The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-04-07
Tenth Page

visit to Abo and Helsingfors, acted as
my guide around the town, while
awaited the information from the hum
bled Chief of Police. My German friend
pointed out to me how, since Russia
placed her hand upon Finland, progress
had been arrested, and certainly plain
evidences were on every hand, There
was growing discomfort everywhere, for
many of the newspapers had recently
been suppressed and the remainder were
under severe, censorship; agriculture
had already decreased, and many OF the
cotton-spinning and sawmills were silent
and deserted. The exploitation Of those
gigantic forests from which millions of
trunks were foated down to the sea an
nually had now been suspended, the
great landowners were DESERVING the
country, and there was silence and de-
preston everywhere. Finland had been
separated for economic purposes from
the more civilized countries, and bound
to the poverty-stricken, artifcially iso-
lated and oppressed Russia. The double
headed eagle was everywhere, and the
people sat silent and brooding beneath
it's black shadow.
"There will be an uprising here before
long" declared the German confdentially
as we were taking tea one day on the
wooden balcony OF the hotel where the
sea and the low-lying islands stretched
out before us in the pale yellow of the
autumn shutdown. "The people will re-
volt, as they did in Poland. The Fin.
nish Government can only appeal to the
Car through the Governor General, and
one can easily imagine that their sug-
gestions never reach the Emperor. It is
said here that the harsher and more cor.
rupt the official, the greater honor does
he receive from Petersburg, But trouble
is brewing for Russia" he added "a
very serious trouble-depend upon it,"
looked upon the gray dismal scene,
the empty port, the silent quay, the dark
line of gloomy pine forest away beyond
the town, the broken coast and the wide
expanse of water glittering in the north.
ern sunset. Yes. The very silence
seemed to forbode evil and mystery.
Truly what / saw of Finland impressed
me even more than what had witnessed
in the far.off eastern provinces of Eur
opean Russia.
My object, however, was not TO inquire
into the internal condition of Finland,
or of her resentment of her powerful
conqueror. I was there to find that un-
fortunate girl who had written so
strangely to her old school friend and
whose portrait had, for some hidden
reason, been destroyed.
On the morning Of the third day after
my arrival at Abo, while sitting on the
hotel veranda reading an old copy of the
Paris Journal, many portions of which
had been "blacked out" by the censor,
the Chief of Police, in his dark green
uniform, entered and saluted before me.
"Your Excellency, may be permitted
to speak with you in private"
Certainly" / responded, rising and
conducting him to my bedroom, where I
closed the door, invited him to seat,
and myself sat upon the edge of the bad
81 have made various inquiries" he
said, "and l think have found the lady
your Excellency is seeking. Ny infor-
nation, however, must be furnished to
you in strictest confidence" he added,
because there are reasons why l should
withhold her whereabouts from YOU"
what do you meanf" I inquired.
what reasonsH"
"Well-the lady is living in Finland
in secret"
"Then she is alive" exclaimed
quickly. 81 thought she was dead"
ITO the world she is dead" responded
Michael Boranski, stroking his red
beard, "For that reason the informa-
ton give you must be treated rs con-
fldential."
"Why should she be in hidingf She
IL guilty Of no otrense-is shef"
The man shrugged his shoulders, but
did not reply.
"And this Baron ObergH You tell me
nothing of him." said with dissatisfac-
ton.