Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-07
MY PEDDLER::
against All the Wond.
By MELCHI0R DE VOGUE,
THE NEWLY FAMOUS MEMBER on TIN,
FRENCH ACADEMY.


cn!iu heart yearned for something
70 stay the course of justice about to 90
astray-something that would justify
tne Judges In suspendinQ sentence on
tnis innocent woman, and in my despair,
l, zoo nxed my gaze upon the door of the
court room. hoping and praying that
Anton Petrovitch might push it open
and call out:
"Hold, I'm Anton Petrovitch! Akou-
lima Is innocent. I'm ready to swear it!n
AT that instant a ripple of childish
laughter danced through the gloom of
the vast chamber like a sunbeam. It
was one of Akoulina's children soon to
become an orphan, for in few moments
their mother would be as good, nav
worse, than dead to them. Who would
take care OF the poor little creatures;
VINO would work herself to death for
them as Akoulina had done?
l saw the eyes OF the Judges turn
toward the spot whence the soft mu-
steal sound had come. Oh, will it not
Incline their hearts to mercy for that
wretched mother? All, no, it was not to
De, Tor ! now saw the presiding justice
nervOusly adjust his robe and arrange
his papers. They were about to retire
Tor consultation. They were absent for
brief moment, but in that brief mo-
ment ! seemed to live lifetime. My
heart rose in my throat. sank upon
the bench beside me and covered my eyes
with my hands, heard nothing, saw
nothing until the low, solemn, measured
tones OF the President of the court
aroused me. l uncovered my eyes The
presiding Judge was on his feet. holding
paper in his hand.
Then, as il convinced that all hone
was gone. Akoulina started up with q
t2rrl0le look OF mingled terror and de-
spafr on her face Without taking her
eyes of the cruci6x suspended on the
wall, she stretched her hands behind
her, and, while feeling for the heads of
her children and pronouncing their
names with voice broken by heartrend-
Ing sobs, she fell in a heap, half upon
the bench and half on the floor. Tbsn,
as she stretched her trembling hands up
toward the figure of the crucfied Savior,
she burst out in piteous accents: ooh,
Christ, dear Lord, save me! Have mercy
on thy servant, have mercy on her chill
dren!"
The scene which now ensued beggars
description. The peasants threw them
selves with sobs and lamentation on
their knees, stretched their hands out
toward the crucfix, and repeated, in
tones OF pleading tender enough to melt
heart OF stone: "Oh, Christ, dear Lord,
save her She is innocent! Have mercy
on her; have pity on her children!"
An ashen pallor came upon the faces
OF the judges and court officers. No
one dared to move finger or stir a
hand. A deep and mysterious silence
fell upon the vast assemblage. no
longer looked toward the door. No,
raised my eyes reverently to the ceiling,
for it seemed to my boy heart that
hnAVQD yUnnlH ha oh1o N unit hot
such an appeal, and l expected every in
slant to see the ceiling open and CO.
lestial messenger, with wings and raj
ment more radiant than the dawn, de-
scend and lift the wretched Akoulina
from the floor where she now lay pros
trate and lifeless.
Suddenly deathlike knell rang out.
solemn and clear, in that great silent
chamber. The cock had begun to strike
the hour Of noon. Never had l in my
keenest grief suffered any pain like that
which now oppressed me. Every one of
those awful strokes seemed to fall upon
my very heart, Earring it to the core.
tried to count, but it was impossible, for
while could feel the hammer shifting
my heart, yet in my ears there was but
one deep, dull, continuous roar.
now saw that Akoulina, with sud-
den movement, had partially raised her
self from the floor, and, while still in
kneeling posture, with one arm clutch
ing her eldest child convulsively to her
bosom and with the other clinging to the
railing, was watching the door of the
courtroom with an expression of terri !
BILE intensity as her lips moved in keep
ing tally of the strokes of the great |
clock.
Involuntarily hundred heads turned |
l. Hx,,sn
were riveted upon that doorway.
l held my breath, although there was
q choking sensation in my throat
1t came at last! With the same re-
morseless elaboration that hammer
struck its eleventh blow and went to its
twelfth and last! AS it fell, there was
rush, q whirr, q creaking. The door
flew open and struck against the wall
with bang that sent tremOr through
me and made me start backward like one
brought face to face with some dead
friend to whose wretched soul the
prayers of man have been pOwerless to
give repose.
CHAPTER III.
A subdued and long-drawn half sigh,
half groan, burst from the assembly.
Anton Petrovitch had not come. l knew
1t before ell the others, for the wrinkled
hand of the intruder. with its strangely
shaped nails. was as well known to me
rs my own. l needed not to await the
appearance of the mans body, wrapped
in its rude and torn sheepskin.
"Uncle Fedia," murmured to myself,
as the peddler stepped quite within the
and closed the door behind
him. l was closer to him than any one
in the great hall-so close that my sensi-
tive nOstrils caught that same Odor Of
which I've already spoken. He saw me,
and his lips moved, and although l whis-
pered, "Uncle Fedia," yet he seemed not
to hear me. His small, deep-set, spark
ling eyes were riveted upon the three
judges for moment, and then they
glanced timidly at Akoulina and her
children, and as l was looking him
straight into the face could see that
his scanned and bearded countenance
softened, and that his eyes lighted up
with the same kindly CLEAN with which