The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-12-18
5 The Courier
5 Of the Gar
? BY JULES VERNE
IcoNTINUED.l

He has borne with it." answered Ma
dia. lowering her head.
Has he submitted to it," murmure(
Maria Strogof, trembling with fear.
Mother, mother" cried Nadia, "d'
not condemn him. There is a secre
there of which God alone is the judg
at the present timer
"And," said Maria, raising her hea(
and looking at Nadia as though she de
sired to read the depth Of her soul il
this hour Of humiliation, have you de
spised this Nicholas Korpanoff?'
81 have admired him without under
standing Kim" answered the youn:
girl. 81 have never felt him to be more
worthy Of respect than he is at tn
present moment"
The old woman was silent for mo
ment.
"Was he tall?" she asked.
VERY tall"
s.And very handsome-is it not so
Come, tell me, my girl
He was very handsome answered
Nadia, blushing deeply.
''It was my son! I tell you it was m!
son. exclaimed the old woman. EN-
bracing Nadia.
Your son. said Nadia, amazed
"Your sonr'
Come" said Maria, "let US get t(
the bottom Of this. NY child. foul
companion, your friend, your protector
had q mother. Did he never speak tt
you Of his mother?
"Of his mother?" said Nadia. "Hf
spoke to me Of his mother-as | spoke
to him Of my father-often. always
He adored her.
Nadia, Nadia, you have just told me-
about my SON." said the old woman.
And she added impetuously:
''Was he not going to see his mother
whom you say he loved. on his way
through Omsk?"
"No," answered Nadia; mo, be was
not"
"Notr' cried Maria. You dare t.
tell me not:"
81 have said it, but it remains for me
to inform you that from motives un
known to ME and which had to guide
him before every other consideration
was given to understand that Nicholas
korpanof had to traverse the country
in the most absolute secrecy. 1t was
for him q question Of life and Of death
and, more sacred still, question OF
duty and honor"
"Of duty in reality, Of impericus
duty" said the old Siberian, "of that
kind for which q person sacrifices ev'
erything, fer the accomplishment OF
which he would deny himself every
thing, even the joy Of coming to give
a kiss, the last perhaps, to his old moth
er. All that you do not know, Nadia
all that l did not know myself at this
moment I know. You have made me
understand all. But the light which
you have thrown into the deepest dark
ness Of my heart, that light, alas,
may not cause to enter your owr. The
secret Of my son, Nadia, since he has
not told it to you, I must keep for him.
Forgive me, Nadia. The good deed you
have done me cannot return to you
Mother, ask nothing from you, u
answered Nadia.
All was thus explained to the old 81
berian, ali, even the inexplicable con-
duct of her son with regard to herself
in the inn at Omsk in presence Of the
witnesses Of their meeting. There was
no doubt that the y6ang girls compan-
ion was Michael Strogofe and that q
secret mission, some important dis
patch to be carried across the invaded
country, obliged him to conceal his
quality of the cars courier.
"Ah, my brave boy" thought Maria.
'.No, will not betray you, and tortures
shall not wrest from me the avowal
that it was you whom saw at Omsk."
Maria could with q word have paid
Nadia for all her devotion to her. She
could have told her that her compan-
ion, Nicholas Korpanoff, or, rather, Mi
chael Strogof, had not perished in the
waters Of the Irish, since it was some
days after that incident that she had
met him, that she had spoken to him.
But she restrained herself, she was ST.
lent and contented herself with saying:
Hope. my child. Misfortune will
not overwhelm you. You will see your
father again. l feel it. And perhaps
he who gave you the name Of sister is
not dead. God cannot have allowed
your brave companion to perish. Hope,
my child, hope. Do as l do. The
mourning which wear is not yet for
my SON."
Such was now the situation Of Maria
Strogof and Nadia toward each other.
The old, Siberian had understood all,
and if the young girl was ignorant
Of the fact that her companion so
much regretted still lived she knew at
least the relationship which he held
toward her whom she had made her
mother, and she thanked God for hay
ing given her that joy and pleasure
thus to be able to replace at the side
Of the prisoner that son whom she haa
lost.
But that which neither the one nor
the other could know was that Michael
Strogof, taken at kalyvan. was one OF
the same convoy and was bound like
themselves for Tomsk.
At length, on the 18th Of August, to-
ward evening, the convoy reached the
little town Of Zabedeiro, some thirty
versts from Tomsk. At this place the
route again lay along the course OF the
Tom.
All this night the prisoners were to
camp on the banks of the Tom. The
emir, in fact, had deferred until the
,ov+ dow +1,,a an+rv Of his TrOOnS into