The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-02-21


Twelve years ago my bride, mar
ried a week to me, was snatched from
my arms and carried OF to a dungeon
by the soldiers of Russia's tyrant. /
never saw her face from that day to
this. After a nfockery of a trial she
was found guilty of conspirlng against
the tsar and sentenced to Archangel.
Il could have given myself up and
received the same sentence. / could
have been banished thither and have
| Joined her there. And l refused. Do
you know why / voluntarily cut myself
off from sharing her exile? For Rus
sia's sake. For Russia's sake, and be-
cause, while free, / could still fight
for liberty, / hid from the soldiers, l
worked In Russia for the cause.
Every day l have hoped for capture;
and every day l have worked like a
mole in the dark to avoid it-for Rus
sia's sake.
"And when at last the tsar laid
hold Of me and / was sentenced to
Archangel, all my heart leaped up
l knew she was not dead. Had she
died l should have felt and known 1t.
l always knew that somewhere my
wife lived, waiting for the day of re-
union. And all through the voyage on
the Potemkin, l was happier than l
have ever been before. because l was
going to her and should see her again!
And you, you fool, have ruined
this! You have given me back my
accused liberty, and once again l must
return to Russia to fight for freedom"
Nikolai had signaled to me in the
midst of this TRADE and l had under
stood. I went into the vault and led
the woman up the stairs. l think she
saw him first. Her face grew even
paler than the prison pallor had
bleached it. Then a flush spread over
her cheek and throat. l caught Nicho-
las by the arm and spun him around.
At first he gazed at her with incredu-
lous eyes; then he drew toward her,
wonderingly. She held out her arms.
l turned and left them.
On the next day we pulled out to the
yacht and put our crew aboard.
There vas nothing but joy among us
all at the prospect of departure from
those gloomy shores, for already win
ter was at hand and ice foes choked
the sea-. There was no time to be
lost. We set off southwark down the
Norwegian coast toward a land of sun.
shine. l never saw a happier couple
than Nicholas and his bride. Only
one thing siddened me: bith an
nounced their determination to return
to Russia to take up the peoples bat.
tie.
ut is right" said Nikolai. THAT
is their only happiness in life. And
some day through their efforts and
those of their comrades, the land
will find its peace again"
Upon the rocky shores lay the
wreck of a mighty ship-an armored
vessel. Trough the glasses l could
make out the name Potemkin on the
stern.
She lay half submerged among the
tapping waves. There was no signal
nc sign of life on board. Had a mar
survived that sudden wreck he must
have persisted in the boisterous surf
Nikolai, standing by my shoulder
smiled grimly.
Look at the lighthouse" he an
swered, to my unspoken question.
And then, looking backward, l saw
no light.
"Yes," said Nikolai, that is my
work." And then he told me whai
he had done in the tower on the pre-
ceding day.
With his blood-thirst unsatished, ht
had crept up and shifted the great
lens from the middle to the side com
partment. The light, cut off from the
open sea, now flared at an angle o.
ninety degrees, invisible from where
we were, but clearly discernible rounC
the arm Of the coast. The captain o
the Potemkin, ignorant that the direc
ton Of the light beam had beer
changed, had steered his course by /
straight upon the rocks and persisted
there, with all his crew.