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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1904)
1 rY ) I . . DARKEST RUSSIA ' BY H. On..TTAN DONNXLLZ : 1 ± Copyright , 1890 1 . bJ Street I ; Smith , AU rights tClencd. , - - CHAPTER VI.-Contlnued. ' Q.ul Nazlmoff said little. But It wad evident that the story had made ' a deep Impression upon him , and that , $ . his gratitude to Cobb was too great : at the time to trust himself to its ox , pressIon In words. r Cobb found himself the center of an admiring audience , and aU the warmth f11 of congn.tulatlon he received would ' L have made any man feel proud to bo rthe hero of the hour. He tried hard r to put an end to the scene. It was J becomIng somewhat embarrassirtg to , find himself the center of attention. In vain he protested that he had done no more for Alexis than any man would have done for another under the cIrcumstances. "But you forget , " urged one of the Russian naval officers present "that your .own life was to be spared. You were merely to be held for ransom. - 0 . . By this act you periled that life , to save that of a stranger. " "WeU , " replied Cobb , with a smile , "we've an got to take chances In this world. " A score of Interrogations as to wl1Y he was alone followed , and Cobb , In Ih spite of hIs desire to let the matter ! - drop , found It Impossible to avoid an : explanation. Septimus Cobb was a KentuckIan . by birth. From his earliest youth he had been of a rovIng , adventurous dts . position. At the outbreak of the war he had raised a company of cavalry , and step by step had won promotion until he was In command of a brigade. The close at the war found him with the possession of the title "General , " a fund of splendId physical health , In domltable courage , restless energy , ant.\ \ . an unsatisfied ambition. He was p&34h'He ! wanted wealth , and he went to fCaJlfornla. For years after he led the life of thousands at restless adventurers In the far West. Editor , miner , specu- lator-everythlng by turns. Two fortunes . tunes made-and lost. He came East , got Into oil , made a third fortune- and lost that. It was while casting about for the easiest and quickest means of making a > > urth fortune that , hearing of the marvelous development . . r l i . , , : t t 't1t ' I , Iff' ' &fiqFf & I I t I , l t . \ \ , . . " , . , . - ' . , . . " . , ' . ' . . l"f . 't' .t ' , ' . ' . 0 . , , . " _ . . . It . " . . . ' ' - . , I ' . ' 1 : . . ' ' . ' : . . , , " . : ! ' " ' " If ( : ) . ? t" " I ; ! : , ; nsp + ' _ "Always on ze go , " repeated the b..o- nen. "How II which , of Ru'jn all territory on the shores . of th'o I3Iack Sea , he determined to in j vestigato Its possibilities. A sy ndi- 'I. ' e P . was formed , and Cobb , as its J , representative , with unlimited credit , and plenary powers , was sent to pros- poet the new oleaginous territory. , After some years spent In the neigh- r borhood of paku , the center of the ' Russian oil country , stories began to t reach Cobb of marvelously rich gold deposits In Turkestan. To thInk , ' with i ' him was to act. It was necessary to keep his destination a secret for , If the tales ot the new El Dorado were true the moment they became known - - - - - - - - In Europe and America , It was as ' certain - , . tain that thousands would flock to the scene as It was that the diamond mines of AfrIca , and the gold discoveries . erles of Australia , attracted adventurers - ers from all parts of the world. TakIng - . Ing a small steamer , Cobb crossed the Caspian Sea , and guided by a rough I map of the country , pushed Into the Interior. He had a march of weeks , perhaps months , ahead of hIm , but he was undaunted. His escort supposed him an American mIssionary , and he took no pains to undeceive them. It Is true that his missionary labors pro duced no fruit , nor was the faith of his escort whether Greek Church or Mohammedan , unsettled by hIs argu- . ments. But he pushed on for a field that promised to reward his exertions , and had just b gun operations when he was surprIsed , seized and overpow- ered by the roving Turcomans. He had really no fear of death , nor was his life In much danger ; but he was placed In confinement until his dlspo sltlon could be determined upon by his captors and the amount at his ransom agreed to. Alexis told the rest Qf the story. Cobb had explained much of his ca- reer as accounted for his presence , and when he concluded the avalanche of congratulations began once more , and was only stopped by the sound of music. Everybody became silent and list- ened ! The aIr was strange to most ot those present. . But when Cobb'e face brightened , and he exclaimed , "The Star Span gled Banner"-for that was the _ alr- everybody understood the delicate compliment conveyed when Paul Na- zlmoff had given a whispered order to a servant and the American air was played In honor of the American guest. As the last notes died away , Paul Nazlmoff taking one hand and AlexIs . the other , led Cobb In front of the ; assemblage and "Viva la America ! " ' was given with hearty good will and enthusiasm. Then the assemblage began to gather . er Into knots and groups-but everywhere . where Cobb and Alexis and the adventure - venture formed the subject of conver- sation. A score of Invitations to the greatest houses In Russia had already been showered on General Cobb. He had accepted half a dozen-one In par- ticular , that had been pressed with great earnestness. That one came from the Baroness van RhJneberg. "You are so grand , brave , " said the baroness. "You will In St. Peters- burg long stay ? " "Not very long , I am afraid , " answered - swered Cobb. "You see I am a bird of passage-always on the go. " "Always on ze go , " repeated the bar- oness. "How Is which ? " Cobb smiled. "How Is which" struck him as a perfect gem. "Always on the go , " he explained , "means that I remain here a little time -then go somewhere else-then travel - el again-and so on. " "It I now understand , " replied the baroness. There was the suggestion of a sigh as she spoke. It did not escape the notice of Cobb. "I would to be always on ze go , like sometimes myself , but I must be always on ze stay-1 am atone , " and the voice be- came softer as the baroness cast down her eyes. Cobb was about to reply when Lord Fltzroyat , who hall been an Interested spectator , sauntered up. The baroness was betraying altogether too much Interest In the stalwart American to please his lordship who had been wavering for some time on the verge of a proposal. "Well , baroness , our American friend seems to have covered himself with glory. " Cobb detected a covert sneer In the remark. "Zat Is so ! He Is a brave man and I R. bIg man. Big men are brave , 19 It 80 not ? " The baroness looked innocently enough at Lord Fltzroyal a8 she spoke , but her glance bad first rested on the American. There could hardly have been a greater contrast. Cobb strong , straight , massive and mngni ficently proportioned ; Fltzroyal thin , puny and narrow chesteil. The shot told. Fltzroyal looked annoyed. He turned his attention to Cobb. "Mr. Cobb seems quite at home In Russia , " he said. Cobb measured him with his eye. "Ycs , " he drawled In reply. "Ameri- cans generally arc more at home In Russia than Englishmen are. We never tried to kick them when they were down. " "Zat Is good-zat Is so-Is It so not , Lord 1"ltzroynI1" exclaimed the bare ncss. Before Fltzroya1 could reply a hush fell on the assembly. From beyond the masses of tropical plants which T uaq i II . . 2- if- w _ 4 WarA/Vl : ' " masked the apartment where the orchestra - chestra was concealed came the exquisite . qulslte strains of a Russian air , played on the violin b0. . master hand. As the last notes died away the storm of applause broke out with spontaneous ' taneous enthusiasm. "Bravo ! encore ! " came from all points of the room. "Exquisite ! " "What a master touch ! " "What splendid technique ! " "Superb ! " were expressions ! heard on aU sides. Paul Nazlmoff was delighted. "Father , " said Alexis , "tha Is In- deed a troat. It Is years since I have heard anything that approached such a brilliant performance. " He sighed. His father watched him narrowly. The wound then , had not entirely healed. Katherine Karslcheft broke the silence. "I sometimes wonder how the lower classes can cultivate such tastes. " "Yes It really Is extraordinary , " replied Fltzroyal , answerIng the count- ess , who had spoken loud enough to be heard by all who were near. Then Fltzroyal saw still another chance. "The lower orders , Mr. Cobb , have some things that we don't possess by birthright of nobtUty. " The fact that every person In the room , except Cobb , so far as 'ltzroyal < knew , bad 0. title , made the remark suggestive. Looking his Questioner straight In the eye Cobb said : "Yes ; brains for example. " "Let us have 'God Save the Czar'- one solo. " It was Alexis who spoke. "By aU means. " "Yes ! Yes ! " "God Save the Czar ! " came from aU sides. Paul Nazlmotr raIsed hIs finger and a servant approached. "Tell the man who played to come Into the salon. I desire hIm to play before my guests. The servant retired. A mInute later he returned , and hesitatingly approached Count Nazi- motr , who was seated with Countess Karsich off. The count looked up. "Well ? " The servant said something In a low ' voice. . "What ! " Count Nazlmott arose. "Sar that I command It. " The words were uttered too loudly not to attract attention , and IDu11. IRK looks were directed to the speak- er. Paul Naztmotr laughed. Not a pleasant laugh this tlmo. 110 Was an noyed "What think you , friend ? This great genius , whose playing you , did him the honor to admire , actually had the Insolence to Rend me a reply begging to be excused ! " A chorus of laughter followed The Idea was too absurd. A dozen explanations were offered ; the servant . vant had not understood ; the player did not know ; the man was Insane ; and so on. It never occurred to any that a mere musician would send such a message to Count. . Nazimoff ; ' , The servant entered again. V , I This time he was in terror. The t man faIrly shook. " , + . "Come here ! " saId Count Nazlmofr. . _ . _ . . , ; . . . . There was a painful silence In the ' " , great apartment. The man approached. " . . Again he whIspered In a low voice ; and then teppcd quickly back , as If , ' , fearful of a blow. . , : Paul Nazlmoff looked up. His face ' . was livId wIth rago. His eyes fairly ' blazed wIth anger. "What , dog of a . , serf ! This message to me ! " ' In < spite of himself ho fairly shouted , the words. ; The group of servants near the entrance . J trance were trembling now. , " , The guests were aghast at the terrible - ! rlble outburst ot their host. But Na d- . moft was beyond control. "Hanajka ! " ' : he shouted to nn upper servant , "fol- low Azof here ! Stop ! BrIng your whip ! Drag the player here by force -by force , do you hoar ! " and with a terrible oath , which fortunately was lost In the confusion , Nazlmolf , almost choking with rage , sank Into hIs chair. The silence was only broken when a moment later Count Nazlmoff arose. - . "Your pardon , friends , your p rdon. . " I . His voice was hoarse. "But what thlnlt you of this last reply that yonder . der dg dared to send to me by my servant : ' 1 am neither the servant nor the serf of Count Nazlmoff ! I , shall not play God save the Czar ! ' By " Heaven ! we shall see ! I shall make ' the dog play here before you until you bid him go , and then he shall be flogged before he Is Dung from my . doors. " ! "A hundred lashes at least , " suggested . I gested the countess. , "With the double knout , " added . General Karsieheff The other guests said nothing. They waited , wIth bated breath and painful interest , the ending of the scene. Men stood with compressed lips ; ladles sat In nervous apprehension ; Paul Nazi- ' V motr walked up and down like an enraged lion. There was a sound outside-a Hcuf- fie. Some confusion. All eyes were directed toward the spot , and a moment mont later , with an astonishment none could repress , came the simultaneous exclamation : . , "A woman ! " ( To bo continued. ) His Family Record. . / ; : - Representative Littlefield of Maine tells this : "A really good minister generally has a ready answer for him who . " would cast a slur on the Bible or on religion. It seems that the good Lord has furnished them with the ammunition - . " . tlon which Is always ready to be fired Into the scoffer and sinner. . "In my state a good minister bad 1 an appointment to preach at one ot the small places , a rough.and.ready sort of joint , where the men didn't care much how things went. It was Saturday evening when the minister rode up to the only hotel or boarding i ; house In the place , and he was soon surrounded by several of the men who bad been Imbibing In the speak- easy. One of them asked : " 'Be you the parson Who has come here to preach ? ' , " 'Yes , sir : calmly and poUtely fa- ' plied the minister. . . " "Vell , parson , can you tell me and my friends how old the devil Is ? ' " 'Keep your own family record , my friend , ' was the quick answer as the minIster dismounted and walked Into the hu.se.-Washlngton TImes.