And the blood was pouring and pouring--Semen pressed his hand to his side, but the blood would not stop; evidently he had made too deep a cut into the arm; his head was beginning to turn; he was getting dizzy, as if black flies were swimming in his eyes; then everything became altogether dark, and loud bells were ringing in his ears--He no longer saw the train, no longer heard the noise: only one thought predominated: “I will not be able to keep on my feet, will fall down, drop the flag; the train will pass over me?--Dear God, succor, send some one to relieve me--” His soul became a void, and he dropped the flag. But the bloody flag did not fall to the ground: some one’s hand caught it and raised it aloft in front of the oncoming train. The engineer saw him and brought the engine to a stop. * * * * * The people came rushing from the train; soon they gathered into a crowd; before them lay a man, unconscious, covered with blood; another man stood beside him with a bloody rag tied to a stick. Vasili surveyed the crowd and lowered his head. “Bind me,” he said; “it was I who cut the rail.” FOOTNOTES: [9] A copeck is a little more than half a cent. 100 copecks make a silver ruble, or 60 cents. THE CURSE OF FAME BY IGNATIY NIKOLAIEVITCH POTAPENKO [Illustration] _Potapenko was born in 1856 and received a university education at Odessa and at St. Petersburg. In 1881 he made his first mark as an author with a series of short stories and sketches. Since then he has contributed to Russian literature many romances, novels, tales and plays. Like the Belgian dramatist, Maeterlinck, he seems to select a few insistent notes with masterly judgment, and then strikes these over and over again until the overtones are heard and produce of themselves the full effect of harmony._ _The general opinion among critics of Russian literature is that Potapenko, though ranking by no means with the first of Russian writers, has reached in this single instance of “The Curse of Fame” a high-water mark equal to the best._ [Illustration] THE CURSE OF FAME BY IGNATIY POTAPENKO Translated by A. Lionel. Copyright, 1896, by the Current Literature Publishing Co.