The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-10-03
A STORY BY A DOCTOR.
Told With no Waste of Words Senti
ment.

| once knew a woman, one of my
patients, now dead. to whom the
most extraordinary thing in the
world happened, and the most mys
terious and touching.
She was Russian, Countess
Marie Baranow, a very great lady,
of exquisite beauty. Her doctor had
during many years known that she
was threatened by a disease of the
chest. and endeavored to persuade
her to come to France for the winter,
but she obstinately refused to quit
St. Petersburg. At last, in the
autumn OF last year, the doctor COM
PEELED her to leave for Mentone.
She was alone in her compart-
ment of the train, her servants oc-
cupying another. She leaned against
the window little sadly, watching
the country and the villages as she
whirled past, feeling very isolated,
very lonely in life.
AT each station her footman, Ivan
came to see If his mistress had
everything she desired. He was an
old servant, blindly devoted, ready
to obey any order she might give
him.
Night fell, the train rolled on at
full speed. She could not sleep, she
was totally unnerved. Suddenly the
idea occurred to her of counting the
money given to her ct the last mo-
ment in French gold. She opened
her little bag and emptied on to her
Jap the glistenin9 stream of metal.
But of a sudden a breath OF cold
air caught her cheek. She lifted her
head in surprise. The door opened.
The Countess Marie, in dismay,
threw shawl over the money spread
out in her lap and waited. A mo-
ment atterward a man appeared,
bareheaded. wounded in one hand,
painting, and in evening dress.
He reclosed the door, sat down
and looked at his neighbor with
glittering eye, then wrapped his
wrist in handkerchief.
The poor woman felt faint with
fright. This man must have seen
her counting her money, and had
come to kill her and steal it.
He still fixed his gaze upon her
breathlessly, his face drawn, evil
dently waiting to spring upon her.
He said brusquely-
Madame, have no fear.
She answered nothing, she was
incapable of opening her lips, she
heard her heart beating and buz-
ing IN her ears.
| am no maletactor, madame, he
continued.
Still she said nothing ; but in
sudden movement she made her
knees knocked together and the
money poured on to the carpet like
water from a spout.
The man started in surprise at this
flow of gold, and at once stopped to
gather it up.
She, terrified, rose. casting all her
gold on to the carpet, and rushed to
the door to throw herself on to the
line. But he perceived her lnten-
ton, sprang up, seized her in his
arms, and forced her on to the seat,
holding he1 by the wrists.
Listen to me, madame. | am no
thief AS a proof | am going to
gather up this money and restore it
to you. But | am lost man, dead
man, unless you help me to pass the
frontier | can tell you no more. In
one hour we shall be at the last Rus
sian station, in one hour and twenty
minutes we shall be on the other
side of the boundaries of the EN-
pire. Unless you aid me am lost
| And yet, madame, | have neither
killed nor stolen, nor done anything
dishonorable. That | swear to you.
| can tell you no more.
And, goirg down on his knees,
he collected the money, feeling under
the seats, and looking into the
furtherest corners Then, when the
little leather bag was once more tull,
he handed it to his nelghbor without
a word, and returned to his seat in
the other corner of the carriage.
Neither moved. She sat motion
less and mute, still faint with fright,
but recovering little by little As to