The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-02-13
THE FLIGHT OF !.
A SERF
Wolves In Front and q PursuinG
Master In Rear
Rx EDGAR fHOMpsOM

DuAAAB N4C AkSt hull "a tnC AAuGtCEnLu
century Russian gentleman. Count
Koronief. living In Finland. owned
beautiful serf girl named Sonia. Ad-
joining the KOronief estate lived
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 a firm supporter
Of the government. while even at that
early date there were evidences Of dis
content among the people. The muir
murings were heard mostly among the
higher classes. for the serfs were too
ignorant. too degraded. too used to con-
slider their master, the czar, a divine
being. to protest against anything that
emanated from him. Young Orion 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. Orion 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 ii persisted in will edu-
cate the lower classes. They will be-
come discontinued 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 Jared 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 a serf.
and If she rebelled the law would pun
fish her. Indeed. a marriage without
the counts consent was impractical BILE
If her lover attempted to defy the
count he would be sent to Siberia
Sonia's master told her that the propo-
sit1on had been 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. He had expected to work his
fathers farm 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. If he
should possess her he must do 80 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 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 II he sue
ceeded In getting Sonia out Of Russia
he could not take her to America
without means. In one way and an
other be got together enough to pay q
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 1t would cause her mn
Willingly to betray 1t. Then. too. he
had no assurance that, she would con-
sent to take a 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 in himself. No other was
to share the secret with him, not even
Sonia. 1t was to kidnap the girl aud
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 star
was only a 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
horse sleigh including the necessary
relays. besides sufficient to take him tc
a sailing point for America. His ar
rangements were perfected In Septem'
Der, and. with loverlike impotence. in
etead 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 q
week. when she would usually visit Q
friend. he watched for her on one OF
these holidays, driving back and forth
in his sleigh. He was fortunate enough
to meet her and asked her to go for q
ride with him. Fearing that IL seen
with him she would be punished, she
demurred. but he finally persuaded her,
and when well on their way he told her
that they would not stop of their own
accord till they reached America. She
nerved herself to the risk, and from
that moment Peter pushed forward.
Unfortunately the pair were seen by
member OF the counts family. who as
soon as possible gave information that
they were driving rapidly westward
As soon as horses could be harnessed
the count himself started In pursuit.
Peter had provided everything that
he and Sonia would be likely to need
In the sleigh were warm fur rugs. pro
visions, bottle of liquor and an arma
ment Of rifles and pistols, The latter
were to be used in case the escape was
dependent upon resistance, for Peter
argued that to be caught meant Sil eria
for him and possibly for Sonia, and the
punishment could not be worse II he
killed dozen people. Should the pur
suers come to close quarters he would
fire at them, trusting to disable the
horses or those attempting to overhaul
him.
The autumn had set In, and already