The Secret
By JAMES
CH A PTKR XV.
The miuinor anil voice or Basil Micro
h'ltz worn singularly soft and winning.
M lie was hold mid resolute: anil though
I young mini, lie lunl nil the free iiml
lasy bearing f courtly soldier, blended
K'lth something of t lit culm severity of n
priest n innnnor Unit wiih very impros
live.
Tim Polish mill Cossack blood Mini
oilnglod in I he veins of Apollo I'mikoH"
tuve u freer mill bolder, perhaps n wild
r, bearing mid Hlyle of language; his
Doho wiih ii(iilline, iiml expressed fierce
besH of disposition; yet IiIh fondues ol h
trwlso were essentially ilcliciile iiml no
lle, mill bin eyes were ntriiiicly boatiti
Inl in color mid vnriety of expression,
tie wuh n grandson of llelmmi Mnzeppn
thnt Pole whose Htory Ih ho well
known, mill who uflcr being bonml nuked
tn n wild unit maddened lior.se, wiih cur
lied by IiIh steed through wooiIh mid
ivnstos, mid herdH of wolves and bears,
Into the heart of I lie Uknriiio, where he
lived to become tlie prince mid leader of
lllOKo Willi COHHMCICN Wll0 dwell tlpOII till!
tanks of t ho Dnieper.
Sleeping in a ciivern, among rough sol
lior.s, on a bed of dried leaves and iiioh.h,
lad not Improved either the costume or
the appearance of Natalie Mierownu.
With pain and sorrow almost witli ag
ny Charlie Halgoiilo could perceive
bow her once rich dress of yellow silk,
h'itli ItH trimmings f narrow erinlne, wiih
raded and soljed even tatteiod and
worn; her Iiicch mid tier Hoft hair alike
IIhIicvcIciI and uncareil for; and that al
ready li till a hunted ami haggard ex
pression been Imparted to her beaut if til
hyes ami soft, pale, delicate face. Anger
nut pride alono reiualned; but both were
tor a time Hiihdued by the midden pres
Mice of Balgonio and the love nil c wiih
tomiielled to repress, outwardly at leaHt,
when before no many eyen. Katinka, the
iturdy Polish ntteiidmit, who loved Na
talie dearly, alone Hcemed unimpaired
liy tlie liardHhlpH of a forest life.
"Concerning (lie secret iliHpatch of tho
woman, Cntharlue ('liriHtimiowna. to the
(Sovernor of Sehlusselburg," said Usa
kofl', resuming the subject of conversa
tion, "you, Carl, are perhaps aware of
ItH contents?"
"Yes," replied HalKonie, mid then
paused.
".Say on, my friend," said Usakoff.
14 Wo can hear anything now."
"They were to the effect that a scheme
had been formed to free (lie Unknown
Person in .Selilusselliurg ami that lie was
Hot to be permitted to fall alive into tlie
hands of any one who came to seek him."
".Savage orders, which there can be
no mistaking."
"Orders which HernikolT is quite capa
ble of fulfilling," added Mierowitz in a
mill, stern voice, while their listening
followers burst into low and whispered
but fierce Imprecations against the Eni
press. "Bcrnlko(T is a man without one hu
man sympathy." said Basil.
"And no marvel is it!" exclaimed I'sa
koff, wlillo the strange light already de
scribed gleamed in his dark gray eyes.
'1 1 is mother, like a true Tartar woman,
Is said to have anointed her breast daily
with blood, as she suckled him, even as
Dion tells us tlie mother of Caligula did,
that her child might in manhood be mer
ciless." "Carl," said Basil, taking the hand
r Halgonie, "Natalie lias told me all."
"And you forgive me?" said Halgonie
earnestly.
"I do but on tills condition that if
-ou do not join us you will at least not
Vtlvely oppose our scheme."
"1 scarcely know what it is."
"Know this, then," replied the other
impliatically, yet softly, "that on its suc
cess depends the success of your love, for
If it fails, then all our lives are lost!"
"You say that you love my cousin, Na
talie?" said young Usakoff in a some
what loftier tone.
"With all my heart witli all my soul,
I do!" replied Halgonie, pressing a hand
of Natalie between his own.
"Yet, Carl, if you valued generosity
nnd loved piety If you loved glory and
honor as a soldier should, you would risk
ho loss even of her--yea, give her up
f necessary and join us!"
"What would either life or glory be
after such a sacrifice? All, my friend,
you never loved as I do!" replied Charlie,
with Homo irritation of manner.
"Perhaps. Hut I have always thought
how grandly terrible a figure was made
by Mohammed the (Ireat when, on a
tugo before his discontented army, he
truck off the head of a favorite sultana
to convlnco his soldiers that lie preferred
glory to love."
"Cousin, cousin!" said Natalie, who
felt all the peril nnd delicacy of her lov
er's position. "You talk thus to-day,
when last night you shed tears yes, bit
tor tears for the loss of your sister.
Wo wero all taken prisoners together,
Carl my poor father, Marlolizza, and 1.
Bound witli cords see the marks are on
me still," she added, showing her white
wrists, while her dnrk eyes (Hied witli a
lusky tiro "wo were conveyed in a eov
tred wagon toward St. Petersburg, on
the way to which It broke down in a
wood nenr Paulovsk, not far from the
uter walls of the imperial gardens
There in the confusion 1 was enabled to
capo by tho aid of the gypsy girl Olgn,
who, hoping some such chnneu might
xrcur, had followed us aroot from Louga;
and through her further knowledge and
assistance I was enabled to join my
brother Basil here."
"My dear old father-nnd my soft and
Dispatch
GRANT
tender Miiriollzza a blow must be rap
idly struck If we would save them from
greater horrors than those they now en
dure!" exclaimed Hasll. "The other die
lias been east now, mid if I cannot save
them and our legit i mil to Emperor, we
can at least all perish together."
"Danger inenacc you oloely; the
roads around the fortress are putrolcd,
and gunboats watch the shores of tho
lake. A coin of Ivan found in a tea
house "
" 'Tuns I, Carl, who dropped it there!"
exclaimed linsil. "Well, mid this coin?"
"Has aroused all the suspicions of
I'.ernlkoir, and In? knows that you mid
your cousin have deserted from your
posts in I.lvonla."
"Then," replied Hasll Mierowitz, with
growing sternness, "we have not an hour
to lose. Who informed lilin?"
"Lieut. (Jon. Weyniarn, by a special
messenger, while I wiih loitering at
Louga."
"So, so! We must lie prompt in ac
tion. I have cruised thrice round .Schlus
sclbiirg disguised as n fisherman, and
know all the approaches."
"Hasll, UHiikolT, I implore you by all
you hold dear on earth and sacred in
hen ven to pause while there is yet. time
to abandon your wild scheme, and make
your peace, if possible, with the Em
press." "You are right to add 'if possible,' my
friend," replied the other calmly but bit
terly. "Already compromised by deser
tion, my father and betrothed wife chain
ed in a fortress by the Neva, what terms
would Catharine offer us? Carl Ivano
vitch," he added, with a lofty smile, "i
do not press you to join us, or seek to
lure you into the dangers of an enter
prise the enthusiasm of which you can
not share. I do not seek even to turn
your presence as a trusted Htaff otlicer
in Sehlusselburg n account, though it
might further our objects, and be tho
means, perhaps, by strategy, of saving
many a valuable life. Still less do I de
sire to turn to account your intimacy
with the young Emperor Ivan, though I
envy you the great privilege. Even in
tlie love I bear my sister, 1 leave you
unquestioned and free."
"I thank you, Hasll,". said Halgonie,
sadly, and witli a heightened color, caus
ed by irrepressible annoyance at the last
remark of Mierowitz.
"Hut we have all sworn before the
altar to devote our lives to tlie matter in
hand; so retreat is impossible advice
and entreaty alike unavailing. The blow
once struck, we shall be joined by tlie
Cossacks of the Ukarinc and the Don,
among whom we have many impatient
adherents, ami by nil who hold of tlie
Houses of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, of
llolstein Gottorp, and of all who hate
Anlialt Zerbst; all Russia will soon fol
low, from the shores of tlie Hlack Sea
to those of the White from Hovel to the
Uta! Mountains. We have not forgot
ten the reign of Elizabeth; how many
noses wero slit, how many foreheads
were branded, how many ears cropped,
and tongues shortened, and how ninny
eyes were darkened forever during tlie
time of tyranny; how ninny backs flayed
by the knout; how many nobles banished
to Siberia or drowned in prison vaults
by the swollen waters of the Neva. Pure
nationality is dying now; but we must
revive Ihissia not as it is ruled by a
woman, but Holy Russia of Peter tho
ireat strong, invincible, and the terror
alike of the Eastern and Westcfu world.
Let us save our country from those who
oppress it, and replace upon its throne
(lie grand duke, the Czar tlie Emperor
Ivan; for tho right given by ("Sod and by
inheritance can never be destroyed!"
"Without camion, you can not mean
to assault a place so strong as Sehlus
selburg, fortified as it lias been by all
tlie skill of Todleben?" said Halgonie,
after a pause.
"Ask me not what we mean to do,
Carl; for your own sake, my dear friend,
tiie less you know of us. and of our
plans, the better. We shall come upon
you when you least expect us, and in Hint
nour take no heed of what you see or
hear. Mix yourself up with it as little
as you can; if we fail, we perish in our
latiure; if we triumph, and Ivan is re
placed upon his throne, be assured that
Hasll Mierowitz will not forget the lover
of his sister tlie comrade of many a
nrave and happy day with tlie Regiment
of Sinolensko. Now adieu and come
hither no more, lest your steps bo watch
ed." Halgonie pressed the hands of his two
friends, whom he viewed ns fated and
foredoomed men: he kissed Nntnlln with
a tenderness that was at once sorrowful
and despairing, for lie trembled in his
ueart lest lie should never sec her more;
and. in another moment or n Ilk i mm In
a bewildering dream, he hnd descended
ii
i lie rope iiuiuer ami was traversing tho
forest the Wood of the Honey Tret!
foi get ful or oblivious of whether ho was
watched or not.
He foresaw but woe and ruin now;
nnd proceeded slowly back to Sehlussel
burg, with his mind a prey to doubt,
anxiety and dread of what might be th
sequel to the impending catnstrophe. He
felt assured of one thing only that a
deed, bold, reckless and despernte, would
be the result of IiIb friends' desertion
from Livonia, their political rancor, nnd
perRonnl desire for vengenuco on the Em
press nnd her favorites.
In that deed, and Its too nrnhnhu fall.
I ure, he foresaw the destruction of his
iovc, nu ne reit bitterly that rutiier than
have known and lost Natalie, it would
have been better hnd fate drowned him
when the Pnlntlne ship was burned, ox
shot him when v arring In Sllcslal
CHAPTER XVI.
On returning to Sehlusselburg, Bnl
gonle found the governor, Colonel Bcrnl-
i koff, in a very bad hemor indeed. 'Ilio
Grand Chancellor had recently sent him
j a prisoner, with a note to the effect thnt
i he wroto verses, and was otherwise n
dangerous fellow to keep him for n
week or two, and then get rid of him.
lie had thrice sent to the chancellor, to
learn under what nnme the man wiih to
be buried, for the fellow was dead now
so much had tlie damp atmosphere of
the lower vaults disagreed witli his poet
ical temperament, but no answer had
been returned, which was very annoying.
So HornikofT, whose patience was never
very extensive, was furious; but lid
strove to sooth his milled feelings by sev
eral enormous pinches of the sharp snuff
of Berewovski, from tlie box which had
been found in tlie fob of tlie later I'eter
III.; and by beating with his cane tho
Cossack, .Ingouski.
"No tidings yet, Carl Ivnnovitch, of
those traitors?" said HernikolT; "tho
Captain Vlasflef, mid my faithful friend,
Tcliekin, with forty picked Cossacks, nnd
it clever guide "
"Nicholas Paulovltcli, I presume."
"The Mime," continued Hernikoff. with
a fierce grimace on his lips and a cruel
leer in his eyes, "the hamo, sir and what
then?"
"Nothing, excellency. Well, these and
tlie forty Cossacks "
"Are scouring all the roads between
this mid St. l'etersburg on one think, and
between this and North Ladoga on tho
other; no the cursed Asiatics cannot es
cape mo."
"Who will betray them to you?" nsked
Halgonie, making a terrible effort to ap
pear calm and unconcerned, as he played
with his sword knot nnd the tassels of
his sash.
"Who?" exclaimed Colonel Hernikoff,
grinding his teeth. "Their own friends
their own dear comrades adherents,
which you will. Russia is full of people,
yea of many nations. The Empress can
reckon her faithful slaves by millions;
yet, when a Russian hath ills hat on his
head, its rim contains tlie only friend on
whom lie can rely."
"This Is a severe libel on your coun
try, surely, excellency."
" "Tin truth though; ho Hasll Miero
witz, Usakoff and the rest arc all doomed
men. No one was ever lost on a strnight
road; thus the soldier who diverges from
tlie straight line of duty must speedily
find himself face to face witli degrada
tion and donth. Punishment to tlioso
traitors will be swift and sure! So, I
only fear that tlie Grand Chancellor will
never give me the pleasure of hnving
them under iriy judicious care at Schlus
selburg. We have certain old vaults,
built below the tide mark by Ivan tho
Terrible, for some of those people of
Novgorod who leagued witli tlie King of
Poland. They are always lull of fog;
and 1 am curious to know how long an
able-bodied prisoner might live there, or
rather how long he would be in dying."
Charlie glndb sought the solitude af
forded by the stockades and outworks
of the fortress on the side toward tho
Lake of Ladoga. There, as elsewhere, ,
was, of course, a chain of sentinels; but
they did not interrupt Ills lonely com
muning witli himself.
Hy ills interest in Nntalie, by his deep
love for her, and more than all, perhaps,
by his recent visit and interview, he nl
ready felt himself "art and part" with
tlie rash adherents 'of Ivan. If ono of
these deserted tlie causo in which they
had embarked, then would their lurking
place be at once discovered, and the story
of his recent visit be revealed.
He dreaded lest Hernikoff and others
suspected his friendly interest in tho
family of Mierowitz, and that more might
yet be learned of it; thus he would liavo
experienced neither shock nor surprise,
had he. at nuy hour, in that laud of
treachery and espionage, seen either Cap
tain Ylasftef. Lieutenant Tscliekin, or
any other olllcer of the fortress, advanc
ing toward him, saber in hand, with an
armed party, to demand his sword, to
make him a prisoner.
"If I love Natalie." lie would say to
himself at times, "why should 1 shrink
from sharing all that she suffers now
all she may yet endure? Yet it would bo
wiser to watch well for her sake, and
seek to save, or bear her away; but how
and where to?" was the next bewilder
ing thought.
This was. indeed, a miserable mood of
mind in which to pass tho nights and
days of inactivity of suspense and anx
iety in which none could share in that
strong, guarded and somewhat lonely
fortress, which was washed on one side
by tho Neva and on the other by the
Lako of Ladoga, the very ripples of
whose waves Hounded hatefully in tho
ears of Halgonie.
"Oh," thought he, "to be with Natalie
on the side of a green nnd breezy Scot
tish mountain to bo with her there In
peace and security, far, fnr from this
land of suspicion and ferocious despot
ism, of state intrigues and savage pun
ishments, where every second man is tho
spy and the betrayer of his fellow."
Home ho might never see more; and
now he found himself vaguely speculating
on the probable comforts nnd public sen
timent afforded by Siberia, nnd those
growing cities of the sorrowing and the
banished Tobolsk and Irkutsk on the
banks of tho Lower Angara.
(To be continued.)
No Lore Loat.
Judge (sternly) Didn't I tell you
Inst week I never wanted to see you
horo again?
Prisoner Oh, yer honor, I hates tho
sight o' you wussor'n you hates the
sight o' mo. Detroit Free Press.
Taking Time by the Forelook.
"Will you ond a telegram to your
'old man' if you fall In your examina
tion to-morrow?"
"Of course; I have It already In my
pocket" Fllegende Blaetter.
mnmm ii mbs
UOMKOUT FOR ItEHUItltEOTION
py Rev. A. Lincoln Moore
"Ho Is not hero, but is risen." Luke
xx I v., 0.
Tho resurrection stands forth in the
npostollc theology as the epitome and
very label of Christianity Itself. In
chapter xv. of Corinthians I. the great
apostle with his giant mind sets forth
by argument and Illustration the sub
bllnio fact of the resurrection. In this
marvelous treatise he not only sweeps
away objections, but piles thought
upon thought In massive grandeur until
he rises Ineffably above the philoso
phies of the day and llrmly establishes
the glorious certainty of this mighty
trul b, "He Is risen." Arguing with the
logic of an Aristotle, ho does not per
mit himself to bo content with a more
dialectical display, descanting with the
rhetoric of a Demosthenes, be does not
allow himself to conclude with a pero
ration of more eloquence. He reduces
the grand doctrlno to a practical con
clusion, making it the inspiration to
noble living and godly attainment.
Christianity stands or falls with the
truth of tho resurrection. If Christ be
not risen then there Is no Christianity.
The resurroqtlon involves the whole
story of the incarnation. He who has
risen must have died, he who has died
must have lived and he who has lived
must have been born. Thus the empty
tomb of Jerusalem proves the holy
manger of Bethlehem. So sure Is Paul
of this truth that he stakes on It the
glorious fact of the resurrection. "If
Christ be not risen, then is our preach
ing vain." If Christ bo not risen from
the dead, then Christianity lias been
propagating a lie, (hen the 500,000,000
Christians on the globe who believe
that he Is alive have been deceived
and their faith also Is vain. Then
there Is nothing to console us In the
hour of death, and we are of nil men
the most miserable.
For ages the conflict has been cen
tered around the resurrection. Infi
delity and skepticism have wrought to
undermine It and yet tho resurrection
stands commanding untouched, Im
pregnable, divine.
Tlie resurrection Is a glorious cer
tainty. It Is tho grandest historical
fact. It Is substantiated by infallible
proofs. Tlie resurrection is the most
Indubitable of realities. The New Tes
tament writer relied upon tlie various
appearances of Our Lord after His re
turn from the grave. He appeared live
times on the day of resurrection; then
to tlie eleven; to seven; to five hun
dred; to James; to Saul; to all the
apostles at Bethany. Paul, twenty
three years after the resurrection, ap
peals to Peter and James as living, ac
cessible witnesses, and to many of the
live hundred.
The existence of the Christian church
attests the resurrection of Christ. If
He had not risen from the dead, as
He said lie would, then the church
must have fallen hopelessly to pieces
on the day of crucllixion. But the
church abides. The Christian Sabbath
Is a mighty witness to tho resurrection,
for it is not the original Sabbath. Cod
hallowed the seventh day. We ob
serve the first day of the week as the
Sabbath. Why this change? Changes
do not take place without some ade
quate cause. During tlie Jewish Sab
bath Jesus lay pale and still in the
darkness of Joseph's tomb. But during
the early morning of the first day of
the week He arose triumphant from
the grave, leading captivity captive
and by and In the very fact of rising,
emblazoned tlie first day of the week
as Ills own royal supernal day, even
time's llrst true Sabbath."
Thus the sublime fact of the resur
rection confirms the truth of the Bi
ble. Christianity Is divine and true.
Jesus of Nazareth Is what lie claimed
to be, the son of God. Salvation pur
chased on Calvary Is a glorious reality.
The ultimate triumph of Christ's king
dom Is certain and Indisputable. The
resurrection makes Christ a present,
living and communing Savior. He Is
now enthroned at the right hand of
God. Ho Is the prime minister of di
vine government, and He does accord
ing to His own will In the nrmy of
heaven and among the inhabitants of
earth.
He still Is about His Father's busi
ness, looking after Ills chosen people
nnd making all things to work togeth
er for their good. Seated on tho throne
of His grace, no Is ever accessible.
He bears all our petitions, redresses
all our wrongs, supplies nil our wants
nnd makes Intercession for us with
groanlngs which cannot be uttered.
But tho crowning comfort is the fact
of our own future resurrection. The
life beyond is a glorious certainty. We
may base the fact of it on the persist
ent feeling In our hearts that this Hfo
lfc not the whole of llfo, or oh tha
analogies of nature, or upon the fact
that the resurrection Is necessary as a
vindication of God's character as a
perfect work, and all of these argu.
incuts arc good ones. 1
But amid death's overwhelming de
vastation, the nrgumont which mak(l
certainty certain Is the empty tombd
our risen Lord. Because Jesus w"os
death's master, so we shall be. Be
cause Jesus arose from the dead, so
shall his sulnts arise. The grave is
not what it once was since He has lain
there. Ho transformed the dnrk and
narrow house Into the spacious robing
room of heaven, whore this mortal
shall put on immortality. '
THE HIGH Ell VOICES.
Ily Rev. I. II. Dorchester,
"The people who stood by and heard
it said It thundered; others said an an
gel spake to him." John xll., 29.
It seems strange that the same volco
should sound so differently to thos
who heard it. Some thought it thun
dered, while others said an nit get
spoke. But this Is not unllko occur
fences to-day. What wo hear ofteq
"depends" upon what we are. In a
concert tlie musical impression receive
ed depends as much upon one's knowb
edge of music as upon the execution ol
the musicians. A very line concert
once was spoiled for a barber in tha
audience because right In the range o
bis vision was a person with badly
combed hair. Tho barber was so dls
tressed by tho sight that the fines!
music had no such charms for him as
for tho rest of the people. The forcfl
of literary or scientific allusions in a
discourse depends upon the education
of tho hearers. How differently th
same picture will a fleet different peo
ple, according to their artistic fastest
An exceedingly delicate painting rent
resenting Joan of Arc among thd
frees, listening to angel voices, evoked
most appreciative words from many
who studied the picture; but one In th
company remarked, "I guess that girt
Is stealing apples."
In the 'religious realm the angel
voice is unheard or Is but noise to
some people; talk of "the leadings ot
the spirit" is Greek to them. The spirt
ituul realm is a blank to them. Whyf
For tlie same reason that Greek is
blank to them; they are not cultlvati
Ing this realm; God Is not In all tbeii
thoughts. Now, the important thing
lo realize is that our Inner stales de
termine here, as in art or music, th
different Impressions made even bj
voices from heaven. And these iniiei
states are not primarily due to aceh
dents of nature or variations of Indi
viduality, but are principally the re
sults of the choices and occupations ta
which we give ourselves. Whutevei
absorbs us developes that side of oui
nature, shutting out other interests!
and this development Is gradual, in
harmony with certain laws of growtlu
Now, the serious phase of this sub
ject Is the danger of an atrophy of th
spiritual sense, man's highest faculty
that side of our nature which hold
communion with God and enables us ta
hear the higher voices and brings ut
Into touch with tho priceless realities
of the kingdom of heaven.
By disuse or misuse man's religion
faculties become stunted and Impotent
in childhood they are tolerably activi
and vigorous: trust, hope, love, prayet
and conscience play a considerable part
In young lives. But if In mnturliif
years they are neglected because ol
absorption in something else, they grovt
weak as truly as do any unexercised
physioiul muscles.
Now, this Is a matter which vitallj
concerns us, for man is a spirit an
he has a body. There Is an alarmini
tendency among us to starve ourselvet
In our engrossment with business, so
ciety, dress and pleasure. The atrophj
of the spiritual nature Is an irrepara
ble loss, for it Is a loss of the thing
that make for salvation and character
for God, heaven and Immortality. It
is a fundamental loss, touching out
very structure, the very Image of Go
within us.
If we would hear the higher volcei
we must believe in them, taking tlm
to be reflective and devout, sacredlj
holding to our reasons for spiritual cul
ture. Mr. Gladstone is a strong exam
pie of a busy man scrupulously carlnj
for his religious nature, for sixty yean
of manhood keeping his church devo
tlons in the forefront of Us dally Hf
showing the world the good old way
Indeed, the only way to grow stronj
toward God. As his recent blographot
says, "Immersed in active responslblll
tlcB for momentous secular things, hi
never lost the breath of what wus t
him a diviner ether. Ho was alwayi
true to tlie grandeur of Goethe'swords
In wholeness, goodness, truth, strenu
ously to live.' "
Giving happiness is the only secret
I of getting it