The Portland daily press., 1898-05-02
COPYRIGHTED, 1897, By
CHAPTER XXXL.-Continued

CHAP TER XXXL-Continued
At first it had occurred to me to travel
on to St. Petersburg, and there endeay-
our to learn from police official OF my
acquaintance whether Sonia Korolenko
had been heard of lately, but on reflection
1 saw that every precaution would no
doubt be taken by her. in order that the
police should not be made aware or her
presence in Russian territory. strange
vagary of fate it seemed that through
my own action in obtaining 1or her
false passport she had been enabled to es-
cape, and that my own endeavours had
actually thwarted my own ends. AS L
paced the railway platform with the
brilliant afterglow shedding welcome
light across the dead level country so
jealousy guarded by the green-coated
sentries in their black and white striped
boxes, and Cossaek pickets, each with
his "nagaika'' stuck in his boot, 1 re-
membered with falling heart how this
woman whose fame was notorious
throughout Europe had told me that once
past this portal of the Cars huge do
5 main all traces of her would be obliterat-
cd completely. This fact in itself con-
WINGED me that she had never intended to
travel direct to St. Petersburg, and it be-
came impressed upon me that in order to
trace her it would be necessary to first
visit the little out-of-the-world town of
Skerstymone, that was situated long way
to the north along the frontier. With
that object 1 allowed the St. Petersburg
express to proceed, and after an hours
wait entered local train, alighting at
small town euphoniously termed Pilwiszki
where I spent the night in an exceeding
ly uncomfortable inn.
Next day learnt with satisfaction that
this town was situated on.the main post
road between Maryampol and Rossieny,
and that about thirty miles due north
along this road was SkerStymone. The
- -
vided me with a ricketty old cart and a
pair of shaggy horses, driven by an I'M
couth-looking lad, wearing an old peaked
capsso large that his brows and eyes were
hidden. At An hour before noon l set out
upon my expedition. Our way lay across
the poundless Nawa steppe, a plain that
stretched away as far az the eye could
reach without single tree to break its
monotony, until at wretched little
village called Katyle we forded shallow
stream, the Penta, and presently passed
through the town of Szaki. Soon after
that Jolted us terribly land for many miles
we travelled through pine forest until
at last We found ourselves at the ferry
before Skerstymone.
In the mystic light of evening the place,
standing ON the opposite bank of the
Neimen, presented novel ana rather
picturesque aspect with its wooden
houses with their green and brown roofs
of painted sheet-iron, but when landing
from the ferry I was soon 'undeceived. 1t
was one of those towns best seen from a
distance The dirt and squalor were hor-
rible. For fortnight I remained at the
wretched little inn making inquiries in
all quarters, but could hear nothing of
the pretty dark-eyed girl who had earned
such unenv1able notoriety, and who in
Vienna spent such an enormous sum in a
single year that her extravaganza had be-
s11 l. ,NDIr
less of cities. That she had been there
there was certain from what Bingham
had told us, and somehow I had an in
sti2ctive feeling that the dainty-handed
refugee had assumed fresh identity, it
being dangerous for hor to proceed further
into Russia, SO well-k nown was She
Therefore with fixed determination I still
prosecuted my inquiries everywhere
found the police regarding me with con
siderable mistrusb, for the officers Of
public order are everywhere ubiq uitous
in the giant empire of the Gar.
The hot July sun shown on the dusty
streets; through the open windows of the
whitewashod barrack-like government
Office the scratching of pens could be
heard; the ''factors," agents who offer
their services to strangers lolled in the
shade keeping watchful eye upon any
and looking out eagerly for a ''geschaft. -
or stroke of business. The townspeople
eyed me distrustfully as ] wandered aim
lSssly about the streets where tumble.
down novels alternated with endless ex-
panses of grey, moss grown wood fences
and plots Of waste gro und heaped with
rubbish ana offaL Che place was full OF
horrible smells, filth, rags and dirty
children. who enjoyed themselves by roll.
ing in the white dust. At either end OF
the noisy, evil-smeliing place a post-road
led out along the bank of the sluggish
at 10 ,t7.ar, 70 h<
town on the German side was a
''schlagbsin, aYpole painted with the
national colours that served as toll-bar
in charge of sleepy invalid soldier in q
dingy old uniform with furnished
oocarde on his cap, who looked the very
incarnation of undisturbed slumber.
Life in Kovno was by no means divert
ing. Truly Skrstymone was wretche6
half-starved, miserable little place of ter
ribiy depressing aspect, notwithstanding
the brilliant sunshine and blue sky.
The long, gloomy days dragged by, buI
lenko. 1t was evident thatiif she had evel
been there she had passed under some
other name, and that her identity hal
been lost before my arrival here.
One warm morning, while seated out
side "kabak" moodily watching the.old
woman in the market selling their twist
ed rolls of bread called "kalach'' an i'll
dressed man approached me, and touch
ing his shabby cap respectfully. pro
noitnced my name with strong Russian
accent, at the same time slowly sinking
upon the wooden bench beside me. HI
was tall and squraely built, with coarse bu1
expressive features. His long grey hail
was matted and unkempt; his low brow
protruding jaws and the constant (which.
ing of his facial muscles reminded me O.
a monkey, but the stern eye shining from
beneath pair of bushy. overhangine
brows, spoke of indomitable energy
c-everness, and cunning. They never
changed; and while the rest of his face
was perfect Kaleidoscope Whenever ht
spoke, the expression of his eyes remained
ever the'same