Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07
/ v

vt was long before Rezanov slept that
night. The usual chill had come in
from the Pacific as the sun went down
and the distinguished Wis tor had in
timated to his hosts that he should
like to exercise on shore until ready FOR
his detested quarters; but ArgueHo dared
not in the absence of his father invite the
foreigner even to sleep in the house so law
ishly offered in the mOrning; although he
had sent s1Ich an abundance OF provisions 10
the ship that the poor sailors were deep IN
scep, gorged like boa constructors ana ne
could safety promise that while the Juno
remained in port her larder should never
be empty. He shared the evening bowl of
punch in the cabin. then went his way la
menting that he could not take his new
friends with him.
Rezanov paced the little deck of the Juno
to keep his blood in stir. There was no
moon. The islands and promUntories on
the great sheet of water were black save
for the occasional glow OF an Indian
campfire. There was not a sound but the
tapping of the waves, the roar of distant
breakers. The SIea- silver stars and the
little green stars looked down upon soil
tude that was almost prlmevdi, yet mys-
terously disturbed by the restless currents
i'm the brain of Il man who had little IN
common with primal forces.
RezdLUV WAS uneasy ON more scores than
one He WAS annoyed and mortified at
the discuvery-ma over the punch bowl
that the girl he had taken to he twenty
was but sixteen. Ii was 10y no means his
first experience OF the gu ok maturity OF
southern wumcn-hut six cen! He had
never wasted a moment on chit before,
and although he WAS man of ltn3Slna-
ton, and notwithSt1nd lng her Intelligence
and dignity. he could not reconcile proper
ties 50 conflicting with any sort OF lem
mime ideal.
And the pressing half of his miss on he
had Contided to her. No knew bet
ter than he the value of tactIul and
witty woman in the political dilemmas of
life; more thdn one had gwen linn DEVOTED
service, nor ever yet had he made 4 mis-
take. After several hours 81 ent in the So
Ciety OF this clever, polite, dissatisfied girl
he had come To the Conclus .on that he
could trust her, and had told her of the
lamentable condition of the creatures in
the employ of the RUssian-American Com
pany; OF their chronic state Of semi-starva
tiOn, of the scurvy that made them apa-
thctic of brain and body, and eventually
would eXterminate them unless he could
establish reciprocal trade relations with
California and obtain regular supplies of
farinaCeous food; acknowledged that he
had brought cargo of Russ an and Bos-
ton goods necessary to the well-beng of
the missions and presidios, and that he
would not return to the wrctched people of
Sitka. at least without q generous substi-
tute of breadstuffs, dried meats, peas,
beans, barley and tallow. Not only had
he no longer the courage to witness their
misery, but his fortune and his career
were at stake. His entire capital was in
vested in the company he had founded
and he had failed in his embassy to Japan
to the keenest modification of the tsar
and the jub.lance of his enemies. If he
left the emperor's northeastern domnions
unreClaimed and failed to rescue the COM
pany from its precarlous condition he
should hardly care to return to St. Peters
burg.
Dona Concha had listened to this eloquent
harangue-they sat alone at one end of the
long sala while Luis at the other toiled
over letters to the governor and his father
advising them of the formidable honor of
the Russians vsit--in exac ly the temper
he would have chosen Her fine eyes had
melted and run over at the moving tale OF
the sufferings of the servants of the COM
pany-until his own had softened in re-
Spouse and he had impulsvey kissed her
hand; they had dllated and flashed as he
spoke of his personal apprehens. ons; and
when he had given her practical expIana-
ton of his reasons for coming to Calfor-
mia she had given him advice as practical
In return.
He must withhold from her father and
the governor the fact of his pressing need;
they were high officials with inhexible