The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-10

and wondering why the boys had left
him on the field. Then, with start,
he remembered that it was not foot
hall but a wicked blow from behind
which had felled him and that it was
not the field at New Haven, but a
lonely roadside in Russian Lithuania
which pillowed his aching head.
The sun was just rising, so he knew
that he must have dropped like a log
and lain there half the night. 1t was
deadly quiet. Something aside from
the aching of his whole body told him
that he was badly hurt, so that when
he tried to move he fell back with a
groan of pain, with the sweat gath
ering in beads upon his forehead and
around his mouth.
He had plenty of time to recall the
circumstances which placed him there.
He remembered quite distinctly that
Prince Korolenko had warned him that
trouble might surely be expected. In
fact, that was chiefly why the young
American had undertaken the survey.
owen was a civil engineer of some
renown, and at a dinner of the am
bassadors in st. Petersburg he had sat
next the Russian, the boundaries of
whose estates in Lithuania, or Russian
Poland, were holly disputed by the
Countess Syszkiewicz and her sons.
whose estates abutted on Prince Koro-
lenko's. This dispute had been held in
allegiance for years, but now, as the
Prince wished to SELL the quarrel
which heretofore had been largely kept
up by the peasants on the two estates
must be settled by law. The Prince
always courteous, had formally sug-
gested arbitration to his Polish neigh
Dor, and had requested her to select
an engineer who would be biased by
neither Polish nor Russian sympathies
To this the elegant old Countess had
replied with equal courtesy that she
would suggest an American, of whose
engineering skill she had heard some
marvellous accounts, but owing to the
fact that she was a widow and had
withdrawn from public affairs, she left
the selection of the American to Prince
Korolenko, who mingled with the world
and in whose integrity she had full
confidence.
Greatly pleased by this courtesy,
the Prince had asked Owen If he cared
to undertake it, explaining that he had
nothing to fear from the gentry, but
that the blind partisanship of the
peasants, especially when augmented
by vodke, was apt to result in a brok-
en- head.
d
en- everything else" thought Owen.
The sun was perhaps two hours high
when the stiffness was broken by a
sharp jingling of bells, and the clatter
of galloping hoofs and the roll of
wheels.
"A troika!" exclaimed Owen, trying
to raise himself. The effort was too
much for him, and he fell back. Then
a thought came to him and with his
uninjured hand. he pulled out his
handkerchief and held it up. The morn
ing breeze futtered the pale flag of
truce and it caught the eye of the
driver, who shouted to the occupant of
the troika. Owen could see that the
young girl in the troika was standing
up and urging on the fiery horses by
her cries.
The coachman pulled up his horses
beside where Owen lay and the young
girl sprang out and knelt down by his
side, saying in Eglish, but with the
slightest possible accent:
30, o, how sorry we are! We have
just heard of it and mama is hard at
work in the little pavilion which ordi-
narily she despises so, preparing for
your reception. 1t is your arm surely
and perhaps-yes, the collarbone also,
and o. mon dieu! what horried cash
on your head! Tell me if l hurt you
too much but bear it il you can"
AS she talked the girl was examining
his hurts with the skill of, a trained
nurse, but without her professional
calmness, for from her manner of re-
sponsibility Owen felt sure that this
was the young Countess Syszkiewcz,
whose peasants had attacked him the
night before. Her cheeks were flushed
with excitement and her eyes were
dark with remorse and pity.
Without waiting for any answer
from Owen she worked on, the touch
of her cool fingers ineXpresSibly sooth-
ing to the wounds she bandaged with
deft skill Suddenly she sprang up, a
glitter of silver trifies hanging from
her belt making a jingle as if of bells.
She ran to the horses heads and the
coachman, in response to a few words
in Polish, placed Owen in the troika
where he all but tainted from the pain.
The young girl sprang into the troika,
and after a moment of hesitation seat
ed herself and caught the half-fatnt-
ing man in her strong young arms just
as he swayed forward. Thus half ly-
ing in her arms, the coachman holding
in his FESTIVE horses until they were
covered with fiecks of foam from their
fretting, the troika reached the small
pavilion where the old Countess and
the troop of servants met them, and
Owen felt himself lifted out and borne
up some stairs, and one of the men
StumQleQ ana ne HedTu d sinai II IcplooL
in a woman's voice, and then he re-
membered no more.
II.
Owen lost count Of the days after
that. It was an easy thing to do, for
as his fever grew less and his clouded
brain grew clear again, the peace and
beauty of his surroundings and the
fierce unrest of his heart gave him so
many things to think about that his
recovery was slow.
The pavilion was a hospital, arranged
out of her private income by the little
Countess Elena. From it's open win
dow the green and blue waves of the
Baltic, with their lips of foam, might
be seen tapping against the sandy
beach.
Every day the Countess Syszkiewicz
paid a visit to the invalid, while the
young girl Elena spent most of her
time in the pavilion, but coming seldom
into Owens room. He could hear the
soft juggling of her silver chatelaine as
she moved about the house. and he
strained his ears to hear it during
hours when they fancied he slept.
Although consumed with the desire
TO question his hostess and to explain
the affair, they would not allow him to
talk. He was obliged to listen to the
remorseful comments of the Countess
and to permit her attentions in silence
II he attempted TO answer her, she left
the room. The little Countess. too
sometimes sat by his bedside. upon the
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