The Press., 1912-06-12
THE FLIGHT OF A SERF Wolves In Front and Q Pursuing
 Master In Rear
By EDGAR L. THOMPSON

To By ED1AN Ls AhOmFSON Q 1 o&o@o@o@o@o&oo@o@o~o@o
 During the first half of the nineteenth century a Russian gentleman, Count Koronief. living in Finland. owned a Ibeautiful serf girl named Sonia. Ad- joining the Koronief estate lived a small furmer named Orloff. Orloff's son Peter and Sonia were wont to play together as children and when they grew to manhood and wOmanhood be- .ame lovers. Unfortunately for them while Peter was 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 too 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 nobles 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. No one belonging to my estate" he said, shall pass under the influence of these ,saI, Nvakn h0d n 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, a rebellious fire flared 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 ish her. Indeed, a 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 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 so by running away with her, and if 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. If 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 he 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 nuu AO lAdI SuC WOuAA COA- sent to take a risk fraught with such frightful consequences to her and him. self in case of failure.
 The plan he chose embodied it's for nation. its execution and its responsi- biIity solely in himself. No other was to share the secret with him, not even Sonia. It was to kfdnap 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 dangerous undertaking. Peter had enough money to hire two horse sleigh, including the necessary relays. besides sufficient to take him to a sailing point Tor America. HIS ar engagements were perfected in Septem- Der. 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.
 Ruauyfno COniu'a hahffq and that ahQ