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About The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191? | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1904)
- . ? 'f-r'T' " 'f' - . - - " , " " :1"1" : , . . . - " ' l'fr'T' Ij j I " - . ( w DARKEST ' RUSSIA ' . 1 I fly II. ORATTi\.X DOSSELI.Y. _ , ; .t.J. . . . . . . - ' l Copyright , 1SJa , by Street & Smith , Al1r rights reserved. "I I - - " _ - --IIft-II.--A ---A _ I M . - . . - - - - . . . . . . . . . . - - - - tr - - . . . , . . , . . . . CHAPTER IX.-Contlnued. / ' , i. . "Then lend me your greatcoat. 1 - : shall be less liable to be questioned t ' h , : by any of the gendarmes when they - . , : ' " recognize an officer's coat. Then " " . . rest here , and 1 swear to you that , ' , : ' 'in less than forty minutes I shell ] ] . . ' . : . , return here with Olga " \h : . Alexis thought a moment. Then , ' \'j' . Malting up , his coat , he banded it to . 'i ' , Ivan , who , quickly assuming the gar- , .J . : ment , said : "Re'st here , and trust . ' : , me. I will keep my word. Should .J & ; - : allY one enter In my absence , say ' I ' ; . you are my friend and await me " . I ; . , \ ' ' Then as he , vas going he suddenly ! ir- .stopped . t- : - , Taking hIs overcoat he said : "You 1 .7 i . are tired from your journey and ex , I I' ' . hausted , no doubt , by your experl.I I 1 : 5 ' , " once to-night , Rest there , and throw , ' . . . this over . . you . You will walt my reo 'i turn ? " , : J , . . . . " "I will await your return. L He glanced up the steps as Ivan IT departed . , saw the door close and , , . ( heard a key l turn In the outer lock ; f ' . . . then rapidly departing footsteps till they were lost III the distance , and 'then there was profound silence. . Ivan had started on his mission , " : : and Alexis was alone. CHAPTER X. - . . - Caught In the Trap. It was only after ho had sat a mln- lute or two , amid silence so profound that he could nave heard his heart " beat , that Alexis Nazlmott began to treason with himself. "What if this were a trap ? " The Idea no sooner occurred than It was dismissed. No one had induced - ed him to visit the place. His com- l t. . lug had been entirely of his own volition - tlon , and could not have been antlcl- ! -pated. Besides , there could be no possible mistake about Ivan's amaze- meut when ho Iiad revealed his name , _ and there was something In the man- ner of the man , despite his excitement . ment , that forbade the Idea of treacn- -ery. ery.Then Then he thought of I1da. She here-with her evident refine- ment and highly wrought nature- here , In this dark , gloomy , forbidding place-In the cear-lI1 ] ] apartment of a house in the lower quarter of . the town What did It mean ? And she was still here ! Alexis looked around , this time with more eager interest. There was apparently no doorr ex- cept the one at the top of the steps. . . - f . " . , = = = ' . . .5a t 7 ' WG FELL I Z fLGI ? ' It puzzled him. Had I1da gone in the interim between the time when his man had seen her enter and his own arrival ! Then he remembered that Ivan had not , after aU , admitted that his sister was In the place. L "We ] ] , " was his silent conclusion , "there Is nothing for it but to walt ti 1f his return. I must bo patient. " When a man gets Into a frame of - . " " ' - - . . - - . . . - - . . . . . . . . . -.V"----- . . . . . . - . . , - . - I mind when 1:0 says ho must be patient - tient , the most natural thing In the world to evablo him to endure patience - tience with a comparatively cheerful equanimity Is n cigar. To his annoyance - noyance ho found that his cigar case was In his greatcoat pocket. Suddenly his eyes rested on Iyan's coat In Russia aU men are smokers , and Alexis felt the chances of find- Ing a cigar were strongly In his , favor. Ho lifted the cloak ] : , and as he did so he uttered an exclamation of pleas- ure. ure.There There was a cigar case sure enough. Alexis withdrew It from the pocket - et , and as he sat down he tossed the coat back on the table. As he did so , from a small ] ] receptacle or pocket for matches on the side of the cigar case , something fell with a jingle to the fioor. Alexis picked It up. A Red Rouble ! He light qd the cigar , and then , after a whl\ or two , he gazed curl- pushy ; at the coin. A Red Rouble-palnted-d'ed ? Alexis turned It over In his hand. "Singular thing , " he thought , "to have a silver piece so stained. What did It mean ? What could be the ob- I ject ? " He had been sitting there examin- Ing the coin for perhaps a minute when the silence was broken. He could hardly tell how or by what. But so slight as to be barely heard , but unmistakably a sound. Alexis rose to his feet. An undo- fined feeling of danger of some sort , he knew not what , took possession of him. He listened , with every nerve strained to Its utmost. There was silence again. He tried to shako err ' the unpleasant impression of some unseen danger and thought that his Imagination had deceived him. Hark ! There was the sound agaIn. That was no rat. The sound came from within the apparently solid was. ] ] Noiselessly as he could he went on tiptoe and placed hIs ear to the wall ] ] , and then waited with bated breath. What was that ? "Good God ! " he exclaimed , In a whisper to himself , as a murmur of voices reached his ear , "there are people within this wall ! " Even as he made the discovery a sound came from the opposite side. He was there In an Instant , his car again pressed to the wall. The same murmur reached him. "By heaven , the place Is alive with I people , " hQ exclaimed. "What does It mean ? " A grating sound , different from any he had yet heard , reached him. He felt that something , he knew not what , was about to take place- that the danger , If danger It was , was at hand. The place , its appearance , the mysterious noises-aU boded deadly perU of some l < ! nd. He was in a den of criminals. "Trapped ! " he thought , "caught , by heaven , like n rat In a trap ! " Alexis NazlmofT was a bravo man- none braver. But the bravest man may be unnerved b- the presence of an unseen danger-of a danger that Is felt , not confronted. He was accus- tomed to think quickily ! , and to act 'impulslvely. Hastily thrusting the cigar case Into the open front of his coat , he quickly but softly moved to where Ivan's coat was lying on the table. To take the coat and move to the long bench that stood alongside t'c wall was the work of a couple of seconds - ends , and In as many more 1.e had lain down , pulled Ivan's coat , over him , and was apparently asleep ! But he had so arranged the cant that while It covered hIs head he could ei anythIng that transpired on the opposite side of the room-the side on which he had heard the sound for the second tIme . . . . . . . " . . . . . . . . - - - - . - . - - . . - Softly and silently as n shadow the solid wall seemed to move ! EYCrr panel was a revolving door which turned noiselessly all Its axis , and from every door entered . as I . every " " " ' " , 0& 4'-1. ' - TS 1" " I silent + ! v as n elector an occupant oC th itrm fltcrlous recesses beyond. A rush of air and the movement of softly - ly treading feet convinced Alexis that exactly the same movement was be- lug executed simultaneously behind his bacle Such was the fact. Then to time amazement of Alexis he realized that the apartment of . Whlc1 ho bad ! been the sale occupant a moment before was now tenanted . by a score of people. : I He lay perfectly still-astonished , spellbound. Suddenly the silence was broleen "Al1 Is well , " said OramlnBky. "Whoever It was , there could have been no danger , since we did not hear the slgna1. " "Nor the signal to come out , " some one said , In a growling voice ; 'It Is the first time we broke the rules. " "I have suspended the rules , " said Oramlnsky , with grim Irony , "with- out breaking thorn. " Just what ho meant nobody seemed to underBtnnd. Oraminsky , resuming his authorlta- tlvo tone , put an end to the silence by directing the people to resume their work. "Now that Ivan has gone we can run off the remaining copies of his proclumatlon. Klrshkln , start the press ! " The man thus addressed went to the , wall , and touched a concealed spring , a section of time solid struc- ture revolved .and a clumsy hand- press of an old type was run on noiseless - less rollers Into the room. "Go ahead with that bomb , " directed - ed Oramlnsky , addressing two of the men. "You , Orloff , " tp another-"go ahead with the wIres. You , Palet , see to the tunnel-quick , to work , all of you. There Is no time to lose. Let us work tonight ! Our task will be complete , and then , one touch to the wire , and Russia will be free from the tyrant. " Alexis never moved. He understood . stood it all now. The press began running , and as the first impressIon of the work was taken off Oramlnsl held up his _ . nd -the signal for silence. "Hero , brothers , listen to this , " h. said , as he took up the paper , and , speaking in low tones , read as fol- lows : "Alexander the Tyrant Is Dead ! "Rise Russia ! "Death to the Oppressors ! "To Arms , Free Russians , to Arm ! "Long Live the People ! " 'We will have a thousand copies of that posted throughout St. Peters- burg , " said Oramlnsl , "and thon- the Revolution ! That would stir the sluggish blood of the moderates- even of such a kindergarten revolu , tlonlst as Ivan Barosk ) . . " "Read it to Ivan , " said Klrshldn. - "Ivan Is gone , " said two or three. "Not so , " was the reply of the printer - er , Klrshldn , as he caught sIght of I . the recumbent figure. "There lies Ivan fast ! asleep ! " and he pointed as line spoke. "Fool ! ' ' muttered Oramlnsky , flho has no right to sleep at such a time as this. Wake him 111 , Horsy ! " Alexis drew a deep breath. The moment had come. It was a question now of me or death. Hers-a woman of. the people , dark and snen-sprang ] ] to his 'slde. "Wal up Ivan Barosky ! wake up ! Wo have just finished a letter of In- vitation. " "Tn the funeral of the czar , " said It' : wiikin : , whereupon there was a : .lIlgh. "And printed In red , too-red will be the fashionable color In St. Petersburg - burg , " said another. "Because the czar will wear It and set the faphlon for all. " "Como , come , " said Horsy , "wake up ! " and as she spoke she grasped the coat and pulled It from the re cumbent form. "Ah ! " with a scream of astonished rage as she discovered the stranger , " _ . . _ . _ - _ . . . . . . . . w : Horsy pointed ono finger at Alcxls- : < "n spy ! " : . I Quickly springing to his feet Alexis , ' drew his sword. . . - . . . - . , 1 : " . him ! " " " " "Down with . "Kill hlml" - " " ' < < ' ' ' ' - ' ' : : : ' ' "r - z- . . "IIIs 110 I" wore soma oC tn cx ltnn - ' lions which fell 011 the oars ! ! 9f Alexis l ! , , . ns pale and l'osolufo , with no evidence . : i llonco of fear hi the stonily eye , ho : ; gazed at the faces of the now bloodthirsty - : t thirsty crew before him. . . "Wo ] ] , dogs of the gutter , " at length ho said , as for n moment they . stood at bay , hold back by his undaunted - . ' daunted front , "what seek you ? My ; life ? Tnlce It when you cnn ! " . And noW with knives drawn , with such ' weapons as camp to hanl1-n . hammer , chisels , nn ax-thoy began . ) to close In upon him with murder in ' their oyes. But none , not even Oraminsky himself . . . I self , Celt like lending time assault , and 1 . . . I , ' , . . . t. . " , , . . 1.J 1J . L I , 'll ' . being the first to feel the thrust 01 the naked blade which Alexis hold with the grip of Iron and the master ful ease of the perfect swordsman. "But 0. scratch and we have him , " ; said Oraminsky. "Rush on . him In 0 body ! " But nobody rushed. Nobody was itchIng for 0. scratch. Klrshkln at the first moment had left his press , and as Alexis drew his sword he had crept up the room behind I hind the others and on all fours hud gone under the stairs and around tc the rear of the dauntless swordsman who , with certain death staring him i In the face , kept a bold front to his I would.be murderers. Oranminslcy had seen Klrshlcln's mo tlon and had at once divined hits In tentlon. lie made a threatening movement forward with a bar of Iron as n weapon. Alexis made a pass ar : he came within reaching distance , but the weapon never reached Ora mlnsle , for at that moment Klrshkln , with a suppressed yell of triumph . sprang upon the back of the young soldier. There was an Instant rush , and a moment later , bound and help- less , Alexis Nazlmoff was at the mercy of Oramlnsley and his com- panlons. As Alexis was borne hack hy time weight of numbers , and In spite or his gallant struggle against such overt powering 'odds , there fell from his pocket a bundle of letters , and these It was but an Instant's work for Ora' minsky to grasp Ho fairly shouted , despite hIs habitual caution , as ho reach : the superscription. ( To ho continued ) -I i , . I Gould an Expert Telegrapher. When a boy In his father's office George J. Gould learned the telegra' phor's art , and he has kept It up ever since. A private wire connects Gee glun court , his ! home In Lakewoolc , N. J. , with his office In Broadway Now York , and as Mrs Gould also understands telegraphy they are able to chat whenever occasion demands Very Shocking. Rodrlcl-"Thls paper says that some things at St. Louis are so large they really ] ] appal time visitor. " Van Albert "H'm ! they must mean the motel ! bll1s. " ' ; I. . . ' ! _ J . ' . . ' . , : " . : . . . ti. , .