Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-07-01
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
SIBERIA OR
FREEDOM

4 owned DeuuIlIul Slrl. l-lZd- ivan
Panshine, who had inherited Il fortune
from his father, merchant, fell in
love with her. and his love was re-
turned.
One morning Count Gedeonovsky
upon opening his mail received an offer
from Panshine of 5000 rubies for Liza.
the young man stating that he wished
to marry her. Liza. who knew the offer
was before her master, was listening
at the door, peeping through crack 10
hear and see what chance there was
for her and her lovers happiness Her
heart sank within her when she heard
the count exclaim:
What impudencel This man, whose
| father grew rich beside me while
grew poorer every day, now thinks TO
deprive me OF my most valued serf.
Liza, Liza. Come here.
When Liza came, the count showed
| her the letter and asked her If 1t had
been written with her consent. She adj
mitted that it had. whereupOn she was
dismissed by her master with the
/ words. II will teach you how to form
plans without consulting me-" Then
| he wrote Il letter to Panshine declining
| the offer and warming him never to APP
proach Liza under peril of the law both
| for himself and her. Panshine knew
what this meant. The count was in
favor with the government, and word
from him with a trumped up charge
would be sufficient To send both the
lovers to Siberia.
Panshinc. who was determined
fellow, pondcred long seeking for some
plan to possess himself of Liza. At
last he concluded TO fight the count
with his own method. He would make
n charge against Liza of being n mem
Der of a band OF revolutionists. get her
into his possession and carry her be-
yond the borders OF the empire. No
one but the most daring would attempt
such u plan; for. IL success meant hap
piness in marriage. failure meant mis-
cry in prison
| Panshine knew well the corruption
OF Russian officials. He approached
| one of them whom he had long known,
Mikhalevich. and made him an offer
of 10000 rubles If he would arrest
Liza and then secretly turn her over to
her lover. to be carried beyond the Dor
ders OF Russia. The offer was accept
ed. Panshine sold his estate and sent
the proceeds. except what he needed
to help him in his flight, TO bank in
America. When he had arranged for
/ relays OF horses to cover the distance
TO the Prussian border. Il hundred
miles. all was ready for the attempt.
One evening Mikhalevich appeared
at the counts estate and read n war
rant for the arrest OF Liza on n charge
| % ocfa
ished. He dared not resist an officer:
but, suspecting Il plan to get his serf
out OF his hands, as soon as n drosky
could be got ready he drove after the
| officer and his charge. He had not
gone far before he came upon drosky
| overturned MikhaIevich being in the
snow crying for help and Liza no.
where to be seen. AS soon as the
count could stop Mikhaleyich's cries.
which he kept up as long as he dared,
the officer said that he had been set
upon by Panshine and number of
his friends and the girl taken from
him. Fortunately for the count, ne had
the best horse in his stables, one pos
sessed of remarkable speed and endur-
ance. -
Liza was astoniShed at her arrest
and. supposing that her master had in
stiGated II, was i'm despair. When sud
| denly drosky turned from byroad.
Panshine jumped out and she was
transferred TO his conveyance, her dis
tress was turned into an exciting hope
She asked for no explanation, well
knowing that liberty and happiness
were now to vie with prison, and mis-
cry.
Panshine had studied the route and
made his preparations accordingly. He
had with him petroleum. cotton and
pitch pine for the purpose of burning
bridges after he had passed over them.
Reaching bridge across branch of
the Vistula, he fired the structure.
1t was in flames when the count
appeared. Hesitating moment. he
dashed through the flames and across.
The lovers had gone on, but were now
only half n mile in advance. Never
theless they had fresh horses, while the
counts horse had followed them for
twenty miles.
The count, realizing that he must get
change, stopped at farm long
enough to do so, then pressed on. He
felt sure that they would take the
nearest road to the border, through
Warsaw, and did not stop to ask their
direction. From Warsaw but one road
led straight eastward, and he took
this road. Coming soon after to an
other branch of the Vistula, he saw
that the bridge was in flames. Here
he was delayed, till he could find
ford, when he continued the pursuit,
getting fresh horses wherever he could
find them. When he reached the Dor
der, he saw the fugitives passing 1t but
a few hundred yards ahead of him.
Panshine and Liza did not know that
they were in Germany till they saw
man in German uniform. Then they
ciasped each other in an embrace. The |
count saw it and turned about. He
knew that he was beafen and did pot /