The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-05-28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
The Women Chun1s
s,s.s.n

The Scandiyian shin Sea Gull was
sailing In Kara bay, a part OF tho Arc
nc ocean lying between Russia proper
ana siberia. About five miles from
the Russian coast at sunrise I'm The
morning the lookout In the fire ton. a
woman (women on scandinavian shiDs
DO the same work before the mast a.
men, saw on the port quarter a black
speck ON the track OF sunlight shim-
mering on the waves. A black sDeck
on river usually means nothing hilf
az sea always eXcites attention. The
lookout seized glass and brought IL
10 bear on the object. which under the
magnlfying power Of the glass was re-
solved into boat with a person in II
The lookout sent word 10 the captain
VINO gave orders 20 put the vessel on
a point or two with a view 10 dis.
covering II the lone boatman needed
assistance.
AS the Sea Gull approached the boat
the figure in IL was discovered 10 be-
mat Of woman. She was lifted over
the ships side in an exhausted condi-
| ton, pale and emaciated but when
they asked her questions she could ra
spond only in the Russian language
which was unintelligible To the Scan.
dinayians. One Of the crew was a
young Russian woman. Katia Jaroff
who had shipped at Siberian port
few days before. Knowing a little
scandinavian, she was brought for.
ward as an Interpreter. A close Oh
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 themselvs so that nothing
unusual was noted katia questioned
the stranger and reported that she
claimed &c have been aboard a Rus
sian vessel and mourning the dis
pleasure OF the captain. had been ma
rooned. She asked where the Sea Gull
was bound and when told that she
would first stop al a 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 Sarder-
hon. was large and soon regained her
strength, which was considerable.
katia. on the contrary. was delicate.
and she seemed 20 have been pulled
down by some past hardship. Both
women were intellectual looking. and
their station vas evidently far above
that Of the balance Of the crew. Sonia
from the time she was able to stand
watch offered 10 do duty also for
katia. This she insisted upon and
most Of the time did double work re-
lieving Katia
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 10
hard words between the mate and
Sonia. and during the alteration
Sonia told him that If he did not
cease annoying her friend and country
woman she would compel him 10 DO
so. This interested the crew. who
ridiculed Scanderson. He paid no at
tention TO SOnia's threat, but per-
sisted in annoying Katia
One day while he was so doing he
was felled to the deck by a 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 ne
received a knock under the Jaw which
raised him of his feet and landed him
on the deck again.
A fight between a man and a woman
brought the crew together to see The /
mate arose and let drive at Sonia He |
was not in earnest. and the fight was |
more even Sonia was at a disad- |
vantage from her skirts. but she had /
the luck 10 knock her enemy against /
the capstan. which stunned him. and |
he was carried below unconscious. |
That ended the mates attentions 10 /
Katia, and from the time OF the fight |
the two women were inseparable.
But Sonia had nothing 10 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 4
puzzle TO the men. and her devotion /
TO kaiia 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 dut-
ies of 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 NlOStoff who had cot
himself sent TO lara for the express
purpose OF freeing Katia. which he
had planned to do by bribery Katia's
escape had been made az the time ar
ranged. but Vlostoff had been delayed
They had arranged 10 get away from
Siberia by shipping on a foreign YES
sci. which katia has accomplished
vlostof had been Obliged to put out
in Kara bay in a boat. and fortune de-
creed that he should be picked up bv