The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-30
Too Many Funerals.

Copyright. 1908, by American Press Asso-
ciatlon.l
Stcpan Metrof rushed into his house
where bis wife was getting the dinner,
pale as a ghost and his eyes starting
out Of his head.
''yvhat is It, Stcpan2 For the love OF
God, what is it1 Have you been
drawn"
.%Yes; l must Kill the minister Of the
interlor,,'sH o8ia,,ufaf ff+t
The. wife covered her face with her
hands aud trembled; then she said, ''It
is You who must die, not the minis
fer" ,r.. oi.,g
Rather, we must both diep 4qe
- mean you must die to the world"
"How can do that, NatalieT
leave 1t to me-" !
Metrof shook his head doubtfully
Nevertheless he had confidence in his
wife's Ingenuity and hoped In a
week he was apparently very Ill. His
wife sent for Alex Gagin, president Of
the circle. to come and see him. Me-
trof was in bed. His wife said that
worry over the order to kill the min
lister was driving him into the grave.
In two weeks from that time Natalie
sent again for Gagln, who came and
saw Metrof lying in his coffin. Natalie
had painted his face so that ne made
disagreeable looking corpse.
"See what you have done!' she said,
covering her hands and weeping ce
piously.
"Achw exclaimed Gagin contemp-
tuously. "Your husband was a cow
ard, and went away. But IN mo-
ofBent he returned and, taking hand
glass. placed it before Metrof's nos
ttriIs. Metrof heard him ask for the
glass and when the test was made held
his breath. Gagin, catching no mois.
sttireaion the glass, went away again
this time for good.
A,The next day Natalie, In the garb
sof aswidow, followed n coffin in which
there were stones and boards to the
tgraye.aand q now man was chosen to
kilIthe minister.
Two years later Metrof and his wife
were living In New York. keeping n
wine shop. One day man entered
the shop and. sitting at table, called
for n glass Of wine At seeing Metrof
he looked at him keenly. Metrof went
into back room, where he found
Natalie and told her that Peter Kata-
visof. one of the circle which had or
dered him to kill the minister. was in
the shop and had recognized him. 81
shall be followed and murdered" he
added.
Natalie, instead Of giving way to
grief. began to think.
"You must die again." she said pres
emily.
'That game will not work twice"
at will, but must be done different.
ly."
Metrof kept a revolver In the house
His wife went out and got a paper
OF red dye and n little sponge. Put.
ting water and the dye on the sponge
and handing her husband the revolver
loaded with blank cartridges, she gave
him instructions what to do, Metroi
went out into the shop, where he
found the stranger waiting. Metroi
went up to him and said: "You have
recognized me. / am lost, But | can
stand this strain no longer. Will save
you the trouble of Furnishing me-"
With that he stepped back to the door
through which he had come, put the
revolver to his temple and fred. He
fell into Natalie's arms, and n red
stream trickled from his temple She
had squeezed the sponge. She drew
him into the room and shut the door
refusing to admit any one but the po-
lice.
The next morning the papers men.
toned suicide In the Bowery, and
Metrofs representative corpse was
buried again.
after, the funeral Natalie, n widow
for the second time, sold the shop and
went west. where she was Joined by
her husband. Having bought farm
they settled to it's cultivation, hoping
that there would be no necessity for
any more funerals.
One day when the couple were on a
train who should walk down the aisle
but Peter Katavlsof. As he passed
them and saw Metrof he stopped. his
eyes fixed on him with astonishment.
Then he passed on, and the hunted
man knew that his life was again the
object of the dreaded circle.
Metrof believed that Katavlsof would
report him to the circle at st. PeIers-
burg and some one would be commits.
stoned TO kill him. He never went out
OF his house at night and In the day
always carried weapons. one night
there was knock at his door Nata-
lie motioned him TO conceal himself
while she answered the summons. A
man with shocky hair and beard,
whom both recognized for a Russian,
entered and asked for something to
eat. The reply TO his request was a
bullet from Metrof sent through the
heart,
Natalie found on the body papers to
satisfy her that he had been sent to
--kill her husband, Copying his hand
swyitlng, she wrote the circle In hls
Mhafoe that he had succeeded. but he
siniust go into hiding to escape the law.
fNJafolia fold har match hopS fi,af har