The Washington herald., 1915-11-14

living on the earth at present. What in
Vulnerable bands OF unhappy creatures
the future may expect. Can anyone i'm
agine calmly this colossal herd of slf-
ferers? But suicide Is too hard, too
painful. Other means are necessary, and
will be found"
The death of the old scientist, Ivan
Ivanovitch, Is the next startling thing to
happen. II is told gruesomely in detail.
suddenly Ivan Iyanovitch opened his
eyes. Neither his limbs nor his face
moved, but the eyelids opened terribly
wide. They were no longer the eyes OF
living creature. They were clear as
glass and looked inwards. He saw moth
ing more.
What is It, Ivan Ivanovitch? Bolina
Grfgorievna flung her arms around him
as though to hold BIN back from the
edge of the precipice. The dying eyes
turned toward her and fixed that same
transparent gaze upon her face.
Suddenly his mouth opened
and In the black cavity the hard tongue
trembled In last vain effort. His face
was distorted by terrible commissions
His eyes dilated in their sockets, and
Ivan Iyanovitch laughed so horribly and
sayagely that the two women recoiled.
For few seconds he looked quickly
around the room. his gaze fitting from
one object to another. Then his breast
heaved. He uttered hoarse cry and was
still. Instantly his face changed. The
rightly of death gave him a mask OF
stone, closed his eyes, sharpened his
nose. His chin receded below the black
cavity of his mouth
A few chapters later the handsome
young artist captivates the young actress
for whom a picnic had been held. The
chapter is short, but makes up for It's
brevity in its unshrinking realism.
The next death is that of the woman
sick all through the book with consump-
ton. She did not want to die and strug-
gled hard against It. DR.. ArnoldPs step
Is heard in the yard.
The dying woman sat up at once Her
eyes opened wide. Their brilliance made
her whole face radiant. The last fraiI
spark Of life glowed in the look which
she east towards the door. DIR. Arnoldis
voice sounded on the staircase. Then he
sprang upstairs and hurried through the
rooms. Suddenly the dying woman
raised her hands with a gesture OF
despair. Her delicate lips were parted,
her eyes wide open, a tremor passed over
her whole body.
Farewell, DOCTOR she cried with
such terrible. helpless misery that it
echoed through the whole house."
o . 9
Cornet Krause, a proud, reserved, sa-
tanic-looking Russian officer, adds to the
death list by committing suicide before a
tableful of his friends who are drinking
themselves drunk at the club.
And then extremely deity he drew
a pistol out Of his breeches pocket, put
the barrel quickly into his mouth ana
a ri uac CT hot
nobody had realized the actual moment.
though instinctively they staggered back
and shut their eyes. Not till the cor
nets long body. upsetting a chair.
crashed heavily to the floor did they
come to their senses and rush toward
him There where one expected to see
the thin, well-known face with the slant
ing brows, was a hideous mass of flesh
and blood"
The suicide of little Lisa, who browns
herself in the river after being desert
ed by the young artist, and after her
shame is discovered by her parents, fol-
lows closely. 1t is Nelly, who has decid-
ed to give herself to the capitalist. Ar
busotf. who visits the studio of the artist
and takes sweet revenge in telling him
of his sweetheart's death.
The revenue clerk Ryskof, who has
tried hard to become an author and has
Jailed miserably, hangs himself Like
wise a grocer on the edge of town shoots
himself with gun. Ternief. a Russian
offcer, who constantly quarrels with his
wife, cuts his throat with a razor after
he has struck mis- wife a blow with his
fist
The young artist who is with DR..
Arnold as Trenieff's servant rushes for
his help. fees to his studio and there
O.. L
busoff has been deserted by Nelly and
feels that the young artist is still re-
sponsible for his woes. ArbusOf intends
TO kill him, as he has intended 10 many
times before, loses his courage. and the
young artist settles the affair by killing
himself as Arbuscff fees through the
night in terror. Both Nelly and Ar
busoff in quick succession commit suit
eide.
The last chapter comes with the most
horrible, pitiful death of all. The little
student, Tchish, from the very first has
fought against the pessimism and the
hopelessness of the people about him.
begins to drink and has a love affair
with his fat, repulsive landlady. 1t IS
more than his delicate, proud soul can
stand.
Blush light penetrated the ROOM"
reads the closing chapter of the book.
"Timidly, with pale eyes it looked into
every corner. Then the snow gradual
ly ceased to fall, everything ives covered:
smooth, white and pure, the earth was
wrapped in it. The trees stood mo-
tionless in the garden, little ridges OF
snow on every branch. And Tchish's
room was equally still and cold. The
bare walls, severe and empty, looked
down on the anxious silence they en-
closed. The little student was hang
ing from a hook on the wall, next to his
short overcoat. In front OF him on tho
floor stood his goloshes. old and torn
B. W. Huebsch. Publisher. New York;