Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-28
the road; but Alexis Lavinski had
reached her journeys end.
CHAPTER XIV.

The horrible famine winter OF " had
passed, and two hundred and twenty
thousand Russian peasants had persisted
of hunger, or its grim attendants,
hunger-typhoid ard scurvy. Things
had fallen out much as Professor Jonas
had anticipated, thousands had flocked
to the frontier towns. Government had
bestirred itself as usual too late, and,
in consequence, the drastic measures
which had then to be resorted to to
check the spread of disease, had, at
least to the sufferers, the appearance OF
cruelty rather than kindness. Wives
were separated from their husbands,
children from their parents, the sick Ia
ken forcibly to the hospitals, many OF
them dying absolutely on their way
there, while those who were still able
to support themselves on their enfeeb-
led limbs were thrust out OF the cities,
to continue their weary wanderings as
best they might; some OF them, perhaps,
never to learn the fate of the dear ones
who were left behind. With the last
few weeks of winter the typhoid death
rate decreased; the whole country, as 1t
were, drew deep breath of relief; then
came the breaking up of the frost, and
suddenly, without warning, a worse
scourge was upon them-cholera.
Immediately a yell of execration went
UP, popular Glamour and outcry that
this new pestilence was the work of
the doctors. ut is they" the infuriated
peasants said, who have brought this
upon us. They bounded us out of the
cities, they dragged our wives and chill
dren away to die In their hospitals.
They are in league with the devil they
grudge us bread, and SO they XIII u.s.
Resist them, brothers; resist them
have no more of their false help" What
wonder, then, that when ignorance and
superstition leagued itself with such
fell agent as cholera, the people died off
in their thousands like rotten sheep!
1t was towards Russia in this gloo-
my springtime that Francis Osborne
was returning. He had been compel
ed by red-tapeism to complete the
whole of his journey to Vitinsk. There
the signing of his papers was delayed
till the roads became impassable; then
his cash ran out and he had to wait
for further supplies; and every day OF
this vexatious deNs the craving fol-
home was growing more intense. All
the passionate emotions that had stir
red in him at the thought OF Helga ar
exile and in chains, seemed to hcVe
burnt themselves out. She was MOI
there she was safe; it was of that low
er of hers whom she had sent to this
awful fate, that he thought by day ane
dreamt by night He dreamt that hav
ing married Helga they met this man
and that he claimed her by the righ'
of priority, and the bitter price he hat
paid for her love. That dream, which
might possibly have been grim reali'
ty, brought about in him a terrible re
vulsion of feeling, and increased hi:
longing to return to Eva, and forge
the past 1t was just at a time wher
this longing was becoming SO acute al
to be unbearable. that he received {
letter from his sister, which had beer
delayed at Troitsk, and which aftel
sundry business details concluded will
the following paragraph:
my health is pretty good. Eva S
| when | saw her last, might have beer
better. She, like you, hae gone sud
denly mad on the Russian question
She is now completing her preliminar!
training in fever hospital at Not
| tingham, at the termination of which
| she will be drafted to the depot of tn
Red Cross Society at Kassan, an
from thence she will go where the,
choose to send her, ! suppose. Sh
wishes me to tell you that by mex
summer she will be back in England
and that wherever she is she will en-
deavor to carry out your wishes (what
ever they may be. had to hav'
Gyp poisoned. as he was certainly go
| ing to contract rabies. Old dogs ar
very dangerous. You shall hear a.
news regularly. l daresay you won
get it, but I shall do my duty. Eve
your affectionate sister.
MARIA OSBORNE"
Osborne put down the liter in aston
ishment. Eva was in Russia then. !
! so he would not leave the country til
! she returned with him. 1t was not TOT
late to get his passport altered to g
south instead Of west, join the high roat
/; for Moscow and so pass through Kas
san. With this ieda hot upon him b
started at once for the residence OF tn
governor He found that parsonage ;
young man, smoking the eternal cigar