The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-26

80 peh1nd the stage, and convert the
dancers And again Courier con-
Three days later Gourisfr left st. Pc
tersburg. taking with him HIS new wife.
the ex-ballet girl. whose intelligence,
and--as he believed innocence-proved
a. great a. her physical charm. She
nad consented not merely to share his
lire. but also his rough labors to- .re-
new herself, as they say here, to
work her husbands people. his faith
For awear, the pair lived In perfect
content. apparently united in thought
a. they were in action. Marya Gou-
rfon, the young wife, even went far
ther than her husband. From morning
to night she worked for the peasants.
She started creche for the children
Of women working In the fields. con-
Quoted two schools, and when the peas
ant women refused to clearn their
filthy cabins. went down on her knees
and did the work herself.
The tragedy began when to 0ourieff's
estate came ex-stan Captain Yefimoff,
oourieffs regimental comrade. yea
mon arrived unexpectedly and am
nounced that he had been converted
by Gourieff's precept and example, and
was resolved to share his lifes Courier
reJoiced. He took Yefimoff into HIS
house. and treated him as q brother.
The new convert worked xealously.
taught In Madame Gouriefrs school.
doctored the peasants. plowed their
fields. and acted as their lawyer In all
disputes with the governmental au-
thorsties.
disappeared. with him disappeared
the ex-baliet girl Marya. Gouieff's once
devoted wife. She left q letter saying
that Yefimoff had been her first love.
that she had lived happily before mar
riage with him in St. Petersburg, and
preferred life as his mistress to live as
the honored wife OF the best man in
Russia.
Gourief's good resolutions which had
worked hitherto without hitch broke
down Immediately. From q non-resist-
er to evil, he was suddenly transformed
into a seeker OIL blood. According to
his confession. 1t was less Marya's flight
than her former deception, her pretence
OF unspotted innocence. which drove
him to crime. He resolved to XIII YEN
mon.
He pursued the pair TO st. Peters,
burg. But the morning OF his arrival
they had left for the Crimea- He fol-
lowed the there. They were in Con-
stantinople. In Constantinople he
communed again with his regenerated
self. and decided to leave them in
peace. He wrote letter to Marya tell
ing her to fear nothing, and got back
touching reply.
81 will never return to you" she said
"But Arsin: (Yefimoff) and I will meet
you at Tamboff q month hence, where
we can wind up our affairs peaceably,
and take final farewell"
Courier agreed to the meeting.
The three met. At first Boufief at
tempted to fuifi1l his intention to meet
his wife and her betrayer with out
ward calm. But when Yedbon entered
the room. his good resolution fed. He
conversed with the pair, quietly ar
ranged certain money matters, and the
moment Yedmof turned his back to
20, lifted q heavy lamp and broughts 1t
down on his head with q crash. The
betrayer fell dead. Marya fed into the
street and q few days later was found
half-dressed in field outside the town,
q raving maniac.
Courier was put on trial. Every
thing possible was done to secure an
acquittal. But the good works which
he pleaded as extenuation, were inter-
preted by an obsequious Judge as anti
governmental propaganda, and the
State attorney pressed the murder
charge with savage bitterness. After
three days trial, Courier was found
guilty of unpremedItated murder, and
sentenced to loss Of all rights, and ten
years penal servitude. He is now in
Eastern Siberia his reformed estates
gone to rack and ruin. and his fruitful
xvorhr forevap Aaafr0vAd-