist.
We left Praskoukine coming back
with Mikhailoff He reached less
exposed place and began to breathe
again. when he perceived, on turning
around. the sudden light of a flash.
The sentinel shouted: "Mor-tarr'
And one of the soldiers who followed
added: ut is coming straight into the
bastion!' Mikhailoff looked. The lum-
nous point of the bomb-shell seemed
to stop direct over his head, exactly
the moment when it was impossible to
tell what direction it was going to
take. That was for the space of
a second Suddenly, redoublng its
speed, the projectile came nearer and
nearer The sparks of the fuse could
be seen flying out, the dismal Kissing
was plainly audible. 1t was going to
drop right in the midst of the battal-
ion. ITO earthv" shouted voice.
Mikhailotf and Praskoukine obeyed.
The latter, with shut eyes. heard the
shell fall somewhere on the hard
earth very near him. A second. which
appeared to him an hour, passed, and
the shell did not burst. Praskoukine
was frighte led; then he asked himself
what cause he had for fear. Perhaps
1t had fallen further away, and he
wrongly imagined that he heard the
fuse Kissing near him. Opening his
eyes. he was satisfied to see Mil<hailoff
Stretched motionless at his feet; but at
the same time he perceived. yard off
the lighted fuse of the shell spinning
around like top. A glacial terror,
which stfled every thou ht. every sem
timent, took possession of his soul. He
hid his face in his hands. Another
second passed. during which whole
world of thoughts. of hopes. of sensa-
tons and of souvenirs passed through
his mind. Whom will it killp Me or
Mikhailoff. or indeed both of us to-
getherP If it is 1, where will it hit mep
If in the head. it will be all over; if on
the foot they will cut it
off; then l shall insist
that they give me chloroform.
And may get well. Perhaps Mix
hailof alone will be killed, and later l
and how l was covered with his blood.
No. no! it is nearer met will be IT,
Then he remembered the twelve rubles
he owed Mikhailoff. and another debt
left at 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 imagi-
~ hn aH H..
her lilac trimmed bonnet; the man who
had insulted him five years before. and
who m he had never taken vengeance
on. But in the midst of these and
many other souvenirs the present feel
ing-the expectation of death-did not
leave him. Perhaps it is not going
to exploded he thought, and was on
the point OF opening his eyes with
desperate boldness. But at this instant
red fire struck his eyeballs throu Oh the
closed lids. something hit him in the
middle of the chest with terrible
crash. He ran forward at random,
entangled 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 if they were tied. A wise gripped
his head, soldiers ran before his eyes,
and he mechanically counted them:
Zone. two, three soldiers. and besides,
an officer who is losing his cloak" A
new light flashed; he wondered what
had fired. Was it mortar or a cam
nonP Doubtless cannon. Another
shot, more soldiers-fve. six, seven.
They passed in front of him. and sud-
denly he became terribly afraid of be-
ing crushed by them. He wanted to
cry out, TO say that he was bruised. but
his lips were dry, his tongue was glued
to the roots of his mouth. He
had burning thirst. He felt that his
breast was damp, and the sensation of
this moisture made him think of water.
He would have liked to drink that
which drenched him. Il must have
knocked the skin off in falling" he
said to himself more and more fright
ened at the idea of being crushed by
the soldiers who were running in
crowds before him. He tried again TO
cry out, Take mer' But instead of
that he uttered a groan so terrible that
he was frightened by it himself Then
red sparks danced before his eyes; it
seemed as if the soldiers were piling
stones upon him. The sparks danced
more rapidly. the stones piled on him
ST led him more and more. He stretch
ed himself out, he ceased to see, to
hear, to think. to feel He had been
killed instantly by a piece of shell
striking him full in the breast. From
Count T'olstois "Sebas!opot.
"A New York man recently gave
birthday dinner at which the rolls
were bak ed in snake form to typify