The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-21
In the Cars Grim Realm
Close to the Polar Shows.
Continued from First Page.)

of Moscow and ST. Petersburg, and some
how the light talk and laughter die away,
and a hush like a chill breath, enters Dy
the closed door and passes through It
is a curious song, like the wailing OF
tired wind, and one day it will sweep over
the land heralding terror.
Scotchnlan | met in huSS1 told lille
that when he first came out to act as
manager of large factory just outside
ST. Petersburg, belonging TO his Scottish
employers he unwittinsly rade mistake
the first week when paying his work
people By miscalculation OF the Rus
sian money he paid some three hundred
men each one nearly rouble short. lie
discovered his error before the following
Saturday and then put the matter right.
The men accepted his explanation with
perfect composure and without comment
whatever. The thing astcnished : him.
But you must have known / was paying
You short" he said to one of them. why
didn't you tell me of it ?" sOh' answer
ed the man, 1--WE thought you were put
ting it in your own pocket, and that if we
had complained it would only have meant
dismissal for us. No one would have
taken our word against yours Corrup-
ton appears to be so general throughout
the whole of Russia that all classes have
come to accept 1T as part OF the establish
ed order of things. friend gave me
little dog to bring away with me. 1t was
valuable animal and l wished to keep
it with me. 1t is strictly forbidden TO
take dogs into railway carriages. The
list of the pains and penalties for doing
Z III hat
will be all right" my friend assured me,
have a few roubles loose in your pocket
I tipped the station-master and / tipped
the guard and started, pleased with my
self But had not anticipated what was
in store for me. The news that an English
man with dog in basket and roubles
in his pocket was coming must have been
telegraphed all down the line. At almost
every stopping place some enormous Of
ficial generally wearing a. sword and a
he lmet. boarded the train. At first these
fellows terrified me. / took them for field
marshals at least. When they saw the
dog their establishment was boundless.
Visions of Siberia crossed my mind. AnX-
ious and trembling I gave the first one
gold piece He shook me warmly by the
hand l thought he was going to kiss
L
sure he would have done so. With the
next one felt less apprehensive. For Il
couple of roubles he blessed me so,
gathered and, commencing me to the
care of the Almighty, departed. Before
1 had reached the German frontier l was
giving away the. equivalent of English
sixpences to men with the bearing and
carriage of major generals; and to see
their faces brighten up and to receive
their heartfelt benedictions was we'll
worth the money.
But to the man without roubles in his
pocket, Russian officialdom is not so gra-
cious. BY the expenditure OF few
more coins / got my dog through the
customs without trouble, and had leisure
to look about me. miserable OBJECT was
being badgered by half a dozen men in
Uniform, he--his lean face puckered up
into understanding them snappish an
swers the whole scene suggesting some
half-starved mongrel worried by school,
boys A slight informality had been dis
covered in his passport, so fellow tray-
eler with whom ! had made friends IN
formed me- He had no roubles in his
pocket, and in consequence they were
sending him back to st. Petersburg-some
eighteen hours journey, in carriage that
an English magistrate would fine a
butcher tor transporting oxen IN. It
seemed a good joke to Russian official
dom; they would drop in every now and
then look at him, as he sat crouched in
corner of the waiting room, and pass
OUT again, laughing. The snarl mad died
fl ON his face; dull listless Indifference
had taken its place-the look one sees on
the face of a beaten dog, after he beat
ing is over, when it is lying very still, its
great eyes staring into nOthlngness, and
one wonders whether it is thinking. The
Russian worker reads no newspapers, has
no club, yet all things seem to De known
to him. There is a prison on the banks of
the Neya, in st. Petersburg. They say
such things are done with now, but up
till very recently there existed small Cell
therein, below the level of the ice, and
prisoners placed there would be found
missing a day or two afterward, nothing
ever again known of them, except per-
haps to the fishes of the Baltic. They
talk of all thesa things among them
selves, the sleigh-drivers round their cha
coal fire; the field-workers going ana
coming through the gray light: the fac
tory-workers, their whispers deadened by
the rattle of the looms.
/ was searching for house in Brus-
sells two winters ago, and there was one
/ went over in small street leading on
or the Avenue Louise. 1t was poorly fur
nished, but rich in pictures large ana
small. Thex covered the walls of every
room. These, the landlady-an elderly,
hageard-looking woman-explained to me,
will not be left; | am taking them with
me to London. They are my husbands.
He is arranging an exhibition" The
friend who had sent me had told me the
woman was widow who had been living
in Brussels eking out precarious ex-
istence as a clearinghouse keeper for the
last ten Years. You have married
again?' l questioned her. The woman
smiled. mot again. I was married
eighteen years ago in Russia. My hus
band was transported to Siberia few
days after we were married and 1 have
never seen him since. I should have fol-
loved him.. she explained "only every
year we thought he was going to be set
free" He is really free Iow?" asked
Yes she answered. they set him free
last week He will join me in London
VIC shall be able to finish orr honey