Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-10

ner ana struck again ana again WIN MS terr1Dle
whip
In an instant the street was in an uproar.
CHAPTER xLVI.
The Beginning of the End
THE whole thing happened far more quickly
than it can be told. l dragged Anne back
from the window, slammed the shutters to, for
one of the Cossacks' faverite tricks was to fire
at anyone seen at a window in the course of
street row, and, CURLY bidding Anne to stay
where she was for the moment rushed down
stairs and into the street, revolver IN hand. .
Mishka and half dozen of our men were be-
fore me. There were very few of us in the
house just now; most of the others were with
Loris and VassilitZi, attending big procession
and meeting, with their usual object, to main
tain order as far possible, and endeavor to
prevent conflicts between the troops and the
people. 1t was astonishing how much Loris
had achieved in this way, even during these
last terrible days of riot and bloodshed. He
was on the alert; he seemed to know by
instinct how to seize the right moment to turn
the temper of the crowd or the soldiers and
avert disaster, and his splendid personality
never failed in its almost magnetic effect on
everyone who came in contact with it. He was
a born leader of men.
And although he was always to the fore In
every affair, as utterly reckless of his safety
as he anxious to secure the safety OF others,
he had hitherto come unscathed through every
thing; though couple of our men had been
killed outright, several others badly wounded,
and the rest of us had got few hard knocks
one way or other. I'd had bullet through my
left arm, the arm that was broken in the scrim-
mage outside Petersburg IN June; a flesh wound
only, luckily though it hurt bit when | had
time to think of it, which wasn't often.
RY the time got to the street the affair
- was over The Cossacks, urging their
ponies at the usual wild gallop and firing wan
tonly up at the houses, since the people who had
been in the street had rushed for cover, were
almost out of sight, and on the road and side
walk near at hand were several killed and
wounded, mostly women, besides Madam
Levinska who had been the cause of it all and
had paid with her life.
l heard low, heartfelt cry, and saw Anne
beside me, her fair face ashen white. her eyes
dilated with horror and compassion, as she
stared at her friends corpse.
Go back!' l said roughly You can do
nothing for her, and we will see to the rest
Go back, l say! There may be more trouble"
my duty is here" she said quietly, and
passed on to bend over woman who was
kneeling and screaming beside small body
that of lad about eight or nine years old,
which lay very still.
1t was, as l well knew, useless to argue with
Anne SO | went on with my ambulance work
in grim silence, keeping near her. and letting
the Others go to and fro helping the wounded
into shelter and carrying away the dead.
Natalya had run out also and joined her mis-
tress. Yossof was not at hand. 1t was he
whom we expected to bring the news we were
awaiting so eagerly.
There quite crowd around soon,
the people who had fled before the Cossacks
came back again, weeping, gestieulating,
shouting mprecations on the Car, the Gov
eminent, the soldiers, as they always did when
they excited; but, usual, doing very
little to help.
A LII at once there was bigger tumult near
at hand, and mob came pouring along
the street, disorderly procession of men and
women and little children, Haunting banners
waving red handkerchief, laughing crying,
shouting and singing, as if they were more
than half delirious with joy and excitement.
And, what more remarkable, there were
neither police nor soldiers in sight, nor any sign
of Loris his men. Many such professions
occurred in Warsaw that day, when the great
news came news that was soon to be SO hor-
ribly discounted and annulled which, for me,
was rendered insignificant even in that first
hour, by the great tragedy that followed hard
upon its conling-the tragedy that will over
shadow all my life. Even after the lapse of
years / can scarcely bring myself TO write of it,
though every incident is stamped indelibly on
my brain. Clear before my eyes now rises
Anne's face, as, with her arm about the poor
mother, who was half fainting, she turned and
looked at the joyous rabble., - =