Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-02-09
CHAPTER XXXVI.

prisoner or shoot any refugee that comes
within his reach"
CHAPTER XXXVI.
FREEDOM AT EUBLE ADAY.
You seem to treat the danger pretty
lightly" said Gordon. Perhaps you are
tired of liberty"
Not bit of it. have just bought free
dom for three days at the rate Of ruble q
day, and here it is, said Ivan Dontremem-
Der, striking the sack on which he sat.
What have you got theref" Gordon
! asked eagerly.
Freedom, tell you, for three days. It's
indispensable. How long do you think you
are going to keep up on fir cones? Twelve
hours at the outside, should say, BY the
look of madam"
What have you got in the sack, I ask
Gordon repeated savagely.
Bread, and I'll guard it rs I would nv
life" Ivan Dontremember answered, catch
ing the CLEAN of desperation which lit my
eyes as well as Gordon's.
I'VE are starving; ehave eaten nothing
for four days. You must give US some"
You can get as much as you want at the
post. schemyl must keep his prisoners
alive till the patrol comes round to collect
them. Why should shorten my term OF
freedom to prolong yoursf"
Cor Ion looked at me- shall we give our
selves ups" his eyes asked, and mine an
sweiing YES" he held out his hand to me
and said:
Come"
Il am afraid you are leaving with a bad
opinion of me-" said Ivan Dontrememher
as rose. That's the worst of being per
fectly reasonable-one's sure to offend some
amiable fool. Now. if you only had a ruble
or two"-
WHAT" cried Gordon. tearing open his
coat to get at his note case. "YOu will sell
your liberty"
"Of course will. Schemyl always keeps
| good stock on hand on the chance of a
moneyed customer dropping in. Plenty
more where this came from. he continued,
untieing his sack and producing loaf.
Its rather a high price-a ruble a loaf,
pretty nearly half q crown of your money
but these poor government officials must
live"
Without a word Gordon snatched q note
from his case, thrust it into VANS hand
and took possession of the loaf Then, with
horrible laughter, we tore the loaf in two
and ate with the ravenous fury of starved
beasts. For time we forgot everything
but the animal joy of satisfying our crav-
ing appetite. Whether Ivan spoke to us or
not do not know. It was not until our
hunger had been appeased that we could
think Of him.
What right have you to- put temptation
In a poor devils way!" he growled DO
you know the value Of the note you gave
mel"
Gordon shook his head, still eating.
IA thousand rubles-three years free
doml Lifelong freedom, who knowsi Take
1t bach. or may be tempted yet to knock
you on the head"
He pushed the note into Gordon's hand
knees. dropped his bristly red beard In his
palms and rocked himself slowly backward
and forward, scowling into the fire.
Gordon looked at him and then at me in
silent perplexity: we both doubted whether
emily glancing round and perceiving that
Gordon still held the note in his hand, Ivan
Dontremember said angrily:
PUT it away, l tell you-hide it up.
Don't you know that the forest is alive
with desperate mem Any one of them
would murder the pair Of you to get that.
Why shouldn't they. Necessity knows no
law but self preservation. Do you know it
was in my mind to brain you as you sat
there in an ecstasy of animal pleasurei At
least you would have gone out Of the world
happy; it would have saved you-and the
government-years of trouble, and me too
oh, there was enough justification. Rear
son was on my side and opportunity a.
we'll. You would have done it in my place.
There was murder in your eye when you
asked for bread. Bread is only q means to
living; the end Of living is freedom. A
man will fight for life while there's hope
Of freedom; when that hope Is gone, he Will
blow his brains out"
with your views" said Gordon, II am
surprised that you did not at least make
off with the note"
Perhaps l overlooked that alternative
in the greater temptation to kill you. The
probability was that you had other notes
in your case-money enough to make escape
certain"
IF you felt yourself justified. why didn't
you kill me?"
For fool Of a reason-a sentimental
one Something in your build, your face
not the murderous expression in 1t, you
may be sure-deterred me. felt. Just at
the critical moment, as il I were about to
kill my dearest friend. And can't shake
off this womanly feeling while l look at
you-that's the queer thing"
Some personal resemblancei" Gordon
suggested.
ivan Dontremember nodded gloomily
and turned his eyes again on the fire.
Its an odd coincidence that my resem-
blance to Russian has not only saved nv
life, but was the cause of my life being in
jeopardy"
What Russian" asked Ivan, turning
quickly.
'Taras-Prince Borgensky."
"Taras" cried Ivan. starting to his feet
as be alivei"
He was when We left him not two
months ago."
where was he thenp'
I'm London"
THANK the latest"
You know himf"
What honest Russian who lived five
years ago does not know Taras?"
Then he broke into Russian, apostro-
phizlng Taras with poetical fervor in words
that l failed to follow. Suddenly he
Checked himself, and turning to us he said.
as If to excuse himself:
Il have been dead five years and buried
In the fortress of Petropavlovsk. One hears
nothing there. There was no political pris-
oner IN our gang-all cutthroats and
could tell me nothing
W hat should they know of Tarast"
AND after pause he added. with pa
.hetic tremor in his voice:
thought he must be dead, too-my
friend"
He walked slowly round tho fro IN in
luige his reflections, touching an ember
lere and there absently with his stick.
'oming close to where We sat, silent j.,
he said: 1
Did you know bim-Taras;"
Intimately"
rs he wells What is he doings How {
oes he pass his daysi Tell me all about {
i'm"