The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-25

furiously. And there in the street the maniac expired before them in terrible agony. the gorged food proving fatal after such prolonged disuse of eating.
 Such were the scenes, and there were ] many of them at every step through which Andrii passed to the palace of the voivode. They have eaten everything" said the Tartar woman, "all the animals. Not horse, nor dog, nor even a mouse can be found in the whole town. Possibly the voivode might have surrendered, but yesterday carrier pigeon came into the city bearing a note saying that it was not to be given up; that endorsements and provisions were soon to arrive" Whom they entered the palace guards sat at the foot of the great staircase, still on duty. but too weak to stand. With one hand they grasped their halberds and with the other supported their dropping heads. They neither slept nor dreamed. but ap- peared quite insensible to everything; they even paid no attention to those who went up the stairway. At the head of this staircase stood warrior armed from head to foot. He held a breviary In his hand and turned dim eyes upon them. They entered the first chamber, large one. serving as a reception room. Sol- diers, servant, cup-bearers, secretaries, huntsmen and other retainers so neces- sary to the state of a great Polish noble were seated upon benches ranged along the sides of the room; all grim, gaunt, listless starving! There was the reek of extinguished candies in the room and though the morning had now fully broken two still burned in huge candlesticks nearly as tall as a man, standing in the middle of the apartment.
 Finally his conductress brought him to the room in which the daughter of the volvode awaited him. Two candles burned in the room and a lamp glowed before a sacred image. And there stood a woman who seemed to have frozen or to have turned to stone in the midst of some quick movement. It seemed as if her form had sought to spring toward him, arrested motion. This was the charming. giddy girl whom he had loved in Kief, a woman now in the full development of her charms, a woman ennobled by suffer ing. Even her great pallor did not lessen her wonderful beauty. Andrii stood mo- tionless before her. 'I have no power to thank you" she said at length in a tremulous voice. God himself will re- ward you; not I, a weak woman" The Tartar woman cut up some of the bread which Andrii had brought and placed it on golden plate before her young mis- tress. My mother" said the girl. "and my father? I have taken them some," returned the servant. land the volvode will come In person to thank the Knight"
 Andrii watched the girl break and eat the bread with inexpressible delight, but remembering the man who had died in such agony in the street. he stayed her hand. warning her that too much food after such prolonged fast would be fatal and she obeyed him like a c.. td .'Teil me what I can do for you he said Command me. Nothing else in the world matters so can be of service to you" Losing control of himself, he made a passionate appeal to her and a declara- ton of his love. She listened with grow ing amazement and then, throwing a handkerchief over her face. gave way to tears. When she partially recovered her self she bemoaned the fate which had cast her love upon stranger and an enemy. But Andrii answered: ''What are my father and my brother and my country to me? Our country is the one our spirit longs for; the one which is dearest of all to it-my country? That is you,
 Enoughl Andrii returned nc more to