The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-11-13
The Women Chums.
IOriginal.l

tic ocean lying between Russia proper |
and Siberia. About i've miles from |
the Russian coast at sunrise In the |
morning the lookout in the fire top, a |
woman (women on Scandinavian ships I
do the same work before the mast as
mem, saw on the port quarter black
speck on the track of sunlight SHIN
mering on the waves. A black speck |
on river usually means nothing, but
at sea always excites attention. The |
lookout seized a glass and brought It
20 bear on the object, which under the
magnifying power Of the glass was re-
solved into boat with person in it
The lookout sent word to the captain,
who gave orders to put the vessel of
point or two with a view to discover
ing il 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 lifted over
the ships side in an exhausted condi-
tion, pale and emaciated, but when
they asked her questions she could re-
spond only in the Russian language,
which was unintelligible to the Scan
dinavians One of the crew was a
young Russian woman, Katia Jaroff,
who had shipped at a Siberian port
few days before. Knowing a 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 a Russian
vessel and, mourning 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 q 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-
hoff. was large and soon regained her
strength, 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 Kaia.
The first mate, a Swede named Scan
derson, became enamored of Katia and
made love to her. Katia repealed him,
but he persisted. Sonia took the girl
under her protection, which led to hard
words between the mate and Sonia, and
during the alteration Sonia told him
| that If he did not cease annoying her
friend and couutrywoman 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
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.
ceived a knock under the jaw which
raised him off his feet and landed him
on the deck again.
A fight between a man and woman
brought the crew together to see. The
mate arose and let drive at Sonia. He
was now in earnest, and the fight was
more even. Sonia was at a disad-
vantage from her skirts, but she had
the luck to knock her enemy against
the capstan, which stunned him, and
he was carried below unconscious
That ended the mates attentions to
Katia, and 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 a bunk
with the women, sleeping when she
did sleep at night on deck She was a
puzzle to the men, and her devotion
to Katia excited good deal of curios-
; ity. The captain. hearing of her quar-
rel 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 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 a 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