Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-02-20
THE FLIGHT OF
A SERF
Wolves In Front and Q Pursuing
Master In Rear
By EDGAR L. THOMPSON

9 By EDGAR L. THOMPSON
o~o~o~o~o~o@oo@o@o~o@o@o~s
During the first half Of the nineteenth
century q Russian gentleman, Count
Koronief. living In Finland. owned {
beautiful serf girl named Sonia. Ad
joining the Koronlef estate lived 8
small farmer named Orloff. Orloff's
son Peter and Sonia were wont to play
together as children and when they
grew to manhood and womanhood be
came lovers. Unfortunately for them
while Peter was q free man Sonia was
q serf.
Now. the count was firm supporter
of the government. while even at that
early date there were evidences Of dis
content among the people. The mur
murings were heard mostly among the
higher classes. for the serfs were toe
ignorant. too degraded, too used to con-
slider their master. the czar. divine
being. to protest against anything that
emanated from him. Young Orloff was
far In advance Of the small farmer
class, to which he belonged, supporting
the few mobiles and many intellectual
commoners who desired to see the au'
tocracy of the government curbed and
the lower classes educated.
When. therefore. Orloff senior offered
to buy Sonia and give her to his son to
wife the count refused to sell her. mo
one belonging to my estate" he said,
shall pass under the influence Of these
new notions which are intended to In
terfere with the will Of the emperor.
In Russia we have always needed and
always had a single power to rule.
Certain people are now beginning an
agitation which If persisted In will edu-
cate the lower classes. They will be-
come discontented with their lot. and
we shall have anarchy"
When the farmer gave the counts
answer to his son. advising him to
think no more Of Sonia, rebellious
fire Hared In the young mans breast
he dare not tell Sonia, for she would
undoubtedly feel that the hope OF hap
piness which had been born to her had
been quenched. since she would never
dream OF disputing her masters Will.
The law gave her to him as serf.
and II she rebelled the law would pun
ish her. Indeed. q marriage without
the counts consent was impracticable
If her lover attempted to defy the
count he would be sent to Siberia.
Sonia's master told her that the propo-
sition had seen made. that he had de-
clined It. and there was an end Of the
matter.
Peter brooded over the matter till he
was ready to take any risk to possess
Sonia. de had expected to work his
fathers furm after his father had
passed away. as each son had succeed
ed his. father from time immemorial.
With Sonia for his wife he would
have been content to do so. II he
should possess her he must do so by
running away with her, and II caught
the consequences would be terrible,
not only for him. but for her. But
love will take any risk. Peter had
heard Of America. There the people
were their own rulers. II he could
only get Sonia out Of Russia and take
her to America they could be united.
But any attempt to carry her away
would be fraught with great danger,
and there was every chance Of failure.
The only chance for such an attempt
to succeed would be by bribery, al.
ways a common method Of accomplish
ing objects in Russia, but Peter, so
long as his father lived, could not raise
much money. The old man was not
minded to cripple himself by raising
funds to carry out any wild scheme
Of his sons to satisfy a whim. Be-
sides. SONS and daughters in Russia
were not supposed to choose mates;
they were provided by their parents.
Peter secretly saved what money he
could. knowing that even If he sue
ceeded in getting Sonia out OF Russia
be could not take her to America
without means. In one way and an
other he got together enough to pay
passage. Then he began to weigh the
different plans he had been forming
for kidnapping his love. He dared not
trust her with any intention Of what
he had in mind, fearing that even a
knowledge of it would cause her un-
Willingly to betray 1t. Then. too. he
had no assurance that she would con-
sent to take risk fraught with such
frightful consequences to her and him
self in case Of failure.
The plan he chose embodied Its for
nation. its execution and Its RESPONSE
bility solely III himself. No other was
10 share the secret with him. not even
Sonia. 1t was to kidnap the girl and
carry her around the gulf Of Bothnia
Into Sweden. The country through
which they must pass was cold and
desolate. The only thing that rendered
the scheme at all feasible was that the
estate from which they would start
was only hundred miles from the
Swedish border. But to pass over this
distance without being caught and re-
turned was a dangerous undertaking.
Peter had enough money to hire two
.iorse sleigh. including the necessary,
relays. besides sufficient to take him to
Il sailing point for America. His ar
rangements were perfected in septem-
ber. and, with loverlike impatience, in
stead of being satisfied to wait till the
next spring, he planned to carry out
his attempt before the winter set In.
Knowing Sonia's habits and that she
had an afternoon to herself once
week, when she would usually visit a
friend, he watched for her on one Of
these holidays, driving back and forth
In his sleigh. lie was fortunate enough
to meet her and asked her to 90 Tor a
ride with him. Fearing that II seen
with him she would be punished. she
demurred. but he finally persuaded her,
and when we'll on their way he told her
that they would not stop Of their own
accord till they reached America. She
neryed herself to the risk. and from
that moment Peter pushed forward.
Unfortunately the pair were seen by>a
member Of the counts family, who as
soon as possible gave information that
they we're driving rapidly westward.
As soon as horses could be harnessed