Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-03-07
THE DESERTfR
N-~NO~N~~~~

they shoot and then they eat you.
Ughr'
Stepanovitch shivered. He was re-
vivir~ from the stupor in which the
events of the past few hours had
plunged him. He had never expected
TO be called upon-he, man tust mar
ried. 1t was unfair-horrible. Why
should be be sent out to this far and
perilous country, called Manchuria, to
be eaten by these yellow COLLINS? If
what the corporal said was true, he
would never come back alive. None
OF them all would come back alive.
Why had he been such a fool, when
the yellow card was given him, to go
to the depot and be enrolled? Why
had he not done as the others-crept
out in the night and met the German
agent who helped men to cross the
frontier and go in a ship to coun-
try where there was much gold? Was
1T too late?
The train rolled on through the
frosty fats. 1t was a bitter cold night,
but the carriage was sitting. The 9th
fright. They lay back against the
wooden walls OF the carriage with
closed eyes, needless of the jolting. The
corporal, who had taken yet another
drink from his bottle, seemed to be
sleeping, too. He was a fierce-looking
man in his sleep, fiercer even than
when he was awake; but it was
thing to be thankful for that there
was breathing space from those mon
strous stories of his. They hurt a
mans inside, those stories.
To get rid of the feel of them, Ste
panovitch tried to fix his thoughts on
Katinka. She was a good girl and la
borious, and it was a shame that she
should be left-as good as widowed
so soon. How she had wept when the
yellow card came! She had wept so
much indeed that when the hour for
his departing arrived her eyes had
been quite dry. He hoped that she
would not forget the instructions he
had given her, in case he came back;
especially with regard to any money
she might save. 1t was not likely that
she would save any. Very few did in
their village, and Katinka was hun
cry one always. That was perhaps
why she was so plump. She was the
plumpest girl for miles around, and it
was for this reason that Stepanovitch
had loved her. Well, it was not to be
supposed that she could stay plump
forever, especially with her man away
She would not have the food. That
was natural enough-not to have much
food when ones man is away-and
Stepanovitch did not regret that he
had kept secret from her the place I'M
der the floor in which his savings were
stored. She might have been tempted
TO spend them if she had known where
they lay: and then when he came back
and needed them there would be moth
ing left.
But would he ever come back? 1t
seemed the question would recur what
ever one fixed ones mind on. The
railway carriage was altogether asleep
now. There was nothing but snores
through the whole Of it-snores that
kept time with the monotonous vibra-
ton of the train. Stepanovitch, who
was in the corner by the door, put
his hand on the handle and turned if.
He had not meant to open the door.
but suddenly it was open. The train
went very slow; he could see that by
looking through the veriest chink that
caused no draught and disturbed no
sleeper. A man could drop into the
snow very easily and take no harm.
Two days later, in the evening. Ste
panoyitch stood outside the cottage
in which he had left Katinka. IT
seemed year since he had left her.
but it was only two nights He had
walked all the time, and run, too. ex-
cept in the daylight, when he had hid
den himself in a straw stack He had
eaten nothing and slept not wink.
All the time, while he alked and
while he hid, he had thought of this
moment and of what surprise il
ywouli be to Katinka. He would 90
very cautiously in. put his hand on her
lips lest she should cry out. and. TAX
Ing his money from the place under
the floor, beckon her to fly with him.
That very night they would cross the
frontier with the help of the German
agent: and in the morning he would
sleep--sleep all the way TO the land of
gold. What morning that would be,
1T seemed, however, as he stood out
side she cottage, that there was
noise within-quite long and loud
noise, as of some one singing. It could
not be that Katinka was singing. with
lhim away, as she thought. among the
yellow imps in the Manchurian coun-
try. Nor, again, was II her voice. 1t
was man who was singing. What
man had the right to be singing in his
cottage?
Stepanovitch licked his lips. which
were very red with the cold wind. and
Nvent to a crack he knew of in the
wall of the cottage. There was n light
burning on the table-a bright, waste
full light, so bright and so waSteful
that il showed everything in the room
Mt glance, the stone bottle of vodka
on the table. the rubles he had hid
den under the floor in the very hand
serchief in which he had tied them up
only it was united now, so that You
could see the money quite clearly, the
-Stepanovitch knew him-stapd-
inc with his back to the door singing.
and Katinka looking at him with large
eyes. her chin upon her hands, as she
sat ut the table. plump and we'll
looking. IL did not occur to Stepano-
witch to wonuder how she had diseov-
cred the place under the floor; or
what She had intended to do with the
money. He was aware only that the
man had his back TO the door, and
that he. Stepanovitch, had a bayonet
in his belt He had thrown his rifle
away as soon as he had leaped from
the train. but ne had q bayonet still.
He crept round TO the door very eau
fiouSiy.