Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-12-13
BETRAYED BY LOVE.

Kaffsky was born genius, destined in
time to soar to the dizzy heights of pro-
fessiOnal chair. So at least said his profess
Ors at the University of st. Petersburg.
We students likewise held hil1-in awe and
hedged him around with reverental ostra-
cism.
That same KafTsky used to Squander his
days and nights over mathematics ard
chemistry and half dozen q iIdrCd sci.
enCes as if life were to last S,r eternity.
We did not believe in man having so
many irons in the fire, and we limited our
own efforts to the accomplishment of one
single task-the regeneration of mankind
as preliminary step to the remodeling Of
Russian society.
We had weighed Kaffsky in the political
balance-the only one in vogue at Russian
universities ten years ago-and had found
him sadly wanting.
He was member Of none Of the three
churches, outside of which there is no sal
vation-that of the sworn conspirators,
who edited forbidden political journal,
Land and Liberty, Matched plots against
the state and sometimes helped to carry
them out; that of unswOrn conspirators,
from whom the former were usually re-
cruited, and the bulk of students who
sympathizcd with everything and every
body who embarrassed the government.
And to crown all, we had just heard of
his impending marriage. "A nice time to
be thinking of marrying and feathGring
his nest" we remarked to each other,
"just when the pillars of the social edifce
are giving way and we are doing our best
to pull them down, in order to build up
something betterp'
When the name of the future bride was
mentioned, those among us who knew her
were staggered n bit Anna Pavlona
Smirnova was not Venus. But if she
had much less beauty than her photograph
which is II common failing of women
she had good deal more wit, which is
not by any means so common.
Although apparently young enough to
be his daughter, Anna Pavlona was Kaff-
sky's senior by five or six years, and to
make matters still more mixed she was IL
red radical at heart.
Formerly her democratic views had got
her into hot water with the authorities,
and it was not without considerable diff
Guilty that she had obtained her present
position as teacher in girls gymnaSy
which enabled her to live in modest com
potency with her widowed mother.
The police we knew, had twice or thrice
made elaborate inquiries about Kaffsky,
had noted his comings in and gUings out
and had set watch upon his actions.
PlqtofT, when arrested week ago, CHANGED
to have KafTsky's card in his pocket and
was subjected to long secret cross ex-
animation about his dealings with him.
"As well suspect the stone sphinxes at
the NikOlai bridge as that piece of stuck
up seIfshness called Kaffsky," exclaimed
Lavroff.
'There must be some reason for the sus-
picion, cried Brodsky. There's always
fire where there smoke, and as we know
there's no fire here then there cannot pos
sibly be any real smoke. It's matter of
smoked glass specta' -
This remark struck us all as the acme
Of cleverness 1t was warmly applaudcd.
"Wcll, but who can have smoked the gov
ernment's spectacles?' somebody asked
"BoOrman! BoOrman! He alone has
a grudge against Kaffsky," cried half "a
dozen voices.
Now, none Of us had doubt that he
was the Judas Iscariot. His hangdog ex-
preston, his slouching gait, his furtive
glance and stammering deviltry pro-
claimed the nature of the spirit that lived
and worked within him.
The present case strengthened our sus-
picion, for Boorman and Kaffsky had
quarreled years before
Summer vacations were at hand. The
iasxRf the examinations would take place
in ten days and then we should dispense
over the length and breadth of the empire,
many of us never to return again.
Suddenly we were stunned and stupefled
by IA bolt from the blue in the shape of
rumor that Kaffsky had been arrested.
He and Alexeieff had gone to the theater
the night before. They had walked home
together and made an appointment for the
morrow at the university, but at about 2
a. m. Kaffsky had been spirited away and
was now in the secret wing of the Lithu-
anian fortress.
A written request was presented by some
Of the professors, who were beside them
selves with Indignation, that Kaffsky
should be released on bail, just to finish
his examinations and take his degree, for
they knew very well it was all misunder-
standing.