A Nihilist's Gratitude.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8085, 16 April 1906, Page 4

A Nihilist's Gratitude.

Michael Petrofl, one oi She siost promi- : lent men in the secret police, was receiving lis last instructions from his chief. The (ask before him was to arrest a certain Nihilist, who had caused the Czar's police much (jrouble, and who was said to be the head of ,)ne of the most dangerous societies ever inown in St. Petersburg, which had played > most important part in the Borki affair. Borinski, the Nihilist in question, had been iiscoveredas working as a plain laborer in toe imperial navy yard, and while the whole jecret service had been hunting for him all over Russia he had been living quietly with his wife and ohildren in St. Petersburg all the time.

" You know how important this arrest is,' said the chief, kindly ; " there must be no slip, but do not forget that Borinski is an unscrupulous man of the most dangerous kind. If your life is in danger, make use of your revolver, but try to catch him alive." "He shall not escape us this time," answered Petroff, quietly, but with a very determined expression; "he has not the slightest idea that his identity has been discovered, and I will arrest him in his own house."

In the evening Petroff mounted the stairs of a tenement house near the Neva. Arrived at the top floor, he knocked at a door, which was opened by a poorly dressed woman, who trembled when she saw him.

" Oh, I thought you wero the doctor," she said, "he promised to call once more toflight-" .. , "I am indeed the doctor, my mend ; your regular physician was suddenly called away, and asked me to look in here to-night. How 16 the patient? " " The ;>oor child is very sick,- the woman answered, and led him toward a door at the end of a narrow hall. Petroff opened it quickly and went in. A tall, muscular man who was sitting near a bed jumped up with an expression of surprise. He had recognised Petroff as a secret service man, but he found himself covered by a revolver. " Throw up your hands, Borinski," Petroff said, without a trace of emotion, " the game is up. You are under arrest." The Nihilist leaned heavily against the back of a chair, aud his eyes sought his sick child. " I have been betrayed by some miserable coward," he muttered between his teeth"Keep quiet, Paul! Do not forget thai the doctor said little Duschinka must not be disturbed."

A tear glistened in the Nihilist's eye. " Yon are right, Milla, I must be quiet," hr said, looking toward the poor bed where a little girl of six was evidently struggling with death. Presently she opened her eyes. " Do not be afraid, darling," Borinski softly whispered to the child. "I am going, but I will soon be back, and then you will be well and I shall bring you a beautiful doll and We shall all be so happy Hurry up, Petroff, let us get away before she realises what is going on; she suffers enough already." The Nihilist's wife stood sobbing near the bed; the little girl looked up and cried : "Oh, papa, papa, is the man going to take you awoy ? Oh, do not go away from me, I am so sick, and I will die it I do not have you." " Maybe you hav» no little girl who is sick and who loves jou as I love my pupa." Petroff smiled sadly; he suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He looked at Borinski, who was a picture of despair. "It is true what she says," the Nihilist said, " she will die if I leave her now, but of course you do not care ; what is she to you ? Let us go or I shall go insane." He snatched his hat from a nail and started toward the door, but stopped and looked once move upon his dying child, his lips trembling and tears rolling down into his great blond beard. Petroff made a step toward the door, but his eyes could not tear themselves loose from the child.

"By God, I cannot do it," he suddenly said, trying to conceal bis emotion cinder a sinile. • "Borinski, stay with your child. I am no murderer. No, madarue, do not thank me, thank -our child," As if struck by lightning the Nihilist fell to his knees.

"So help me God, Petroff, I shall never forget you this, and the day may come when I shall be able to pay ypu back !" Half an hour later Petroff reported to his chief that he had found Borinski gone. Two years larer the secret service were feverishly looking for a gang of Nihilists who had sent oat revolutionary manifests, whioh had even found their way into the Czar's private apartments. Petroff thought to have discovered the headquarters of the gang in the bouse of a small merchant. On a dark night he had the house surrounded by the police, and when all was ready he went into the little store alone. While he was talking to the man he thought he heard voices from a room behind the store, aud started toward the door. The storekeeper whistled in a peculiar way and immediately the floor gave way under Petroff's fe»t, and ho felt himself falling down into a cellar. Before he had time to draw his revolver his arms were caught aud hefou::! himself surrounded by a dozen desperate men. One man kept on working a printing press in a corner, and he recognised Borinski.

" Yon had better surrender, "he said; "my men will be here iu a second and you cannot escape." " That inay4>c so, but not beforo wo have Villcd you. String him up, comrades ! " The man who spoke was a student. " That is right, let us hang him," shouted Uireo or four others ; " we shall still have Mine to escape through the secret door." A rope was brought and a noose was laid around I'etrofl's neck. He thought his last moments had come. Borinski had suddenly stopped his press »iid stepped over to the others. " Comrades," he said in a voice trembling with emotion, " turn him over to me and save yourselves. lam doomed anyway and I already hear the police coming." " No, we will hang him first," shouted the student; "he has sent too many of us to Liberia ; he must die, even if we die with liim," and he pulled the rope so hard that Petroff thought it would have broken his neck. Then he saw a knife in Borinski's hand. The rope was cut and he could breathe once nore. In the same moment ten policemen rushed into the room. The Nihilists ran toward the door, but found it guarded In a few leconds they were overpowered. Borinski alone stood motionless in tSe ;entre of the room. " I have paid my debt," he whispered to Petroff. " Yonr life is in my hands." Then he quietly held oat hie hands for tbl handcuffs.