Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-06-14
Prisoners and Cdpdives
By III. s. MERRTMAN
--@N-
CHAPTER XIV

CHAPTER XIV.
Matthew Mark Easton arrived in ST.
Petersburg by train from Libau, and took
a drosky to the Hotel de France, for
which he paid seventy 'copecks. His pass
port was in perfect order, although
smeared most lamentably by the clerk Of
the Russian consulate who yised il in
London.
After breakfast he wandered forth,
guidebook in hand, having refused the
services of polyglot individual who pro-
fessed to be the brother-in-law of the hall
porter. The landlord himself directed
Easton to the Newskr Prospect, which,
however, was not considered interesting
until the afternoon. Nevertheless, he
went that way. and finally found himself
on the English quay. He crossed the
Neva, still in the same tourist gait, and
lost himself among the smaller commercial
streets of the Vasili Ostroff. Presently
by the merest accident he found himself
opposite a small warehouse bearing the
name IL. Ogroff' in painted letters above
the blind windows of what had once
been a shop. He pushed open the curtain
ed door and, addressing himself to
pleasant locking girl who was seated q
counter adding up the columns of
ledger, he mentioned the name "Loris
Ogrof"
Eyes," answered the girl, in perfect
English, ''he is in. Who are you"
Matthew Mark Easton."
"Ah Come in.''
She led the way into an inner room
which was lined with shelves containing
long wooden boxes like miniature collins.
There were upon the table some rolls of
common cloth.
Mr.. Ogroff is apparently a tailor"
way.
YES" she answered, with a short
laugh, "a very cheap one.'
He is upstairs in the cutting-out
room," she continued, with a twinkle in
her childish eyes. Il shall tell him"
Easton stood looking at the curtained
door after she had closed it. Then he
picked up a piece of rough cloth and ex-
amined its texture critically.
81 am half inclined" he reflected
aloud, ito become a nihilist. There are
alterations even in the lot of a tailor's
assistant of the establishment Ogroff."
In a few moments the door opened
again, and a stout man entered with a
bow. He shook hands without speaking
and pointed to chair.
We last saw this man in Easton's
rooms in London. His name was not
mentioned then, because there was not
much in a name for him. 1t was not
Ogroff then. He was not minutely de-
scribed, because a written description is
not always of great value. For instance,
he was in London a dark, grizzled man
with a beard; in his shop in the Vasili
Ostroff, st. Petersburg, he was a fair,
hairless man.
"Well?" he said, automatically, at
length.
Not a word" replied Easton; land
you?"
The man shrugged his heavy shoulders.
Not word. l have written to you
all that | heard. l wrote on the fifth Of
May; have you destroyed the letter."
"Yes-burned it."
We'll ~ calculated the Russian, mis-
using the word. Il heard" he continued
never mind how-that they all got
away, in good health, at the proper time
that is, in the early summer of the
year before last. They were followed,
but they destroyed all the horses and
boats as they went, and the pursuit was
necessarily given up"
Since that" inquired Easton; mot
a word?"
Not a word"
There has been no semi-official &C
count of the matter in the newspapers?' y
NO; it has been hushed up. The Of
| fetal report is that certain exiles and
prisoners escaped; that they were pur-
sued by Cossacks, and that the chase
was only given up when their death by
starvation was a moral certainty
And" said Easton, ''are they struck
out Of the list?'
yes; they are struck out"
II am going to look for them," an
nounced Easton, after a pause.
The Russian raised his haxen eye
brows.
'Ah! understood that you were con-
demned-by the doctors.'
No, not condemned; they merely said.
If you go, it will kill you"
And STILL" said the Russian, calmly.
'you CO."
Some one must. You cannot-you are
too fat. l am going by land" continued
the American. Il leave Petersburg to-
morrow morning"
Ogroff rose from his chair.
You must go now" he said. You
have been here long enough; we are
watched, you know. Here in Petersburg
we all watch each other"
The Russian held out a fat white hand
"Good-by, you brave American" he
said.
"G'by.'' returned Easton, with laugh