The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-10-25

n6uJ . bpeCldCItSf SOihCpOuy "ohOU'
"Ah, that's question which each
one must solve for himself, was the
reply. "Boorman, Boormanl He
alone has grudge against Kaffskyp
cried half a dozen voices. Boorman
entered the room shortly afterward,
and silence fell upon us all.
Now, none of us had a doubt that
he was the Judas Iscariot Our very
eyes told us that he was intended for
nothing else His hangdog express
sion, his slouching gait, his furtive
glance and stammering delivery pro-
claimed the nature of the spirit that
lived and worked within him. We
had reasons as plentiful as blackber-
ries for suspecting Boorman, but
conclusive proof we had none. Still
we regarded him as a marked man,
the discovery of whose body in
ditch or well would have provoked
neither sorrow nor surprise, for he
was, or had been, in the counsels of
the Terrorists, and they never for
gave or forgot. The present case
strengthened our suspicion, for Boor-
man and Kaffsky had quarreled
years before at the gymnasy, and al
though they were on speaking terms
at the university there was no doubt
that their hatred was as strong as
ever.
The days glided rapidly blythe
warm, sunny days, followed by the
lightsome nights, which make st.
Petersburg paradise during the lat
ter end of May. Summer vacations
were at hand The last of the ex-
aminations would take place in 10
days, and then we would dispense
over the length and breadth of the
empire, many of us never to return
again. Suddenly we were stunned and
stupefied by a bolt from the blue SLY
in the shape of a rumor that Kaffsky
had been arrested. "Kaffsky2" Rub
bishp "Where7" ''When2" For
what2" were our first EXPLANATIONS.
At first the answers were contradic-
tory Then they gradually con-
verged in this brief account of the
matter. He and Alexeieff had gone
to the theater the night before.
They had walked home together and
made an appointment for the NOR
row at the university, but at 3 a. m.
Kaffsky had been spirited away and
was now in the secret wing of the
Lithuanian fortress. "Incredible"
"Private vengeancem THE secret
police are madW were some of our
commentaries on the narrative.
A written request was presented by
some of the professors, who were be-
side themselves with indignation, that
Kaffsky should be released on bail,
lust to finish his examinations and
take his degree for they knew very
well it was all a misunderstanding
or else base plot Matched by pri-
vate enemy. 1T will be all ground
up fine and come out as -four in the
end" they remarked in the words of
the Russian proverb. But to our ut
ter establishment their request was
refused, and Kaffsky was removed
from the Lithuanian fortress only
to be immured in the more terrible
fortress of Peter and Paul The rec
tor was next asked to intercede for
him, but in spite of his proverbial
readiness to shield his subjects he
counseled patience and thereby an
gered the whole body of the stu
dents.
The excitement caused by the ar
rest was assuming dangerous pro-
portions. Nobody had cared a rap
for Kaffsky a week before, and he
was a most popular hero now. Peo-
pie who had never previously seen OF
heard of him went about preaching
vengeance None of us could have &C
counted for this rapid change if we
had been calm enough to notice it.
1t was not because of the mans loss
of liberty, nor of the loss of his de
gree, though that was much more
serious, nor yet by reason of his him
dered marriage. Perhaps it was
hatred for the heartless informer-
who had been arrested no doubt tC
save him from being lynched-and
sympathy for Anna Pavlovna, whose
womanly feelings had got the better
of her philosophy. She had com
pletely broken down.
One of the professors had been Tc
see her, and the story he told If
would have melted the soul of the
stoniest stole She had been taken
TO her bed, had refused all food, had
forwarded petition after petition t.
the minister Of the interior, and
when it became clear that she might
just as well be sowing salt on the
seashore her mind gave way. The
doctors sent her mother and herself
In post haste to Crimea while there
was still some faint glimmer of hope
that she might be rescued from the
madhouse and the grave. 1t was al
} this conjuncture that we set out Oh
our long vacations.
In October few of us met in St
Petersburg once more-but only 6