Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-02-17
CHAPTER XIV.

Yerack draws a chair to the table,
close to my elbow, and with slow delib-
Grafton, and an expression Of supreme
satisfaction, takes from his tunic large,
bloated-looking pocketbook, out Of which
he abstracts a folded paper.
Now, Nikor Andreivitch Tcherevin,,"
he says, mouthing his words with an unc-
tuous intonation. in reply to your ap-
peal for permission of leave of absence
on the plea of ill health, have the pleas
ure to hand over to you from the Arch
imandrite of your diocese this paper,
which you will perceive, entities you to a
months sojourn abroad"
take the paper he holds toward me,
and unfold it. Sure enough, there is the
ecclesiastical seal, the wavering sigma
ture of the aged church dignitary, and
on scanning it L find that here indeed is
a formal leave Of absence to: MY ailing
son, the Reverend and Holy Father
Nikor Andreivitch Tcherevin, extending
over a period Of one month, to enable
him, by medical advice, to drink the wat
ers of Kissingen." suppose l look
my amazement, for Yerack, watching
me, begins to grin. Kalatch, who has
come up behind my chair, spells it out
slowly and exclaims:
Tell us about it. How hast thou
procured it?"
Yes; how2 Who Is Nikor Andrei-
vitch% l manage to stammer.
This seems too much for Yerack. He
throws himself back and INDUCES in one
of his mighty roars.
He knows not his own namew he
echoes. ''Ah, Nikor Andreivitch! my
poor Kikov; it Is indeed time something
was done for thy health"
Ere l have time for further question,
he produces 4 familiar looking little
greenback, the sight of which makes my
heart jump; and this time, without any
previous speech, he puts it into my hand.
1t proves to be a passport made out
in the name of this same Nikor Andrei-
witch, travelling to Germany. l read the
description of myself as l now appear,
in a sort of stupefaction. l cannot take
in my good fortune all at once.
Age-thirty.
Height-above average.
Eyes-brown.
Hair and beard-brown and curled
Nose-aQuiline.
Grasping the precious talisman, and
realizing what 1t means to me, my ex-
citement becomes SO great that l can
no longer sit still. l rise precipitately
and fall to pacing the foor while vain.
ly struggle for speech. Joy and graft
tude strike me dumb, and like a woman
the tears rush to my eyes and flow down
my cheeks.
At length l go up to Yerack, and plac
ing my hands on each of his shoulders
look down into his broad, jovial face
There comes strange stir in it, but In
an instant he jumps to his feet and
laughs boisterously.
"Ha, ha, ha! Come, friend Nikor, II
thou wouldst catch the evening express
in wilma, thou must bestir thyself."
Meanwhile 1 have sufficiently mastered
my emotion to say:
"Yerack, my friend-my noble friend
Thou wouldst escape my thanks. AnG
the gratitude Of my life long is all 1 may
give thee. Generous Yerack; she, toe
how she will bless thee for what thou
hast done for us! Would that she were
here to thank thee in her sweet, graciou.
wayw
"Let be, let be. Thou canst not i'm
agine how have enjoyed this escapade
To have tricked them so cleverly! All
only to have seen the face of that wardei
this morning when he entered the cell
Ho hol That skinny little prefect. How
small he would look when they told him
Of the tragedy How he would fums
and stamp! Oh, Il is splendid, splendid!' r
| NRuf I want To knnw how thon canaaI