The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-25
WON BY A SIREN
The Romantic Tale OF an Amer
lean Professors Downfall.
Led by the Vyfles OF an AIeutiaa Island
Maiden to Forsake Els Wife and Coun-
y-AsToucilfnS, story OF Life
in this North.

Mai SIR. Nettleton, who was two
years United States special treasury
agent at the Pribysov islands. or Seal
islands as they are sometimes called,
was a close observer Of the customs OF
the Aleultians, and relates many inter
esting anecdotes of his sojOurn there,
says the st. Louis Re public.
''In the far away Pribylov islands
there is a Little convent devoted to a
nameless religion" said Maj. Nettle-
ton. sit has only one occupant. whom
the natives call KchaGka, the Aleutian
nun. She vvorships no invisible divin-
ity and has no theoretical doctrines,
but she teaches her people that if they
live honestly and relieve the sick and
unfortunate they-wiu he rewarded.
years ago, when the islands were
the property of Russia, a Russian
trader came to-the isEandssto exchange
his merchandise for seals;aIns and the
fur Of the silver gray fox He fell in
love with an Aieutian maiden, the
belle OF the island~ and IN the due
course of time they were married.
The trader and his duSky wife made
many VOYAGES between the island and
Russian ports, but one day they were
brought from their ship TO one of the
Alaska Commercial conpauy's huts,
both very III with terrible fever.
With them were two little twin girls,
whose ezuberant health and spirits
were a sad contrast to the condition of
their parents. The next day their
mother died. Her husband was at the
point Of death, but when his dying
wife was brought To his bedside and
asked him 20 givestheir children to her
parents he fecbly assented- When the
Funeral Of has wife was taking place
hc too died. and the two little orphans
were removed to the home Of their
grandmother
''Their lives were uneveutful until
they reached. the age OF sixteen.
Neither had buen TO school, and they
9lne4y nothing Of the outside world, ex-
rept what they remembered of the
fairy tales told to amuse their child
hood fanciss. About this time the
United States purchased ALASKA and
sent young professor from one of the
beading EASTERN universities to the
island on d scientific expedition The
trip was an aCduous one, and ne left
his young wife at home with her rela-
tives. Securing the data and statistics
for which he was sent in a few days,
time hung heavily on his hands, and
the young savant undertook the task
of instructing the beautiful but litter
ate sisters. kchaGlza was an apt pupil,
quafing eagerly from the Pierian
spring. but her sister, although quite
as bright. seemed TO be much more in
terested in her tutor than she was in
her grammar or arithmetic Z he at
Traction was mutual, and when a ship
came on which the young professor
might have returned home he wrote to
mis- wife that he was unexpectedly de-
tainod and could not come home for
another three months. The arrivals Of
ships at the islands were few and far
between, and the next mail brought a
better imploriDg him to return. home,
as his wife was at the point of death.
1t so happened that one of the Alaska
Commercial company's schooneI-s was
Ito sail for San Francisco the following
day. The young professor res0lutely
went Cd board, bribing the boatmen to
refuse to bring his Alcutiau swe stheart
ITO the schooner should she ask them to
do SO.
'"Fhe schooner lay fully a mile from
the shore, and the sailors were already
In the tall raasts spreading the,canvas
preparatory to departure, when one of
them caught sight of q woman swim
ming in the water. She came OH board
and implored the young man To aban
don his idea Of returning homo, or to
stay at least until the next ship Her
Knowledge of English was limited, but
as she lcnelt before him on the deck of
the ship, her dark eyes pleading more
eloquentlv than words, he decided to
forsaka his invalid wife and spend his |
DAYS with his Aleutian love.
"He returned to the island and en- /
deavored to forget the woman whom /
he had promised to love and cherish, /
who, lying at the dark portals of death, .
was longing for parting kiss or last |
embrace before she died. The mail /
which next reached the islands in
formed him that his wife was dead; I
that she died with his name on her /.
lips, and that her last ineligible utter /.
anoe was d hope that he would meet I.
her IN the better land.
"TIe read the letter and fell to the /
floor unconscious. Fully two months .
of faithful nursing saved him from .
dying of brain fever. When he was .
well enough TO return home he mar
ried his Aleutian sweetheart. Rchatka, F.
her sister, refused to leave the islands.
During the epidemic of smallpox. .
which nearly depopulated the islands
s few years ago. she was one Of the .
very few who did not take the disease,
although she was constantly al the
bedside OF the sufferers. The simple .
natives say that the Great Spirit re- +
fused 10 spoil her beauty, that she .
might shine as an angel Of light among
them and teach the road TO the Aleu-
sIan heaven, where seals are plenty and +
it is never cold"
Water for the Eace.
If one Is not fortunate enough 10 /
have al hand very soft water for bath