El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-19
The Miracle
A short story.

I some. with high intellectual fore
( head and a very determined mouth
I He had been thinking so much dur
: ing the last hour that it was impOs-
sible for him to think any more he
felt as if he We're facing high wall,
which, as far as he could see, was
/ quite unsurmOuntable. TWenty-fOur
hours ago he had been a happy man,
possessing the best q man may possess
In this world. a beautiful wife, who
loved him as DassiOnately as he loved
her three lovely children, Alex, Hell
ena and Anna, a splendid practice and
good health
Now everything was changed. He
had been seized by a hand whose grip
was as cruel as ii was ineXpucabIe A
! man may fight cruelty, but to fight
stupidity is hopeless, especially when
} stupidity IS protected by power
And Sergius kOltschin thought that
when he had been singled out for ar
rest it was not only cruel but also
violated no law, no matter how anti
Quated or unjust, He was wealthy
enough to be harmless. While he was
bordering over his lost happiness he
suddenly broke the silence, asking:
The truth is this, 1 suppose that
I shall be kept idle for a long timer"
The two men nodded assent
You see said the more iutelli-
gent Of them, cit is not wise to think
too deeply or be too smart Neither is
it wise to speculate on what may hap
pen or not. You must take things as
they come"
self"
TT is better So"
No" said KOltschin sharply, 1T is
not better so. One should try To make
the future better than the present"
TRY to tell that when YOU are ex-
amlned, and see what you will get"
q shall have nothing to say when
am examined, but that I have done
nothing ina %f0r ]
do not want TO make the case worse
than il is"
A short silence followed
7 suppose" said the more intellf-
gent Of the two Keepers that YOU
love Russia. All you revolutiOnists
have only the best intentions"
Il am no revOluuonist" said Kolts-
You are thought to be one at any
But strangely enough. I am not I
am merely an ordinary physician
with no other interest but my patients
and my work. may have some sym
pathy with the revOlutionists but
take no part in their propaganda"
But perhaps you know somebody
who dOes2"
yes, I know several"
A man IS known by his friends.
Perhaps you help your friends. Per
haps you have had a man under your
roof. who may some day throw a
Suddenly. KoItschin remembered
Savarln- He had never been able TO
understand why he was arrested, but
now he understood everything. and
also understood how exceedingly diff
flcult It would be to prove his limo
cenCe. Only a short time ago Savarfn
mad spent several nights at his house
He was an old friend and the day be-
fore he left. he had said he was going
10 odessa, but would not tell anything
about his business there
HAS auVthlUcr hammered in Odessa -
holtschin asked. at the same moment
realizing the danger Of asking this
question.
Nothing except that bomb has
been thrown with the result hoped
do you know who threw itr'
"A man named SaTarin."
The other keeper looked at him sig
nificantly.
Then you knew that something was
going to happen in Odessa2'
koltschin saw that he had placed !
himself in an exceedingly dangerous /
position. He knew in fact that he was ]
already sentenced and that he should I
probably never see his wife and chill /
dren again.
The less Intelligent Of the keepers |
invoked the help Of one saint after
the other and when at last he knew /
pray for help Of his little father, the 4
car.
The other keeper sat pale as a
ghost while KOltschfn was bandaging
his crushed leg with strips made from /
his shirt, which he had taken off
A few yards away was the wreck Of I
the train which had caught fire and /
the flames were creeping closer to 4
the place where the poor keeper in 4
voking the saints. was pinned down by 4
the Wreckage.
Koltschin saw that the flames would !
reach him sooner than the help OF /
the saints and at the same moment /
the poor man looked up and per 4
ceiyed his great danger. He screamed !
with anguish.
BE quiet" said KoItschin. ct win /
save YOU II can The keeper imme- (
diately forgot his saints and his car I
and begged KOltschin to hurry. kOlr- (
schin had finished bandaging the /
others leg and was now struggling
with a strong temptation. He only i
needed to leave this man who had I
heard his words about Odessa to his 1
fate and he would be silent forever. |
But moment later he had released /
the poor fellow and, having ban
daged his wounds he began to at 4
tend some of the other wounded It !
was a. terrible scene. With the care
lessness so common in that country (
couple of heavily loaded freight cars /
had been left on the track near a
sharp curve the night before the ex-
press had run into them at full speed /
ana the whole train was now a burning 4
pile of wreckage.
When the Wrecking train at last ar
rived, it brought two high officials
sent out to investigate the fate of the 4
dangerous revOlutionist, DR.. Kolts-
chin
They walked along beside the
wrecked train trying to locate him,
entirely unaffected by the sight Of the
sufferings Of the wounded. Suddenly
they discovered KOltschin. who was 4
hard at work saving human lives.
They stopped and looked at him. It /
was evident he was a surgeon and, as 4
he had attended many wounded he 4
probably could give them some infor-
nation One of them touched his
shoulder and said
We are looking for a certain Ser
Eius kOltschin a dangerous -revolu-
ZIONIST. He was in charge OF two
keepers"
ct is none Of my business to know
revOlutionists, even when I I
see them To me a broken leg is a
broken leg, whether it belongs to an
official or a bomb throWer."
That is true enough, but it does
not help US"
Il have no time to help you. As
YOU see I am busy setting this leg {
But if you viii wait a moment. 7 will {
show you the two keepers, whom I
have just bandanged."
The older official bowed cour-
-eOusly-
I'VE are exceedingly thankful to