Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-09-13
CHAPTER TwELvE-continued.,

u, ian admitted, and got out his
pipe; but he had himself been
scarcely conscious of the thought,
and it amazed him that she
should have detected it. There
was the flare of a match, and he
sat back again, exhaling a long
puff. "Now," he said, you are
going to begin my education. /
am ready for the first lesson"
How shall | begin7'
II think an excellent way would
be to tell me something about
YOURSELF" he suggested.
She considereI him gravely.
Are you really in earnest9''
she asked.
Indeed | am" he answered
quickly, coloring a little under her
searching eyes. Forgive me if |
seemed not to be. And please be-
gin in any way you think best"
II will tell you something about
Poland" she said, "and then you.
will understand a little what l and
all like me feel for America. You
know, | suppose, that there is no
longer any such land as Poland Y''
II know that Russia and one or
two other powers divided it, about
100 years ago"
eyes; but you cannot know
what that division meant! The
Poles were a brave and patriotic
people; they loved their country
as few peoples do; and all at once,
great armies were flung upon
them; they we're overwhelmed,
and their country was taken away.
They lost more thantheir country:
they lost their language, their his
tory, their national life. But in
spite OF it all, they remained Poles.
II was born in Russian Poland,
not far from Warsaw. From the
very first, / was taught that I was
a Pole, not a Russian. But only at
home, under my own roof, could I
be q Pole. The teaching Of Polish
was forbidden in any school-ev-
cry word spoken must be Russian.
II children were overheard talk
ing in Polish, they were arrested
by the police and. their parents
summoned and fined. On every
public building there was a
painted notice: 1t is forbidden to
speak Polish All trials were con-
ducted in Russian, although none
of the peasants understood Rus
sian, and SO had no idea Of what
was being said. No official was
permitted to answer a question in
Polish-I have known a tramcar
conductor to be heavily fined for
doing so.
I'VE were taught history in
which the name of our fatherland
was never mentioned, but where
Russia was treated as the wisest,
best, and most powerful of ma
tions, with the car second only to
God himself. We could not leave
our native village without permits
sion from the police. No Pole
could fill any public office. No
Pole was permitted to publish a
book or a newspaper or even a
handful, until a Russian censor
had passed upon it. If you ever
visit Poland, you will notice, here
and there, groups Of tall wooden
crosses. They mark graves. But
if one OF those crosses decays or
falls down, it may not be replaced
without permission from the gov
eminent. One night, the cross
over the grave Of my father
mother was struck by lightning
and for two years it lay there, UNI
til permission to replace it had
come from Petersburg. It was
among such surroundings that my
childhood was passed"
Kasia did not seem to realize
that, instead Of telling about Po-
land, she was telling about herself
and Dan was deeply moved. He
had listened, in his day to many
stories, but never to one like this.
III was as though the dead wrap
pings Of history were stripped
away, and its seething, desperate,
tragicHheart laid bare
Go on, he said thickly, and
folded his arms tightly across his
breast.
& NY father had hoped to be .
student of science, she went on;
ssbut he was refused admission I'd
fhe university because Of some alb.
6Iurd suspicion and after that he
O6nld study only secretly. When
HUI married, "a rented aittlesfarm
sneae MArssiwa md there he and
mother toiiled III div long; and the
sahIlidrenstoo,Ea soon = they were
Soldl snone6 here were four chill?