Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-05-26
CHAPTER XVII.
Off to Moscow.

| Moscow. For days the heavy train
rolled slowly along through a vast
park covered with illimitable stretches
of snow, or through leafess, naked
forests, shivering in the cold blasts of
winter All the trains that passed
were crowded with emigrants, bound
for the Amur region, and the car win
dows were thronged with the fresh, in
nocent faces of children. To many of
the trains prison cars were attached,
bearing their sorrowful freight to the
dread island of Saghalin, which has
taken the place of Siberia as a land
| for deportation. From the windows of
these cars, also, many children looked
out, pressing their little faces against
the bars, for the condemned are al
lowed to take their families with
them Hardy had long since realized
| that he was in Russia the Russia of
the story-books and the magazine ar.
ticles.
One evening a little before sunset
they came in sight of Moscow-an in
distinct blur of houses, out of which
loomed large and clear the towers and
domes of numerous churches, many of
them overlaid with gold-leaf, and gilt.
tering gorgeously in the light of the
setting sun.
At eight the train drew up in the
modern and commodious station at
Moscow, and the American, as he
looked about him, felt that he was in
the heart of European civilization
once more.
Wang. who was invaluable through
his ready wit and his knowledge of
Russian, attended to the baggage and
engaged a sledge to take his employer
to the Slaviansky Bazaar, or hotel, the
best caravansary in the city, and a
very sumptuous and comfortable inn,
as 1t proved
For several days he devoted his en-
tire attention to business, comforting
with merchants and going over lists,
prices and accounts with Wang. Mean
while, whenever he went into the
streets, the interminable procession of
sledges was there, and he watched
them constantly. always with one face
in his mind-that graceful head held
so high, with it's crown of hair the
color of ripe wheat and fine as spider
threads. Many ladies of pure Russian
type he saw, their faces peeping sau.
cily from collars and hoods of costly
fur. and often he would start and his
heart would throb more violently as
he thought he recognized the prin.
cess lie would generally realize his
f.s#e I..y E.fz II.
would dash by with It's jingling bells.
He would have gone away without
calling on her had he finished his
business as quickly as the original
plan contemplated. but old Emery.
who had come up as far as Irkutsk.
kept writing to him, sending new
commissions, Emery. by the way. was
becoming iubilant The diplomatic
relations between Russia and Japan
We're growing less cordial every day;
the demands Of the latter country
were waxing more and more insistent
and difficult 10 eyade The Japanese,
too. according To- Emery's adylces,
We're rushing preparations for death
grapple with the bear ON a gigantic
scale
This means war. my boy." wrote
the old man. "and war means busi.
nessi"
So Hardy worked away. eularglng
bis acquaintance with the Moscow
merchants. while his respect for the
magnitude of their operations and lor
tho greatness % the eitys Industries
steadily grew
Aad one evening as he walked home
tn hia hotel, he saw the Princess Ro.
mauuyua. There was uu mistake
about it this time. and Dee realized
that when iJ was indeed She. there
tuHld hH uu mistake. She paa laan-
IuH back iu aI,dsr with high eHryInr
dash. uSlrIously piled wltb skins Ou
Hu elevated scat Iu front sac hrr
euHehmau and tuutmau. tho former
directing thr rurraIea uf uuf muk.
ahifa alrrdH. whose uIh aera tt.d n
hnaia. bHt whose bong maues streamud
wildly ia thW wInH 1850 81 fHesu
haEaea wrre running Isa. and hm
anEEamwrlrd. tha beauty and seaea af
thH.f movements aaa Is sIehI ta o. ra.
mHmbHf.i iur lifetime THs pr.u
9#. 5000 a ehilr Toaud rap I'll Hr
aud t.r Un.Ht. d.Ir.HH#f r.IHsa.d
bE IAs .E..l.w.Hf aHd IHe Hsaa Ireih
af fhH aIHI H... #HHEs.sa rs fha al.i
ealiag Vi IA ualta t4F slasa usflY