The Secret
By JAMES
CHAPTER XVI. (Continued.)
Ho fen red to look much, or often, to
ward tlie diHtnnt wood of tlio Honey
True lost watchful eyes might lo upon
him to wither liintH therefrom; Htlll more
did lie fear to vIhIL Nntallo again, lest,
ly doing ho, lie might load lo I lie dis
covery nnd urrcHt of nil. So the days
mid nights of dread, or longing and sus
pense, passed Hlowly after each other
now.
The barriers of rank and wealth had
nil been removed now and Natalie waH
reduced to a level lower even than her
lover's; yet ho cursed the mad schemes
that had brought about such a revolu
tion and tossed feverishly and sleeplessly
on Ills bed when he thought of Natalie
MIerownu his own loving and beloved
Nntallo ho delicate and so tender, with
her white Hoft skin and silky hair, her
earnest and beautiful eyes, lurking among
stern and outlawed soldiers in yonder
damp cavern of the rocks, upon her bed
of leaves and moss. The whole affair
reminded lilm of some of the old Scottish
raids, or Jacobite plots, of years long
passed away; and it was fated to resem
ble the former more strongly in some of
Its features, as the dark sequel will show.
The guards and sentinels at ScIiIiihkcI
burg were doubled; the patrols were in
cessant by laud, while on the lake the
gunboats of Admiral Mackenzie cruised
near the walls; the cannons were loaded;
the watchwords changed sometimes twice
within four-and-tweuty hours; and the
general state of preparation for a sudden
attack was unremitting. Hut lime pass
cd on quietly until the night of the (ftth
of September, when the crowning entas
tropho came.
CHAPTER XVII.
Tho past day had been unusually
gloomy for the season. The sun had
wot in fiery clouds beyond tho spires of
St. Petersburg. Tho night was without
a moon and a strong east wind rolled the
waters of tho Ladoga in billows of inky
hue against the massive walls of the fort
rcsH in foam and fury on ouo side; while
on the other tho waters of the Neva,
uwollcn by recent rains, gurgled and chaf
ed round the moldy and moss-grown piers
of the drawbridge.
Since morning roll-call, .Tagouskl, tho
icuoutcd, beaten and ill-used Cossack, had
icon missing; ho had quitted the fortress
on some trivial pretense and had not
tdnco returned; patrols had seen nothing
of him. Then Colonel RernikolT was
more than ever on the alert; but Ralgo
nle, who now deemed anything better
than the torluro of suspense, had gone
"weary and feverishly to bed, to court for
a time tho happiness of oblivion, after
having spent nearly tho entire day upon
the lake with an armed boat's crow, pa
trolling by water.
From sleep, however, n sudden sound
Aroused him; he looked at his watch, and
flaw that the hands indicated VJ. o'clock,
midnight. In another moment the sound
came again the drums were beating to
arms! He heard the clamor of hoarse
Muscovite voices In court and corridor;
,tho clanging of the castle bell; and he
uaw the gleam of torches reddening the
old black walls and towers, and daring
on tho grated windows as they wero
l)orno to and fro.
, Ills heart was beating with wild anx
iety as lie threw on his staff uniform,
)cltcd his salier about him, placed his pis
,tols in his girdle, and hurried forth to
meet It might bo cross blades with tho
'only friends lie had in Russia!
As ho crossed the castle yard by torch
light, ho could perceive that the Cossacks
Kvere falling into their ranks with inns
kctoou mid saber; and that the gunners
wero standing by their cannon witli port
Hires lighted; the latter casting a pale,
ghastly, and unearthly glare upon the
yawning embrasures, tho walls of tho
fortress and on their own stolid visages,
jwhich were palo and cadaverous, as those
)f people usually who aro hastily sum
"monod from sleep in tho night.
The portcullis was up; and I'.algonie
(oould see its row of lower bars, like a
lino of black fangs in an open jaw, be
tween him and the outline of the lighted
archway.
"What is tho matter, Colonel Rorni
,koff?" ho asked; "what Is tho cause of
nil this alarm V"
"Matter enough! Wo hnvo had an
nlnrm the placo seems to be invested
by troops infantry of the line tho head
,of a column look for yourself, llalgo
jtio!" exclaimed Bernlkoff.
To omit the Christian name of a per
son addressed, and that of his father,
jilso, is a direct insult In Russia; hut
IBalgonio beetled It not then, lie hurried
Ito tho curtain wall which faced the land
Julde, tho outer gate, nnd drawbridge, and
;thcn, by the light of n torch, ho could
Jbco that which certainly seemed to be tho
licad of u column a front rank of noar
ly fifty men, clad in tho hideous uniform
thou worn by tho Russian army. Their
coats were green, lined and faced with
red, vory tight in tho body, with prepos
terously long skirts, tight breeches nnd
"boots to tho knees, with cocked hats, hav
ing long llannol tlaps to cover tho ears in
winter.
By the light of tho samo torch Bal
gonlo could see tho bayonets fixed; and
that two officers, with tholr sabers
jrirnwn, and u drummer, wero in front of
their little lino. Having possession of the
jpnrole nnd countersign, which, no doubt,
was betrnyed to them by tho absent Ja
gouski, tho wholo pnrty had contrived to
delude the Bub-lieutenant in charge of
jtlio outer guard, and wero now past tho
.first barrier, and had actually taken pos-
Dispatch
GRANT
session of the drawbridge, which they
had lowered across the Neva. The gate
ami guns of the second barrier were yet
to be forced or passed; and thus these
midnight visitors were in a specie of
trap.
Too well could Ralgonle recognize in
tho two officers RiihII Mierowitz, wearing
Hie familiar uniform of the Regiment of
KmolciiHKo; and UsakofT, in the gay trap
pings of the Grenadiers of Valikolutz,
and now, for the second time, tholr drum
mer beat a summons for a parley, but
as yet there was no response.
Ralgonle hastened after Hernikoff and
the other olllcers. They had now ascend
ed to the chamber of the unfortunate
Ivan, from whose presence they had
somewhat roughly expelled the chaplain,
Father Chrysostom. On entering, he
found that the royal recluse had sprung
from bed inspired by natural alarm, on
finding his chamber suddenly entered at
midnight, and full of armed men; but
Ivan manifested no indignation he was
too gentle, too subdued, and completely
broken In spirit for that.
Ills singularly beautiful face was very
pale; there was a strange calmness in
his manner; and whatever he thought or
anticipated, there was more of calm in
quiry than of fear in his tone and in the
expression of Ills lino, soft ejes. Over
ills night dress he had thrown a robe dc
chambro of fino scarlet cloth edged with
white ermine; and in his attire, with his
long hair and delicate features, so chast
ened in expression by long solitude and
completo seclusion from the outer world,
he seemed more like a tall handsome
woman than a young man of throc-and-twenty
years.
"Whnt is this you toll mo, Colonel Ber
nlkoff," lie was asking, as Balgonie en
tered; "my unhappy life threatened, say
you?"
"liven so," said BornlkofT hoarsely,
whllo averting his stealthy eyes from the
young man's open and earnest face;
"even so, Ivan Antonovitch; but your
death will not be of our seeking."
"Whose, then?"
"Your friends."
"And wherefor?"
"There arc thoso without the gates
who seek you, and you must not fall
alive Into their hands," said Captain
Vlasfief sternly, ns he felt the point of
his saber with a linger.
"Alas! 1 do not understand who enn
come to rtek mo!" replied the poor
prince, shuddering now, while an expres
sion of horror began to spread over his
fine face a horror gatliered from tho
fierce nnd relentless aspect ho read In the
visages of those around him and lie
withdrew a pace or so toward iiis bed,
saying in a touching voice:
"All, do not ionvo me, good Colonel
Bernlkoff, or at least give me a sword
a sword "
"Fool child dolt! thou with a sword,
and for whnt purpose?" thundered Ber
nikoff, us lie sought to lash himself into
tho requisite pitch of fury; "for what
purpose, I say?"
"That I may defend myself."
" 'Tis needless," said Tscliekin, witli
a cold smile; "we shall take care of you."
"Oh, Carl Ivanoviteh Ralgonle, my
friend, my good friend; you I can trust
you 1 can command come hither, and
remain by my side," said the prince, in
an imploring accent, as a solemn ' fore
boding came upon him when he saw the
suiters stealthily drawn from their scab
bards on every side; and even tho terrible
Nicholas Paulovitch drawing near, dag
ger in hand, with his long lock of hair,
his scowling front, and a cruel expres
sion, the vory lust of blood in his deep
set, atony eyes. "Carl, Carl," cried
Ivan; "your hand!"
"Captain Balgonie he here!" roared
BernikolT, with one of his terrible male
dictions. "Oh, excellency!" Implored Ihilgouie,
scarcely knowing whnt ho should ask or
urge.
"Begone, sir, to the barrier gate, and
keep the guard there to their duly bo
gone, sir, I command you, on your alle
giance to the Empress!"
To refuse or linger wero alike impos
sible, though a wild cry of entreaty es
caped the lips of the young prince, who
sprang forward, but was thrust roughly
back toward his couch by ninny hands
and many leveled weapons.
The sword of Dainocres, which had
hung over his unhappy head so long, was
about to descend at last!
Balgonie, his heart swollen almost to
bursting with shame, rage and grief,
rushed down the stair of the keep; but at
the foot, and just as ho passed where the
old chaplain Chrysostom was saying de
voutly on his knees the prayers for the
dying, ho heard a shrill and protrncted
cry of agony ring through - tho vaulted
tower a cry that made his blood run
cold!
Humanity, generosity, and all his own
good impulses would have drnwn him
back to tho side, and, if possible, to the
aid, of Ivan; but the force of discipline,
and a knowledge of his own utter pow
erlcssncss, made him pause, for he was
but ouo man a foreigner, too opposed
to a wholo garrison of ferocious and un
scrupulous soldiers.
When, from the inner barrier gate, ho
looked up to tho window of Ivan's room,
ho Bnw that tho lights hntl been extin
guished and nil wns dnrkness now.
CHAPTER XVI II.
When Bernikoff appeared with his
group of olllcers, Charlie Balgonie per
ceived that thero wero spots of blood
upou his long, white leather gnuutlcts,
that hlH gnber blade wns broken off with
in six brlii h o? the hilt, nnd thnt n ter
rible expression of ferocity clouded his
fentures nnd those of nil nrotind him.
At that moment the drummer of the
Bummoners beat a call for the third time,
and Bernlkoff, advancing to the wicket,
in the palisades of the second inner gate,
opened it, and, with a great sternness
of manner, demanded what they requir
ed. "The release of Hi Imperial Majesty
Ivan IV.," replied BhsII Mierowitz, in a
firm voice, while courteously saluting
Bernlkoff in recognition of his superior
rank.
"If I refuse "
"You do so at your own peril," replied
Basil, as sternly and as proudly as if,
instead of a few discontented deserters
and enthusiasts, the whole armies of
Russlu were at his back.
"You cannot bo mad enough, Rasil
Mierowitz, to think of assaulting us?"
"That may or not be, excellency, ac
cording to circumstances," wan the reply.
"What trdoops are those under your
orders?"
"A guard of honor for the Emperor,
if you peacefully comply -the first por
tion of an investing force if you roruso,
replied Mierowitz; but a sinister gleam
of triumph Hashed in the malicious eyes
of RernikolT, who gatliered more of his
real weakness from this evasive reply
than the rash young noble intended.
"Listen, Colonel IternikofT," he con
tinued, while drawing from his breast
a long paper of official aspect, to which
several green and scarlet seals were at
tached. "IJer Majesty Catharine II.,
having come to the conclusion of resign
ing the imperial crown and of replacing
it on the head of the Emprror Ivan,
whom she now feels herself compelled to
acknowledge ns her lawful sovereign,
though basely deposed in infancy by her
predecessors, tho Empress Elizabeth, and
the Emperor Peter HI.; therefore she
hereby commands you, Colonel BcrnikofT,
Governor of her Castle of Sohlussclburg,
to set the prince at liberty, with all
speed and honor."
For n document and summons of this
artful and remarkable nature, Bernlkoff
was altogether unprepared. For a mo
ment he grew deadly pale, but for a mo
ment only, and glanced at the startled
faces of those around him. Had he been
too precipitate in bloodshed?
"Where is Her Majesty just now?" ho
asked.
"In the palace of the Czars, at Novgo
rod." "Was Novgorod so empty of all tho
great nobles and olllcers of Russia that
n document of such a nature was intrust
ed to a mere lieutenant of inlaiitry a
deserter from Livonia!" said Bernikoff,
witli a sudden rage. " "Pis an imposture
a forgery; there is but one monarch on
earth, the Empress Catherine; and you,
Mierowitz, and all who league with you,
are but base dogs and traitors!"
"Forward!" cried Rnsil, brandishing
his snber; ".storm the gate bayonet all
who oppose us!"
"Long live Ivan Antonovitch long
live the Emperor!" exclaimed his soldiers,
rushing forward. Rut the wicket in tho
palisades was at once closed, and secured
against tliem by an enormous transverse
beam of wood; and though n confused
volley of musketry was exchanged be
tween them and the main guard, no ono
was struck, save Bernikoff, who stagger
ed back into the arms of Vlastief, having
been bayoneted in the breast by the de
serter .lagouski, who drove his weapon
between the palisades, nearly finishing
whnt Hasll had begun by the blow of a
musket, but which crushed the colonel's
hat and nearly fractured his skull.
"Ah! dogs and Asiatics, you have
struck me!" shouted RernikolT, whose
voice was hoarse with rage and pain.
"Dost know the penalty of wounding an
officer of striking a soldier who wears
a decoration?"
"Accursed Tartar, I neither know nor
care. I revenge my brother's death at
Zorndorf, my own wrongs, and the mur
der of Peter III!" replied tho exulting
Cossack, with a hitter laugh.
"May my right hand wither, and my
tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
when most 1 need them both, if I hnvo
not a terrible vengeance for all this
work!" cried RernikolT. "Vlasfief, Tsclie
kin. show them their prince!"
While the undaunted Rasil nnd hia
friend UsakofT, with their soldiers, pro
ceeded to wheel round a cannon of tho
outworks, a thirty-two pounder, for tho
purpose of blowing open the wicket inner
harrier; and while Ralgonie, a silent hut
excited and s'ck-hearlcd spectator of tho
whole affnir, lingered close by, heedless
whether the round-shot nnd grape, with
which they were charging the gun, came
his way or not a window in the first
story of the keep was dashed open, and
while every torch and every eye were up
lifted to tho placo, a terrible spectacle,
which hushed all into momentary si
lence, was exhibited.
It was the -dead body of the young
and handsome Ivan, suspended by tho
neck, at tho end of a rope, stripped even
of ills night dress, cold and white as tho
marble of Paros, and gashed with ten
gaping wounds.
(To bo continued.)
She Found Out.
"Do I love George?" mused Clara,
softly, "or Is It simply a sister's affec
tion that 1 feel for "
.lust then Bobby burst noisily Into
the room and Interrupted her medita
tions. "Get out of hero, you little wretch!"
she shouted, and, seizing him by the
arm, she shot him through tho door.
"Ah, no," she sighed, as sho resumed
her interrupted train of thought, "my
lovo for Georgo is not a sister's love.
It is something sweeter, purer, higher
and holler." Tit-Bits.
Some day when we see a girl on the
streets nervously feeling if her skirt
Is all right in tho back, we intend to
stop up and nssure her that every
thing is in perfect order.
The Darkened Stable.
Where animals aro kept in the stable
during tho summer months, us, for ox
ample, work horses, or, in some in
stances, the breeding stock, nothing
contributes so much to their comfort
ns that of protecting them from llics.
Animals that aro kept busy lighting
Hies require more food to keep them
in condition, and, indeed, it is impossi
ble with an unlimited supply of food
to keep them In proper condition.
Advantage should be taken of tho
fact that Hies constantly tend to seek
the light places. A stable need not
be absolutely dark in order to prevent
annoyance from Hies, and, in fact, Ave
do not believe in keeping stables too
dark, on account of the fact that ani
mals are liable, If kept in such quar
ters for any considerable length of
time, to go wrong In their eyes. Gun
ny sack nailed over the windows of
the stable will greatly reduce the num
ber of Hies that will pester the ani
mals. These should not be nailed
down absolutely tight at the bottom,
or air will be excluded and the stable
will become wnrm and unhealthful. If
the sacks aro partly loose at the bottom
they will still shade the stable satis
factorily and at the same time admit
air. Horses placed in the stable for
an hour at noon will cat better, rest
better, nnd we cannot help but think
they will work bettor afterward, If
they are afforded some protection dur
ing' the time they are in the stall. In
some of our better class of stables reg
ular window blinds are used, these be
ing pulled down during the day 'and
run up at night, thus freely admit
ting the air when no protection from
files is necessary. It Is claimed by
those who use such blinds that their
cost N more than offset many time-?
during a single season in the saving of
feed that is effected by the protection
which they afford.
(', Hailstone Frame.
My grindstone frame Is made of two
Inch plank with hole out through for
the stone, and wide enough to fasten
on the bearings. The legs are made of
pieces of lX'1 mortised in. They are
B
V
-J
SKOTIOXAL VI BW.
long enough so the man who does the
grinding can stand upright. An axle
I'i inches in diameter passes through
two of the legs, and there are two
wheels made of inch hardwood board
about eight inches In diameter. These
wheels run on the axle so the other
end of the frame enn be picked up
and the grindstone rolled around easily
wherever it Is needed. The legs
should be braced as required. The
tamo idea will hold good in making a
bench to stand on to drive fence posts,
OIUNDSTOXK IX FKAMH
only the wheels should be larger, so it
will run over uneven ground easier. A
hole through the top of the bench will
tako in the handle of the post driver, u
hook and staple on one side would
carry the bar and a drawer in ono end
could be used to put in nails, staples,
hammer, pliers and staple puller. In
the illustrations A shows top view of
frame, B an end view, and C tho com
plete side view. .I. B. Crookston, in
St. Louis Republic.
Incubator Don'ts.
Don't use oil less than lf0 test.
Don't help the chick out of tho shell.
Don't trim the wick with scissors;
scrape off the charred part with a
match.
Don't fail to llll tho lamps every
evening.
Don't set tho incubator near tho
window.
Don't worry with moisture gauges or
hygrometers.
Don't use tho same wick for more
than ono hatch.
Don't turn nor cool tho eggs after
they aro pipping.
Don't neglect cooling tho eggs; it
mokes strong chicks.
Don't think you aro smarter than
the manufacturer of tho lncubntor, for
3
11 a
you hayo a lot to learn.
won't to to hatch duck und hen-
eggs in the same Incubator.
Don't leave the largo ends of tho
eggs pointing in different directions;
have them all pointing ono way.
A Simple Hog: Hanger.
Here's a sketch of a hog hanger,
which Is n good ono for the farmer,
ier
Take three !)-foot polos, 2U. inches
diameter. Put a U-lneh bolt throu
tho top nnd two 3-8-Ineh bolts in thj
outside poles, as in the cut, IS Inched
from top, so that they stick out q
Inches. Lay the hog on its back, slip
the little bolt under tho cord, and rnlsd
IIOO 11AN0KH.
it up. One-half of the hog can bo
taken down and tho other half lefj
hanging.
Stock KaiHinj; by Electricity.
According to a recent issue of tho
Chicago Tribune, an electrical system
of stock-raising has been developed on
a moderate scale at the University of
Michigan. Small animals, such na
rabbits, have already been forced into
matured size and plumpness in two
thirds of the period required by nature,
showing the possibility of reducing tho
tedious development of larger stock,
especially sheep or cows, by many
mouths. In several rooms of the dec-tro-Mierapoutie
laboratory, cheap wood
en pens, circular in form, have been
wound to the height of two feet witli
electric wires. A moderate current or.
one-half horse power circles theso
electric pens. From its Influence tho
air Inside the pens is made electro
magnetic, becoming a strong magnetlo
Held, with sixty-two linos of force to
the square inch. In those pons rabbits
have grown to maturity in two-third
of the time that rabbits near them
have developed In non-electrical pens,
These electrically nurtured animals
did not beeo'me larger than normal
rabbits: they merely arrived at normal
size quicker. Furthermore, ns Is the
case with hothouse flowers, they were
found less hardy than their slowci
brothers. But, for tho live-stock man
iet, the forced animals had an unex
celled tenderness and plumpness.
Farmer's Dress.
Since rural people are isolated tin
tendency Is for them to become caro
less in dress. I am sure that I bo
came cureless and that I was a f righto
ful object to look upon when I win
striving for a foothold upon tho farm
under adverse circumstances. It U
well for the fanner, his wife, daugh
ters and sons to slick up in the inattei
of dress after the day's work is donq
so they may appear at tho supper tabl
and during tho evening In clothet
suitable for receiving any ono win
may happen to call. Very likely n
one may call, but for the sake of tin
family it will pay to give this atten
tion to dress.
MaaiocH on the Table.
When you visit a farmer's honn
and find creditable papers and maga
zincs upon his sitting-room table yot
aro favorably Impressed with thai
farmer's Intelligence. Shiftless farm
ors arc not inclined to pay out monoj
for reading matter. Ignorant farm on
consider money spent for reading mato
ter wasted. There Is no better sigi
of prosperity than to see upou
table farm papers, church paper?
magazines, etc.
Aectl Dwarf Trees.
Surprising results hnvo been pro
duced in tho lino of dwarf trees uj
Japanese growers. It is said thero an
pine trees that started to grow in tin
seventeenth century which aro still no)
too largo to bo carried in one hnnd.
Tho gardeners nip off tho tree's roota,
pinch back tho branches and starv
tho tree in poor soil, keeping it barolj
alive and checking the growth almosj
entirely. As time goes on, tho tre
gains tho appearance of extreme ago,
but is no larger thau a seedling a fen
months old.
I W V I
r AW
A
