Alaska sentinel., 1905-04-13

D HE corporal in charge, who had
 been drinking steadily, hic-
 coughed his anecdotes. "Iel- low imps. That's what they are, with teeth as long as your finger. First they shoot and then they eat you. Ugh"
 Stepanovitch shivered. He was re- viving from the stupor in which the events of the past few hours had plunged him. He had never expected to be called upon-he, a man just mar ried. It was unfair-horrible. Why should he be sent out to this far and perilous country. called Manchuria, to be eaten by these yellow goblins? 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 a coun- try where there was much gold: Was 1t too late?
 The train rolled on through the frosty flats. It was bitter cold night, but the carriage was stifiing. The oth- CT 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 ferce-looking man in his sleep, fiercer even than when he was awake; but 1t was a thing to be thankful for that there was breathing space from those mon strous stories of his. They hurt Il mans inside, those stories.
 To get rid of the feel of them, Ste panovitch tried to fix his thoughts on Katinka. She was 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 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 It was not likely that she would save any. Very few did in their village. and Katinka was a hun gry one always. That was perhaps why she WAS so plump. She was the plumpest girl for miles around, and 1t was for this reason that Stepanovitch had loved her. Well, 1t 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 un- 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 noth- ing left.
 But would he ever come back? It 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 it. He had not meant to open the door. but suddenly 1t 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 panovtch stood outside the cottage in which he had left Katinka. It seemed year since he had left her. walked all the time, and run. too, ex- cept in the daylight. when he had hid den himself in straw stack. He had eaten nothing and slept not a wink All the time, while he walked and while he hid. he had thought of this moment and of what a surprise 1t would be to Katinka. He would go very cautiously in. put his hand on her lips lest she should cry out. and, talk 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,
 It seemed, however. as he stood out side the cottage. that there was noise withn-quite long and loud noise, as of some one singing. It could not be that Katinka was singing, with him away, as she thought, among the yellow imps in the Manchurian coun- try. Nor, again. was 1t her voice. It was a man who was singing. What man had the right to be singing In his |