The Greenville morning herald. [volume] (Greenville, Tex.) 1890-1956, 1910-11-27
ACurious Courtsllip
By SARA TREAT BINGHAM
Copyright 1910 by American Press
Association

! was recently entertained by a gen.
tleman and his wife, living in their
handsome country place on one Of the
most beautiful of American lakes.
whose courtship was certainly the
most strange ever heard Of They
were both Russians by birth and both
Of the higher class The husband told
me the story one evening while we
were smoking on lis piazza overlook.
| Ing the water It was this:
| am now a man Of seventy. and dur.
| ing my long life there has been n
great change in the political condition
of my native country. Were It not for
this change instead of telling you my
experience | would be deathly afraid
| of your knowing it. Indeed. ] should
be living, as it We're, in oblivion. /
was one OF the original nihilists. The
word Is no longer used in speaking of
Russians who oppose the government.
for there is nothing It stands for.
1t is the Latin word nihil, which
means nothing the nlhilists believing
that nothing, governmental or social.
that exists should cxlst-all should be
destroyed Today there is process
OF building up RUSSIA. and even the
term revolutionIst there is at present
confined to few.
The belief Of the circle that be.
longcd to was, among other things,
that MI property should be held in
common. | was then but twenty years
OF age and was caught by this idea.
Indeed, young as | was, became a
leader among the nihilists. But my
principles underwent a sudden change
A brother of my father had emigrated
to America and had made fortune
He died bachelor when ! was TWEEN
ty-fivc years old and left me his prop
erty, amounting to more than half "a
million dollars.
This acquisition of wealth win turn
the head Of any communist from his
principles, no sooner learned that l
was heir to a fortune than / saw all
the social problems | had studied I'm a
| different light Rut one object tool,
possession of mc-to conceal the news
Of my fortune from my associates,
hiding myself from them that
might enjoy It, one night I left one
Of their meetings TO disappear from
,hcm forever. Disguised, left ut
midnight for Amoricn, ana in a few
months my property was turned over
to mo.
In time the cause of my absence
would be known. l should be tried
and condemned to death turned
over my property and the collection
of my income 10 an agent. with in
structions to send the latter to an an
other name than my own, which as
sumed, and attempted to lose my iden-
tity in travelling from place to place
l never dared stop anywhere more
than n month at time, and before
long | began to experience that tired
| feeling which induces criminals who
know the police are hunting them To
give themselves mp and suffer the pen,
lily ur their crimes.
Especially did suffer from being
cut off from my own countrymen. I
dared not associate with n Russian
| lest through him my identity and
whereabouts should be communicated
! To those who were looking for me For
| rem years ! lived n life in death
| have often since wondered how the
/ car. knowing all the while that there
are many persons seeking TO kill him.
can live without breaking down with
nervous prostration
As time passed and | stllI lived II |
| did not feel easier AT least took fewer
/ precautions against being found by one
sent to Kill me. In fact, | felt that l
would rather die than suffer myself 10
/ constantly fear death.
One day l was introduced to lady
| from Russia. who on learning from
! something ! inadvertently dropped TO
reveal the land Of my nativity that 1
/ was a Russian took an interest in me.
/ lIounded as 1 felt sure ! had been for
4 many years | gave myself up to the
companionshlp Of this woman, who
/ seemed to have been sent to me in my
! Punishment TO comfort me Indeed,
was falling into that condition we call
/ love when one moonlight evening Mt a
/ house where we were entertained she
/ suggested that we walk IN the garden.
/ When out of sight of the house she
/ suddenly faced me drew a dagger aud,
! with the words Forgive me-" attempt
/ ed to plunge it into my heart. / was
/ too quick for her. spriuging backward