The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-01-09
approach.

Alcide Jolivet had turned himself to-
ward the young girl.
Gentlemen. he does not see you"
said the young girl. ''The Tartars have
burned out his eyes! My poor brother
is blind!"
A deep feeling of pity was pictured
on the face of Alcide Jolivet and his
companion.
An instant afterward both of them.
seated near Michael Strogoff, warmly
shook his hands and waited for him to
speak.
Gentlemen" said Michael Strogoff
In a low voice, you must not know
who am nor what came to do in 81
IBERIA. beg you to respect my secret.
DO you promise me?'
! ION my honor" answered Alcide JOLT
vet.
ION my faith as a gentleman" added
Harry Blount.
Every well, gentlemen"
"Can we be of any use to your ask
ed Harry Blount. "Would you wish
ussxto help you to accomplish your
task?'- -..-, -.
81 prefer to act alone" said Michael
Strogoff. ...-.- .-.--..,...,----
| "But those scoundreIs have burned
out your sight" said Alcide Jolivet.
II have Nadia, and her eyes suffice"
Half an hour later the raft, after
having left the little port of twentieth
naia, was fairly in the river. 1t was 8
o'clock in the evening. Night fast
coming on. 1t would be very dark and
very cold also, for the temperature was
already below zero. 49,
Alcide Jolivet and Harry Biount, al
though they had promised Michael
Strogoff to keep his secret, yet did not
leave his &side.S They spoke in low
voice, and the blind man, putting what
he already knew to what they now told
him, was enabled to form an exact idea
of the state of affairs. ~
He was certain that the Tartars were
actually Investing Irkutsk and that the
three columns had already formed a
! junction. One could not therefore doubt
that. the semir and Ivan Ogareff were
| before the capital. - -. e. - - :
| But, why that haste to arrive there
| of, the courier of the car, now that the
| emperor's letter could no longer be re:
! United by him to the grand duke, and
| he did not even know its contents? Al
eide Joliyet and Harry Blount could
no more understand than could Nadia.
Besides, they had not spoken Of the
| past UP to the moment when Alcide
Jo1ivet thought it his duty to say to
1 Michael7Strogoff: ; - =. .-1G= ,
'"We almost owe you some excuses
for not having shaken hands with you
| before our separation at the posthouse
| Of 1chfm:" - .. "a = -
."'No;, you had a right to believe me a
/ coward 80 - . - - :.
| "Anyhow," added Alcide Jolivet, you
! have, splendidly whipped that villain
and he will carry the marks of 1t long
| time."2c. -; : .a:c.s .ec 4
mo, not long time," simply answer,
! ed Michael Strogoff. 9s- 3 - EE.
In half an hour after the departure
from Livenitchnaia Alcide Jolivet and
/ Harry Blount had heard all the details
! Of the cruel trials through which MI
I chael Strogoff and his companion had
I successfully. passed, They could not
{, but: openly admire an energy which the
5deyotedness of the young girl alone
| had ebeen able to equal. And of Mi
! chaei Strogoff they had formed the
i very same opinion which had been sc
i well expressed by the car at Moscow
'1n truth, he is a man!' - = - 4
/ At 8 O'Clock at night, as the aspect
4 Of the sky had forewarned them, an ex:
!. cessiYe, darkness .enyeloped all the
i country The moon,o being new, would
not rise above the horizon. From the
middle of:the riverathe banks were visi.
! bic. The cliffs at not a great height
. were blended with those heavy clouds
! which they displaced with difficulty
i At intervals a breeze would come from
the east and seem to expire in that mar.
row valley of the Angara. :. -
! The old mariner, lying down on the
fore part of the raft near his men, oc
cupied himself altogether in turning
aside from the ice blocks, a 'maneuvel
! which: he executed without making any
i noise. -: q - 9 H. : go &~@- -
This drifting Of the ice, after all, was
favorable circumstance as long as il
did not oppose an insurmountable OBJ
E. stacle in the passage Of the raft; fol
| indeed this apparatus alone on the fret
waters of the river would have run thu
] risk of being perceived even through
the thick shade, whereas it was now
COMPOUNDED with these moving masse:
! of all sizes and all shapes, and the dill
I produced by the grating of the blocks
drowned all other suspicious noise.
] There was a very keen frost. Tht
! fugitives suffered dreadfully from 1t
not having any other shelter but some
branches Of the birch tree. They press
ed close to each other in order 20 better
support the low temperature whicf
during that night had reached 10 de
grees below zero. -..--- =
Michael Strogoff and Nadia. lying
down at the back part of the raft, en-
dured without complaint this addition.
al suffering. For man who. was reck
oning soon to attain his end Michae
Strogoff seemed singularly calm. Be
sides, in the most grave situations his
energy had never abandoned him. AL
ready he looked forward to the momen