The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1905-04-08
THE DESERTER|l

EF9 HE corporal In charge, who had
been drinking steadily. hic-
coughed his anecdotes. "Yel-
low imps! That's what they are, with
teeth as long as your finger. First
they shoot and then they eat you.
UghW n ~
Stepa n0gitch ahivereds gWaa re-
viytng from the stupor In which the
events OF the past few hours had
plunged him. He had never expected
to be called upon-hey "a man just mar
ried. 1T was unfair--horribIe. Why
should he be sent out to- this far and
perilous country, called Manchuria, to
be eaten by these yellow goblins2 II
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 theS depot and 3beRenrol1edY Why
had he not done as the others-crep
out In the night and met the German
agent who helped men to cross the
frontier and go in a ship to a coun-
try where there was much gold7 Was
1t too late? $&r~4 fE 3# - Il
The@train rolled on through the
frosty Oats. twas bitter cold night,
but the carriage was sitting. The 9TH
er recruits were asleep, or stupid with
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 sleeps nercef even than
when he was awake; but it was a
thing to be thankfuls for that there
was a breathing space from those mons
strous stories of his. They hurt a
mans inside those stories. ......-.-..-
To get rid of the feel Of them, Ste
panovitch tried to Ak his thoughts on
Kahnka. She was a good girl and la
borious, and 1t was shame that she
should be left-as good as widowed
SO soon. How she had wept when the
yellow card camel She hadswept 90
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
piumpest girl for miles around, and it
was for this reason that StepanoYitch
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 IN
der the fioor In which his savings were
stored. She might have been tempted
to spend them II she had known where
they lay; and then when he came back
ana needed them there would be moth
ing left.
But would he ever come back? II
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, nut
his hand on the handle and turned II
He had not meant to open the door.
but suddenly 1t was open. The train
went very slow; he could see that bv
looking through the veriest chink that
caused no draught and disturbed no
sleeper. A man coild drop into the
snow very easily and take no harm.
Two days later. In the evening. STE
panovitch stood outside the cottage
in which he had left Katinka. = n
seemed year since he had left her
but 1t was only two nights. He had
walked all the time, and run, too, az.
cent in the daylight, when he had hid
den himself Id straw stack He had
eaten nothing and slept not a wink
All the time, while he walked ana |
while be hid, he had thought of This
moment and Of what a surprise Il
would be to Katinka. He would On
very cautiously in, put his hand on her
lips lest she should cry out, and. TAX.
Ing his money from the place under
the door, beckon her to fy with him
That very night they would cross the
frontier with the help of the German
agent; and In the morning he would
slsep--sleep all the way to the, land of
gold! What morning that would bsi
1t seemed, however. 81 he stood ont
side the cottage. that there was a I
noise withinquite a long and loud T
noise, as Of some one singing. Il could
not be that Katinka was singing. with
him away, as she Thought among the
yellow imps in the Manchurian coup-
try. Nor, again, was II her voice. 1t
was a man who was singing. What
man had the right to be singing In his
stepanoyitch licked hia lips, which
we're very red with the. cold, wind. and
vent to crack he knew of In the