Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-04-13

to get out the difficulty in any way.
Not single muscle moved in the
PEASANTS naive face.
II see," he said good humoredly.
cts easy to lose ones way in strange
place. You don't come from hereabout
I doubt?"
"No. Well, can you tell me the way
to the village?" said the young man,
wishing to put stop to this catechism
as soon as possible.
"Why, yes. You cross that field and
20 uo on to the hillock there" answered
the peasant in a friendly tone and point
ing with his finger. you'll see some
bushes to the left and path through
the bushes, but it's only footpath,
mind you. Well, you don't turn down
there. Then you'll come to windmill
to the right of you. 1t belonged to the
gentlefolk that used to own our village
in the old time. Well, you don't 60
down that way. Be sure you don't, for
the mills empty. Our folk are breaking
it up for firewood. But you 90 straight
on, and you'll find path all the way.
Keep along by the path as straight as
ever you can 60, and you'll come out
into some little hills, and there, down
in the valley, you'll see our village
It's called Soukhomlia. That's always
been its name, Soukhomlia. When you
get there, you can ask. "
"Thanks," said the Young man and
walked quickly away.
"Good luck to you," called the peas
ant after him.
The young man, without stopping,
turned back and nodded his head.
"He's naught but thief" declared
the peasant when the young man was
out of hearing. He's stolen some
body's bag at the station, I'll be bound,
and wanted to hide it.
The young man meanwhile had
reached the hillock and found the path
and the mill, as the peasant had de-
scribed them. But he did not follow
the direction to 60 straight on. The in
stinctive desire of fugitive to destroy
his tracks made him abandon his first
plan and turn to the left. The thicket
attracted him, and the path seemed
fairly we'll trodden, so that he hoped
to reach some habitation by it.
He walked on for long time-a good
two hours. The thicket was interspersed
with little glades for some way; then
real wood began. He had long ago got
rid of his bag, throwing it into thicket.
A not very close observer might now
have taken him for manservant out
of place, in search Of his luck, and
obliged by poverty to travel on foot.
At any rate he looked dismal enough.
He was very hungry and tired, and
this, together with his sleepless night,
had begun to tell upon him. But this
id not trouble him much. He was far
more worried by sharp pain in one
ankle and a numb feeling in the knee
joint, as though it had received a
blow. Evidently his desperate leap had
not left him quite whole and sound.
Nevertheless he still trudged on and
on. The wood grew more and more
dense, and gradually changed in char
acter. Pine trees began to be more fire.
quent, and in time he found himself in
dark pine grove. The branches Of the
great trees overhung the path. As far
as the eye could reach into the depths
of the grove stretched long avenues of
tall, red brown columns The soil,
friable and barren of underground, was
covered evenly, as with a carpet, with
yellowish fallen needles, which seemed
as if luminous with faint light that
lent something of the mysteriousness of
a temple to the dusky arches.
The young fugitive, now hardly able
to keep from sinking down with ex-
haustion, struggled on and on, taking
no heed of anything, until he suddenly
noticed light shining through the trees,
and presently came out to the edge Of
the wood and saw before him great
sheet of water, all flooded with slanting
rays of sunlight and CLASSY as lake
on still day. 1t was the mother Vol
ga" the great Russian river which he
go loved, and beside which his child.
hood had been spent. The road turned
sharply round to the right beside the
river.
The fugitive, with fresh energy,
tramped on al,ng the bank He was
sure to come lpon houses and people
no~, and lie hoped to find help among
them.
On the opposite bank he could see
villages, looking from across the river
like toy models.
"If were to undress, tie my clothes
into a bundle on my head and swim
across" flashed through his mind.
Certainly no better way of putting
pursuers off the scent could be imagined.
He was good swimmer and could hope
to make the dangerous crossing success
fully. But he began to feel such COM
plete exhaustion throughout all his body
that he gave up the idea of tempting
Providence a second time.
The entire population of the Volga
banks joins in the fishing industry. He
would be sure to find a boat somewhere
that he could buy-seize, steal, If neces-
sary.
TO BE CONTINUED.
"