The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-30

"
blance, nothing more''
Maurice was readily satisfied with
this explanation, but an hour later, as
he tossed sleeplessly on his bed, he
wondered vaguely whether that could
have been Vladimir Saradoff or not.
The features were very like those of
his uncle, he felt sure.
Puzzling over this and various other
incidents Of his trief visit, he fell
asleep.
The boys were awakened early, and
after q hasty breakfast, eaten by the
light OF huge bronze lamps, Ivan an
nounced that the sleigh was waiting to
convey them TO the station. At his re-
quest the boys handed him their pass
ports.
He refused to accept any money for
the railway tickets
His excellency your uncle has given
me instructions, he said quietly. dis
tress yourself about nothing"
ST. Petersburg was silent as the grave
when they drove away from Vladimir
Saradoff's mansion.
AS the more central parts of the city
were reached some activity was noticed,
and at the railway station all was hur-
ry and excitement.
ut is ii hours to Moscow" said
Ivan. "You will want sleeping apart
ments. Stay here while get the tick
cts"
In tho brief period that he was gone
Maurice found time to examine the card
given him the day before by the Rus.
sian officer. He read it aloud, Colonel
Alexis Jaroslav, st. Petersburg.
"Pll put that away safely" he said
to his companion. Il may meet the
colonel some day after our return from
Moscow"
Little did Maurice think under what
would next meet
He had barely time to replace the
card in the inner pocket of his vest
when Ivan came hurrying back with
the tickets, and in 20 minutes they
were rafting over the frozen land to-
ward the distant city of Moscow.
The sleeping apartments were quite
as comfortable as those on American
railways, and the boys slept undisturb-
ed until long past noon. Then they took
their places by the window, eager to
see the country they were travelling
through. The landscape was fiat and
monotonous, relieved at long intervals
by struggling villages and occasional
lonely dwellings,. Thus the afternoon
wore on, and the short day came to an
end.
Shortly after dark Ivan gave the boys
their passports, which they placed in
their pockets without examining.
81 have had them properly stamped, !"
he exclaimed. "Thus you will have no
delay at Moscow.
"How near are we to the city?" ask
ed Maurice.
Half an hours ride" was the reply,
and after piling the boys baggage on a
seat IN front of them Ivan entered a
rear car.
"'It is difficult to believe that we are
really approaching Moscow, said
Maurice. 81 feel quite reconciled al
ready to leaving st. Petersburg"
1--WE been thinking about Napoleon
! and the terrible retreat of his army all
the afternoon" said Phil. II wonder
if any traces still remain of the great
fre?''
Suddenly the train slowed up and
then stopped abruptly with little jerk.
Looking out of the window, the boys
saw a stretch of trodden snow, and the
feeble glow from couple of lampposts
shone on little group of gendarme Off
GERS, with white caps ornamented with
crimson cockades, and half a dozen
mounted Cossacks in the background,
with their dull green uniforms.
"Why, this is not Moscow, exclaim-
| ed Maurice. "There are no houses in
sight. Why have we stopped, and what
| is going on?"
The other passengers i'll the car, half
q dozen in number, fiocked curiously
! to the window At that instant the door
was thrown open, and a grave, stern
| faced man in heavy military cloak and
| cap strobe in, followed by half dozen
gendarmes who carried drawn swords.
The passengers, divining only toe
well the cause of this interruption,
| Withdrew in fear to their seats.
The officer halted before the wonder
ing boys.
| Passports" he demanded sternly,
| and as they were handed to him he
| glanced them over briefly and thrust
them il.to his pocket.
He nodded to the gendarmcs behind
him, who instantly seized the pile OF
baggage, and then he clapped Maurice
and Phil OH the shoulder in manner
| that was unmistakable.
"What do you want?" cried Maurice
in bewilderment. lis anything wrong
with our passports? Where is Ivan? Ht
can explain this blunder. F"
But Ivan was nowhere to be SEEN
| AS the boys hesitated the officer gave
an emphatic command in Russian, anc
instantly the gendarmes closed in OIL
them and dragged them roughly from
the car. Their baggage had already
preceded them.
Reaching the ground, they had a
brief view of lonely, deserted street
two long rows of glimmering lamp