The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-14

IL
Akonlina going with her bundle of straw
toward Anton Petrovitch's barn. Soon
after midnight he had made his way to
Ivanofka and set fire to the house out of
revenge, the owner having caused him
to be cruelty beaten a year before. As a
proof he mentioned small pot of tar
which had been found at Ivanofka and
which he had bought the day previous.
A feeling of relief spread among the
audience when it became evident that
the poor woman was not to suffer un-
justly, and every one seemed glad to
find that the first suspicious against the
peddler were correct. A new sentence
was drawn up. and as he stood waiting
to hear it read Uncle Fedia dropped his
head in shame at seeing every eye fixed
upon him in scorn and reproach.
He was sentenced to the mines of Sibe-
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:
"Good-by, poor Uncle Fedia."
Thanks. child" he answered. 'It
does not matter about me; there is no
one to grieve for me-"
The next minute I 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 at break
fast in the garden we saw the priest of
the parish hurrying toward us in great
excitement
"What do you think has happenedf"
he cried.
81 know" replied my father. "The
miller fell from ladder last night and
has died of his injuries"
s'You do not know the most terrible
part of the matter" said the priest. ssI
was sent for by the dying man, and he
told me his dreadful secret. Father
said he, I committed a great sin six
years agoI set fire to Ivanofka.'
'Whatp I cried; it was the peddler,
Fedia- But he interrupted me, say
ing: 4 set fire to the house to revenge
myself on the owner, who had caused
me to be taken as a soldier. Uncle Fe-
dia passed night in 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:
"'There is going to be terrible piece
of business; they are going to condemn
Akonlina to Siberia. Perhaps she is in
nocent. would not listen, but threat
ened him so fercely that he went away
frightened. Ahl what good man he
was-he pitied the woman and her little
children and sacrificed himself to save
them. Oh, miserable wretch that ami
how can hope to obtain pardonr He
died few minutes after his confession"
Without losing a moment we took the
priest to the governor of the province.
and the latter on hearing the declaration
wrote to the authorities in Siberia.
Months of fruitless correspondence en-
sued. Owing to the lack of particulars
furnished them they could not make
sure as 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 a man named Fedia
throughout the Russian possessions in
Asia? Do you think there is only one
vagabond of that name? During the
past year two Fedias died in the hospital
at Tomsk and three at Tobolsk, not to
mention several in other places"
When the failure of the search be-
came known Akonlina brought basket
of fresh eggs to the priest, and asked
him to celebrate divine service for the
soul of poor Uncle Fedia. The widow,
with her children and all the villagers,
went to the church at the appointed
hour, and as we knelt there seemed to
see the old man in his ragged pelisse
shrinking before the angry faces in the
court room. Many persons who had
frowned at him that day were in the
church, and they now shed tears as they
thought of him dying in hospital at
Tomsk or Tobolsk-heaven alone knows
where. from the Russian
for Short Stories by Isabel Smithson.