LITMIR.BIZ

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shoot you!»

      «She never promised you anything! Did she? She didn't make any commitments?» Leonid could sense Anton's hesitation and tried to take another step.

      «Stop! I'll kill you regardless!»

      «Come on!» The student locked eyes with his rival, showing no fear.

      The sturdy country boy never expected the city slicker to be so stubborn. «He's not afraid!» In one swift leap, Leonid lunged at Anton, knocking the rifle out of his hand and sending him to the floor.

      A sleepy station duty officer emerged from a side door, seemingly indifferent to the tense situation.

      «Your train is arriving, folks. Hurry up.»

      He finally noticed the scene on the floor and quickly pulled out a whistle from his pocket. Olga regained her composure and cried out:

      «Help! Anton is going to kill him!»

      The on-duty officer let out a shrill whistle and hurried to separate the boys. The girl quickly picked up the shotgun and sought refuge behind a nearby column.

      From the adjacent station house, where the line department was located, a policeman came running. The other duty officer had just managed to drag Anton Kravchuk away. He immediately turned his attention to Leonid and proceeded to apprehend him.

      «It wasn't his fault!» Olga exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. «He was defending himself!»

      The policeman hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reached for his holster with his free hand. Before him stood an agitated girl, holding a sawed-off shotgun!

      «Peter!» The duty officer wanted to intervene, but he couldn't approach the struggling Kravchuk. He held the boy more firmly, urging him to calm down.

      «It has nothing to do with the girl, Peter!»

      At that moment, Leonid realized that the current threat to his wife came from the policeman. He struggled to break free from the officer's grip but found himself back in the strong hands of the law.

      «Come on, Miron, let's take them both to the station. And you,» the policeman observed that the young lady was not a threat, «hand over your rifle and come with us. We'll sort this out there.»

      «Old man, you're quite something!» Leonid, surprised by the officer's sudden trust, tried to catch his breath.

      «I served in the navy, in Kronstadt,» the «old man» revealed himself to be a young man. He added approvingly, «And you, young student, are not half bad. I didn't expect this!»

      «We still need to find out what kind of student he is,» the policeman grumbled, roughly nudging Mirachevsky forward with the seized shotgun.

      Anton had clearly calmed down, his anger subsiding, and he appeared visibly subdued.

      At the station, Peter seated the miller down and directed Leonid into a holding cell. He simply nodded casually at a chair in the opposite corner to Olga.

      «I have to go,» the duty officer said hurriedly, «the train is about to arrive.»

      «Wait. Mr. Pavlenko will be back soon, and then you can leave. Trains are always late, it's nothing new.»

      He sat down at the table and unfolded a piece of paper. However, he hesitated to draft a report. «He's illiterate and inexperienced.» The teacher thought right away. «How can he be taken seriously, trying to assert his authority,» she thought.

      «What makes you think that this one,» the policeman nodded toward the holding cell, «is a student?»

      «I met him the other day at the train station. He was asking about the girl. I mean for directions to find the school.»

      «What for?»

      «Peter! He came here to get married. The boys are fighting over the girl!»

      At these words, Kravchuk leaped to his feet.

      «Sit down!» The policeman, a young and somewhat brash fellow, shouted at him and cast an unkind glance in Olga's direction. The «authorities» seemed to have their own preconceived notions about the situation.

      «You claim you're here to get married? And with a shotgun?!»

      «It wasn't his weapon!» Olga was desperate, realizing that the situation was taking a serious turn. «Please, officer, let us go. We'll miss our train!»

      «That's right. What train? Now, you're going to join your accomplice!» The policeman noticed tears welling up in Olga's big brown eyes and added sternly, «And don't cry here!»

      «So?» He turned to the duty officer again. «Who came with a shotgun?»

      Miron only sighed and scratched the back of his head.

      «You didn't see it?» the «investigator» concluded.

      «You're right, I didn't see it. But I'm sure it wasn't his,» Miron nodded in the direction of the cell.

      «Not his, huh?» A booming voice sounded from the doorway. Pavlenko, an older and more experienced figure, had arrived. «What's the matter, Kravchuk? Did you manage to find a weapon after all? Did you borrow it from your father or inherit it from your brother?»

      Peter slowly rose from his chair, making room for the senior officer.

      «So, what do we have here?» The chief gave a stern look to everyone. «Martynov, report.»

      However, Martynov appeared somewhat confused, realizing that the incident's picture was not entirely clear.

      «Well,» Pavlenko leaned back in his chair, «let's start from the beginning. And did you check the citizens' ids?»

      Martynov had to release Leonid from the cell. After examining their documents and hearing accounts from Miron and all sides of the conflict, the chief summarized, «That's it, young newlyweds, go where you need to go,» and handed back their papers. «We'll take care of our own business here, of local importance, so to speak.»

      «What about the report?» The failed «chief» regained his senses.

      «We will write one,» Pavlenko reassured him. He then nodded to the Mirachevskys, «Goodbye.»

      They left the station and embraced each other tightly. They were still shaken by the encounter. As the long-awaited train approached the station, they rushed to board it, nearly colliding with the duty officer.

      «Watch out, youngsters!»

      «Thank you!» Leonid firmly shook Miron's hand. «If it hadn't been for your help…»

      «You'll be just fine,» the duty officer grinned and winked at Olga. «Your student is quite the fighter! Hold on to him, girl!»

      The train's horn sounded.

      «Hurry up!»

      Only when the train gained momentum could Olga finally exhale. She was still frightened, but now she looked at her fiance in a completely different light. He appeared calm again, even smiling. That smile dispelled her fear and uncertainty…

      Yet, despite calming his beloved, Mirachevsky couldn't sleep for a long time. He found comfort in contemplating the sound of the wheels. Now, Leonid realized that Miron's help had played a crucial role in their escape.

      If it hadn't been for the intervention of the head of the department… It was fortunate that he had obviously been stationed in Lazirky for a considerable time and perhaps had personally apprehended criminals here. If the other officers were like Peter, their sympathies would not be in favor of the student – he was a stranger to them. And perhaps an even more estranged element than the understandable miller-kulak (wealthy or prosperous peasant). «What about the international proletariat anthem? Where is the justice?» The realization of this fact tormented his soul terribly. While the first part of the incident, the scuffle with the rival, was even somewhat satisfying to recall («how he stood up for her!»), the aftermath was something he wished to forget as soon as possible.

* * *

      Indeed, Olga Gurko departed Lazirky just in the nick of time. The age-old village was undergoing transformations

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