The sun., 1892-12-01
CHAPTER XIV.

take Rachel Arama before she departed
from Kara came about in this way. We
left him prisoner in Perm, where, under
the name of Paul Turnigeffa supposed fur
trader-he had threatened the Chief of the
police with violence for insult offered to
The beautiful Jewess.
Now, in Russia it Is a very serious busi-
ness to threaten anyone wearing the uni
form ofthe mighty" Czsr; but to threaten
Chief of Police in Siberia is an otfense so
grave that very heavy punishment is the
penalty. Indeed, many a poor fellow mas
been done to death for it; that is he has
been tiogged so severely that he has died
under the aff1iclion.
In Siberia even the petty officials have
more individual power than their superiors
in St. Petersburg or Moscow, and they use
it like tyrants. In this respect they do but
copy their master, the Little Father-that
is, the Gar; and all they do, and all the
| cruelty they practise, they do For God and
the Gar; which is a parrot cry heard from
one end OF the country to the other.
The persecution OF the Jews, the whole
sale arrests that periodically take place OF
young men and women who claim the
right to speak the thoughts of their minds,
the sufferings caused to the wretched exiles
everything is done For God and the
Car" What the Czar, clothed in purple
and fine linen, thinks, as he sits in his
gorgeous palace, wiltully deaf to the wall
ings and means of his subjects in chains,
no man knoweth. But-it would be
| reverence for the God on high to sup
pose that He looks favorably on the bar
| baritiesI that are carried out in His name.
And yet For God and the Gar" comes trip
pingIy offthe tongue of every Russian who
wears the uniform and who i'll the execu-
| ton of his duty is called upon to torture
| and break the hearts of his fellow-men.
Ivan Alexieff, being son of the Chief oil
| Police, had fair kno owledge of the power
| which officials possessed; and when the ex-
citement had passed awayand he found him
| self an inmate of cell in the Perm prison,
| he began to reflect seriously upon his posi-
| tion. And the more he reflected the more
| il became convection with him that he
was in a dilemma from which he would
not by any meane find it easy to extricate
| himself
He learned, too, before he had been many
| hours there how supreme was the power
| of the petty Governor, whose pride had
him TO jelly that it seemed as If nothing
short of the threatener's blood would ap-
pease him. Placed in dark, damp cell,
| fed on the coarsest food subjected
to all sorts of indignities includ-
, ing that of having to wear the
the CALLING leg fetters, Ivan realized that
| for his hastily uttered words a weighty
| things tine punishn ent and indignities-
affected him not a jot as compared with
| the anguish he suffered in being separated
from Rachel.
The influence that she had exercised over
him all unwittingly was so enormous
that he was irresisti bly, swayed this way way
and that as the needle is swayed by the
magnet. He could not shut her out OF his
dreams; could not exclude her from hi:
waking thoughts. Her face of exquisite
beauty was as al effulgent star that, shin
ing full into his eyes, SO dazzled him thai
he was blind to all else: For. hsl
sake he had sacrificed much, risked much
for her eekc he would have
gone through fire and water tc
use q homely phrase-at her command
Therefore, it was doubly hard now, wheI
he had disguised his own identity, to tlnc
/ himself prisoner in a Siberian prison OF
a charge that might end in his being sen
an exile to one o the lonely stations, in th'
Arctic Tundra. And every day that passed
brou hit him the agonizing thought that
she was farther from him. 1t was like {
hot searlng iron burning intoi hi
brain, while his heart seemed to be grip
ped with hand of ice. He fretted ane
fumed until he felt tempted to burst hi
chains and make furious break for Hber
But when the first heat ofhis anger anc
passion had burned itself out and he wa
enabled to reason calmly, he could not fai
10 recognize that his only hope of escape
was by the exercise of cunning, by patience
by watchfulness, by waiting without com
plaint for the opportune moment; and ever
then there were thousands of chances
against his success. For the Perm prison
is one ofthe best guarded prisons on thu
eastern tide of the Ural Mountains; and 81
stern and rigid are the rules that prisonel
Dnce shut up there might abandon hop'
entirely.
But ivan was not aware all this, anC
instead of abandoning hope he fed upon it
It nourished him. 1t brought hin
sleep at night; it comforted him by day. l
kept him, in short, from going raVing mad
And yet, as the days began to stretch into
weeks, this hope fickered and grew dim
Tor he was forced to the conclusion that th'
come. When he did fully realize this, h
almost broke down with despair, and i
was while in that condition that he be-
thought him of course that would prob
bly, free him from his chains and open hi
prison door. 1t was desperate venture
out as the losing gambler stakes his las
coin on the hazard Of the throw that is t.
decide his fate SO did Ivan stake his who'll
on this hazard. And having made up hi
mind, he sent short note to the Governor
In which he said
II crave that your great nobility will
grant me an in: erview. l can make reve
Iation, for my name is not Paul Turnigieh
and am not a fur merchant"
In such a country of treason and plotting
as Russia is, a note of that kind was boun'
to attract attention, and Ivan had not mis-
calculated its power, for the Governor sen
Ior him almost Immediately.
During the interview the prisoner mad
known who he was. That is, that he wa
Ivan Alexietf, son Of Peter Alexieff, form
] ri, Of of of M
Governor ofSakhalin.
This story very naturally caused th
| Governor OF Perm to open his eyes il
astonishmenS for he knew Peter Alexie1
very WELL having formerly held subordin
ate po oition, in the secret police of 81
Petersburg, and to some ext'nt he was be
holden to Peter for little services rendered
Therefore haYing satisfied himself tina
Ivan really was the person he represente
| himself to be, he was disposed to deal len
emily and kindly with him. But he ques
toned him closely as to his reasons 70
trayeliing under an assumed name, and i
company with Jewess.
1t hid been Iyans intention to conceal,
possible the true motives that had promp
ed him to take the journey; but he sa'
clearly enough now that any attempt {
concealment could only result in sti
further complicating matters, and thu
an apparent frank and ope
AVOW&L was IlKely 10 advantage III
more than anything else coul
p. under the circumstances, But still,
so framed this avowal as to avoid conve,
= ing the impression that he was actuate
] by any serious feelings of love for Rache
and the gist of his statement was this
!. He had quarreed with his father befol
= his father had left st. Petersburg. Th
! now repenting him of his folly he WI
anxious to join his iather, but fearing tn,
he might experience great difficulty in o.
tanning the necessary permission to trave
as the strained relations between himse
and his father were well known, he ha
bethought him of taking tho name of
friend with whom he was well acquainte
As for his travelling in company vii
Jewess, we'll, that was easi
explained. Rachel was woma
she had the beauty of no ordinary kin
he was man and Young one, and hf
; felt the fascination of that beau y. AS 81
was travelling tliesame route as himself
saw no reason why he should not take h
under his protection.
His artflfi argument, artfully contriy'
to convey n false imbfesfqh, was so far {