Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-10-30
BefeOeen Duty
And Love.
IOriginal.l

e8 49, IS OCAo ahd
went to the door. A sledge drove up, and
a young man alighted and, followed by
his valet, hurried into the house. The
driver remained with the horses.
rs there I'M one here who knows
the road to VI" he asked.
'There is no one here at all except
my father and myself. My father is
Ill in bed. l know the road to ""
II must get there in time to catch
the st. Petersburg express which
passes at 1915. It Is now 8. The
distance is
Eighteen versts."
mo more than that? Good. There
is plenty of time"
"But, ex%cellency, there are many hills,
and the snow is deep and In places
drifted. You will require all the time
you have, and more"
The young mans -countenance fell.
my horses are tired OUT he said,
"and my sledge Is heavy, yet 1 must
catch the train"
"We have a fresh horse and a light
sledge with seats for but two people.
Let your driver and your servant re-
main here. l will drive you to ""
you little angel! You little beauty!
Take me to v. In time for the train
and l will love you forever"
He impulsively threw his arms
around Safo and kissed her.
1t is astonishing how speedily q very
young country girl-and this one was
but se~venteen-who has never seen a
fine gentleman when she first meets
one can fall in love with him. For that
one moment, for the first time in her
life, Safo was In heaven.
The travellers sledge was driven into
the barn, the lighter sledge got out.
and Safo Arkadyevna and Alexis Alex
androvitch entered. She holding the
reins, the robes were adjusted, and
they drove away.
"Why do you so wish to catch the
train? ?" asked Safo.
at Is a matter of life and death"
"Your life or death?" asked the girl,
with a gasp.
"No; that of a man ON the train"
Safo listened intently for more. Had
this to do with revolutionary work?
She was an enthusiastic rev%olutionist.
Was she driving this man to the train
to enable him to prevent the accom-
plishment of a revolutionary purpose?
The hills lay within the first ten or a
dozen versts of the distance to be trav-
eled. When Alexis became impatient
at their slow progress Safo told him
that for the last six or eight versts the
road low ovor Lowell orarnd xUban fhov
had passed the hills they had but half
an hour to &C the remainder of the dis
lance. But the road was covered with
loose snow, and the horse was not as
fresh as at starting. To their right
they could see to a considerable dis
tance, and two or three yersts away
was a sledge, the driver of which was
whipping his horse numerically, going
In the same direction as themselves.
"There they are nowl"
"WhoY' asked Safo.
1.-THE murderers! Get upl Give him
the whip"
mot until you tell me what this
MEANS" she said firmly.
Alexis turned and looked at her, as
tonished. After a few moments of
study he said:
1.-THE minister of the interior is on
the train l wish to catch. At an inn
where l stayed last night l overheard
q conversation that told me a revolu-
ZIONIST would board the train at ",
leave his compartment while the train
is in motion, walk along the foot
board to the carriage occupied by the
minister, shoot him through the win
dow and jump from the train"
He watched eagerly the girls face as
he spoke. She made no comment for a
time, though she showed traces of an
inward struggle, a struggle between
love and duty. She knew of the suffer
ings of her people under autocratic
rule, yet her heart had sprung to this
young man as a moth will dash against
the glass inclosing an electric light.
She could take him to the station in
time to save the minister's life or could
delay him.
"WellY' he ventured presently.
The girl made no reply. They were
going at a good pace, and Alexis, know
ing that she was celebrating, pre-
ferred to give her a few moments in
which to decide. If her decision was
against him he would take the reins
himself.
But he did not know the way, and
this might wreck his purpose. Sud-
denly she threw the reins to him.
Selling them In one hand, he laid
on the whip with the other. The girl
eak vor1fo Inv hiC cfdo Entorfnr m mood
they came to a fork in the road.
(which" asked Alexis.
Safo remained silent.
Seeing that she would not choose for
him and realizing the impossibility Of
forcing her to do so, he chose the left
hand road. 1t led him two versts out
of his way. When he emerged from
the wood he could gain 500 q Ionn dis