The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-10-18

slowly ana spoke little, never laughed,
but often prayed 20 God.
In prison Aksenov learned 20 make
boots and earned a little money with
which he bought The Lives OF the Saints.
lie read it when there was light In the
prison and on Sundays ne went to church
ana read the apostles and sang in the
choir. His voice was still good
The prison authorities liked Aksenoy
for his meekness and his felow-prison-
ers respected him. They called him
grandfather" and "AIsn Of Goa" When
they had any requests 10 make 60 the
prison authorities his comrades always
sent Aksenov, and IL they had any quar-
rels 70 settle they also came TO him.
Aksenov got no letters from home, and
did not know whether his wife and chill
dren were still alive or not.
One day gang OF now prisoners con-
demned 10 the mines arrived at the pris-
onOn the evening the old prisoners col
lected round the new ones and began
asking them what towns or villages they
came from and what they were sentenced
for Aksenov also sat down on a bed near
the newcomers and listened with down
cast aiT To what was being said
One OF the new conyicts, q tall. healthy
loo sing man of sixty, with closely
cropped beard, was relating how he had
been taken.
Wei, friends he said II Only took a
horse that was tied 10 "A sedge and
was taken up and accused OF theft. l said
j lad only taken him To get home sooner,
and then had let IL GO besides the driver
was "a personal friend of mine SO | said:
It's all right No they say you've
stolen it, But how or where I stole II
that they could not say. Something did
happen once..,....I should have been
here long ago by rights. but l was not
found out then, and now j have been sent
here for nothing Eh, bat it's all lies. I've
been to Siberia, but did not prolong the
visit"
And where do you come from?'
From Vladimir, we were resident In
that town. My name is Makar. and they
! honor me with the patronymic of Seme-
novitch."
Aksenov lifted his head and said, TELL
me, Semenovitch. have you not heard
anything of the merchants Aksenov OF
Vladimir? Are they still living?'
"Of course / have. They are rich. these
Aksenovs. though their father is in Sibe-
ria sinner like ourselves, ! suppose
And you, grandfather, how did you get
here?"
Altsenov did not care 10 speak OF his
misfortune; he sighed and said. 81 have
been here In penal servitude these twenty
six years for my sins
What sins?"
But Aksenov only said "I suppose
have deserved it,
His companions, however, told the new
I CCr!Icr now Aksenov came to be i'm Sibe-
ria and about the merchant who had been
killed and the knife that was found hid
den among Aksenov's things ard how he
! had been unjustly condemned
When Makar Semenovtch heard all
this he slapped his knee and cried, well.
! this is WONDERFUL It's wonderful, But
| you've grown old, grandfather. The
hers asked him why he was so sur
! prsed and where he had seen Aksenev
/ before but Makar Semcnovitch did not
| answer. He only said: 'It's wonderful
that We should meet here, lads"
These words awakened IN Aksenoy' s
mind the thought that this man knew
who had killed the merchant: so he said,
Perhaps you have heard about this af-
fair or maybe you have seen me some
time, Semenovitch?"
How could ] help hearing? The worlds
full of rumors But it's long since, and l
have forgotten what did hear"
Perhaps you have heard who Killed
I tire mercnHl1r asked Aksenov.
Evidently IL was he in whose bag the
F, knife was found answered Makar Sc
menovitch, with a laugh. Even If some
one else hid the knife there. you know.
no ones a thief until he's found out. Be
sides. how could anyone have showed the
knife into your bag without your hearing
| when 1t was close TO your head?"
When Aksenov heard this he felt sure
| that IL was this very man who had killed
! the merchant. He rose and walked away
| All that night Aksenov kept awake. He
J felt terribly depressed and all sorts OF
3 images arose in HIS mind: the image OF
/ his wife when he parted from her, the
! last time he went to the fair. He seemed
/ to see her as if she were present. her
| L.
/ ing and laughing. Then he saw his chill.
dren. quite little. as they were then, one
with a little cloak on, another at his
| mothers breast. And then he remem.
| bered himself such as ne was then
young and merry. He remembered how
he had sat playing his guitar I'm tn,
porch of the inn where he was arrested
lie remembered the place where he was
| whipped and the executloner and the peo
| pie standing around ;the chains. the con
| victs. the twenty-six years of prison lf,
| and his old age. and felt so low-spiriteC
| that he had thoughts of committing sui
cideS
And It's all that scoundrers fault!
! And he grew so angry with Makar Sc
menovitch that he longed for vengeance
even If he had to perish for ii himself.H
kept repeating prayers all night, bu
could get no peace. During the day he di,
not come near Makar Semenovltch ant
! did not even look at him.
, A fortnight passed In this way. AksenoN
could not sleep at night and felt SO de-
! pressed that he did not know what to &c
! with himself.
one night as he was walking about the
| prison he saw earth falling from undel
! one OF the beds. Suddenly Maknr Seme-
| novitch appeared from under the he'd and
looked up at Aksenov with a frightened
1 face. Aksenov tried 10 pass WITHOUT look.
! ing at him. but ne seized Aksenovs hand
and told him how, he had dug hole un-
der the wall and had carried the earth out
inside his top boots which ne had empt'
fed every day on the way, when the CON