Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1914 — A Revolutionist [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Revolutionist

She Passed Through Hair= breadth Escapes

By KATHLEEN EVERSHAM

Henry ( ’uminings, an Amvric.i u. traveling on a train between London and Dy ver on Ifi : > ■!■'. .’s. left Lo:i- ---- by an meumg uuiu . -ti a. dark. There were four passengers in his compartment when he starti d, but at the first, station two left the train. The remaining passenger liesides Cummings was wrapped in. a long ulster, with a I to. id collar turned up about his; neck, and -a felt hat pulled down over bis eyes; As soon as the train started after the second stop lie roused himself, yawned, cleared his throaf willi a cough, looked out of tim window. peering into the darkness; then tn t iled, to a bag beside . him a.i id took out a boxMjf cigarettes. "Do yon obj< t to smoke'-’’ he asked of Cummings in broken ..English. ' "Not at a.i. I am a smoker myself.” : "I ti that lase, there being no one else in this compartment ex,epi mirscMes. I stippo- • v. e: may smoke.’’ When ihe man turned toward Cummines to ask the question the American got such a view of hint as was afforded by the: dim. light’ from th • lamp in the venter of the ceiling, lie saw a youthful, feminine face, without the- sigil; of ,'t board, hair of a very light hue and stool gray eyes. The Voice, too. -was.very soft.:for a man's. He offered his box of <,igarettes ; t,» Cummings, who noticed that the 1. ami holding it was round and exquisitely shaped. f’timmitigs took a cigarette from th; t side of, the box nearest. him, and. the yoi'.i:-; man took one I’i - a ,

side before closing, and putting it in his bag. <'nnimiiigs .took a silver box from lii- ■ in.,, ket and.-. swai hing a, match <m it. held the match for the other to light his cigarette, This gave a better illumination of Ills fellow passenger's face, and 7 'uiumings was very much struck with it. lie was sure if he ever saw it again he. would know it. 't was a serious face, the face of one-who might, be expected to have great object in had it not been too feminine it would have been handsome. tint only a glimpse was to be had while the yiuing iiian lighted his cigarette, and. < 'um niiiu**®-iivhted his from the . - . mat<di. 'i hen (he American leaned back to < rij'.i. his stiroke. "i. fancy." he said presently, “there is a t rat eof o{ i lim ip t li.ese cigare t les of yours.” , . ~ -; "Do you think so?" : 7 77'l am iiiiite sure of it. Did nearly ali <4garettes that are made now coptain some opium. 1 don't mind a little 'uf it." .. A very pleasant languor came over Cummings, and. not having anything in ■common with the, stranger to talk about, he permitted himself to fail ’ into a doze. He was a wakened bv a rough shak * .’“Wake up!” 7 7 A man in police uniform was bending over him. Cummings found it hard to keep bis eyes open and < lost <t them again, whereupon he was shaken anew. Tips rime lie roused himself and. began to take; jn the, sit nation. .The train was at a standstill; Tilerwas no one in the compartment exec hiiiisclf and ihe policeman'.. tim'd,di he could' tee several persons e-t.-iriin.. without. .On (he SiWj opposite him was .an ulster which ho recognized a < belonging to his fellow passenger. His bag lay open beside him.. “Where is the young man who was in the coach with me?” Cumniiiigs asked:

‘‘Was there ti young man with you?” asked the policeman quickly. “Yes; there, is Iris ulster. He gave me a cigarette to smoke, and it put me to sleep." Diving into the open bag, he pulled out most of the contents. “My passport!” he exclaimed. “It is gone!”

“We’re too late." said the policeman, tad. taking (’umminus’ name and nationality that he might identity -tue passport if found, he ivithdrew. Cum mings felt for his money, and it was safe. He ’..ed-to the poli-eimm to ask him for what the missing men was wanted, but the guard slammed the door, locked it, and the train moved ou. The next stop was Ihjver. Cummings while passing on to the Calais boat asked certain railway officials lie met if they knew of what had occurred in his, compartment, but none of them could give Inin any information. Fortunately passports ale not needed in most European qountries nowadays unless called for specially, and Cummings found no diflieulty in entering France without one. He h . I nothing from the one that had bevii taken from him or the person who had taken it. Indeed, no explanation of tlie matter came to him. There was only the supposition that the young man who had put him to sleep was some one attempting to evade the law.

Two years passed when by a singular freak of fortune Cummings encountered the fugitive from the law again. lie was a globe, trotter and during the interval had been to America but once and then only for a few month';. It is to be admitted that tr.-'.i iling continually lie was far more likely to meet any particular person than if he remained in one place. He was traveling northward from Italy; Leaviiig Lugmm one morning for Lucerne, iu the same Compartment with him was a, lady twenty-two er twouty-tlii'i years old, who the motnent he looked at her attrm ted his at tenti'-m He was sure that he had seen her before, tliotivh l o could not tell when or where. Then suddenly it flashed upon him that she was tlie counterpart of the man who two years before, liad stolen his passport; From this lie eaiiie vi-i-y soon to the cmichision that site wi.s.ihe same pers n. and that person was not a, man,. lan fa. wo man. . . ' 1 ..

Now that he met her .-iaain ar: | knew her lit' had a great adyaiitagi', for <he didn't seem to know that she h .1 ev< t met him before He looked at. her stead:!;,. she looked away, m any lady w-mld when being stared at by s j man. -but showed no embarrassment. Not caring to let her know that h - recognized her. he turned away his glance, lie desired t > satisfy his enri osity- with regaial to her and deter mined not to lose her.

She was (■videntl.v traveling >;.e. There was a man imthe i-ompartii eU,t besides Cummings and another woman. The woman soon left the ir;:':; There being no notice that

was permiticd in the compartment, the man went to another to light fa rig.;,-; leaving Cummings temporarily aiomwith the lady. "Nladaine <>r luademoiselie.’’ he sail, “do.you object to smoking’.-’’ : • “I do uot.” ",

"This is not a smoking compartm-mt. but if you don’t object I xviii avail my Self ofour permission.“ "Do so. by all means.:" : Cummings took a box of cigarettes from his pocket ao.l handed it to tin lady. : "Thank you very much, but 1 neve, smoke." "You mean that you do not simc now, not that you have never f-i. If 1 mistake not, I have hitd tlie p.< ; tire of smoking with ,vou and one <>,f your own cigarettes.” ’ Tim woman gave Inin ;a pierviug glance, au’d her face became a sir; whiter. "It was in a coach,’' he went <m.'. “between London and Dover. ’! cigarette you offered me was raMcr heavily iiiri,i sod with opium or other drug. At any rate, it put me to sleep, and when I awoke you were gone. 1 have alwaVs been curious to know how you left the train.” The young woman’s gaze was fixed upon Cummings without reply ; . some time. She was evidently mwm frightened, but as he proceeded a; p; . .ed to gather • oididence. I'resentiy she said: “Ypugtre ;>n' American.’ 1 - "Yes. How did you know that?" ”1 .Should know it and fibt forget it Ai. :r pas.-; ; saved me from arrest, ijnd aricsi for me meant a return i ; Russia, anil that nieaiit Siberia.” "Then 1 am more than pleased.” ’’Had 1 ‘known that you' were dm American would not have put: yon to sleep with a cigai’etie. I would have confided my situation to you anil asked yop to help me. Aiiiera a. as your national . hynin "slfys, is the “land of the free.” and all oppressed peoples may find sympathy there:’’

"How did you le:|ve the train?" "I committed my soul to (Jod an I jumped in the darkness. There was iio stop after I put you to sleep till the train reached Dover. I must jump or be arrested when I reached the terminal. I landed, fortunately, in a ditch beside the railroad or I shVul-j have been killed. I finished the journey on foot, but not to Dover, (in reaching the coast I crossed the chan nel in a fishing boat.” 7 “The passport—bow did that help you?,” ‘ ■ . A-' “Xot then: later. I have traveled to Russia for consultation with fellow revolnti-mists as Henry Chmmings and returned by using your passpbrt?' "Great heavens!" exclaimed the American. "What sacrifices are made for liberty! " The two parted at Lucerne, and Cummings never saw the lady again. But she gave him her name, and long afterward he learned that she had illustrated the truth of the adage. "The pitcher that goes too often to the well is at last broken." He learned from a. fellow countryman of hers that she had at last been caught and was? In the Kara prison. \ *

“YOUR PASSPORT SAVED ME FROM AR REST. ”