Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1901-07-19

the lieut. tenant and handed Il to lii
visitor. Urzen took it, and With
stif bow, but Nit hout speaking b.
turned and. left the place.
That evening about 8 o'clock g
.sledge drove up to Ruric' . door, and
. Alaric Orsa entered the house. He
called the youth aside and inf ormed
him that the arrangements had all
been made.
stDamonof is in q hurry he saiid
@and We have appointed tho meet
ing at 10 o'clock tomorrow fore
noon: It will take place at the bend
9. the river just beyond tie Viska
hill. 2 Is. b.. .. .zs
ttAnd the weapons p asked Ruricea
Swords, " returned Orsa. THE
count will bring his own, and hsII
gives you the privilege Of selecting
such 9 one as you choose" a.
thank you, Alaric, for your
kindness thus far, and you may rest
assured that ] shall be prompt =
4; IS Suppose Icall here in the morn
ing for you?" suggested the visitor. Z,
4 should be pleased to have yous'
do so. " .,....: az
q will, then. 1 shall be along il. 1
good season with my sledge, and we
will both reach the ground togeth-
er." 4. 7. 5..,e ~ =. =. s
Thus it was arranged, and then
Orsa took his leave. &.
When Ruric returned to his seat
by the fireplace, he noticed that his
mother watched him narrowly and
with more than ordinary interest.
He had once made up his mind that
he would say nothing to his mother
about the affair until it was over,
but as the time was set and the hour
drew nigh his mind wavered. When,
it was over, where might he be-?
But he was cut short in his rehec-
lions by the voice Of his parent.
tsRuric," she said, and her voice
trembled while she spoke, you will B
pardon me for prying into your af-.
fairs, but / cannot hide from myself j
that something Of more than usual
moment is the matter with you.
Why are these men calling to and {.
fro? And why are you so thought
full and moody? You know a moth
er's feelings, and youswill pardon a !
mothers anxiety z
<*Surely, my mother" the youth
returned, gazing up for a moment
and then letting his eyes droop
again. At length he resumed, q
had made up my mind to tell you. an
ere you spoke j.. :
There was something deep and
significant in Ruric's tone, and his
mother quickly caught the spark. 5
"What is it ~ she tremblingly ut
tered, moving her chair nearer to-.
her child's side. $50 s
sfListen," the young man said.
And thereupon he detailed the Cir
cumstances attending the visit Of
the Count Damonof to his shop.
Then he told Of his own visit to-
Rosalind and its result and then Of
the visit Of Stephen Urzen.
'ssAnd now, my mother he add
ed without waiting for any reply,
you know it all. You see how i,
am situated. Remember, our nation
has reached its present point by suc-
cessful war. The soul of the nation
is built upon military honor, and
since our noble emperor LIS opened
the way Of advancement oi the low
est Of his subjects who are brave and .
true the coward is looked upon with
disgust upon all hands. Yet, my
mother, ] would have you speak. 3
For some moments Claudia Newell
was silent But at length she said,
while a tear glistened in her eye:
81 have given one loved being up
to my country's good. Russia took
my husband fror, me, and could i'll
afford now to lose my son. let
rather than one stain should rest
upon his name / would see him dead
before me. Oh, Ruric, you know
whether dishonor would rest upon
you were you to refuse this chal-
lenge.
q will speak plainly, my dear
mother" returned the youth In &
tremulous tone, for his parents
kindness had moved him. In my
soul ! should feel perfectly Justified
in refusing this meeting, fol-. no.
principle Of real honor is at stake.
But were to back out now from
this I should never meet anoth
generous look il Moscow: Every
one would point the finger Of scorn
toward me, and the word coward
would ring always II my ears
may be . false state OF thing 3
feel that it really is but ho 4
0ecan help. it7 It's the curse g III 4
Ieat military epochs Battle alone
makes heroes, and 90 81 mnst meas