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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1904)
P i - - ' r Yodb i0fr 9C ' / 'f r DAR { ST RUSSIA 1 LIT IL ( iRATT IN DUINILI Y. , Copyright , 18t1G. by Street & Smith , All rights reFerved ; J " " " "A " _ _ o.fI. _ . < .WLn-r1ft.JI . . _ - _ - . r ; : : ; = ; : -C-d V- - - CHAPTER II. Continued. Beginning ! with a glass of vodka , , J. which evidently sharpened his appe tite , Radaloff enjoyed with apparent zest the viands set before him , and having lighted a cigar paid his bill I and withdrew. . The restaurant he had just quitted was only an occasional resort , but a visit there was necessary because Radaloff had need to interview this waiter. The fact is that Radaloff and the waiter both served the same master . tel' , and drew their income from the same source , the secret service fund P of the imperial police. There was one customer of this restaurant regarding , whom Jt was essential to ascertain : certain facts. It was this particular individual to whom the obliging and I i , t observant waiter referred in his brief conversation with Michael Radaloff. " , Radaloff after leaving the restaurant - rant hailed a second-class droslQ' A " , drive of some twenty minutes sufficed - , ficed to bring him to another point in I' his allotted pllgrimage. This time the drosly was driven up to the door , the driver paid and dismissed , and Rada- ) loff entered with the confident step - of a visitor on familiar ground. The r place was a boolseller's shop. . tndi- : 'I ' " eating a fine edition of Tennyson ( which was conspicuously displayed , .t. . . I Radaloff signified a desire to examine it more closely. With a polite bow the proprietor , taking the work , begged his customer to examine it at his leisure , at the same time leading the way to a private office in the rear of the store. 'Ve will leave Monsieur Radaloff to the perusal of England's famous poet-laureate. ' It would be . . useless to await his exit from the I ; . ' ' : : ; > private office. As a matter of fact , \ ' . . . . J i , ; k' . when he did leave the establishment : " y it was by the door of a house round , : . : , " the corner in another street , there being - , . ' ing a secret means of communication between the two. And when he did , i : ; , appear no one would have recognized , j" in the scholarly.looldng professor , with the package of books under his . arm , the trusted and trained police agent , Michael Radaloff. . CHAPTER . 111. The Nihilist Propaganda. Nihilism , at the time of which we write was manifesting itself in many f" . > " J . . , , \ sl , . , \ ' " ; It ; 'r ' . , .ji . . . " , 1 , i" ' . " . ' , . ' , ' ii'U'a > < " : ; z / * / . \1 - " r M , , \ \ , , Y. , , ; . , , , , . " . ,1/ . - . ; : . ; . 7i\ , . , , , . " ' : . . . . ' 11 7i't Na4.z. ' : : I r . a..fr' : i f . i/ 'JTNHS L . . , r , . . . ways and was sufficiently aggreaslve \ to cause his excellency , the minister of police , no small degree of anxiety. In all revolutionary movements there are to be found two classes , the ex- l/tt' , tremists and the moderates. The revolutionary - olutionary party of Russia at this t time was perhaps as striking an example - ample of divided councils a3 could have been found in history. Among the large class of educated and intelligent Russians who believed that the time had come for the substitution - stitution of a constitutional government - ment instead of an autocratic and . . . . . .vV'v - - .WW"v - - --'II'v---- " . . . despotic monarchy , the views of the extremists found little favor. Most of the ruling spirits of the party of the people were too well informed not to perceive that the assassination of any one man-or of dozens of men , for that matter-never aCC011111JJshecI the regeneration of a peoljl Those who held this view were no common conspirators. Many of them held positions - sitions of power and Jn uenco. The end they sought , they were convinced , could best be obtained by a propaganda of education-using the word in its best and truest sense. They were au courant with the devel- opment of political economy in most of the countries of the world , and their friends kept them well supplied with such publications as were essen- i tlal to keep them in touch with the advanced thinkers of the day. The rigid censorship prevailing in Russia at the time made it somewhat difficult on occasions for the leaders of the movement to obtain interdicted litera- ture ; but in spite of all the vigilance of the government many forbidden books and pamphlets had found their way into the hands for which they were destinod. Especially was this true of a recent number of a publica- tion bearing the imprint of a Geneva publishing house. It gave a thrilling account of the recent death by starva- tion of a number of political exiles in Tobolsl in Western Siberia. "Let the monster , " concluded this article , "pay the penalty of his crimes. His hands are bathed in the blood of the innocent , and the avenger who shall put an end to his bloody career will be blessed by the Russian people for all time to come. " Within four days after its publica- tion in Geneva the article had found its way into St. Petersburg ; had been reproduced and scattered broadcast throughout the empire. It was on the first discovery of this paper that Gortshakoff bad summoned the minis- ter of police. He bad in no uncertain manner Indicated that the perpetrators - tors of this latest outrage against the peace and dignity of the czar must be discovered. It was then that he uttered - tered the words still ringing in the ears of Constantine Karsicheff-"Do something. " And it was in pursuance of his determination to "do some- thing" that Karsicheff hal sent Michael . chael Radaloff on his mysterious mis- sion. r . r r r * Madame Ie Baroness van Rhine- \Jerg \ , widow of the banker Ferdinand van Rhineberg , of the great banking house of Van Rhineberg und Strauss , sat in her luxurious boudoir in her princely residence in the most fash- ionable quarter of the city. She was a true type of the upper class Ger- man , and although she had lived most of her life in Russia and spoke the language like a native , she had never entirely lost "her , national eharacteris- tics. Her pink and white complexion , light blue eyes and wealth of light olden hair , gave her somewhat the appearance of a great doll of the most approved pattern. A letter she had been reading had fallen from her hand and she sat , with a rather seri- ous look upon her face , gazing out of "e window. "Poor chIld. " That was all ; and having murmured the words , almost involuntarily , the baroness relapsed into her reverie. Alone in the world , for her marriage had been childless , the baroness found a certain degree of happiness in sharIng - Ing other people's miseries. When Ferdinand van Rhineberg departed this life he left his disconsolate widow - ow the possessor of a fortune which made her one of the richest women , in her own right , in St. Petersburg. There was but one family , however , to whom she was always at home and in whose house she found congenial companionship. Strangely enough , . - . . . . the house was that oC Constantine Karslchol1' , minister of police. Not that between the cold , haughty and ambitious countess and the warm- hearted and' affectionate German lady there could bo much in common. 1'ho intercourse between the baroness [ and the Countess Knrsicheff was confined to these social amenities and everyday - day courtesies that pass ) current in so. ciety , and are sometimes mistaken for riendshlp. Between the baroness ana Olgn , however , there was a deep uffectlon. Had they been mother und child it could not have been more profound and sincere. In fact , Olga Karsicheff , loving and gentle as she was by nature . ture , had never felt for her own mother - er anything like the love she bestowed . stowed on the baroness. Nor is this to be wondered at. Katherlno Karsl- cheff was neither of a loving nor a lovable nature , and the gentle Olga could recall the tears shed in child- ish sorrow at many a repulse of the girlish affection offered to her mother - er only to bo refused. And so it hap- pened that the baroness became the repository ot Olga's childish attec- tlons. Always earnest and thoughtful , Olga now seemed to he under the in- x - ahyZ r , . 1 y sa r d i ' - Eta . ' ! T /S4 RESENT TOnE _ _ _ ' . fiuence of a deeper feeling than usual. With affectionate concern the baron- ess could not fail to perceive that Olga was daily becoming more and more preoccupied with her own thoughts , and that on more than ono occasion her reveries were ended by a sigh. She knew Olga's melancholy to bo due to the odious position in which she was placed. She was merely . Iy used as a pawn in her mother's so. cial gem , and compelled to marry a man in the selection of whom she had neither voice nor choice. "Olga , " soliloquized the baroness as she again glanced over the letter , "has not seen Alexis for two years. She doubtless feels that the rough and stir- ring life of the camp may have changed him since they parted-sinco the time when she had been Informed by her mother that she was destined for the wife of Alexis and forbidden to refer to the matter again in any way , other than to regard it as a fact , set. tIed beyond controversy. Alexis " the baroness recalled , "had been urged by his father to propose as a matter of form , and Alexis had proposed In a perfunctory way , been accepted in a halfhearted , listless style as something - thing that could not be helped , and then he went off to the wars to win the glory that had gIlded his career ever since " The baroness sighed. Her mind went back some two and twenty years to another marriage de convenance- to another drama of high life in Eu- rope in which she herself had played a part Then there came across the vista of vanished years the memory of a young student. A knock at the door interrupted the reverie. . " " "Come ! Marie , the baroness' own maid , en- tered and presented a salver upon which was a card bearing the name : "Prot. Nicholai Kasovitch , "University of St. Petersburg. " I "Herr Professor waits In the library , " , said the maid , "rind begs the honor or n personal interview with Madame the Baroness. " "Vcry woll. Say that I will como " 1'ho great banker Van Rhlnehorg bad been all his life a devoted blbi1o- maniac , and his reputation } aa n col- , lector of the rare and curious in bo.l\s and prints was well known Hence it was no uncommon thing for the possessor of choice literary treasures - tires to call to dispose oC works ) that possessed sufficient value to bo deemed - ed worthy a place in such illustrious company. When the baroness entered , n tall man , bearing In his every appearance the marks of the student and scholar , arose and bowing respectfully said : "I have talon the liberty , Madame Baroness , of calling to asl your grac- ions inspection of this worl-luylng a large ) book elegantly bound on the tablo. UIt Is a present to mo Cram an English friend-Professor Muller or Oxford. My circumstances arc such that I am obliged to part with it-for -for-Car" and a suspicious huskiness in his voice gave evidence that some strong emotion was struggling for ox- pression. The baroness became interested at once. "Pray , alt down , " she salt " kindly , pointing to a chair. There was silence for a moment. UVou were about to say- " the bar oness sympathetically suggested. Then waited. uI need the money this work will bring to send to my brother who is : , -who is- " and the voice became low- er-"a political exile in Siberia. " "Poor fellow ! " The baroness slgh- od. 'Vhat Is the value of the work ? " She had not even asked its Il mO . The story-rather the manner in\ which it had been told , for the story' was an old one-she had heard It ac score of times-had touched her. "That is for Madame 10 Baroness : to decide. " "Oh , no ! " exclaimed the baroness. . "I could not think of such a thing. . Besides , " she added , "I am no jUdge' of tine value of rare bools. " "Wo professors have heard differ- . enUy , madame , and it would be dim- cult to make the literati of St. Peters- burg believe it of the possessor of : the finest library ill the city. " , I uWhat is the book ? " uA volume of the poems at Alfred ' Tennyson , and the rarest and most valuable edition publlshed. It is too great a treasure for an humble professor - ser like myself to possess , howover' much I may appreciate it. And , " he , added , after a slight pRuse. "its value will enable mo to bo of service to my' poor , poor brother. " A sudden impulse moved the baron- ess.UI will gladly give you the amount you desire for the work-atul -and you can keep the book if' - " . you- youThe The old professor rose to his feet. . "Pardon , madame , " ho said , with a. touch of sad dignity in his voice , "L am poor , but I am not asldng- " "Pray , don't mistake me , " inter- rupted the baroness , "and believe me . . . I had no desire to hurt your feelings in the slightest degree. But since you decline to place a price on the work , of the value of which I am totally ignorant - norant , what am I to do in order to serve you ? " The professor paused a moment. ( To be continued. ) , Woes of Authorship. Mr. William Dean Howells' laughter - tel' when a very little girl made a childish literary venture in the form of a book of verses. The lines were copied out in a round , unformed schoolgirl hand and the sheets sewn together , a labor of weeks. The volume was put on sale at a church fair. The day after the fair the little girl sought her father to toll her experience - penance with heartbreaking sobs. She had stood all day watching the book. A few had glanced at it . but no one had bought it. Mr. Howolls soothed her. "My dear , " said the distinguished - cd novelist compassionately , "yoU are becoming acquainted too early with the woes of authorship , "