The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-03-28

the traditional countersign, 'Vo istinay
voskres' (He is risen indeed.
Somewhat in this style my thoughts
ran as | lay stretched on the hay of my
tarantass (trayeling wagon in the court
ward of a little Russian post house on
the outskirts Of tiny Cossack town on
the Upper Don, toward sunset on Easter
eve, awaiting the fresh horses which
the burly, bearded postmaster had
promised me with fluent confidence
that made me feel sure he was lying.
And SO it proved. Time passed, but
the horses came not: and / was Just
about to spring up and give the big Cos
sack sample of my fiuency in Russian
seolding when was stopped short by
hearing low, deep voice say beside me,
hardly above whisper, yet terribly dis
tinct:
81 shall have him tonight"
The speakers tone was so full of dead
~ menace that the howl of hungry
wolf or the hiss of snake could hardly
have been more ominous of evil. Rails
ing myself cautiously, peered over the
edge of the wagon, and saw young
man and a girl standing together at the
yard gate-the girl in the picturesque
costume of Cossack maiden, the man in
the uniform of Russian non-commis-
stoned officer.
The young woman had her back to
me, and it was only by the fine outlines
of her figure that could guess her to be
beautiful. Bnt the mans face was
plainly visible, and even | started as
saw it. Handsome as it undoubtedly
was, it looked absolutely terrible in its
grim inflexibility of purpose. 1t was
the face Of born soldier, TO whom duty
| was everything-one who, if ordered to
kill his own father or brother in battle,
would have done'it without moments
hesitation.
The talk went on, and gathered from
it that the young sergeant was on the
track Of a Nihilist emissary sent to MUIR
der the car, who was expected to pass
through the town that night with an
armed escort.
81 followed him to the church,
Masha" Mary, said he, CHANGING up at
the tall, green tower of painted wood,
which, with its gilded cupola and metal
plated roof, glittered brightly in the last
rays of the setting sun; "but he slipped
round a corner, and when darted round
after him I could see no more of him
than of my own ears. He must have
confederate among these long robed
rogues, who let him into the church by
some secret way, for, as our proyerb
says,
"They who wear wide sleeves
In their heart are thieves.
"But no matter-he can't escape now,
for six of my men are on the watch for
him outside, and the reward for his ap-
prehension, along with what I've saved
already, will just make up the sum that
your father demands for your wedding
portion, and then can get my discharge
from the army for my term Of service
will be up next month, and then
The last "and then" was pointed with
an emphatic kiss.
at does seem hard, though" said the
girl, with a touch of womanly compassion
in her voice, "that man must die to
make us happy. We shall feel as if we
were eating our wedding feast out of q
coffin"
"a mani" cried her lover fercely; "a
traitor and assassin, you mean, who has
plotted against the life of the emperor"
"True, answered his betrothed, chang
ing her tone again, nothing is too bad
for man who could plot against Father
Alexander Alexandrovitch" (the czar).
'We Cossacks have always been loyal,
and always will be-"
"Alwaysp echoed the young man EN-.
phatically. "And now good night,
dooshenka" my little SOUL. "for must