The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-02-09

was, nearly dark and u cold ev sning,
very different from an English Novem-
Der evening There had been Il hard
frost for a week, and the Neva was GOV.
cred with rough pack ice, In a day Or
two the restrictions against crossing the
ice world would be removed, and roads
would be formed over Neva's bosom In
every direction that a short cut to any
conceivable spot would justify
My man had not run far | saw him
pass beneath Il lamp 80 yards in front
of me, walking quickly He did not
turn to 20 over the palace bridge
though he appeared to be about to do No
and changed, his mind Could he have
seen BorofskyY | did, at any rate, and
whispered to him as | passed
Its all right, Borofsky, said
Leave this hunt to me; I'm blood
hot
Then | continued down the quay
past the admiralty and straight for the
English quay and the senate.
There were very few people about
The student FASTENED along, half run.
ming, half walking, and | after him,
about 30 yards away, going noiselessly
Suddenly he turned and saw me, or
saw, ut any rate, that he was followed
He did not know me by sight. Observ
ing this, the student spurted. going a
very fair pace for a Russian, but | eas.
lily held my own He turned and oh.
served that he had gained nothing upon
me and, like a wise man, slowed down
AS for me, | did not care whether he
liked to be followed or not or what he
thought about it, | intended to follow
him to the end. therefore made no ut.
tempt to conceal my intention. but just
went straight on | could see that the
poor fellow was growing very anxious
He did not like ii, He ran into the Ad'
miralty square and lodged round the
Great Peter statue and into the Caller.
maya, where there were more people
and a better chance Of giving me the
slip, but when he turned to see ! was
still behind him,
Up the street he ran, or half an, !
after him and almost at his heels. for !
was not going to be shaken off in the
crowd, and 8 o we reached the top, at
the Nicholas palace, close to the great
stone bridge Of the same name, and
over this bridge he made as though he
would go.
But suddenly another idea struck
him, He turned aside from the bridge
and. running quickly down the steps
that lead to the water, climbed the
''danger" obstruction and got upon the
ice with the evident intention Of shak-
ing me off by attempting the dangerous
and forbidden enterprise Of crossing the
Neva before the ice had been pronounced
safe.
confess I did not like II. It was too
cold and too dark for q bath. There
was no particular reason for shadowing
this unfortunate little wretch all night,
until In desperation he should dart into
the squalid hole he called his home.
What did his address matter to usP !
felt that I was doing a foolish thing,
Yet I felt also that I must follow. Not
because ] expected to gain anything by
1t, but because the English blood in me
was Of the real old obstinate, bulldog
vintage, / suppose, and ! must stick to
q thing once undertaken until I had
carried 1t through.
SO I followed with scarcely an In.
hesitation. and-woll, some.
times the things which appear to be
the most foolish turn out to be the
wisest. / Misunderstanding my life
wal 80 u~nspeakably valuable to
my dear mother, without once reflect.
ing upon that domestic circumstance
and followed In the wisdom Of utter
and
Away scudded my little will O. the
taking a diagonal line In the di.
Of the mining corps, which Is a
good half mile or more from the bridge
on the other side, and away scudded ]
after him.
could hear him run and pant in
front Of me, though 1t was go dark out
here in midriver that ] could not see
him.
We had run. l should think, some
300 or 800 yards over the toughest pos
sible ice that twisted ones ankles and
''barked" ones shins at every other
step when suddenly there was a scream.
followed instantly by a splash and an
agonized cry for help.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Wig pvecJrn ON rJn aTIrbENr