The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-06-07
A RUSSIAN STORY.

Voronof was years old, and
so his twenty years Punishment to
Siberia would cut him off from every
thing he knew and loved in Russia.
1t was equivalent to life-exile, for
whom should he find alive or interest
ing or loving in a place he had not
visited for twenty years? He would
return prematurely old, grey-haired
perhaps, and none would know him.
His friends would be gone; the wo-
man he loved would have been
wooed and won by another. His
mother and father would be dead. and
the old home broken up; the very
names of the streets and the aspects
Of the houses would be changed. All.
1t was very sadie could have killed
the callous judges who would not take
those things into account, and who
nursed the foolish lies which formed
the evidence against him. Fancy re.
ceiving this tremendous punishment
on the evidence of lie! Was he not
an innocent man? He had even de-
tended the Gar in college debates,
and now they treated him as a rob-
Der or forger. Why, even murder
ers often escaped with less punish
ment than had been melted out to
MIN. Peasants who were not respon-
sible they let off easily, even for hide
Gus crimes; and they were stolid,
stupid people; they felt little, they
were not all sense as he was. He was
not horse or COW that might be
shifted anywhere to live.
AT this point in his reverie he was
Interrupted by the man next to him.
What was your crime?"
1T was-political.
'Humph!" The man grunted and
turned away to talk to his neighbor
On the other side. This happened in
the convict train. The youth felt
nettled; evidently his fellow prisoner
was disappointed. Are you sorry?"
he asked. ooh, no" was the reply.
r'But I thought it had been some
thing big"
No. it is only my punishment
that's big" rejoined Voronof. .sNot
my crime"
How long"
Twenty years"
''Whew =" he whistled
That's rough. You've been going it.
my young friend; you don't get TWEEN
ty for splitting at soldier.
Il was supposed to have shot at
one and wounded him.
And didn't. l say! Don't go to
that shop again. You'd better hurry
up and shoot one quick. You can't
get your money back, you know"
The youth smiled. The man went
on: They don't give my sort TWEEN
ty years-shouldn't mind if they did
now. l shan't live ten. Sixty-one, +
am. No, you wouldn't think it; but
rickety. my boy, rickety. My pass
port says thirty-nine. Last passport
said forty-seven. which isn't bad. is
it? But the officials never question
what's on the passport. If my pass
port said yellow hair. they'd swear
I'd dyed mine black. l wonder If T
shall have another passport"
How long is your term?" asked
the student.
ooh, only three years." answered
his interlocutor, deprecatingly.
/ wish I were YOU" said the stu
dent, with frown.
DO you sonny? Do your" said
the old man, and rubbed his peck
marked nose meditatively. You'd
like to me. Ell? How much would
you give?"
The student looked puzzled, and
the man went on. "a hundred rou-
bles. I suppose you've got
a girl; she's worth that at least. A
hundred roubles down, and you can
have my name"
How do you mean?" asked the
student What good is your name
to me? We can change names. but
we can't change punishments. 2
''Whish! More quietly" said the
old man, and drew his companion
nearer to him TITS easy; all you
have to do is to answer to my name
tonight when the soldier calls it out.
All the passports are sent on in adj
vance to the villages of our destina-
ton / don't know where you re
booked to, | don't know where I'm
booked to, but that's no matter; and
Siberia is very broad. It is unlikely
we shall live near one another. The
term Of exile is stated ON the pass
port
The young man had grown excited
during this speech. "What?" he
said lis it then possible; three
years is soon spent, three years is
nothing but haven't got hundred
roubles.
How much have you got?D
The young man had only fifteen
roubles, and 50 be looked very