The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-03
The WOMEN CHUMS.


Arctic Ocean lying between Russia
proper and Siberia. About five miles
from the Russian coast at sunrise in
the morning the lookout in the fire
top, a woman (women on Scandlna-
Wan ships do the same work before
the mast as men) saw on the port
quarter a black speck on the track
OF sunlight shimmering on the waves.
A black speck on a river usually
means nothing, but at sea always ex-
cites attention. The lookout seized
a glass and brought IL to bear on the
object, which under the magnifylng
power of the glass was resolved into
a boat with person in It. The look
out sent word to the captain who
gave orders to put the vessel off a
point or two with a view to discov-
ering If the lone boatman needed as
sistance.
AS the Sea Gull approached the
boat the figure in It was discovered
to be that of a woman She was lift
ed over the ships side in an exhaust
ed condition, pale and emaciated,
but when they asked her questions
she could respond only In the Rus
| sian language, which was unintellig-
ible to the Scandinavians. One of the
crew was a young Russian woman,
Katia Jaroff, who had shipped at
Siberian port a few days before.
Knowing a little Scandinavian, she
was brought forward as an interpre-
ter. A close observer would have no.
| ticed 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 them
selves 50 that nothing unusual was
| nbticed. Katia questioned the
stranger and reported that she claim
| ed to have been aboard Russian
vessel and, incurring the displeasure
/ OF the captain. had been marooned.
She asked where the Sea Gull was
bound and when told that she would
first stop at Norwegian port asked
to be transported 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 Sar-
derhoff was large and soon regained
her strength, which was consider
able. Katia, on the contrary, was
| delicate, and she seemed to have
been pulled down by some past hard
ship. Both women were intellectual
| looking, and their station was evil
IDENTIFY far above that of the balance
of the crew. Sonia from the time
she was able TO stand watch offered
TO do duty for Katia
The first mate, a Swede named
| Scanderson, became enamored Of
Katia and made love to her. Katia
repelled him but he persisted. Sonia
took the girl under her protection,
which led TO hard words between the
mate and Sonia, and during the al
| tercation Sonia told him that il he
| did not cease annoying her friend
and countrywoman she would compel
him to do So This interested the
| crew, who ridiCuled Scanderson. lie
paid no attention TO Sonias threat,
| but persisted in annoying Katia.
One day while he was 50 doing he
| was felled to the deck by a blow
from Sonia. When the mate got up
several Of the sailors we're laughing
| at him. lie attempted TO bring the
open palm Of his hand against Sonia's
! ear; but, leaving his own face un-
! guarded, he received knock under
| the law which raised him OF his feet
and landed him on the deck again.
/ A fight between man and wO-
man brought the crew together to
| see. The mate arose and let drive ~
| Sonia. He was now in earnest, and
the fight was more even. Sonia was
at disadvantage from her skirts,
| but she had the luck to knock her
enemy against the capstan, which
stunned him and he was carried be-
| low unconscious. That ended the
mates attentions to Katia, ana from
the time of the fight the two women
were inseparable,
But Sonia had nothing to do with
any of the women of the crew except
Katia. She would not occupy bunk
with the women sleeping when she
! did sleep at night on deck. She was
a puzzle to the men, aud her devotion
10 Katia excited Il good deal Of Curl
osity. The captain hearing Of her
| quarrel with the mate, reprimanded
! him and gave orders that the two
| Russian women should hereafter be
! treated with every consideration.
| He even relieved Katia of her part
( of the duties of a seaman.
Finally the Sea Gull rounded the
| northern extremity OF Norway and
/ sailing down into the Atlantic ocean,
/ put into Bergen. When the anchor
| had been dropped in Swedish waters
| the women went TO the cabin of the
/ captain and made confession They
were both escaped prisoners from
/ the Russian political prison at Kara
Katia had been convicted of teaching
the Russian peasants. Sonia was a
( man, Michael Vlostoff, who had got
| himself sent to Kara for the express
1 purpose OF freeing Katia, which he