Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-11-12
DAILY SHORT STORY
The Factory That is Never Left
torIglnaL.l

is owned and operated by the RUSSIAN
government, and its workmen live and
die within the limits of the factory.
Once entered on the rolls of the COM
pany an operative has hidden goodby
forever to the outside world.
Dmitri Nikanoyich, young Rus
sian, having been out of employment
for Il long while saw his wife and
children starving before him. There
is but one chance for our lives he said
to his wife. Il must go to the iron
works There / shall receive regular
wages, which L can send to you and
our children"
In vain his wife protested. They
might die together rather than that
the husband and father should he dead
to them forever No, he said. The win
ter was ut hand, and If they escaped
starvation they would surely die by
cold kissing his little ones, who We're
too young to understand what he was
about to- do, and leaving his swooning
wife and them, he went to the iron
works and entered himself as n work
man.
Four years passed. The wife and
children of Nikanovich knew that he
was still alive, for they received his
wages regularly. He knew that they
or some of them lived, for the money
was not returned to him. This is all
that either knew of the other.
One day new workman was ell
tered at the factory. He was young,
delicate looking fellow and was given
the lightest work that was to be done.
To lal tnf
which was surprising To the superin-
tendent, for he was receiving more pay
where he was.
One morning this workman, who was
entered under the name of Nicholas
Artemvich. was standing beside Dmi-
tri Nikanovich, both waiting to handle
some sheet iron that had just been
rolled, when Nicholas whispered:
BE Mt the west wall tonight at o
o'clock. midway between the fifth and
sixth sentry towers.
Nikanovich, aStoniShed, stared at the
speaker. Nevertheless he had the pres
ence of mind to hold his peace, and in
another moment both We're handling
the iron.
That night Nikanoyich walked, as
was permitted from s TO o o'clock, be
tween the factory buildings ana the
wall, and when the bell rang ut . and
the other wOrkmen had disappeared he
saw Artemvich Reckoning him in n
dark corner formed by the contiguous
buildings. Indeed the base stones of
the buildings touched. leaving Il recess
behind them. Artemvichs head and
shoulders only could be seen. Nikano-
vich cast a hasty glance around, and,
making sure that no one saw him, he
sprang over the stone into the recess.
''Dmitri, l am Anna, your wife,
The thought that his wife had enter
ed this place to he with him and that
she had left their children filled him
with alternate fiushes of joy and sor-
row. For moment husband and wife
We're locked in each others arms. Then
Anna spoke rapidly:
You had scarcely left us when my
Aunt Martha died and left me 10000
rubles. The first year l spent getting
possession of the money, and the re-
manning three in planning and prepar-
ing for your escape. Two years ago l
began to dig q tunnel from the river
bank to a point near the spot where we
stand 1t was completed before l en-
tered this place, and since l have been
here have come to this corner at night
and dug till 1 struck it, carrying the
earth away in my pockets and keeping
the entrance in this corner, where no
one ever comes, concealed. l have sent
our children beyond the borders. If we
escape, we may join them and find u
home in America"
With that she drew from under her
wooden shirt n case knife and began
to dig. In q few minutes she had I'M
covered Il square piece of wood and,
lifting it, entered a perpendicular tun-
mel not much larger than her body.
From this ran another, dipping slightly
from the horizontal. Anna, followed
by her husband. made her way through
this horizontal tunnel. 1t was cramped
at first, but grew larger as they adj
vanced. The outlet was on the river
bank n few feet above the water and
covered with logs and brush. Just be-
fore emerging they passed through
space sufficiently large to contain
rowboat, In which there were n pair of
oars.
Those rowlocks," said Anna. "haVe
been muffied for nearly a year, and the
cloths are quite rotten. Still, they will
serve to get us past the river guards
without the noise of rowing"
How did you get this boat in here"
asked Dmitri.
81 watched six months for the water
to be sufficiently high to float 1t in"
Did ever man have wife so patient
and devotedT' said her husband, en-
bracing her.
Come; let us be off,
Launching the boat, they foated
down with the current, at times pull
ing with the oars, at times holding wa
ter to escape observation, at times
shooting on rapidly. On the one hand
was the factory, the officials of which.
with all their vigilance, had not been