Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-08
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE POWER OF KINDNESS.
fOriginal I

ped. turned back. started again, stop
ed again and wrung his hands.
Whats the matter, my good man?'
Queried the count.
My little boy has fallen against
window pane and cut his neck. The
blood is spouting, and he will die.
There is no doctor nearer than ten
miles. Oh, for a priestr'
The count threw himself from his
horse and went into the house. a boy
five years old lay in his mothers arms.
just passing into unconsciousness
from loss of blood. Constantin, who
had recently been graduated from the
university where he had taken a course
of physiology, saw at once that the
jugular vein had been severed. Insert
ing his thumb and finger into the
wound, he drew out the ends of the ar
terry and while the mother held them
tied q string around them. Then, put
ting the boy on a bed, he gave him
little diluted liquor from his flask and.
telling his parents not to let him move.
mounted his horse and rode away to
bring a doctor. In a couple of hours
he and physician came together, and
the wound was properly cared Tor
The count had saved the boys life. and
the gratitude of the parents was I'M
bounded.
Petrol Ivanovich. the peasant, drift
ed with his family to the city and be-
came a workman. BY this time the
revolutionary party had made much
Roadway, and Petrol took great inter-
est in its doings. Its deliberations
and its acts We're carried on by the
higher classes, but Petrol was ambi-
tiOus to do something himself. He
formed a society among his fellow
workmen and became its head. AS
years passed he grew more and more
interested In what he considered the
remedy-the removal of those men in
power who stood in the way of bet
ter condition for the people of Russia.
At last it was decided by the mem
bers of the society Petrol had organ
lied that nothing could be done to i'm
prove matters without more liberal
minister of the interior in Office, and
the only way to get one was to kill
the incumbent. The society failed to
decide who should do the job, and no
one would volunteer. Petrol made up
his mind to do it himself, .e
The minister lived on his estate in
the country during the summer season.
and there Petrol went He spent
week in the neighbOrhood as u knife
grinder, learning of the minister's hab-
its. lie found that he went TO the city
early. driving from his residence guard
ed. i'll a close carriage, and never re-
turned before dark. Petrol did not
think il practicable TO throw bomb
under such conditions and resolved to
effect an entrance to the house.
One night the minister was sitting
in his study at home when he heard a
step Oh the porch without. and a man
in the Garb of Il workman jumped in
at the window \ long blade glittered
In the lamplight, and he was about to
bring it down on the minister's breast
when he stopped as if suddenly para
iyzed The two men looked fixedly into
each others eyes. the workman stand
ing rigid, the minister half risen from
his chair He had given himself up for
lost when suddenly the workman's
knife dropped on the floor.
''EXcellency," he said, you saved my
boy"
Then the minister remembered. You
are
Petrol, the peasant; now Petrol the
workman, the revolutiOnist. / came
to remove you. But L cannot
The minister rose and. going to the
door, locked it. Then, returning to his
chair, he said:
why did you come to kill meT
Il came to kill the minister. l did
not know that you were he"
And why did you wish to kill the
Minister"
That a more liberal man may be put
in his place"
Has il never occurred to you" the
minister said after Il pause, that L
simply carry out the orders of the
czar?''
Yes, excellency, but if we remove
minister for the cars tyranny he will
give the next one he appoints more
liberal orders"
The minister took up a paper on
which he had been working and hand
led it to Petrol The workman had
recently learned to read and perused
the document. 1t was u draft of re-
forms which would greatly ameliorate
the condition of the workman.
Il have already gained his majeStyS
consent to those reforms said the
minister. Il am preparing them to be
issued in the form of n ukase Now,
l have proposition to make you. 1
will report TO the ear that an attempt
was made to assassinate me which
failed and the would be assassin es-
capped. Then we shall see whether his
majesty will allow these reforms or
suppress them"
Petrol stood for awhile in deep
thought before replying
"Excellency." he said at last, Il beg
You not TO report the attempt. / fear
the car Will decide not to grant the
reforms"
Very Well Go back and tell those
from whom you come thft they have
been saved from IOSinp tho hanaAnap%