THEIR LAST MORNING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7236, 24 October 1901, Page 4

THEIR LAST MORNING.

(By FRANK J. CRAIGIE.) Milanow and Kamenskv, construction engineers on the line of the great Siberian raihvay, aAvoke suddenly at sunrise one morning. "What was it?" asked one. " Riiie-fire." answered the other. '•' Russian?" "No; Chinese— God help us! "H'm! Might have known it. Fools we were not to have gone to Blagovchensk yesterday, when Aye had the chance. "Just as well off here, my boy. Do you think the cursed yellow-bellies would be here if Blagovchensk were still safe in Russia's hands? They have taken the place or have it in siege, which amounts to the same thing — for us." " What can we do ?" asked Milanow, the younger of the two, crossing to the side ■window of thedr one-roomed shanty aaid looking out toward the reddening east. , " Do? Call the men together, and make a fight if we're pushed to it." " We're too feAv. How about an honourable surrender?" The older man gave a harsh laugh. " Surrender to a Chinaman !" he said, pulling on his boots and rising to his feet. "Better die Avith your rifle hot in your hands. It hurts you less and costs the other fellow more." "Where dc you think the firing was— how far away?" "Two miles, I should say." Milanow looted do-wm the roughly-graded road-bed that st-retched Avestward like a long, yellow caterpillar on a leaf of green. " Two miles," he repeated slowl*-^ his fingers drumming on the window pane. "That's forty minutes for infantry; half that timo for cavalry. Ready for it, old fellow?" Kamensky turned away from the gunrack and crossed to his "companion's side. "Always ready for a fight, boy," he answered, with a grim smile beneath his close-cropped beard. "Let's go out and get the men." Milanow swung ahout on his heel and left the -window. "No use, Kamensky," he sa*d, placing one hand affectionately on the other's shoulder. "It's all up; the men have gone." "Gone? You are sure?" " Look for yourself, old fellow." He crossed to the door and dropped the heavy bar, seldom if ever used before, into its socket. Then, stoopinz over the tool-obest, he took. out a long ship-auger and a keyhole saw. Kamensky walked away from the window, whistling softly and winding his watch. The junior engineer looked ait him: with a gleam of humour in his eyes. " Wasting energy, comrade," he chuckled. "The watch unwound would have outrun you by several hours." "And you?" ' " Did I run* awa-v when a drummer-hoy at Denghli Tepe in 79?" "No; foolishly you did not." " Then I have a reputation to guard. PooJisMy, I'll ndb ran now." Kamensky, loading 'tihe magazine rifles, nodded in commendation. Milanow .Avias cutting loop-holes in th© hoaxd walla of th» house. "Say," he exclaimed, suddenly; "I, said thnt all the mem, had gone; but thlere's on© aflio ■wouldto't qujt . us.^ Strange he keeps away." Kamensky was a)fc the -window again. *< Who do yon mean Vhe oailled*. " Hardy, th© American?" " Yes. Nerve to the backbone — AvouLda't run from tihe deviL You recall thia time tun '* " Open the door, Kamensky !" came a Toioe from the outside. " Yes ; three against fifty-seven," laughed Hardy, pushing open tibe door. " A migthity crowd indeed ! Give* me a gun, Milanow ; tlhe enemy's in sigh*. Here's a billet d*amour for Li Hani, your faithful cook. Be brought Iris Manchuriam friendß to us; le* him pay for if." Hardy threw has heavy Lee " Straightptffi " to Ihds shoulder and sienlfe a six-milli-

metre., ludf-jackctied bullet singing through a window pane Milanow, his eye to <an auig*er-hole, gave a groAvl of satisfaction. "From left eye to right car. Hardy. Knocked the rascal's head to splinters." " Made a pretty hole in the glass, didn't it?" was Hardy '^ response. " Can't get a lead-pencil through it. Just such a-— — •• Get do-wn, you fool!" He forced Kamensky to the floor. A sboAver of broken glass and wood splinters fell ahout "Hhem. " A reconnaissance in foree 1 . Four of the beggars*!" cried Milanow, sighting his Mannlicher through a loophole. " Here's for on-e — two — three. Hang it ! I only winged the fourth! Drop him. Hardy— for the love of Russia ! He's out of my reach. Ah-h ! That's a gord hcy\ Jumped like a deer, didn't he? That makes five, counting Li Han, the cook. Open tlie big chest. Kamensky. and fill my pockets Avith cartridges. Quick! for— by the Cross of Constawtane !— here comes the whole hellish Chinese army'" They crowded to the Avest window. Coming up the road-bed in fours. 'and thre-es and twos, Avith here and there a straggling halfnaked unit, jumping from one pile of ties to another, came the h^then enemy. Through the shattered Avindow floated the clanging of a brazen tom-tom. "SAveet music to die by." muttered Kamensky, lighting a brier pipe- " Good as any other," retorted Milanow. " I've heard orchestras in grand opera that sounded' worse. Give me a pipeful, Kamensky. I Avant a last smoke." '".Take some of mine." Hardy handed out a box of dark plug-cut. It came from , Yankee-land." he added, witb a smile. 1 Milanow looked ou'b at 'the enemy. ! "Wish we "weren't «x hundred wiles inland. I'd call on your Yankee President for a gunboat to protect our American citizen." ; Hardy blew a cloud of smoke toward the cob-Avebbed rafters. "God waa good 1 enough to make the American citizen capable of taking care of himself," 'he said, *quietly. "Blessed' be Allah!" murmured the young Russian. After which all three kept silence for a full minute. The clanging of the tom-tom sounded louder. Kamensky looked down the road. " Gaze upon their formation!" he said, with a snarl of disgust. " They maroh like a "drove of pigs," "Pigs are cafe enough," responded Milanow. / '•" But arm' them with Mausers, and they call for respectful attention." He turned to Hardy. " See that blamtd tomtom doAvn there — catches the sun now and then and shines like a cruiser's searchlight. It's out of my range ; but your naAy gun ought to put a capsule through it. Run your sight to the top notch and give her a point or two to the left on your windgauge ; then see what you can- do at two thousand yards. Knock out their martial music and you'll "kail their heathen nerve." Hardy, resting lhi» rifle on the frame of a broken window-pane, glanced through ; hi.. sights and fired. The tom-tom -topped' its booming. Kamensky gaA r e a yell of delight. " Didn't tell you to ©boot the musician," laughed Milanow. "But you did -well enough, anyway — stopped the procession for a minute. Now some other fellow's got the gong. But hear it," he added, with a laugh; "hear the cursed thing rattle! Santa 'Maria, Hardy ! You plugged' through musician and tom-tom both." "And the man behind; him, too," cried Kamensky, looking through -his binoculars. ' 11 Heavens, Ha>rdy I Does your country tura out many saoh as you?" " Two or three a minute, my dear sir. Wish we had a dozen here now. We'd conquer China, set up a tlhrone on yonder hillside, crotvn Kamensky King, and make MilanoAV envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Court of the Czar!" "For the love of Heaven! don't talk about Sfc Petersburg," said MilanoAV, looking thoughtfully out of the Avindow. " You make a fellow wish he didln't have to dis." Hardy looked grave, and Kamensky began piling- sacks of cement breast-high against* the walls. St Petersburg at that

moment was all the great, wide -florid to I those three. There the eldest of them had a young Avife, and a child but a year old ; and the younger men They turned. and each looked into the other's eyes. A bullet shrieked between them, and with a j naisty " pfit.!" ripped out through the boards I at their side. Neither man stirred. Each had before him the vision of a tall, shapely girl, Avith eyes of purest blue ; a face whose queenly beauty Avent deep into men's hea/rts. and lived there when all else was dead ; md a soft voice that ence heard thrilled through the dreams of a lifetime. Both had last seen her on the same night, but a few hours apart ; and the picture in their minds Avas undimmed by the lapse of time. Both remembered the regal figure resplendent- in creamy satin and pearls ; the gleam of the jewelled Constantinian cross that rose and fell with her every breath ; the juire Avhiteness of her full, round throat ; and, more than aU these, the lustre of the eyes that no man. strove he ever so firmly, could drive from the inner sanctuary of his memory. The young Russian spoke first, and his voice sounded strange and wistful. "Will she ever know?" "I pray to God that she never may," was Hardy's reverent answer. MilanoAV rested his hand on the American's shoulder. " Wait until our last ten minutes. HardA-. Then Ave'll talk of the things that make our handful of life dear. Less than an hour's time, and " "Flat, boys! Drop down!" came Kamensky's voice. "They've got the range." And a whirlwind of bullets tore screeching through the pine-planked shanty. " Oh, for a~ machine-gun !" sighed Hardy. " Or a pretty little bronze yacht-cannon," added Milanow. " Or- even a fcot of gas-pipe filled with lead and dynamite," growled Kamensky, thinking of a hole that such a thing once made in a street- in Moscow. Then he pave a lingering look at the cases of explosives by the door. " Dynamite !" he repeated, softly, to himself. " Dynamite !" "Tell us your dTeam. Kannensky," laughed Hardy, knocking the top from a cart-ridge-box. I j "Yvait till the last chapter, man. You'll! welcome it then." " Enigmas, as usual. You're Ah ! there ' they are again !" A second volley crashed through the house. "Interesting." commented Hardy. " Decidedly," r-esoonded MilanoAV, with equal coolness. "'lmagine a locomotive built, for instance, like those new Finnish ones that your Yankee friends turn out. if it could carry the same power ncr pound of weight that a Mauser slug does. Wouldn't she ftv?" Hardy nedded, smiling. "Wish we had one. Wire to some friend to ship us a small size." Kamenskv ar.-ise from his place on the I floor and looked at the scattered company of yellow-iackets. "Five hundred yards." he said, reflectively. " That's good enough." Then, tightening his belt and throwing his pine on the long drawing-board, he called : "Go ahead, friends. The sooner we start the fewer will ohesr our death. Shoot a* fast as you can ; our ammunition will stand five hours of hard work." "Five hears {" repeated Milanow, dropping on' one knee before a loophole. " Ten times too long." "Well, bang away, while I fix up the final surprise!" They heard him raise the trap-door and descend to the cellar. "Final surprise?" echoed Hardy, wondeiingly. " I suppose he means the setting for that last chapter, of whioh he speaks. Well, go ahead. Pick off that fellow with . the blue sash ! I'll take the one with the j sword— the first on the right flank." ! They fired together. Hardy's man , swung around on one heel and fell, face down. The 'man with the sash staggered a little and raised his- hands to his head. Milanow fired again. The Mongolian drew his arms down with a tense slowness, like an athlete exercising his biceps with dumbbells ; then he swayed for a moment and sank to the ground like a rag. " Exquisitely done," murmured Hardy. "Now. clip the duck on the horse! It's my horse, too ;• Li Han stole him last night. There," and he laughed softly un-

der his breath. " I've knocked out their second musician. They've left the tomtom on the ground. " Neither .-poke for sereral minutes ; but both kept up a terrible eharpshooting fire. Then a puff of dv* flew from a cement-bag at Hardy's side. The young Russian flinched a little. "The devil!" he growled. "Spoiled my aim." "Hit you?" " Yes — shoulder," muttered Milanow, reloading his magazine. "It'll stiffen your arm in half an hour." " Then, my boy, that arm will never st'ffen— except, perhaps, in rigor-mortis. Fifteen minutes will drop the curtain on our drama." Thoy kept up a rapid fire. The enemy had closed into a heathenish solid formation, and were coming up the hill, three hundred yards below. The floor of the cabin was littered with glass and spl'nters — wreckage from repeated Mauser volley*. Kamensky was rigging a block and tackle from the ceiling. His companions, asking no questions, maintained their fusillade. Hardy broke the silence that had fallen between them. "Milanow," he asked, looking into his friend's eyes, "why did you ever come to this hellish spot?" The Russian shrugged his shoulders. '* On my faith ! as the Frenchmen say, itwas a woman." "She?" "Yes. Why?" " My reason, too." *' She, again?" "Yes. I left her to you." Milanow, duni-dumming a bullet, swore under his breath. " You tool 1 Shs loved ! you. not me." ! "No, no! You're wrong." "I swear it." Hardy shook his head. " No ! You're ridiculous." " But she told me so herself." Hardj*. whose eyes had wandered back to the window, turned quickly. " She told yon ro?" he repeated, in a dazed sort- of way. " Yes." "When?" • '* You remsmber the night when ihe and I went to the Italian opera. '.You left me at the Hotel Anigleterre and went over to have a smoke with your -ambassador. Well, that night I made a fool of myself, incidentally learning tba.t you were the one favoured above me. So I went to Count Zaratski and prevailed upon him to work me in with the railroad people. That is how I am here." "But why- " "No whys about it. I left her for you and came out here to this hell on earth, picturing in my mind how the bright, glad world of St Petersburg would shrnla for her and for you." His voice choked a little, and he fired blindly towards a dancing flagbeaier. Then he went on. "I loved tine Lady Irma, and I love her stall ; bift —and I say it as a dying man — if ever woman's heart belonged to man liars belongs to you. That is the- truth ; and God help Iter now! Yet, what did you do? You lost your fine American temper and smoked away th© night with your ambassador. As a consequence, you threw a way your chances of winning the one woman under Heaven and got out here before I did. Had you kept your wits and waited for me at the hotel' I'd have told you the truth. As ib was, you didm't give me a chance.,- .There's only one thing to be said of us, Hardy; we're a pair of fools, and you . are tbe bright particular star of thfe oombinartion." "True enoag-*," «ai<i Hardy, withs w faraway look in his eyesl "I only wis__ sh© had . ' Oh, God ! Milanow '.—here, I'll catch yoii! Kamensky! Kamensky! Quick, man! The boy is down!". The old Russian clattered up the cellar stairs. . Milanow. with Hardy leaning over him, lay on the floor.' His was -tamed with blood, his face was ghastly pale, and hi-s eyes - were closed. "Hurry him down cellar," cried Kamensky. " We're near the end any way." Hardy lifted the wounded man as -though i_e were a child, and carried ihim to tfce step?. As "he went down he saw that Kamensky had placed a riveted water-boSler in the centre of the upper floor, and thafc a r pair of copper -wires canne from the mudvent -amd disappeared through a crack into the cellar. He looked up at the, Russian. " Wthat is that?" he asked, nodding toward the boiler. "Our dernier ressort; thirty pounds of powder and two dozen sticks of dynamite. Down, quick ! The boy is dying !" They hurried down toe steps, and Hardy laid Milanow on a blanket in the centre of the cellar floor. From the outside they heard the crashing cf rifler volleys (Lighter than at first, for the engineers had killed twenty- two) and the shouts, rapidly Hearing, of the exulting Mongolians. Milanow opened his eyes. "Hardy," he said, faintly. Teaching out his hand gropingly, "they've fixed me. haven't they?" Hardy took his comrade's hand. "Yes, my boy ; they've got us all." Milanow shook with a convulsive shudder. Kamensky gave him a swallow of brandy. The young Russian smiled. • "To her health, Hardy — our last toast." His eyes closed. " No, not — our — last," he murmured ; aud his fingers closed tightly on Hardy's hand. Kamen.ky and the American looked at one another across the prostrate figure. " "Gone already?" The Russian's voice had a queer hoarseness to jt. " No — not yet." A rattling volley shook the air, and the shouts seemed at their yen- cars. Milanow turned his face toward. Hardy. His eyelids wavered, but would not open. "Hardy!" he whispered, clutching his comrade's hand more tightly. " Where is Ha rd v?" ■' Here, old fellow," nns-wercd the American, looking across at Kamenf'ky with grave eyes. "Don't go — old — man," came the pleading whisper. "Tell Irma— — " '* Yes?" Hardy answered, very tenderly. "What shall I tell her?" With a great effort Milanow raised himself upon his elbow and opened his eyes. " Tell her," he said, slowly, resting his gaze upon Hardy's face, " tell her that I loved her — as — !ong — as — life " His eyelids dropped suddenly, and with a piteous moan he fell back on to the blanket. Hardy looked up with moist eyes. "Dead?" asked Kamensky, in a choked v.rep. "Daad." A sob shook the Russian's giant frame. Hardy bit his lip. They sat there for a moment, with their dead. "Did they break down the door?" asked Hardy at last. His answer came in a ripping crash and the sound of many feet pattering ahrsve them. Then a great yell came from the people overhead. The Russian stooped over the little magneto-generator at the end of the wires that, tame down from the boiler. The crowd above them rushed toward the .cellar doar. Tlie two men clasped hands for a moment and with one accord looked down at tive handsome face and motionless form '■pott the blanket The rcUar .foor was lined, and a dozen faces peered down the stairway. Kamensky raised his eyes from Milanow's face. "Ready. Hardy?" Firm amd unhesitating came the answer. -Ready, comrade!" The Russian's arm gave a quick |?rk. and witih a roar like a th-ousmd peals of thunder the wooden shanty a.rd everything within its walh? was scattered to th-e four windss of heaven. Hore*- and ther. a tongue of flame flickered for a. moment in the pile of debris, .-•ink into a smouldering spot of fire, st_nt its little column of smoke, like incense from a sacrificial altar, upward to the bright Siberian sky. then died out ai:d was lost in the sunshine. But all the Russ-ias lay between this spot and ths city c. l _ ttiliia Czars, where wait Ksiamen.«ky's 'wife and babe. Milanow's white-haired father, and the Lady Inna — four who knew naught of the hpt ' stand of the cither three.

PATENTS. — -♦- Mi- A. J. Tark, patent and trade mark agent. Man^c Street, Dunedin (authorised by New Zealand Government), supplies the following list of New Zealand applications for patents, gazetted on Oct. 17: Auckland: Brownley and Davidge, candle-holder; Freeth and Munro. fire-escape ; J. Thurlow, Spitzkasten discharge ; W. Linley, picture hook ; A. M'Leod, merry-go-round ; R Duff us, rat-trap ; A. Jones, verandah roof, etc. ; D. Simpson, utensil cleaner. Canterbury : H. Adams, shoe-tree ; Brittin, M.ignus and Le Cren, gold-saver; F. Andrews, potato-digger ; H. Reynolds, race-srartcr ; M. Kennedy, washing fluid ; D. Mackay, siphon ; M'Farlane and Cook, water-race cleaner ; Wilson and Gilby, acetylene gas lamp ; J. Brunt, boots and shoes ; D. M'Millan, bridle. Hawke's Bay : Wall and Hughes, fountain-pen ; Chambers and f)avies, fire-escape ; J. M'Gain, coin-freed device ; H. Brown, acetylene gas generator Nelson : J. Gell, telegraph tape perforator Otago: Mouat and Wale**, rope grip; J. M'George, excavating attachment ; J M'George, stripping attachment ; A. Kelly, cue-tip ; J. Gray, turnip-thinner ; J. Rose, race-starter ; F. Kettle, door catch ; F. Paterson. vote recorder ; G Beaumont, belt fastener; A. Murray, panlid and strainer. Southland : J. Dunbar, disc-rldger ; J. Harrison, sash balance and lock; R. Thomas, spile. Wellington: C. Dunn, milk-strainer ; C. Anketell, grip /or bag ring ; C. Anketell, sprocket wheel ; C. Cooze, spouting bracket : C. Tandy, fireescape ; H. Greig, seed-sower ; G. Palmer, bandoliei*. Westland : G. Shilton, fastener for mail matter. All questions relating to patents and trade marks may be addressed to A. J. Park, patent agent, Manse Street, Dunedin. 9407