The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-03
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.

opposite wall. He turned round, took
up a position that he guessed was three
feet nearer the door, and again ira
versed the room, becoming SO eager IN
the search that he forgot for the mo-
ment the horror Of his situation, just
as, when engaged in a chemical expert
ment, everything else vanished from his
mind, and thus after several journeys
back and forth he was again reminded
of the existence of the stone bench by
butting against it when he knew ne
was still several feet from the wall.
Rubbing his head, he muttered some I'M
favorable phrases regarding the immov-
able bench, then crawled round it twice,
and resumed his transverse excursions.
At last he reached the wall that held
the door, and now with breathless eager,
ness rubbed his shoulder against 1t till
he came to the opposite corner. He
knew he had touched with knees and
hands practically every square inch of
space in the floor, and yet no bread.
"Now, that IS a DISASTER cried he,
gg Gag up sR his fss d doasn sttesf hrns
in. four days. I've cast my bread on
the waters. 1t has evidently gone down
the stream. Now, what's to hinder
man escaping by means of that water
course? Still, If he did, what would
be the use? He'd float out into the
Baltic sea, and if able to swim round
the rock, would merely be compelled
to knock at the front door and beg
the boat, but they probably guard it
night and day land a man in the water
would have no chance against one in the
boat. Perhaps there IS gratings be-
tween the cells. Of course, there's
bound to be. No one would leave the
bed of a stream clear for any one to
navigate Prisoners would visit each
n4ho tbair hat
lowed in any respectable prison. won
der if there's any one next door on
either side of me. An iron grid won't
keep out the sound. III try, !" and go
Z ing again to the margin Of the wa
tercourse, he shouted several times as
loudly as he could, but only a sepul-
chra1 echo, as if from a vault, replied
to him. r.
."I imagine the adjoining cells are
empty No enjoyable companionship to
be expected here. ] wonder if they We
got the other poor devils up from the
steamer vet, I'll sit down on the bench
and listen.'
He could have found the bench and
shelf almost Immediately by cropping
exercise his sense Of direction, to pit
himself against the darkness
"I need not hurry" he said, 1T
may be long time here
In his mind he had a picture Of the
cell, but now that he listened to the
water, it seemed to have changed it's
| direction, and he found he had to re-
arrange this mental picture, and make
a different set of calculations to fit the
new position. Then he shuffled slowly
| forward with hands outstretched, but
| he came to the wall, and not to the
bench. Again he mapped out his route,
again endeavored and again failed. :.
This is bewildering:" he muttered.
"How the darkness battles man. For
| the first time in my life I appreciate
to the full the benediction of God IS
command Let there be light -
| He stood perplexed for few mo-
ments, and, deeply thinking, his hands
automatically performed an operation
as the servants Of habit, They took
ed tube of tobacco, placed it be-
tween his lips, searched another pocket,
! brought out matchbox and struck a
light The striking Of the match star
tied Lermontof as if it had been an
! explosion; then he laughed, holding the
match above his head, and there, at his
feet, saw the loaf of black bread It
room end for end. The door was where
he thought the stream was, and thus
he learned that sound gives no indi.
/ cation of direction to man bfindfold.
ed. The match began to wane, and fe.
. verishly he lit his cigaret.
Why didn t I think of the matches
and, oh! what a pity failed to ELL
my pockets with them that night Of ths
| professor IS dinner partyi To think
that matches are selling at this mo
4 ment in Sweden $50 for ha1fpenny!, ,!
Guided by the spark at the end OF
his cigaret, he sought the bench ani
sat down upon it. He was surprised
Il to find himself an little denreasnd o.
was actually the case. He did not fee
in the least disheartened. Something
was going to happen on his behalf; o.
that he was quite certain. It was per
fectly ridiculous that even IN Russis
a loyal subject, who had never don,
any illegal act in his life. noblema,
of the empire, and a friend of til,
czar, should be incarcerated for lon,
without trial, and even without aceu
cotton He bod