Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-14

and all these big functionaries whom
every one fears in this capital, 1 do
not trouble about them. | can send
| them all away If I like. The spirit of
| God is in me and will protect me.
! Thou canst say this to those who
! have sent thee to see me. Thou canst
| tell them that the day will come when
| there will be no one worth anything IN
| our holy Russia except our car and
| Gricha the servant of God. Yes, thou
canst tell them so, and be sure that
| thou dost it,"
I protested that I should consider
/ this nv first duty but at the same time
/ begged "the servant of God as he
cahed himself, to explain to me by
what means he had acquired the lntlu-
ence which he possessed.
| "By telling the truth TO people about
themselves" he quickly replied. Thou
probably thinkest that all these fine
ladies about the court who come to me
! do not care to be told about their fail
! ings. But there it is that thou art mis-
! taken They feel so disconnected when
they hear me call them by their prop
er names and remind them that they are
but BIS, and the daughters OF
BIS, that they Immediately fall at
nv feet. A silly lot are these women,
and Gricha is not such a fool as one
| thinks. He knows how they ought to
| be treated Wilt thou see how / treat
| them"
said nothing would give me more
pleasure. Rasputin went to the door
and called Awdotia
$50 to the telephone" he said when
she came in, TASK the Countess =
| to come at once. She must come her
self to the telephone, and if servant
replies, say that he must call her i'm
| mediately, and then tell her that [ re-
uuire her presence here at IL O'CLOCK
/ tonight; not one minute earlier or later,
mind"
The woman went away, and l could
hear her talking at the telephone in the
| next room in an authoritative tone.
! Soon she returned with the words:
THE Countess sends her humble re-
/ spects to Gregory Efimitsch. and she
! will be her at midnight as she has been
| ordered to-"
! Rasputin turned toward me with a
! triumphant smile on his coarse cunning
countenance.
"Thou canst sec, they are loosing no
! time to obey me. Thou does not know
| what women are, and how they like to
| be handled. Wait. and thou shalt see
something better. Awdotia," he called
again. as Marie Iwanowna here?' he
asked when she came in response 10
| his call. YES, since three hours was
the reply Call her here"
! A young woman of about twenty-five
| years of age appeared She was very
! we'll dressed in rich furs, and ran UP
to Rasputin, kneeling before him, ana
| kissing with fervor his dirty hands.
How long hast thou been here| ne
asked.
! About three hours, Batiouschka,
she answered.
This is well, thou art to remain
/ here until midnight, and neither to eat
or drink all that time, thou nearest"
! YES, Batiouschka," was the reply,
| uttered in timid, frightened tones.
Now go into the next room, kneel
/ down before the Ikon, and wait for me
without moving. Thou must not move
until l come
| She kissed his hands once more,
Frustrated herself on the floor before
| him three times in succession, and
then retired with the look OF being in
J a kind of trance during which she
/ could neither know nor understand
what was happening to her.
eff thou oaTest, thou canst follow her,
and see whether she obeys me or not"
said Rasputin in his usual dry tone
l declined the invitation, protesting
| that I had never doubted but that the
prophet" would be obeyed, adding, how
ever that though l had understood he
could control the fancies and magma
ton of women gifted with an exalted
temperament, yet | was not convinced
that his influence could be eXerted over
Unconditional men, and that this was the
one point which interested my friends.
Thou must not be curious" shouted
Rasputin II am not here to tell thee
the reasons for what I choose to do. 1t
should suffice thee to know that | would
at once return to Pokrowskoie if ever
I thought my services were useless to
my country. Russia is governed by
fools. Yes, they are all of them fools,
these pigs and children of pigs" he
repeated with insistencc. But am not
a fool. ] know what .7ant, and if / try
to save my country, VINO can blame me
for it?"
RASPUTIN'S INFLUENCE OVER MIN
listers.
But Gregory Efimitsch." insisted,
"can you not tell me at least whether
it is true that some ministers do all that
you tell them
"Of course, they do he replied an
grily. "They know very we'll their chairs
would not hold them long if they didn't.
Thou shalt yet see some surprises be-
fore thou diest, daughter" he concluded
with a certain melancholy in his &C
cents.
Awdotia entered the room again.
Gregory Efimitsch," she said, there
is Father John of Ladoga waiting for
you.
"Ah. / had forgotten him" Then he
turned toward me.
Listen again. he said. this is
parish priest. very poor. who is seeking
to be transferred into another parish
somewhere in the south. Awdotia- call
on the telephone the secretary of the
synod and tell him that | am very
much surprised to hear that Father John
has not yet been appointed to another
parish. Tell him this must be done at
once and he must have a good one.
require an immediate answer.
The obedient Awdotia went out again,
and we could hear her once more talk
on the telephone. The secretary of the
Synod presents his humble compliments
to you. Batiouschka,' she said when she
returned.
Who cares for his compliments?'
interrupted Rasputin. "Will the man