The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-01-05
CHAPTER Y.

Vladimir, thou art feeling stronger?
Is tt not sol" says Ivan, putting a hand
on each Of my shoulders and looking
down a~nxiously in my face.
Certainly I am-much stronger than
when I came to ethee a week ago." 1
reply with a smile.
Because thou wilt have to make a
move again." resumes War. 1T Is no
longer safe for thee here. To-day my
landlord met me as 1 left the house, and
asked me who I had staying with me;
though l know not how he has discov-
cred thy presence here. / said: "A cous-
In. who is merely passing through the
town en- route to Novgorod.' He asked
your name. l was taken aback, but for
tunarely the first lie led up to the second,
and the name OF an actual cousin came
to me and l pronounced 1t. So now thou
art Waldemar Nicolaivitch Alikanoff! /
have thought, Vladimir" he resumes
that It were well to make known thy
existence to our section. Thou knowest
they are to be trusted to a man. What
Joy there viii be amongst them when
they know thou are aivel They will all
be ready to die for thee! And amongst
a. We can easily conceal thee. Thou
canst pass from one to the other until
thou art able to venture on fight"
IL have always advised It," I respond.
Long since I would have shown my
self to them but for Maruscha. She
thinks there Is risk IL 20 many knowing
It whilst / am still In the country"
Ivan shrugs his shoulders. 81 see no
alternative. Something we must risi,"
he says There is strength in unity,
and are we not as one man in purp ose?
The sooner thou art away from here
the better. What thinkest thou Of going
first to Pavel Yegorevitch? he asks.
81 would trust Pavel as my own soul"
I reply, fervently, for I ike the man.
BE Ii a silent, deep natursI always
mistrust the glib tongue man who
makes no professions, slow and DELHI
crate both In speech and action. but hav-
Ing once chosen a course Is not to be
turned from 1t.
Thou wilt lock myself in" says Ivan.
And II any one, a v Maruscha, should
come and knock for admittance thou
Wilt keep silent as a shade until they
depart Adieu, / will not be long,"
As I lie, with my hands clasped above
my head, my eyes fixed on the bit Of sky
cleaning gray, through the small dormer
window. the being Of all others 1 most
long for stands at the other side Of the
lar rap. and it is her voice that wi ispers
my name:
vladimir
I spring to my feet and hasten to ad-
NIT her. For some minutes, holding the
beloved form In my arms. l forget all
else, realizing only the rapture Of the
present. Only when she releases her
self and looks round for Ivan. / remem-
Der how much I have to tell her.
She turns white when she hears about
the landlords questions, and I tell her
thai Ivan has gone to see Pavel Yego-
rsvitch to make arrangements for my re-
moval there tonight.
At this she clasps her hands "Is It
wel-oh, is 1t well that others should
know about thee? Pavel is silent and
trustworthy, it is true; but still I fear
me-. 1t will break out. One by one they
viii be told-they will be 1ocking to see
thee. The attention Of the police be at
tracted. l wish, / wish war had come
to mel Surely we two could have man
aged to conceal thee somewhere-some-
where!"
Thou art too fearful, my Maruscha,"
] reply soothingly. "And hot seest it
Of others. / only wish / had insisted on
doing so before I drew this danger on
IVAN And as to my safety, there IL not
= nan Of them who would not render
up his life rather than betray me.'
Not willingly, not willfully, 1 know,
Vladimir, but what matters 1t when
they have by their coming and going, at
tracted those ~bloodhounds to thy hiding
place? 1t is a mistake. { tell theew per-
sists Maruscha.
For a while she stares straight before
her. and I see the anguish Of terrible
possibilities growing in her eyes until
the tears begin to gather, her features
10 work, and she casts herself on my
breast
Vladimir! Vladimir" she cries, III
they tear thee from me now I shall
dier"
1 say what 1 can to reassure her,
stroking her bright head and pressing nv
lips to it, for her hat-that sweet little
hat that I have watched her trim--has
clipped to her shoulders. And she sobs
out her woe with tears abundant, at
which l rejoice, because experience has
taught me that after Maruscha has wept
much, she Is wont to be very calm.
How long wilt thou stay with Pavel
Yegorevitch p she asks.
AS short a time az possible" I re-
ply. II am quite strong now, and the
sooner I begin to make for the froatisr
ehs better. BY remaining 1 only en-
danger my friends. Moreover, Maruscha.
n I explained to thee before, having
eeased to approve Of the methods Of the
party to which / have hitherto belong
ed, my wisest plan is to escape from It,
quietly and silently. / have thought It
out. and to attempt n explanation
would be madness. / could not make
myself understood"
Maruscha signs as IL she would excuse
me to herself.
Surely thou hast done enough" she
by no means," I cry vehemently. mo
man can ever say: I have done enough,
b q good cause! Once its true disciple,
his liabilities to it end only with his life,
and my watchword IL now as heretofore,
Liberty And it is for liberty that y
Will fight to my last breath! No longer,
therefore, can I be the slave Of a party
whose tyranny is as great az the Gear
himself! it is Nihilism l have served
slavishly, abjectedly. What it has de-
creed 1 AVE done, silencing my con-
pcience-smothering the dictate of the
Divine voice within my heart which
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