. . .
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DARKEST RUSSIA
f ) lY H. OItATTAN DUNNI LLY.
COllyrlllht , IBOB..Iy Street "Smith , All rlcbt'4 rClocnetl.
II
.
CHAPTER XV-Continued.
"A ) ' ! " tJhollteli KIlI'Hlclwff , "U ) ' ! tiO
hey I 110 , Kllthl'l'lIw : hilt not inch convicts .
viets nH thoRe-uot inch ! convicts UH
Aloxls NuzlmofC and I van BUl'oslt ! "
Kuthol'lu ' Rprollg to her hushnnd'H ) :
side and groHlloli the Paper , Nicholas , .
aH site lid HO , looked nt It over her i
1Jhoulllcr'
On the very tOil of the list oC the
cOllvlctR WOI'O the names Alexis Nazt
1II0ff aid Ivan BnrosltY.
With n cry of flonclluh joy Kathol'lne
Kal'slchorr gl'nRped the IlIlIlIls of her
huhnnd 1\1111 , loolcing him straight In
the face " ' In
, exclaimed : "lIere-hel'o
0111' 1100Vhnl / will you do ? "
Constantine 11n13wetedValt : and
soc. " ,
III U few minutes the sharp command .
mnlld "Sloy ! " ( hull ) rung out O1 the
frosty nil' , and ho ring of the Innces
of the COtHaclt guard was heard na
t rested on the ground.
Another Imoclt on the door.
. .
"gn tOI' ! „
'rho Nachullnlt entered nllll 8ulnted.
"Tho convoy Is hero ! " .
All IJreBont. "
"All present , yolu ' exce11enc "
" 'l'hlrteen l1Ien and two women ? "
'rhe mltlnllel' IR ' ' ' ' '
num ) correct oxcollonc
" 1\1arch thom In. 1 will issue their
ration numbers here and then they
cnn he marched to the Immel'll. "
'rho command was given.
Through the door there entered two
Cossaclt8. They took their places one
on each side of the entrnnce.
'rho convicts Co11owed.
\\'ith faltering stops , theh' [ Irons
Iwoplllg a continuous clanldng ns
thor moved , the unhappy wretches ,
two hy two , entered the room. 'Vlth
downcast faceR the two In front took
the place assigned to them by thin
Nnchalnlle , the others following me ,
chl\nlcal1r until all had entered
With but two exceptions nIl WOl'O.
Ironed-tho exceJ.ltlonsel'o the last
to nlillear.
They were AlexiA and Ivan !
"Hat ] ! "
It was flrslchefr guve the stern
commanl1.
As ho uttered the worl1 Alexis amI
Ivan raised their heads to meet the
gaze of deadly hatred In the faces or
Constantine , Katherine and Nicholas
'rho infamous Ka1'slcheffs ! " Alexis
muttered the words ! between his com
pressed lips.
"SlIonce , dog ! " sall1 Karslcheft' 110
hl\l1 heard AlexiA speak , although the
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oxnct words hall not reached him
"Silence ! Guard , why are ties
men , " and Karslcholt waved his hand ,
e Indicating Ivan and Alexis "not
Ironed like the other convicts ? "
"Dy order of the commandant at
Chlt1t , to whom thor gave their wor d
ot honor not to attempt to escape , "
said the nuclialink
, .
!
- - -
"Their word of honor ! " Karslcheff
laughed lel'IHI\'el '
! 1erisively.
Katherine und Nicholas ] took the
cue instantly amid / laughed In chol'l\8.
'rholl' word , ] of honor , " continued
KUI'Hlcherr : "thore IH no such thing
as honor among such cutthroats as
theso. Lot them 1.10 Ironed immediately .
Iy like the other cOII\'lcts. "
"I only obeyed my orders ! , excel.
eney ] , " said the guard apologetically ,
"and- "
"Y ott are under my orders now " In
terl'uJlted Km'slcherr"ohe ) ' _ me ! It
"Coward I" ! exclaimed ] Alexis ] , mnlc-
lug IL step forward.
"Solzo him ! "
"Down with the dog ! "
The KarslchefCs , father , mother and
son , spoke simultaneously , and the
soldiers , In their eager zeal to pease ]
the new superior , sprang upon Alexis
and bore him to the ground.
"Oh , wretches that you are ! " exclaimed -
claimed Ivan , who could no l .nger
control hlmselt.
Nicholas sprang forward and struck
hIm , and at the same moment he was
also seized by the sollllors and thrown
to the tloor.
"Bring Irons-doublo Irons , " cx
claimed Karslcheff , wrought up to
uncontrollable excitement.
A minute later the soldiers had cont-
pleted their work , and Ivan and Alexis ,
pale and trembling were assisted to
their feet , and stood helpless with
their shackled hands.
Alexis was slleechless. Ho could
scarcely breathe. His breast heaved
convulsively , antI he tottered and
would have fallen , but for the grasp
of the guard \\'ho } stood behind him.
Katherine stepped forward. "Look
upon those convicts , " she said , In
low voice , Intense In Its depth 0 t
bitter hate. "Be not too harsh with
them , for they have suffered much-
and they are destined to suffer 1I10re.
1'hat young man , " she continued ,
poInting to Alexis , "wus once IL brilliant .
lInnt officer In the service ot the
czm' Ho was betrothed to the daughter .
tel' of a noble. But he must needs
'fall In love , ' " and she laughed ironl-
call ) ' , "with n street girl of St. Peters
bm'g. Her music charmed him , "
Katherine laughed again.
Alexis could only glare at her In
helpless agony ;
Katherine fairly gloated over his
suffm'lngs.
"Yes , " she went on , "ho was
charmed by the music of the s'ren ,
and she dragged him to her depths
She was a street vagabond with half
a dozen lovers before his time and
she Is now the mistress of an officer
at the fortress of AracaV' !
"Llar-fase ] woman , you lie I" ! shouted .
ed .Alexls ,
"Gag hlm-ga him ! " shouted KRrsi-
clue ! ? .
To hoar the order was to obey , and
la two minutes Alexis was lying on
'the ground , shackled , gagged and help-
less.
Katherine turned to Ivan.
" ' 1'hls othor-thii' ' ! rufUan with the
marks of the convict upon him-he
was : ! once IL student who was lifted
out of obscurity by a lady of nobility
He betrayed his benefactors by tuli'
lug advantage of U young girl who
visited her house and whom he . with
devilish art , persuaded Into 11 secret
maJ'1'lage. She was the daughter of a
noble liouse. Once freed front his
presence , she confessed that she hated
him ; a decree of divorce was granted
her and she Is now the wife of a noble
In Russia , hating and despising the
lowborn dog who made her forget her
duty to herself and her funnily ! "
As Katherine began speaking a door
at the top of the stairs leading to the
sleeping apartment of the house softly .
Iy opened , and by degrees a pale ,
agonized face appeared at the en-
trance. As Katherine finished the
door opened full and Olga J\PIJeared.
I With } a cry of mingled joy and SOl'
I row , or deepest anguish and of pas.
I
rlonate devotion , she screamed as silo
saw Ivan :
"No , 110. my love , my love ! I am
true , Ivan , trio always , true till doath" :
-and before any one could prevent
lien , Olga had flown down the steps
anti cast her arms around the neck of
lien husband I
Katherine , with speechless rage ,
sprang to her daughter , und grasping
her , strove with desIH.H'ule strength
to tear her front 1\1\11. Olga , with all
the power she possessed clung to
her helpless ; ; husbanl ! "Trust mo ,
Ivan : Il'lIst mo. I'll he tl'ue. Ilovo I
you pow nil I loved rOil then. Oh ,
Gott"
She ceased , for lien mother'R fingers
tightened arolllld her throat till the
delicate tlklll was bruised hy the cruel ,
merciless grip of the talons or Kath
erlne.
" ' ! 'alw her away ! " shouted Karsi
chic ! .
Nicholas with It brutal ) wrench tore
his sister from Ivan , and while with
ono hand ho attempted ) to stop her
I
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,
1 i ,
1 I I
I
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I I 'ill :
" ' /Yff t2 t5 COnnA/lTLWNT' IR ? ' - .
cries , with the other he half carrIed ,
half dragged her , aided 'by his mother ,
to her room. Olga's frantic cry : "Ivan
trust me. 1 will IJC true , " rang out
oven after the clear closed-and then
there was silence , for the hapless Olga
had fainted.
"Mel'clless mother , Inhuman wolf ! "
exclaimed Ivan. "Your cruel lie could
not have deceived me. Oh , God !
Wore I able , I would brain you with
these shackled hands ! "
Ho could say 110 more.
One of the soldier with sunerserv
icablo zeal sprang up and Imoclted him
down.
"Bra \'e fellow , " said the countess ,
pouring out a glass of vodka and hand
Ing It to the cowardly soldier , "you
know your duty- , "
The soldier drank the liquor and
tumed to his comrades with It smile
They looked at him with coultenipt
The act had been too much , even tor
thom.
But among the convIcts "there was
that painful agony with which a sync .
pathetic heart sees suffering of what
ever kind while helpless to avert It or
alleviate It. They began to murmur .
"Silence , cutthroats ! 'Ve will ha\'o
no mutiny here ! " shouted Nicholas ,
who had returned to the room.
' " ' "
The word 'mutiny' caught the ear
of Katherine.
" 'Vlmt easier , " she said. "Mutln-
a Rhot- " and she looked at Ivan anll
Alexis.
"Hush ! not before witnesses ; we
will find time time. "
Just as Nicholas finished there ! came
across the air the sound of a bugle
Il was followed by 1\ shot !
" It
1Iarlt I" !
All present recognized the sound !
. "It Is the signal of an Imperial
I. courier ! " saId Nicholas : "we must
walt. "
Some of the guards got ready to
present arms.
Constantine moved to the door.
The sound or bells was beard , nnd
in another minute a sleigh drawn hy
three horses reeking ! with roam and
.
.
" . _ - _ . . . . _ - . _ . _ _ . - - - - . , . . - . . . . , . . . . " " - . . - . . " - . . . . . . . . ! '
with dilated h nostrils , which lent forth
steaming streams on the frosty air ' ' .
pulled up at the etnpe ! ) .
A tall , bearded man jumped out , and
In another second he had entered the
house.
Tile imperial courier had arrived r
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CHAPTER XVI. . _
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The Imperial Courier.
" 'Vho Is commandant lucre ? " . , .
The ) Imperial courier uttered the I
words In the sharp , authoritative voice
oC one accustomed to command . .
When he heard the words , Constantine .
tine Knrslcheff felt that ho was no .
longer the autocrat of the etape. Before .
fore the courlel"s arrIval his will had
been supreme and his word law At
his command any of the Cossack soldiers .
dlc.rs would have with unquestioning
ohedienco sent It bullet crashIng
through the brain or any or the prls.
oners Karslchefi might have Indl ated.
But now he felt that a stronger will
than his ! was IJresont-that IL power
superior to his own had arrived and
that he was now subordinate to an
authority that could ( and would make .
ItVlf rospected.
For the corps of couriers Imperial
of Siberia possesscd n rank and rights
and powers and privileges far exceeding .
Ing those of an ordinary commandant
of an eta po. The requisitions of an
imperial courier for fresh horses for .44
supplies ) ) . for accommodations , must
he Illled with promptness and his orders .
deI's take precedence of all others. In
a 'word under the code of regulatlons
from the moment an imperial courier
arrived at any station on the road hIs ,
powers were supreme , and he superseded .
seded the commandant as authority
for the time helng.
"I am , " said KUl'sicheff , In response
to the demand of the courier
A frown passed over the face of the
courier. The half sulky tone In which
Karslcb'ff had spoken ) , together with
the fact that he had failed to salute
produced a bad Impression on the r'
mind of the cO\lrier.
His voice assumed a harder tone
and his air of command was loten81.
tlod. ! , . . :
"A sleigh with some travelers has
broken ) down on the edge of the pine
forest 'onder. They are surrounded
by wol\"es. The pack Is growIng
larger-hnrlt ! "
The howling of hundreds of wolves
was borne across the night In a blood.
curdling chorus.
" 'Ve must to the rescue , " hurriedly
resumed the courier. "Let your soldiers ,
dlers follow me. " And as ho stepped
to the door ho turned an Instant , and
waited for Karslchetr to give the corn-
mand.
.
" 1 have no soldiers to spare. "
As Karslchelt uttered the words hi -
turned half way from the courIer.
( To be continued. )
' Trading Off Old Love Token. . ) , . . .
'
A society man whose perfect danc- '
Ing Is the envy or all the men he .
] snows and the admiration of an the
women stopped on Charles street the
other day to greet an acquaintance.
"I'm amusing myself thIs mornIng "
selling old jewelry , " said the society
mnn. .
. "Old jewelryVhoi ! + e ? " queried his
acquaintance.
"Why , the returned love tokens or a
lot of girls I know Things they have
given men whom they adored for n
exchanged
changed gifts of jewelry . which , lIke
.
the cat , 'came baok' when a coolness
ensued.
"But the funniest part Is their rea-
sons for parting with these souvenirs
of nffecUon-the5' want the money to
buy mementos for other ! men who I
have supplanted the first In theIr ' "
changing affections Hence my mis
slon to the pawnshops nnd dealers In
old gold. " He drIfted away to seek
a sign of three balls , hummIng the
waltz that was Played at the Spiel-
gnrtl'nfest and jangling In hIs pockets
the , love tokens , some of which were
worn as pledges of nover-dylng atYec-
lion on that oecaslon.-Baltlmoro Sun.
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Strange to say- , the world has never
produced a deaf and dumb
pugllat. " '