The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-12-17

B peddIer were correct. y new sentence
J was drawn up. ana as he stood waiting
to hear it read Uncle Fe,lia dropped l,i,,
head in shame ut seeing every eye fixed
+ upon HIM in 6corn and reproach.
/ He was sentenced to the mines of She
ria, but his time was limited to ten years
/ in consideration Of his having voluntari.
ly confessed his guilt. The guards led
him away, and as he passed me put a
few rubles in his hand and whispered.
i 'Good-6y, poor Uncle Feditt"
Thanks child" ne answered. 1T
does not matter about me; there is no
one to grieve for me
The next minute 1 had lost sight of
. him
The time passed by, and six years later
! returned to my home for the summer
vacation
One morning while we were ut break
fast in the garden we saw the priest of
the parish huITying tsYard us in great
excitement.
What do you think has happenedY
he cried
Il know" replied my father. The
has died Of his injuries"
You do not know the most terrible
part Of the matter" said the priest. 81
was sent for 10y the dying man. and he
told me bis dreadful secret Father
said he, I committed great sin tx
years q, ago. set fire TO l1auofal.
'Whatr | cried; 1t was The peddier
Fedia'- Bat he interrupted me. say
ing: i set fire to the house to ravpl re
myself on the owner, who had eau I'd
me to he taken as soldier Uncle re
dia passed night II the mill after sell
ing me pot Of tar | thought that he
suspected me then, and on the day of
the trial he came to me and said with an
earnest air:
"'TE ere is going to be a terrible piece
of business; they are going to condemn
Akonlina to Siberia. Perhaps she is in
nocent. would not listen, but threat
ened him sofiereely that he went away
frightened, Ali what a good man he
vas he pitiod the woman and her little
children and sacrificed himself to s;tge
them, Oh, miserable wretch that / am!
how can hope to obtain pardonr lie
died few minutes after his confession. "
Without losing d moment WV took the
priest to the governor Of the province
and the latter on hearing the declaration
wrote to the authorities in Siberia.
Months of fruitlsss correspondence ca
sued. Owing to tne lack Of particulars
furnished them they could not make
sure rs to which convict our magistrate
referred, At last the governor general
Of Siberia closed the correspondence. Re,
fusing to investigate further.
DO you suppose it possible, he wrote,
'for me to trace Il man named Fe,.ia
throughout tie Russian possessions in
Asia? Do you think there is only one
vagaboud of that name? During the
past year two EeJi&5 died in the hospital
at Topsk and thrceat Tobolsl:, met to
mention several in other places.
When the failure of the search he
came known AEonlina Jroughta bask Il
Of fresh eggs to the priest, and asked
him to celebrate divine service for the
soul Of POOR Uncle Ftlia The wi low.
with her children and I'll the villagers,
went to the church at the appointed
hour and as we lnalt there | seemed TO
see tle old man in his ragged pylsse
shrinking before the angry faces in the
court room. Many persons who had
frowped at him that day were ia the
church, and they row she'd tears az they
thought Of him dying in hospital at
Tomsll or Tobolsk -Aeaven alone knows
here.-TransIated from the Russian
for Short Stories by Isabel Szuithsun.