The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-10-06

CHAPTER XIII-CoNTINUED.
But she did not attempt to reply. She
mad come there not to argue points of
theology with him, but to plead for her
fathers happiness and life. She saw now,
| however that she had made mistake, and
| her racial pride caused her To feel that it
| were better that both she and her father
died than that they should be under an
| obligation to such q heartless tyrant as
| Peter Alexieff And so she remarked, as
she drew her veil about her face again:
Mercy is not in you. So be it. l will
go, and in Heavens good time the wrOnged
shall be righted, and mayhap your eyes
will be opened to your errors"
She turned and in the doorway still
| stood Pavloff, barring her exit.
''Stay," said Alexieff commandingly,
and with a low chuckle as of triumph.
Rachel turned to him once more, and now
| for the first time q thrill of fear swept
through her, for she realized that this man
was her Toe and her fathers foe. "You
| say" he continued, that some day may
hap my eyes may be opened to my error.
l claim not to be free from errors, but my
eyes can see them not for has not your
father deprived me of part of my sight?
That is wrong that all your tears, all his
repentance and all the wealth he could
command could not right No, woman,
hate your father with hate that not even
he should die yet, for / would rend and
crush his heart, and torture him as he has
tortured me-"
Rachel uttered suppressed cry, and a
rising sob choked something she would
have said. Alexieff struck a bell that stood
upon his desk. Pavlof moved on one side,
and two gendarmes entered, their swords
drawn.
This woman" said Alexieff, ''has utter
ed threats against me and used seditio us
language. She is your prisoner"
He had been writing as he spoke, and
handing to one of the gendarmes an order of
committal, which, as Chief OF the Police,
he had full power to do under the despotic
laws of Russia, he added: You are re-
sponsble for her until you place her in the
safe keeping of LtoYskiv Zamok. Go. You
know your duty"
For some moments Rachel looked as
though she had been suddenly turned to
stone But as the gendarmeS laid their
hands upon her shoulders she shuddered,
and with that shudder a strange change
seemed to come over her. She drew her
veil on one side with movement of pas
sion, and with eyes of fire she looked at
AIexieff until he quailed.
You are traitor and dog, she Kissed,
excitedly. But vengeance will ,oyertake
you, or Heaven itself will be unjust"
Remove her." cried the Chief OF the
Police hoarsely; and, obeying the order,
the gendarmes led her out. Then, turning
to Pavlotf, who waited his chiefs pleasure,
AieXietf said: "My son is safe, any way;
and if l can prevent it, it will be long ere
the prison doors swing open to let her
free"
One would have thought that with this
daring move Peter Alexieff would have
been satisfied, for he knew only too we'll
that he could trump up information that
would serve to keep Rachel in prison in
definitely. But that was not enough for
HIM. lie wished not only to humiliate
butt crush the spirit ofthe unfortunate girl,
and his position enabled him to do it eff
fectually.
Three days later he went to Litoysiky
Zamok with his friend and patron Count
SuVorof, who, amongst many other official
duties he undertook, was that Of inspector
of prisons. The coward, Peter Alexieff
was determined that Rachel should be
hogged, fogging being one of the common
est punishments in all the prisons, and re-
sorted to OH the slightest provocation. He
had told the Count that Rachel had not
only threatened him but had used the most
violent language: in speaking of the Gar
and of Russia. The Count was only too
ready TO believe anything that was said
against the Jews, and, as his mind had
been greatly infamed against Arama, he
teioiced when he heard that Rachel had
been incarcerated.
'What of your new prisoner, the Jewess?"
he asked ofthe governor ofthe prison, who
bore the reputation of being particularly
brutal person.
''She is refractory" answered the govern
or.
Now, it should be explained what was
meant by being refractory. Rachel had
been delicately nurtured and brought up,
and her whole being revolted against the
dirt, the filth, the coarse fare, and hardship
of the prison. Suddenly called upon to do
the most laborious and degrading work not
only was her strength unequal to it. but
she protested that it was all outrage to ask
her to undertake it, since she had commit
ted no crime. This was what the governor
termed being refractory, and it afforded
AleXietf the very excuse and opportunity
he wanted so, turning to the Count, he
said
cit seems almost difficult to teach these
people lesson, but surely there should be
some means ofgiving this saucy Jewess to
understand that having broken the law,
she must submit to the law"
The Count was not obtuse. He compre-
hended and took the hint.
1.-THE rod should do it. he answered.
'You hear" exclaimed Alexieff, exult-
ingly to the governor. 'Let the woman
be beaten al: once and if it please his great
ness, the Court, he and l will witness the
punishment"
His greatness" signifed that it would
please him, and the governor gave orders
that Rachel was to be prepared.
In ten minutes time they were notified
that the prisoner was ready and then they
went forth to an enclosed courtyard,
where in the centre the unhappy
Rachel was fastened by the wrists and feet
to wooden triangle. Her shoulders were
bare and beside her stood a goaler with a
rod in his hand. This rod consisted of two
1.-the willows fastened together from the
middle upwards by thongs. The victim
was as pale as death, and seemed indeed to
be almost in q state of stupor. But when
she beheld Alexieff the blood rushed into
her face, dyeing it scarlet, her bosom rose
and fell rapidly by reason of the passion
presence of this man who stood and
goated while the punishment was
administered, she received twenty-four
strokes with the rod, until her shoulders
and the upper part of her breast-where the
ends of the willow twisted round--where a
mass of veal and blood. Quail she did and
finch she did, for who would not have
done so under that cruel torture? but no
sound escaped her lips. She set her teeth
and endured in silence. But when she was
released and a rug was thrown over her
bleeding shoulders. she cast one look at
Alexieff as she was being led away and that
look ought to have haunted him to his
dying day But he was not a man who
concerned himself much with thoughts
about the future; though, whatever the
| future might have in store for him, the
| present had given him his revenge, and for
| the time he was satisfied.
CHAPTER XIV.
FOR A woMAN's SAKE.
Ordinary language could not depict Ivan
| Alpyietf'S sorrow and concern when he