The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-08-04
The Women Chums.


lpfiHlnall
The Scandinavian ship Sea Gull was
sailing in Kara bay, part OF the Arc
tc ocean lying between Russia proper
and Siberia. About Ave mues from
tho Russian coast at sunrise IN the
morning the lookout in the fre top, a
woman (women on Scandinavian ships
do the same work before the mast "a
men). saw on the port quarter black
speck on the track OF sunlight shin.
mering on the waves. A black speck
on a river usually means nothing, but
Mt sea always exeltes attention. The
lookout seized n glass and brought II
20 bear on the object, which under the
magnifylng power OF the glass was re.
solved into boat with n person In IL.
The lookout sent word to the captain,
who gave orders to put the vessel or a
point or two with view 10 discover.
Ing IL the lone boatnan needed as.
slstance.
As the Sea Gull approached the boat
the figure in It was discovered to be
that OF a woman. She was lifted over
the ships side In an exhausted condl.
tion, pale and emaclnted, but when
they asked her questions she could re.
spond only In the Russian language,
which was unlntelllglble to the Sean.
dinavians. One OF the crew was a
young Russian woman, Katia Jaron,
who had shipped at a Siberian port a
few days before. Knowing n little
Scandinavian. she was brought for.
ward as an interpreter. A close OBJ
server would have noticed a slight
start ON the part OF both her and the
woman from the boat when they FIRST
saw each other but they sufficiently
restrained themselves so that nothing
unusual was noticed. Katia questioned
the stranger and reported that she
claimed TO have been aboard Russian
vessel and, mourning the dlspleasure OF
the captain, had been marooned. She
asked where the Sea Gull was bound
and when told that sue would first stop
at a Norwegian port asked to be trans
ported there. Since she had no money
she was required to work her passage
before the mast
Naturally the two Russian women
became companions. The woman who
had been marooned. Sonia Sarder-
hon, was large and soon regalned her
which was considerable
Katia. on the contrary, was delicate.
and she seemed to have been pulled
down by some past hardship. Both
women were intellectual looking. and
their station was evidently far above !
that of the balance of the crew. Sonia
from the time she was able to stand
watch offered to do duty also for Katia |
This she insisted upon and most OF the |
time did double work relieving Katia.
The first mate, a Swede named Scan.
1ersons nacame enamored OF Katia and
X : 7Is Y5xFf0 hcf. Katia repealed him.
but he persisted. Sonia took the girl I
under her protection. which led to hard |
words between the mate and Sonia, and |
during the alteration Sonia told him
that IL he did not cease annoying her I
friend and countrywoman she would /
compel him to do so, This interested /
the crew, who ridiculed Scanderson.
He paid no attention to Sonia's threat.
but persisted in annoying katia.
One day while he was so doing he /
was felled to the deck by blow from I
Sonia. When the mate got up several
of the sailors were laughing at him.
He attempted to bring the open palm |
of his hand against Sonia's ear; but, /
leaving his own face unguarded, he re
knock under the jaw which |
raised him offfhis feet and landed him |
on the deck again.
A fight between a man and woman
the crew together to see. The
mate arose and let drive at Sonia. lie |
was now In earnest and the fight was
more even. Sonia was at disad-
vantage from her skirts, but she had |
fhe luck to knock her enemy against |
the capstan, which stunned him. and
no was carried below unconscious.
,rhot ended the mates attentions to
Katia. and from the time of the fight |
rhe two women were inseparable.
Rut Sonia had nothing to do with
any of the women Of the crew except
Eatia. She would not occupy q bunk |
with the women. sleeping when she
did sleep at night on deck. She was
nrzzle TO the men. and her devotion
r. Katia excited a good deal Of curios-
~ The captain, hearing OF her quar-
rag with the mate, reprimanded him
and gave orders that the two Russian
women should thereafter be treated
With every consideration. He even
relieved Katia of hex part Of the duties
Of seaman.
rsinollv the Sea Gull rounded the
northern extremity of Norway ana
sailing down into the Atlantic ocean
mt info Bergen. When the anchor
had been dropped in Swedish waters
tha women went to the cabin OF the
eaptain and made a confession. They
were both escaped prisoners from the
Russian political prison at Kara.
Katia had been convicted OF teaching
tbe Russian peasants. Sonia was
~T.at,ooi vIostoff who had got
himself sent to Kara for the express
of freeing Katia' when ne
had planned to do by bribery. hatia
had been made at the time ar
800 -, r-,..4oA hnd hpen DELAYED.