Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-06-09
SCRATCHED OUT.

with banIshed him TO France and ordered the girl
TO whom he was engaged to marry another serf
Immediately. As her commands had to be obeyed
poor sophia USchakOn. for that was the girls
name. went with her father, some six days after
the counts departure TO the chapel where the
marriage service was 20 be performed There were
present beside her father and herself Michael
Tokhtamish Cthe bridegroom), his father. and the
priest, an Old man who was upward OF seventy
yeaTSOf age. The service had scarcely commenced
when the door or the little chapel opened. and
Ivan Cheraski, the young count, entered with q
revolver In his hand.
You thought l was out OF the country he
said; ''Out not 50. have been biding my time not
far away from here. 1 knew all about the inla-
nous attempt 70 marry my betrOtned 10 this
clown. and have come to prevent IL Everything
T. reaiy-the priest, the altar and the bride. 80,
Iuy gOol father. you Will please marry me 10
sophia Js.-hakOn at once. or you and Michael
Takhtdmish shall die before i've minutes are over"
do not know what would have happened II the
priest had refused 10 OBEY the counts order. As
have said, Russian nODes used 10 be. and very
likely still are rather high-handed, especially in
dealing with their Dependents Al all events, Ivan
Cheraski Was a nObleman armed with revolver,
Michael TO6htanI!sh was only serf who might
have been shot for the lun OF the thing, while the
priest was very infirm old man. anu bound more
Oser. BY his religion TO dscounteDance oiooished.
50 the serf stood aside. the nObleman TOOK his
place, the priest performed the service anu IN q
few minutes Ivan Cheraski and sophia Usehakon
were man and wife. The service over, tle coin
paIy entered the vestTy-rOOin. where the priest
proceeded 20 enter the particulars relating 10 the
marriage IA the registry Dock.
Now must pause here TO inform the reader
that In Russia it was the custom Tor the priest,
and not the parties who werr married, 70 sign the
names OF the bride and the bridegroom In The
marriage register. Alexander TTOubetskOt the
priest, was placed, as tine saying Is, between two
Hres- II he had not oo"yed the counts orders ne
would have been shot. on the other nand, IL the
countess dOwager found out what he had DONE
something else as bad. or worse, would probably
happen To escape from the dilemma he entered
n the register Michael TOkhtamish instead OF Ivan
CleTaskl as the name or the bridegroom The
parties who were Interested did not observe sub
~tltUJIOn. The register was restored 10 Its place
and the count and Countess Cneraski left secretly
for Paris that evening.
and then the count died, leaving the countess a
widow with two chdreI. HIS mother had died
about a year before, and Trou6etskoi expired
shortly alter they LETT the village OF NaTOye
where the marriage took place. On the death OF
her husband the countess went TO The province OF
Ninsk In Russia 10 claim his estate on behalf or
herself and ais children. The claim was opposed
ny his family, who produced the register which
bore evidence OF her marriage not with Ivan Cher-
aski, but with Michael TOkhjaIniSh. There seemed
then, 10 be no use In rssOrting to legal proceed
ings as the evidence Of the witnesses 10 the mar
Ilsge, who were ali SerIS, would BE- worthless
against the evidence OF the marriage register. Ac
cOrdingly the countess rs she was de Jure II not
de facto returned 70 France Partly by the sale or
her Jewelry. and partly owing 10 her husband hav-
ing Invested sumo money In their joint naIles in
French per cent TeDtes, she had little
more than 5000 anu with this capital she
opened a sort VI boarding house In Paris. Here she
had been living Tor about two years when young
kngishman named Edwin Marston came TO stop
at Rer establishment for q few days. Up 10 the
present have not said anything about the charac-
ter Or appearance OF the Countess CheTaskI, be-
cause, 50 far, have merely been reciting num-
Der Of facts which are necessary To enable the
reader to understand the curious tale that We are
approaching That she was either pretty, or
handsome, OF beautiful. IN some sense or OtneT,
the reader Will probably anticipate from the fact
OF the count having fallen in love with her. IL
mention that she was tall, with dark hair ana
ara fed "a no
matter Ill up the rest OF her portrait suit
tHeir own tastes In character she must have
ben OF rather trustIul disposition, as Will,
think, appear from her conduct To Mr.. Mars;On.
lie was her senior Dy about two years. and had
oeeh prictlelLs as a surgeon ana physician Tor
some the Ia yeTy poor district In the east end VI
London. Muen lie nrSt came 70 her house he did
not intend 10 remain many days in Paris, but his
Say was prolonged for one reason or another over
u space OF about three weeks, during which time
he and the count had con raCJed a very sincere
friendship FOL each other. Finally, on the night
before he left. she told him her history and asked
hin II be could see any way In which she could es-
tLolish the rights Of herself aHd children
'.\Ot at present. said Mr.. MarstOn when he
had listened atentively 10 her story; "Out snail
think the matter over. one sometimes, after IT,
n-ctiOn, gets ideas that would never come from
Mere rat!Oc-nallon, though II IS raJlocinatiOn
which afterward makes them practtcal-1deas that
srem al nrst 70 have 10 bearing on the subject OF
thought, while Ia reality they contain its full
plantation i am not very hopeful OF being able
u s1ye you any advice that would be OF Use 70 YOU
In this case; but shah try. II possible, TO think
The next day Mr.. Asrston LETT Tor London, hav-
Ing babe the countess cordial farewell and PROM
Iei 10 write 10 her at once II any idea should occur
~ him with regard To the recovery Of her title and
estates
More than month passed away. during which
she 1ll not hear from him, and. consequently was
beg inning 70 think that ne had probably forgotten
ali about her, or he would have written, VIII N one
evening the servant came upstairs TO say that Mr.
MarsJOn was in the parlor on the ground MOOR
and would Ike 10 see ner.
Il have been thinking ever since left YOU" he
"A ETy hey md ted each nTh her
extraordinary history you told me. And think
LOW that i see my way 20 overcome your diffcul-
IL will take NE probably year, perhaps more 10
carry out my plans. / shall have To 20 TO Russia
and live In the village OF Naroyel and shall want
at least f4OO at once, and probably another f4OO
In the course OF about six months In the mean
time you must De content not 10 ask me any ques-
Tons and " remain In perfect ignorance OF what
I am doing. My word IS the only guarantee YOU
can have that shall be honestly doing my best In
your behalf
at is sufficient" said the countess .sYou shah
have the money When can you start?r
Tomorrow" was the answer.
Accordingly, next day Mr.. MarsrOn started for
Narrowed, which Is a village In the province OF
Mlnsk IN estern Russia Here he took mn MS
abode In the glise OF well-to-dO Engllshman
VINO wished 70 make himself acquainted with the
language and Institutions OF the country and who
had ~ objection U spend his money freely. lie
was good shot, Was fond OF riding and, apart
altogether from the necessity OF acting part
which was involved b. the business he had on
hand, he was = really JOyiaI and pleasant com
p4nlOn- The consequence was that he soon be-
came fAyOrite With body In the district
he men hAed hin because he was a capital
sportsman and could take his bottle with the best
"a them; the women. because he was a gOod-IOok-
Ing fOreisneT, who was always paying them such
compliments As circumstances Permitted and who
WAS very fond OF Children Among Others with
whom lie shortly became very Intimately ac-
quaIinted was the new priest, young man named
Nicholas Kohl Kohl acted, as priests very often
d. Ia Russia, the part both Of priest anu hysicIan
3 the District And since MarstUn w4s able 10
give aim great deal VI valuable advice and assist
aEce. they soon became fast friends.
one day, about nye months after he came 10
NdrOve- De went with Kohl INTO the yestry room
OF the chapel where SLe countess was married ne
lid been Ia this room frequently before and
knew exactly where the DOJS IN which her mar
mage was registered lay among some others in a
sort Of cupboard Already he had, on the pre-
tsuce OF comparing the Russian system with me
English, examined several registers OF births
the forms, and on booking at a book OF such regis
t-rs could easily nud any particular one thai
lac might De IN quest OF. As yet. however he
hAd lad no Opportunity Of examining Tie
book which contained the record OF the mr.
TlIge Of the countess. Now what he
lad been Schenlng for during the
psf I'VE months WAS 10 get this hnoL
secretly into his possession for about htlr an hour
-A4Te-dy he had formed number u plans f0r O..f
t4ag half hour alone IN the yesIry room 6ut
these he had discarded one by one As being IN
suitable. Al last, as often happens IN such cas-s
al accident gave MIN The opportunity he souyht
On the occasion In question they were gOin, fJr a
lOas walk, and had only gone into the yestry.room
10 !raye parcel which the priest had in MS hand
= 4rCely. however, had they entered the room
- hen they were followed BY little sirl who had