A 1EADENMEDAL.
It Played an Important Part In a
Love Affair.
By SARAH J. ATWATER. .
(Copynsnt. Ihlu. u American t'ress Asso
ciation L i
At lh' breaking out of our war with
II1C .llIIIHSe I ll.-IU IK'IMI SOIIIfU H)l sur
prised at the devotion ot n young deti
tenani In Hit army who' seemed to
consider me thi ohjf. i ot h grand pul
sion. H :is sfvcriii years younger,
than I and exi remeiy boyish. We iJus
siaus mi' ti t.-iir haired rm-e. hut Paul
Net insky's hair whs inmost white
noi with litre, tot hp was inn nineteen
years old. Ills eyes were a light hiue
and his complexion mill; and rose,
suitahn- for a gin No lion id Had yet
tiprouied.
I wen remember Hie day I'aul called
Upon me to say ttiat His regiment wan
"1 WILL NO LONGER KEEP IOC IN IGNO
KaNCK.' to be transported that very day over
the Traiissiherian railway to Alancbu
ria. lie told me that were it imi for
leaving me lie would he glad to go.
Klin e lie wished active service. "1 am
rotisoRd However." He said, "that I
may have an opportunity to gain some
hoiioi in place at your teet."
I was moved hy this, though I saw
no reason why hi a very should ma lie
mo love him. I was pleased that be
wlsliea renown for me rather thau for
himself. Since lie was about to leave
uie anil I might never see him agaiu 1
had not the Heart to chill him. so 1
. hade Iniu good by without giving him
uuy definite Knowledge with regard to
my feeling for him. When lie left me
before going out of the door he turned
and gave me a look so meiain hoiy thai
1 lulvaiucd a step. hnU his hands in
mine ami Kissed him.
Thill kiss put new life into . hiui.
With a wave of the Hand he. walked
qui. kl.t away, apparently hot wishing
to risk looKiug ha k ai me again. '
The hut tie oftlie Valti was. l;be
lieve. the first great battle of ihc.war
At any rate, it was one of the-first.',, A
tew weeks after it Had beeti foug.at.'l
received a little package and a letter.
Jl"l2': " ' H'i'iL en '"iilj il'Jl"".l'
IP
: '
thai they had been addressed by the
same person.' I -' opened the letter tirst.
Il was from the surgeon of the regi
ment to' which my youthful lover was
attached. It read:
Lieutenant' Paul Nevinsky at the battle
of the vain 'ttutingu.i!nei nimseit. - in - a
charge. the Japanese tire was. so deadly
thai . all the officers ot nia regiment who
had not ocen pic-Keu oft were driven oacK
before the storm of outlets except Lieu
tenant NevmsKy. who stood nis sroujptl.
:ral.Uei b mil 1 1 numoer ot , men and with
them Kept the enemy at nay till the otn
ers had returned, .then' completed the
chaise, winning all that U was intended
to , urromplisn. ?Hut in. the moment ot
victory ' ne was struck oy a bullet and
carried otl tti Held dangerously wounded.
I nave attended mm ; and extracted tile
Dall. He will not survive. He nas asKed
me to send it to you. savins that since
ne cannot live to receive a decoration to
send you ne sives you what ne denomi
nates his leaden medal.
So many wounded: men need my atten
tion that 1 teei i am taking time that be
longs to them to fulfill my promise.
This brief message written by one
who was called away from his patient
to other multifarious duties was all I
ever received from Paul. I had no hope
that he lived, ami when the returns of
tile killed and wounded came his name
was .among the dead.
I would indeed have been hard heart
ed if this devotion had not affected
trie. I had admirers.' hut all their ad
miration seemed trifling beside that of
this young man who faced deatli that
he might send me a medal 'and bad
instead only hud time to send mt the
bullet that had killed him. But I
kept my leaden decoration to myself
No other knew of it or that the mar
it had struck loved me. Nor did I
intent! that others should know of it,
espe hilly those men who were hounr
ing me with their' devotion and their
offers of marriage. I had before me
a career, and I did not propose that It
should be blighted by the blue eyed,
beardless hoy who had been killed by
the Japanese. -
When Count" Gravlenieff. a noble of
high rank. . offered himself I would
have accepted him at once but for two
reasons. First. .1 did not wish bin
to think I was overanxious for him
second. I wished to complete a year '
tnouruiu for my young soldier lover.
A few days before the expiration ol
this period a card was sent up to me
bearing the name of I'aul Neviusky.
Was I glad or sorry?
I don't know. I only know that I
hurried down stairs. There stood the
young soldier, his cheeks, which had
been round, now hollow , his complexion
a pale yellow, his eyes sunken in his
bead. I wished to be taken into his
arms that my heart might beat against
his. Hut I controlled myself. I showed
my delight at receiving him back from
the dead, hut gave no indications that
it was from love. Gravieuieff was a
splendid match, and I was by no
means ready to permit this condition
ot sentiment to interfere with tay tak
ing advantage of what it would bring
me.
This was Paul's story:
He had disappointed the surgeons by
recovering from his wound and far
more quickly than could have been an
ticipated. He had taken part in the
subsequent battles ot the war fought
by the army with which be served and
bad returned a general of brigades,
covered with decorations.
I asked him why he had not inform
ed me of his recovery. He replied in
a shamefaced way that, having seui
. mo the bullet that' killed him. he had
' felt that to announce ihat be had not
been killed "after all would ' have put
lii.nr in -a' ridiculous position before me.
He. had therefore put off the announce
vmj?nt of ,iiis' co,tifiniiedjsjsteuce from
time" to tlme'toid: finally Bad cow-hided"
' toi rolli'ftv-tA.-ie Jn person. ..Jtle
toped rhat.3roidnf-tljiJi any "jrfe?
les&f,.bijm;for..not nay-ins;, be kvlhyl.
While", r could hot" forbear-Kinijing a
' tfaia-altHUi'd. wei t-aUueaattluijT 1 copina
I was Km. lied hy"7i7 7 cimld noTTor
bear taking his hand, and when he
bent forward for a kiss 1 could not
belp giving him one.
1 now bad two lovers between whom
it was uot easy for me to decide. On
the one band, there was Gravieuieff.
who permitted me to understand that
It was a jjreat citidescension on the
part" of "BhT family to consent to min
gle its hlood with mine. Indeed, con
sidering that be came of the oldest
stock in Kussia and I was noble only
on my mother's side, the match would
be very advantageous to me. Uuthe
other hand 'was my boy soldier, who
was so anxious to honor me that he
apologized for returning alive after
having sent me as a mark of his de
votion the I ml let that was supposed to
have killed him. Never was a tvomar
called upon to decide between such
extrenjes.
Aud while I was undecided, or. rath
er. while 1 was unable lo hurt my
young lover by turning him away foi
the man it seemed liest for me to mar
ry, my Misition was a delicate one
When the cotiut learned that Paul
Neviusky .was his rival he was very
much astonished. Paul had no for
tune, was a commoner and was in
years and appearau-e a mere hoy.
That such a man should presume io
compete with him for the favor ot
any woman was a great blow to Gra
vienierT's vanity. That I should niu
sider I'aul at all in competition with
a nobleman of his ralik and wealth
somewhat diminished the count's good
opinion of me. 1 helieve that on this
account, bad be not lieen loo proud to
give In to such au inferior person, he
would have withdrawu his proposal
for my hand.
As for Paul, when he firsi learned
that be had a rival in Count lira
vienieff all hope deserted Him. "1
would not truly love you." he said,
"should I Insist upon your bestowing
yourself on me when a position so
much more exalted than I could give
you is in store for you."
I could uot but contrast the self con
lidence of the count with the modesty
of the little general, nevertheless i
was not so affected by this difference
between the two men as by the fact
that the one considered himself too
good for me. while the other cared
only for the honors he had woti. that
he might lay them at my feet. '
One evening my two lovers1 happen
ed to call upon me at the same hour.
As soon as the count saw the general
his brow darkened. 1 introduced
them. The count bowed stiffly. The
general returned the salute with more
amiability than might ha ye been ex
pected under the circumstances. , The
count's forbearance with me for keep
ing him so long in doubt broke dowu.
"I cannot consent." he said haughti
ly, "to lie placed in rivalry with one
who. though be has distinguished him
self on the Held of battle, helongs to
an entirely different class from my
own. I have offered you my heart and
band. It remains for you to decide
whether you prefer to lie the wife of
a noble or the wife of a. commoner.
If Jeneral Neviusky can liestow upon
you what I am able to tiestow I will
resign you for your own good. If not.
let him cease to come between you
and me." ,
"Count." I said. "I will no longer
keep you in ignorance of my decision-
I fully appreciate the substantial hon
ors you are able to bestow upon me.
. General ; Neviusky has already made
me one gift which I hold In greater
.esteem than the wealth I would share
with you as your countess. That gift
has won. Being called upon to choose
, lief ween you. . I choose him who gavo
-.roe. this."- . .
Catrbincr hold of a small gold chain
--about ray -ue'k. I drew from under my
-bodfee that which was attached to it
a leaden hnllet. , L
TTTe counf stood for a moment aston
ished that a hit of metal should over
balance his estates; that the little gen
eral should have won me with a bul
let. But he knew that my decision
was against him and in favor of the
giver of the ball of lead. He with
drew haughtily, and the moment the
door was closet! behind him my accept
ed suitor .kO"'.IMl jvfeet
FREE TO STARVE;.
That Is About What the Workingman'a
Liberty Amounts To. -The
Rev. Percy Stlckney Grant, rec
tor of the Church of the Ascension,
New York, preached recently on "The;
Workingman's Liberty to Starve." He
said that a man is seldom able to
"choose his occupation and must do
what he can to keep himself In food
and clc.'aug. In that event It is not
a question of liberty, but of necessity,
according to Dr. Grant.
"If we are free at all we are free
to be sick or Injured." said Mr. Grant.
"vve are rree ro ue sumecr ro ine
tyranny of our employers, free to walk
in the streets and be killed by an au
tomobile. "If you were to double the working
force, couldn't you divide the hours in
two? That means that the drones
should be set to work. Under a ra
tional organization of industry a very
few hours would give mankind what
it enjoys today, and perhaps more.
If you wished to paint or write you
could have that pleasure: there would
be time to exercise the tempera
mental gifts you possess.
"In the state of Wisconsin there "is
said to be a map showing the fer
tility of every ten ac res of land with
in Its borders. A prospective pur
chaser may look at the map and see
what he is to get. This is considered
n hta vn Mori fill-n Hon n-f jurrlpnll-rirfts-
But we need rationalization of, human
industry. When that stage Is reached
we will feel it as a blow In the face
to be told that the workingman is at'
liberty to starve."
New York's Liability Law.,
In the suit of Meyer Wagner against
the Metropolitan Street Railway com
pany, heard in the supreme court In
New York city, a verdict for $10,000
in favor of the plaintiff was handed
in. Suit was brought undr the hew
employers' liability law by the plain
tiff for. injuries received while working
In the company's car barns as an ele
vator man shifting cars. Another ele
vator, also operated by an employee,
collided with the plaintiff's elevator In
such a manner as to fracture both
legs. Counsel claimed that under the
new law an employer Is responsible
for the acts of his employee and that
the company therefore was responsible
for the operation of the colliding ele
vator. This is he largest verdict for
damages, yet received under the liabil
ity law passed" last winter by the New
' York legislature.
Union Editor Honored.
Charles W. Fear.- editor of the Mis
souri Trades Unionist, Joplin, Mo.,
was elected to the Missouri, legisla
ture by the voters of the Joplin dis
trict, running ahead of his ticket and
being the only Republican candidate
elected in that part of the state. Fear
is well known among organized work
ingraen of the country, .having been
active for years. .
Woman. T
Woman has been defined as "an essay
on goodness and -jirace in one volume,
elegantly bound'" But shedoesn't like
to be put on the shelf all the WmeC
Fire in the. heart sends sinbkejn-tlie
bead. .-German Proverb. ' . " .
