Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-09-11
THE LITTLE REFUGEE.
PIER n.
The journey

- "" Trough inc frozen Stnps
-" |" iand unknown. Travelled the
little family or Count ana Count
pS'roH faiinn"ss was written -,
IN" counts noble brow. hut on ,ba
th!n. pale face Of TN. countess Nm,
'he ilnSs OF sorrow and sur.rjn,.
around her cyes
But litil" Vera. tho littI. -.f,,o,,
to-he. was sim trying 10 be br,va
RIVER Since her brother had died tho
""y ".i"re. her heart had Received
" sh"sE which was difficult 10 sun
pr'as all along the journey.
h"S were now travelling ;hroupb
dense wood. the snow wac nu.d -,
-r.at heaps on the ground and rho
,o''hrinis OF maybe. some other nm.
happy nohlcman. could b. d!sc.rnss
suffering unspeakabic tormSnts Tho
niue family. with other prisoners
""'" almost driven across the froz.n
sr"nhh by party Of cruel guards
",o1' "t them belonging to the party
OF Holshcvists
sometimes the poor mother could
hhrdiy walk any further and would
sop 10 rest, but seeing the cruel
lace %! the guard. evil. threatening
She p!odded bravely onward.
Sometimes. at night. they would
""'N' Walk XII their feet
were swollen and red. and ,rcr.
chilled To tho bone. while the lccr,ng
SNarnS made them half-w walk. half.
rum across the ground. But some
times wagon would come. ana tn.
urea FAMILY would ride across tho
ground AT snail's pace. The great,
est terror of all was when ycino
across the woods. they would hear
'he fnnttertngs Of fierce wolf pack.
which would turn their hearts m
lead.
sometimes the wolves would get TO-
se'her IN packs and try to devour the
neopie. In some cases they did. and
IL was no common sight to sec hui
""n bones scattered over the snow
VOW they were nearing Siberia. the
piac" which held unknown horrors
'or the family. and when. once they
were there. that would be the las;
any one would hear of them. Some
were killed and some were left 10
die from starvation and disease.
The only prayer that the family
mad was that they would be killed
before the dreaded journey was over
ihcn one night the calamity hau-
pened
The family had been unusually
tired, especially the mother. Her
body stiil felt like lead Her stems
Jagged. and. all Of sudden, she
stopped walking and fell in "A little
hcap on the frozen ground
on, Mother mother" cried little
vera. terror-stricken. With that she
fell on her knees before her beloved
mother and cried frantically.
The father. too. was Grief-stricken,
and, unmindful OF the threatening
guards. fell on his knees before her
and nervously dashed snow on her
face
The rest of the prisoners stood ut
n respectful distance from the fam
ily. and one old woman whom Vera
had grown To love during the journey
started involuntarily forward But
at the sound Of cruel. loathsome
voice she fell back in line.
In moment the Countess eyes
heavy-lidded with sorrow. opened
Where am -" she asked. Little
Vera was crying softly. "Oh. mother.
dear. you are away from home; we
are going to Siberia" At that the
mothers face turned an ashcn gray.
The little delicate Countess was
fading fast away. fading away from
the ones she loved so dear around
her. while the impatient guards
stood around, Offering no aid. but
powerless TO tear the father and
Vera away from the dying Countess.
"Promise me one thing before
die" the Countess whispered, in a
voice weak from suffering: do not
give Vera into the keeping OF those
men over there" with a point Of her
thin finger To where the guards
were. do not: oh. do not. as you
love me, let harm bcfall her. Prom
ise,"
Yes. / promise, even IL I have to
die for her." the Count said, gazing
anxiously on the deathly white
countenance Of his wife
Then suddenly. as Vera called
Mother! mothcr!' again and again.
and the old woman prisoner turned
away to hide her tears. the mothers
face tnrncdO dcathiy white. but
smile was on her lips as she mur.
INJURED these. words: God -be-mer-
ciful--to yom.--b-both" Then she
fell back and the smile was sull on
Ter lips.
"Mother-don't go away" sobbod
htiIc Vera. but Death had claimed
It's own. and it seemed. to the little
refusac. as il the spirit of her mother
rose, tall and beautiful and said: DO
not fear. God will take care of those
who believe in Him"
Yes. the Countess soul had flown.
flown TO the land where there was
not sorrow, for the Countess. too
weak to struggle, had resigned her