The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-01-04

lIOuu tue bId1u eu route duO TOll0O uOWu
an embankment. You have not seen the
line to Erinofka. 1t is mere toy rail-
way, with a gauge but three feet wide
and tiny carriages like small buses
with balconies. The train runs most
unsteadily, and father might have fallen
asleep and been jerked from the bal
cony without any one seeing. He might
have lain stunned until some one found
and took him into shelter. The finder,
unaware of his name, would be unable
to communicate with his friends, and
poor father still too i'll perhaps to give
him any information. That is at least
a theory and would account for the alb
sence of news. Then there is another
thing that might possibly have hap
pened, though admit it does not seem
very likely
$50 on, Boris, tell me everything
you have thought of, - said poor moth
er, who wept quietly through my some
what grewsome recital. Chow dreadful
to think that my poor dear Vladimir
may be lying even now unconscious,
and we unable to help him because ig-
AOIdub WuGIS u 1OOh lOI ulu-0OU
grant it is not thatl''
s.He will have found kind friends,
never fear" said, ssbut my other
theory is less painful to contemplate. I
told you the worst first. 1t is this Fa-
ther is we'll known and known to be
rich too. It may be that some wretched
fellows, desperate perhaps for want Of
money, may have formed band, like
Greek brigands, to abduct him. If So,
they will send deputation one day.
presently, or message, claiming sum
Of money for his ransom. .
els that possible, here in civilized
Russia?'' said mother wistfully. ST
have never heard of anything Of the
kind, have you? At all events, not in
this part of Russia. -
was obliged to confess that had
not.
.tBut we must not reject the idea on
that account. We must weigh and in
vestigate every notion either of us has,
however wild or impossible it may be-. =
eyes, yes, that is true We will not
leave stone unturnedl" said mother.
/ travelled up to Erinofka the next
morning. I could not help thinking, as
stood upon the balcony outside the lit
tie railway carriage, that any one tired
from hard days shooting over the
moors and leaning on the rail as now
leaned might most easily be pitched out
by jerk of the train. Jerks, violent
ones, Were common enough, for the
train was but a makeshift thing and
the line very narrow and badly laid. 1t
had been made for the sole use of a fac
tory of some sort, close to Erinofka, the
manufactured goods being sent by its
means to st. Petersburg, while the raw
materials were carried up from town to
the works.
| Accidents were of frequent occur
renee, though the train went so slowly
that personal injury was rare Passen-
gers were allowed to use the line, which
was thus most useful for my father and
| his fellow spcrtsmen. He might easily
have fallen out then. But in that case
would not Hulbert-who was shooting
with him that day, as I had ascertained
have known of it either at once OF
when the train arrived at St. Peters
burg? At any rate, he would have miss
ed my father and have given the alarm.
As matter of fact, and as l discovered
presently, Hubert had remained behind
for another day s sport when my father
returned, Hubert returning on the
Thursday and father on the Wednesday,
go that the accident-if it happened
would have occurred without Hubert
knowing anything about it.
/ found Armin, the keeper at the
lodge. 1t was from him that learned
that father had started for home earlier
than Hubert. He had done SO, Armin
explained, because he had found that
the birds We're still SO small that he did
not care to shoot them Armin had been
away in town when our man came to
make inquiries. 1t was Spiridon that
the man had interviewed
"Did you see my father off on the
Wednesday, Armin?" l asked him. Ar
min reflected. No, he said presently,
he had not. He had been out on the
moors till late with Mr.. Hubert. If
our men had been told that the count
returned with Mr.. Hubert, it was a
mistake.
''The count left us early in the day,
he added, "being disconnected with the
size of the birds. They certainly were
small, for it was the very first day OF
the shooting, OF near it.