, 1905-02-15

He lay still for a momen
OH the short grass, staring up into the
Sky and wondering why the boys had
left him on the field. Then with a
ttart he remembered that it was not
football. but Il wicked blow from be-
hind which had felled him, and that 1t
was not the field at New Haven. but n
lonely roadside in Russian Lithuania
which pillowed his aching head.
The Il vas just rising, SO he knew
that he must have dropped like a log
and lain there half the night. 1t was
deadly quiet. Something aside from
the aching of his whole body told him
that he vas badly hurt, SO that when
he tried to nov he fell back with a
groan of pain, with the sweat gather
ing in beads upon his forehead and
around his mouth.
He had plenty of time to recall the
circumstances which placed him there.
He remembered quite distinctly that
Prince Korolenko had warned him that
trouble might surely be expected. In
fact, that was chiefly why the young
American had undertaken the survey.
Owen was a civil engineer of some
renown, and at a dinner of the ambas-
sailors in st. Petersburg he had sat
next the Russian, the boundary of
whose estates in Lithuania, or Russian
Poland, were hotly disputed by the
Countess SysZkiewicz and her sons,
whose estates abutted on Prince Koro-
lenko's. This dispute had been held in
allegiance for years, but now, as the
prince wished to sell, the quarrel which
heretofore had been largely kept up
by the peasants on the two estates
must be settled by law. The prince,
always courteous, had formally sug-
gested arbitration to his Polish neigh
Dor and had requested her to select an
engineer who would be biased by nei-
Their Polish nor Russian s%ympathies.
To this the elegant old countess had
replied with equal courtesy that she
would suggest an American, of whose
engineering skill she had heard some
marvellous accounts, but owing to the
fact that she was a widow and had
withdrawn from public affairs she left
Tile SeltcllOU Ol Tile American 10 Gllcc
Korolenko, who mingled with the
world and in whose integrity she had
full confidence.
Greatly pleased by this courtesy, the
prince had asked Owen if he cared to
undertake it, explaining that he had
nothing to fear from the gentry, but
that the blind partisanship of the peas
ants, especially when augmented by
vodke, was apt to result in a broken
head.
well if not a broken head, a broken
everything else" thought Owen.
The sur was perhaps two hours high
when the stiffness was broken by a
sharp jingling of bells and the clatter
of g~alloping hoofs and the roll of
wheels.
"a troika!' exclaimed Owen, trying
to raise himself. The effort was too
much for him, and he fell back. Then
a thought came to him, and with his
uninjured hand he pulled out his hand
kerchief and held it up. The morning
breeze f1uttered the pale flag of truce,
and it caught the eye of the driver,
who shouted to the occupant of the
troika. Owen could see that the young
girl in the troika was standing up n
urging on the fiery horses by her cries.
The coachman pulled up his horses
beside where Owen lay, and the young
girl sprang out and knelt down by his
side. saying in English, but with the
slightest possible accent:
"Oh, oh. how sorry we are! We have
just heard of it. and mamma is hard at
work in the little pavilion which ordi-
narily she despises so, preparing for
your reception. 1t is your arm surely
and p%erhaps-yes, the collar zone also,
and oh, what a horrid cash on your
head! Tell me if l hurt you too much
but bear it if you cam
As she talked the girl was eXamin-
ing his hurts with the skill of Il train
ed nurse, but without her professional
calmness. for from her manner of re-
sponsibility Owen felt sur that this
vas the young Countess SyszkieWicz'
whose peasants had attacked him the
night before. Her cheeks were flushed
with excitement, and her eyes were
dark with remorse and pity.
Without waiting for any answer from
Owen she worked on, the touch of her
cool fingers inexpressibly soothing to
the wounds she bandaged with deft
skill. Suddenly she sprang up, a gilt
ter of silver trif1es hanging from her
belt making a jingle as if of bells. She
ran to the horses heads, and the coach
man, in response TO a few words in
Dalich nlnaod Q1Enn in the trAika