The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-10-27
CHAPTER XVIII.
A COMMON BOND OF UNION.

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CHAPTER XVIII.
ACoMMoN BOND OF UNION.
How she shrank within herself; how she
shuddered as she realized the horrors of
that house of woe and pestilence. The bar
racks Tor the women were utterly without
com 'ort of any kind, and more than twice
the number of occupants were there than
should have been according to the cubic
space. The result was that the air was
pcstifereus. Rachel felt as if she
would die of suffocation and in order
to get some relief she crept into the
strongly stockaded yard, where armed
sentries paced to and fro; but at least the
air of heaven blew there uncontallinated,
and above, in the ebony sky, the bright
stars shone. ~
Rachel gazed up to them, and somehow
she seemed to draw hope and courage
from them. All night she crouchtd down
i'll the yard, doing occasionally, and teel-
ing very lonely very desolate, very unhap-
py. But still her purpose sustaiIed her.
and, looking at the stars of heaTen, she
thought
"They shine over Sakhalin. NV father
languishes in Sakhalin. / must "a to him,
and he who holds the stars in His hand
and cteated man will support mf in this
my hour of trial. | am but a veal woman
deeds for loves sake.
After that first night she became more
reconciled to the situation; although it
was impossible to conquer the repug-
nance and loathing she felt for tile awful
place. There were nearly two hundred
women and children crowded into the
horrible den. Some of the women We're
political exiles; some had been condemned
for criminal offences, while the test were
simply accompanying their male relations
to the land oftheir exile.
But on the faces of all was a settled look
of melancholy. How could it be other
wise? For everything that could make life
worth living had been taken from them.
They were going to the land OF desolation,
where harsh treatment and cruel laws pre-
vailed. and where neither suffering nor
sorrow could soften the stony hearts of
those who, with flexible determination,
carried out their orders in the name of God
and the Gar.
For some days Rachel was an object of
curiosity to the women. They wondered
who she vas, where she had come from,
and whittier she was going; and when they
discovered she was Jewess, asof course
they speedily did, some otthem reviled and
Knocked her, and called her harsh names:
But there were others less bigoted and
stupid, who displayed desire toIbe friend
ly, aud showed her sympathy, For her
beauty prevailed with them, andHher gentle
nature won their hearts.
Amongst these was young woman about
her own age, named Catherine Petrovna,
who was accompanying her husband to
Eastern Siberia. Catherine was coarse and
vulgar as compared with Rachel but still
she was a woman of intense feeling, and of
great power of will. Her husband Paul
was Nihilist. Compromising documents
had been found in his possession and he
had been condemned after trial to hard
labor for life; first at Sakhalin, afterwards
at the kara mines, with prospects of being
allowed to settle as colonist when he had
served twenty years of his sentence.
BY profession Paul was an architect, and
had had excellent prospects; but having
managed to offend noble tor whom he
had been doing some work, the grand per-
sonage struck him. Paul struck back with
interest, and for that he was fined heavily
and imprisoned,
The injustice-for injustice 1t was--- made
Nihllist of Paul, and when he came out
of prison he allied himself with con-
spiracy which had for its object general
revolution. The conspirators, however
were betrayed by one of their ownnumber.
They were all arrested. Two we're sent
10 Schlusselberg and were heard of no
more; the rest were banished to Siberia.
Such was the story that Catherine poured
into RachePs ear; and in telling it she dis
played a tierceness that made it evident she
could be dangerous. She regardelher hus-
band as q deeply injured man, and she
spoke of the authorities in terms Of I'M
measured hatred. In whispered invective
she abused the Gar, his advisers, the rulers
generally, and declared that Russia was
rotten to the core.
So full was she of her wrongs and her
woes, and so bitter was her hatred against
everyone IN authority-for she made no
distinction, she drew no line of demarca-
of cl1o To hot
possibly she might be betraying herself in
TO the hands of the enemy in thus freely
unburdening her mind to a stranger. But,
after all, there is a certain magnetic
influence exercised by some people
which at once begets our confidence
and the woman Petrovna was iDsensibly
drawn to Rachel, and led to disclose her
feelings even against her will. Rachel
listened Latiently, with a deep and absorb
ing interest, and remarked at last when
the other had nothing more to tell
You are going with your husband OF
your own free will2'
Have you been msrried,l ong2n
"But year; and my Paul is the world
to me. They have ruined him; but per-
haps our day will come"
4Hush," Said Rachel. at is necessary
to be careful. Spies are everywhere The
I
PTrue, true murmured Catherine. 'The
land Is cnrsed and there Is no freedom for
the common people. Even ones thoughts
are not ones own"
There is all the more reason, then, why
weshould be careful, said Rachel regarding
Catherine, with fresh interest, as she
realized that there was a good deal i'm COM
mon between them. They had both been
wronged; III Y had both suffered; they had
both been rudely forced by circumstances
from their homes, their friends and both
of their own free will were journeying to
the land of desolation for the sake Of those
they loved
You are right" answered Catherine a
little tart y. Perhaps am fool in tell
ing you my secrets. "
II don't think SO" replied Rachel. 8. OF
course you are aware" she added 'that
you will not be allowed to accompany
yolr husband to Sakhalin?"
Yes, they told me. But ! can see him
every three months. That is asmall mercy
though one must be thankful for it, Then
she exclaimed, rs If she had only Just
thought of it "But you haye not told2me
who you are,
I am "a voluntary exile" answered
Rachel, sadly.
"Married4'
No.
| "a lover Is with you, perhaps?p
mo. My lover is already there as Is my
father unless 1t be that the good God has
taken them to their rest"
Why have they been banished? asked
Catherine.
They are Jews" answered Rachel, sig
nificantly.
"Ahl that in itself is crime. The Little
Father and his people hate the Jews"
"Do you hate them2" Rachel asked.
Catherine shrugged her shoulders as she
made reply: II don't know mach about
them. They've never done me any harm.
I danfk Irnnu, xx,bv ohanII 49, ~0ox.la