Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1904-10-14
Chapter. XII.

AS I utter the words the Cossack
gazes at me as if | were ghost. For
moment he seems to be smitten dumb
with amazement. His under lip drops.
Presently a flush of color rushes to his
swarthy cheeks and a strange light to his
eyes, He raises his cap and bows his
head before me as if l were q king.
Wonderful! Wonderfulv' he MUIR
murs. II believed not the rumor of thy
marvellous escape. There is truly moth
ing too strange to happen in this stran-
gest Of worlds. Tell me about It, l pray
thee"
Then in low tones l relate to him my
history. When | have come to an end
he clasps his brow with his broad fin
gers, and loses himself for fully ten min
utes in profound thought. Sometimes he
draws a heavy breath, as one does when
encountering some obstacle that must
be overcome At last he looks up.
II have hope" he says. "Be of good
cheer, my noble brother. Listen" he
says. Zone Of the warders about the
prison is a friend Of mine. He is "a Cos
sack, though he has donned the gov
eminent uniform and we come from the
same district. Ny term of imprison-
ment expires tomorrow, and If money
and old acquaintanceship fail to win
him over, am not the son of my moth
en- l know my Cossack. l will arouse
in him the slumbering longing for the
wild free life Of the Steppes. L will
make the sight of a uniform hateful to
him, and discipline an uncomfortable yoke.
Then l will tell him Of thee. The Cos
sacks love generosity and worship BRAY
cry; moreover, he is ever, ready for ad-
venture. Nor is gold without It's charm
for him, and l have the wherewith to
bribe him. Only wait patiently until we
have laid our heads together and plan
ned And when time is ripe we will
act!'
Again he wrinkles his brow and seems
to think deeply with his eyes on the
ground, and again he bends toward me to
pour into my ear the result Of his cogi-
tations.
'In a few hours, probably, thou wilt
be led before the Project for private
examination. Encourage the suspicion
that thou art an important political Of
fender, then they will most likely put
thee in a private cell-or, better still,
confess at once who thou art, and thou
wilt make sure of solitary confinement.
Under no circumstances canst thou gain
aught but time by withholding thy name;
it must he discovered sooner or later"
BE it So" | respond resolutely. Il
will follow thy counsel"
AT this tuncture the gaunt figure of
the Jew rises in the opposite corner and
his mumblings reach us. Yerack gives
my arm a squeeze. Courage! Hopper
he murmurs, ere he glides back to his
board. ....-..
Yerack is gone. He was removed
from the cell an hour ago, throwing to-
ward me significant glance as he pass
ed out. And now again the door Of the
cell is opened. This time for me, and L
am led aleng several corridors, down a
short flight of stone steps into an ante
room. find myself standing at the end
of long table.
Opposite me in an armchair sits a
little, gray man, in the undress uniform
Of a general. At a glance 1 ascertain
that the Governor occupies another arm
chair somewhat apart and that Andrea
Piotrovitch and the two gendarmes who
took me In custody are also present.
The little gray man, who is of course
the Project, eyes me with severe fxity
out Of bush of fuzzy gray hair in a
manner that is intended to strike me
with awe
In the first place." he begins, please
to inform me whether the name on this
envelope" here he lifts Maruscha's let
ter from the top of some papers that lie
before him, ''Waldemar Nicolaiyitch Ali
kanoff. is your real name or an assumed
one?'
sit is an assumed one," I reply
promptly.
''Humph!' he CALCULATES. "Ah-in-
deed! Perhaps, as you seem disposed to
be candid, you will also inform me by
what name | may with confidence have
the honor of addressing your"
Certainly. My name is Vladimir
Alexandrovitch Lubanoff."
If smoking bombshell had fallen into
their midst 1t could not have created a
greater sensation. An amazed exclama-
ton arises to every lip, followed by a
stir as of sudden breeze among the
trees. Andrei Piotrovitch is the first to
break the silence that succeeds.
"Haw he exclaims. "Hinted I not so.
my unclef recognized him, and mine
is the reward You must confess. Ylad-
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