The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-08-19
4 NihiliSt'S Story.

OF another lodging in new house in
the Avenue du Maine, have retained
a shivering souvenir. This was form
erly the dwelling of one of the chiefs
of the celebrated central committee
which caused so much talk in Russia in
1879 and 1882, Tikhomiroff, who has
since been converted to less-revolu-
tionary doctrines, and so been enabled
to return to Russia. 1t was he who
wrote the famous manifesto to Alex
ander III, after the assassination of
Alexander II. Tikhomiroff's eve is
prominent and restless. In the street
he is constantly turning round. He is
perpetually in a half-trembling state.
For that matter, the man is sympa-
thetic, excessively intelligent, and i'm
partial by temperament. He is married.
father of family, and much preoccu-
pied with the future of his children.
AS for his fear of being followed and
watched, it is justified; no man ever
had more spies after him. Before his
pardon, he could never take single step
without being followed. His lodging
was the object of perpetual sulveil-
lance. He had horrible souvenirs, of
which the following is specimen:
After the assassination of Alexander
II, at the time of the terrible trial,
those who were condemned to death
were Tikhomiroff's friends and his col
leagues of the terrorist committee. He
himself was under a perpetual menace
at st. Petersburg. If he were captured
his fate was certain and inevitable; he
would be hanged. lie did not dare to
fly from Russia, or even to leave his
house. He told me that if it had not
been for his family and for his duty as
father, he would perhaps have given
himself up, so dreadful was the feeling
of insecurity. He could not sleep; he
had not a minutes respite; always the
grim expectation of the police officer,
of imprisonment, judgment, the scat
fold, and of his family without support
Well, to these terrors yet another was
added, and to these horrors a fresh
horror-the carts with those condemned
to death had to pass along the street
under Tikhomirof's window. His
servant knew by sight several of the
victims because she had seen them at
her masters house. Then took place
this thrilling scene: Tikhomiroff, his
WIG anu uHe SERVANT SuOOu al lne WIN
dow, waiting like the other inhabitants
of the ouse, for the passage of the sim
lister coltege. This was inevitable; for
if the terrorist had not appeared at the
window, he would certainly have been
suspected by his neighbors and de-
nounced. We can imagine the I'M
happy mans state of mind, the agony
of his whole being. And in the midst
of all that, one incessant question, re-
turning like the fixed idea of mailman ::
Will the servant recognize the VIC
Tins? Will she recognize
them?"
If she recognizes them, if she makes
a gesture, if she utters a cry, if she
signs even, it means death. Tikhomir-
off waits. He is on the point of faint
ing. At last the carts pass, with the
culprits in their costumes of execution.
TikhOmiroff watches the face of his
servant. A vague rumor-the Whisper
ings of a great crowd-the cortC ge
reaches the window. Is it
life? Is it death? 1t is life The SER
want did not recognize any of the vic
Tins. But who can measure the i'm
mensity of such moments of anguish,
and who will feel astonished that the
man who passed through this trial has
lived ever since in perpetual alarm and
distrust?-Hdrper'S Magazine.