The La Jara chronicle. (La Jara, Conejos County, Colo.) 1896-19??, 1910-11-04
ACurious Courtship
BY SARA TREAT BINGHAM
Copyright. 1910 by American Press
Association.

tleman and his wife. living in thei-
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 his piazza overlook
ing the water 1t was this:
am now n man of seventy. and dur
ing my long life there has been
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 1t Indeed | should
be living, as 1t 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 1t stands for
1t is the Latin word nihil. which
means nothing, the nihilists believing
that nothing. governmental or social
that exists should exist-all should be
destroyed Today there is process
of building up Russia, and even the
term revolutionist there is at present
confined to Il few.
The belief of the circle that be.
longed to was, among other things
that all property should he held in
common. | was then but twenty years
oi uEe anu was cluGht by TINS luea-
T,,I
indeed young as was became
leauer among the hlhillSts- but my
prlhcipIes underwent sudden chanEe'
"A orother OF my tather had emigrated
TO America ana had made Il fortune
he uleu pachelor when was TWEEN
ty-nVe years OLD and left me his prop
erty. amounting to more than half a
million dollars.
This acquisition of wealth will turn
the head of any communist from his
principles. no sooner learned that
was heir to n fortune than | saw all
the social problems l had studied in a
different light. But one object took
possession of me-to conceal the news
of my fortune from my associates,
hiding myself from them that l
might enjoy 1t. One night | left one
of their meetings to disappear from
them forever Disguised. l left at
midnight for America. and in few
months my property was turned over
to me.
In time the cause Of my absence
would be known. l should be tried
and condemned to death. l turned
over my property and the collection
of my income to 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 I'D and suffer the pen
alty of their crimes.
Especially did suffer from being
cut Off from my own countrymen. I
dared not associate with n Russian
lost through him nv identify and
whereabouts should he communicated
m those who wore looking for mo For
ton yeors lived n ,ire In death T
have often since wondered how the
czar knowing all tho while that there
arc many nersons soaking to kill him
can live without breakinp down with
nervous nrostration
AZ ,,na nossod ond s+iu ,iyed ~ I
Ala mot fool easier 7 ar least tool fewer
,ro,o,,.ions ,,,.irst bo,no found Inv ono
ro,. 20 Iii, mo Tn foct T folt thot 7
,,,a,,,, rothor dio tbon .nero- ,nvsaIf n
,ons,ontIy foor death
on doy voc Introduced to n lady
,ror Pnss,o Who IN LEARNING from,
,,