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

ras recovered he found new faces in the old setch. Of those who had gone forth in pursuit of the Tartars none had come back. temporary peace had been made with the Poles, but upon the head of Taras pricer of 2O0o ducats had been placed by the Polish government, and os- tap and the other prisoners taken at the battle of Dubno were lying under sen- tence of death at Warsaw. A new army of Zaporozhians assembled and the Cos sacks started out for an expedition by sea. Two hundred boats were launched upon the Dnieper and Asia Minor saw the Cossacks with their shaven heads and their long scalp locks devote her thriving shores to fire and sword, while the tur- bans of her Mahometan inhabitants were strewn like innumerable flowers over her blood-sprinkled fields
 But Taras took no part in this foray; his heart was there in Warsaw with his son. He would go out upon the steppes, ostensibly to hunt, but would be found sitting with his head in his hands moan- ing. My son, my son!" At last he could endure it no longer. "Whatever happens,v he said, T will go and find out if he is dead or lives still. I will go to War saw Within a week he found himself in the city of ouman. The Jew, Yankel, lived there, and him old Taras sought out. Yankel agreed to guide him to Warsaw. But first he disguised the old Cossack. dressing him up as a German count.
 They reached the Polish capital, and every device was resorted to by Yankei to get the father an interview with his son, who was still in prison, but was soon to be executed with his companions. But Taras never saw Ostap again until he saw him led out to execution. Not only was Ostap killed, but his executioners first put him to the torture. From his place in the crowd the grim old Cossack watched his son bear without groan or a cry all the fiendish cruelties which his executioners inflicted upon him. Then he saw the young mans head struck off. Broken but unconquered, the old man re- turned to the setch of the Zaporozhians and plotted revenge.
 Another war against the Poles was de- clared and an army of 12O,000 Cossacks suddenly appeared upon the borders of Poland. With this army rode old Taras Bulba, made young again with the idea of revenge. It Is told In the chronicles how this great army moved on invincible; how weak was the royal hetman, Nix olai Potozky, sent against it; how cities were taken and whole regions laid waste until, at length, the fierce Cossack regi- ments besieged Nikolai in the small town of Polon. Reduced to extremities, the Polish commander promised under oath that full satisfaction should be given the Cossacks on the part of the king and government for all past injuries that their rights should all be returned to them and all their privileges reaffrmed. So peace was made.
 But there was one colonel in the Cos sack army who would not consent to such peace. This was Taras. He tore handful of gray hair from his head and cried out: Trust not the Polish dogs; do no such womanish deed" When the regimental secretary pre- sented to Taras the agreement for him to sign the hetman drew his sword of Damascus steel, broke 1t in twain like reed and threw the two pieces from him. You men," continued he. turning to his own followers, which of you wants to die his own death. not through sorrows and womanish longings, not through drink under a hedge beside the ale house, but an honorable Cos sack death?" We will follow you, Colonel we will follow you" came the response. Come on. thenr shouted Taras, and, pulling his cap down over his brow, he struck his horse with his whip and was off across the country. followed by his whole regiment and many other Cossack horse and foot.
 So Taras played his lone hand, mak- ing raids with his regiment all over Poland. He burned IS towns and near ly 40 churches and reached Cracow. He killed many nobles and plundered the richest and the finest castles. Spare nothing" was the order of Taras. Finally the Polish, government sent large force against him and drove him back to the banks of the Dnieper. He took refuge with his men in a ruined castle. He tried to fight his way through to the steppes and would have succeeded had he not halted suddenly in the midst of his flight to pick up pipe he had dropped, his inseparable companion in many campaign. T won't let those Poles have my pipe!r he cried and bent down to rescue 1t. A band of Poles surrounded him and seized upon him, shouting, The raven Is caught" In vain did Taras try to shake them off. old agev' he cried. "old age"-and the stout Cossack wept
 They bound Taras to nearby tree. and, piling fagots around him, burned him alive. AS long as he could speak he defied and reviled his captors. And he prophesied with his dying breath. "The time will come when czar shall arise on Russian soil and there will not be a power in the world which shall not submit to him."
 Next weeks one-page classic will be Twenty Thousand Leagues Under tho Sea-" by Jules Verne.
 4z A Hero Too Late
 Drifting about in the lower East Side, New York, is a human derelict known to the children of the streets as Andy" rxx.