Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-08
The SIGNAL Gun.
BY DE BOISE w. SMALL.

me and went to Russia to introduce
typewriting machine. intending also to
do copying. l hired a small room in
st. Petersburg and advertised.
One morning n young woman came
to my office and room and asked for
employment, saying that she was a
typewriter. She was about twenty
three years old, comely. but shabbily
dressed. She seemed eager for work
and offered in lieu of wages to take
commission on what work she would
bring in herself. If there was not
much in this for me to gain there was
certainly nothing to lose. I engaged
her.
The next morning she came to the
office with manuscript sufficient to keep
her busy for a week. She didn't ask
what l intended to charge for the
copy. but sat down at the machine and
went to work. I found at once that
she knew very little about typewrit-
ine AS to this she had deceived me,
and l had a mind to send her away,
but didn't wish to lose the job she
had brought in, and, as she said there
was plenty of time in which to do it,
/ bore with her, showing her how to
manage the machine, which was new
to her. While doing this l noticed the
whiteness, roundness and delicacy of
her hands. | complimented her on
them and noticed afterward that she
;-yn II ~,
the ink Of the ribbon and the dust and
oil of the machine. From her hands I
was led to notice her. complexion, her
figure and especially her foot, which
was very dainty. Her ears, too, were
small, a reliable token of breeding.
Besides these features, there was re-
| finement of manner about her that did
not accord with her cheap clothing. I
told her she looked too aristocratic for
her dress, and l was much puzzled at
| the way she received the comment
Instead of being pleased she seemed
distressed.
Since she said there was more copy
ready for her l worked evenings my
self on the manuscript, and at the end
the charge 20 rubles, which she gave
me before taking it away, and l hand
ed her back ten of them. She seemed
perfectly satisfied and the next morn
| ing was ready with more work.
She said she wished to work nights
and to be near the machine rented q
room in the same building as mine, in
which she put cot and little cheap
furniture. She cooked her meals in
her room and after once being estab-
lished there never left the building ex-
cept at night.
One morning while was typewriting
l came upon a paper between the
leaves Of the manuscript. l handed it
to the girl, and as I did so the blood
left her cheeks, and she gave little
frightened gasp. She went on with
her work without word, but pres
emily turned to me and said:
You expect an explanation about
the note. There is none. The secret
is mine, but | am going to ask you to
refrain from any mention of me or it
to any one Will you?"
Certainly" said.
On another occasion she said she had
a headache and went to her room. She
had not been gone five minutes before,
wishing to ask her something about
a manuscript was copying, l followed
her. | turned the knob, but found 1t
locked. | raped, and after some time
she opened the door. She was white
as sheet. l did not ask for an ex-
PLANTATION, and she offered none.
| used to talk with her about the
tyranny Of the Russian government
and contrast it with our liberty in
America. She said that there was as
much liberty in Russia as the people
were fitted for and did not seem in
terested in American freedom. But
one evening when we We're together a
complete change came over her.
you have been very kind to me-"
she said, land I am going to give you
some advice. l know l can trust you,
for you are an American. Besides,
you have no reason to betray me.
Leave this country as quickly as pos
sible. A terrible struggle is about to
begin which will last for many years.
You cannot succeed here in what you
have attempted. All these manu-
scripts I have brought are mine or my
friends, and 1 have paid for every one
Of them. My father, a noble, is in
Siberia. and my mother died Of grief
at his Imprisonment. I am one of the
workers in the revolution about to be
inaugurated, and the police are search
ing the city for me. Within a week
the czar will bless the waters Of the
Neva. At that ceremony the signal for
the coming strife will be given. Pack
up your machines and ship them away
at once and follow yourself as soon as
possible. You must wait for a remit
tance? Don't wait for anything. Here
;r f,o Of