Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-06-14

PONDEROUS coach numbered
~ slowly almost painfully, along
A the narrow road that skirted
81 the base of mountain. 1t was
drawn by four horses, and upon the
seat sat two rough, unkempt Russians,
one holding the reinS, the other lying
back in a lazy doze. The month was
June. and all the world seemed soft
and sweet and joyous. To the right
flowed a turbulent mountain stream,
boiling savagely with the alien waters
of the Hood season. Ahead Of the
creaking coach rode four horsemen,
all heavily armed; another quartette
followed some distance in the rear.
At the side of the coach an officer Of
the Russian mounted police was rid
ing easily, jangIng his accouterments
with a vgor that dshe9rtened at least
one occupant of the vehicle. The Win
tlows of the coach doors We're lowered,
permitting tho fresh mountain air to
caress fondly the face of the young
woman who tried to find comfort in
one of the broad seats Since early
! morn she had struggled with the hard
ships Of that seat, and the late after
| noon found her very much out of pa
| tience. The opposite seat was the rest
/ ing place Of a substantial colOred wo-
man and a stupendous pile of bags and
! boxes. The boxes were continually
| topping over, and the bags were for.
| ever getting under the feet of the once
! placid servant, whose face, quite luck
! fly, was much too black to reflect the
anger she was able otherwise, through
years of practice, to conceal.
How much farther have we to go,
lieutenant?" asked the girl on the rear
seat plaintively, even humbly. The
! man WAS very Deliberate with his
! English. He had been recommended
to her as the best llnguist in the serv-
ice Mt Radoyitch, and lie had a repu-
tation 10 sustain.
1t another hour is but yet he man
smile
"Oh. dear" she sighed, "a whole hour
of this"
eve soon be dar. Miss Bev'lv. Jes'
yo max up 80 min to res easy-lille,
an We Put the faithful old colored
woman's advice was lost in the wrath
full exclamation that accompanied an
other dislodgmcnt Of bags and boxes.
The wheels of the coach had dropped
suddenly into a deep rut. Aunt Fan
ny's growls were scarcely more potent
than poor Miss Bcverly's means.
1T is getting worse and worse" ex-
claimed Aunt Fanny's mistress petu-
lantly I'm black and blue from head
to foot. aren't you, Aunt Fanny?"
All cain say as to de blue, Miss
Bev'ly. Hits a mos monstrous bad
road. sho 'nough. Stay up dar will
yo':" she concluded, jamming a bag
into an upper corner.
Miss Calhoun. tourist extra ordinary
again consulted the lnguist in the sad
die She knew at the outset that the
quest would be hopeless, but she could
think of no better way to pass the nex'
hour than to extract a mite of informa
. ton from the officer.
Now for Il good old chat" she said
, beaming a smile upon the grizzled Rus
sian. is there Il decent hotel in the
village" she asked.
I They were on the edge of the village
before she succeeded in finding out al
that she could. and it was not a grea
r deal. either She learned that the tow
t Of Balak was in Axphain, scarcely {
. mile from the Graustark line. There
4 was an eating and sleeping house OF
the main street and the population o
% the place did not exceed 300.
= When Miss Beverly awokc the mex
r morning, sore and distressed she look
= ed back upon the night with horro
= that sleep had been kind enough to in
f terrupt only at intervals. The wretche,
0 hosiery lived long in her secret cata
logue of terrors. Her bed was not
V bed: it was a torture. The ROOM tn
f table, the-but it was all too odious TO
n description. Fatigue was her only
friend in that miserable hole. Aun
;, Fanny had slept on the floor near he
I mistress cot and il was the good oil
! colored woman's grumbling that awok
: Beverly. The sun was climbing up tn
G mountains in the east, and there wa
t an air of general activity about tn
Y place. Beverly's watch told her that
was past 9 o'clock.
n Good gracious" she exclaimed
IL ITS nearly noon, Aunt Fanny. Hurr
l. along here and get me up. We mus
l. leave this abomlnable place in ten mil
h utes." She was up and racing abou
=. excltedly.
4 'Befo' breakfast" demanded Auu