Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-09-19


and the change out Of Tom Nor
latter over toward him with my left
hand.
Your change, Tom," said I. q
"Yes, Of course, said Tom, who was
absorbed In the story he was telling
me. He put out his hand ~ II to pick
the money up, but seemed to remember
somethinG, for he drew his band back
suddenly. :.
"0ood heavsnx. said he. "and 1 had
foreottsn that"
He took out his handkerchief, wrap
ped It around the forehneer Of his right
hand, and thon, with the foredheer SO
covered, gently scraped the money to-
ward him, piece by piece, and earnestly
looked at each coin.
Now, look here. Tom." said l. this
is a very pretty story that you have
been telling me. but don't try and give
It an air of reality by q performance
like that"
You can believe It or not, just % you
IKE" said Tom. ''but-I tell you. Fred,
that piece Of money 10 coming along
this way some day. l have seen 1t
once, and-I left 1t on the table. 1oa
don't catch me touching any coin while
I am certain that one is IN Circulation
But let me conclude what I was telling
you"
.Ur0a is one of the most peculiar
places you could think Of, and one OF
our first duties was to present ourselves
to the Grand Llama We had to get
palanQuin, for 1t was only meet that
Europeans Of our Importance should
70 in state, and It was while en- route
that we suddenly came to the praying
mill. This was a sort Of roundabout,
with huge wooden posts sticking out
at the side, which every Buddhist pass
Ing was supposed to take hold OF, and
push the mill round at least once.
What caused Phil to do what he did
then don't know. but something seem
ed to impel him to get out OF the palan-
0uin, make o run over to the mill,
catch hold Of one Of the wooden posts
and commence to push 1t around at Its
topmost pace. The square where the
min was erected was pretty well filed
with people. and when some OF those
saw what had been done they came
rushina toward us, shouting and gestic-
ulatinG. Phil had undoubtedly COM
mitted q sacrilege, and / was fearful
for his safety. These fanatical Mongo-
llama once their religion is assaiied in
Any shspe ee form, would certainly
na1o NO rnercy upon the aaseleQt
;: IL. SSfhss hezs sisdiy 6Scx to me,
jumped into me palanQuin. and order
ed the bearers to sst on. But they
were struck dumb with terror. The
mob came for US, smashed In the doors
Of the palanquin, dragged Us out, and
for two minutes there was the livelies'
nght ON record going on We got the
worst Of 1t, and bruised, bleeding and
ipsensibls, were carted of to prison
I'VE were taken before the Grand
Llama, and then and there he ordered
Us to be sant across the Siberian from
tier with the utmost dispatch The
NEXT day we were hurried along undel
an escort of soldiers. and II was NO
long before we arrived At the frontier
the town Of Mlamatshin. which really
ID the, Monaghan portion Of Kiakta- W.
were taken along to the yellow post
which marked the actual frontier, and
there tho soldiers of tho Eadma stopped
We were removed from the palapqui,
In which We bad been carried. and wer,
commanded to at down a, few gard
! from the posts. Not. twenty feet AVA!
were the black and white posts Of th'
Russians, and 1t was indeed sonnethini
te sasddsn our eyes to see the brown
coat and the astrachan fez Of the Rus
dan Cossack who stood there on sen
~. -.
xhen there came forward Buddhis
priest. who begaa to talk to rs in Il
: iarxon which, Of course: we could no
understand. He finished at1ength an
srodncsd from his robe wire on whic
we're ,threAded some hundreds Of bras
Iseash.' which the Chinese always carry
He took two Of the cash Oh the w1r
. and laid them in front Of 10 on. tn
ground.
:-Thea the priest began waving hi
arms about; and the Mongolians too
ont their hand prayer mills and bega
: turning them for all they were worti
. Tho voice Of the priest then rose on tn
!, air. He said three or four words an
spat deliberately at each Of the coin:
, which had been put on the ground bs
, fore us.
, That was all: The priest departed
the soldier escorted US to the posts, til
Russian sentry presented his rife an
: we presented our. passports. We pas
) ID over and breathed the comparativel
: free air of Russia. Our nrst duty whe
we were in Kiakta was to go straigt
10 the governor and lay our complain
before him. He was agitated when b
heard Of the ceremony at the frontie
and told us that the Buddhist pries
had put into circulation two coiI
: which had received the sun gods ours
l and that these coins would circuia1
Throughout the world, harmless
everybody except the two they wei
: destined for. The instant possession
either Of these by the person curse
Y would mean Immediate destruction.
Nor was this all-the coins mi2l
c not come to us as brass cash, the
n might come to us as a kopeck piece. (
l. as a rouble; as marks or pfennigs. I
francs or centimes. as anything. whe
ever we might be. We should new
e know when they were coming; "
should take them in the ordinary wa
q We should handle them. but only 4
{. one moment: the next moment Y
t should be dead
n one dny Tom sent for me. and 1t vi
. to tell me that he was going to be ma
II ried. This struck me as something p
70 culiar, for had thought Tom MOrtt
= was one Of the last men likely to II
e in love. The wedding duly came o
v everybody was pleased, and Tom a
his bride went away to the south
y France. A few more weeks rolled
l. Z