The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-31


thousand things and nothings that made
me cheerful even in that noisome
spot We spoke of the white bread
of Moscow, and the fashion OF her gowns and
all such trivialities-duly chronicled by Dmitri
with his pencil. But what was all this to the tn.
mutt of delight that filed my soul at sight of
her. at sound of her vocea AS thirsty desert
drank in the dew of her benefcent presence, and
relied on the little ancher that she always wore
Then there came ten days of absence; and, on
the eleventh day Dmitri, with that slow, prosaic
tone of his, read me the official order for my re-
moval to the fortress at st. Petersburg. Then
knew that my fate was sealed; that Valeria's in
fuence had failed; that the anchor of our hope
had been lost in a bottomless sea- Well, should
be removed at night on the day after to morrow
Had aught to say7 for the first time / was
asked. No. l had nothing to say.
Tomorrow came and with it Waterfall Yes,
she was very pale-more so than had ever seen
her. We were not allowed to speak with one
another, but still she wore that tiny anchor at
her girdle.
Ten minutes to-day madame!"
And am allowed to speak with you, Dmitri2'
inquiries the Princess, endeavoring to compose
her trembling hands.
1T is not forbidden" Dmitri shrugs
"AhY So. permitted Dmitri, the Count quits
hera tomorrow night. 1t is bitterly cold. If
send to you, to you. you comprehend. Dmitril a
furred garment for him, is it alowedl You will
give it to him before he leaves here,
you WILL Dmitril" In her feverish anx-
iety,. in twisting her hands together
richly eemmed bracelet rattles to the ground,
it becomes entangled in the fringes of her gown.
There is much noise of it on thu stone flooring
ere the Princess and Dmitri together olsen
gage the Jewel from where it has caught. Dur
ing this-swiftly, in French. between her Rus
sian ordinations to the jailer. 1 catch these
words; rip the lining of the garment. Be
careful. Do not despair"
And then, with graceful motion of dissent,
the Princess Lirmontoff refuses to receive
tha uiSanfapca1 hro az "a
1T upon Dmitri. Does he decline2 No. He
lives by what he accepts-and how WELL too.
But he relaxes not a whit; that might cost M.
Dmitri his round head. He hastens to record
the accident. barring its finale, and tersey re-
marks:
THE time allowed is expiring" as he holds
the time-piece in his hand. l watched her fade
from my sight. l sat down on the stones and
stretched forth my hand through the grating, to
rest upon the places where her feet had stood /
remained there for many hours So Dmitr
found me, when he came at night with my sup
per-ah. and with somewhat else. also, the furred
garment of which the Princess had spoken to
him.
powerful bribe had probably supplemented
the bracelet, for Dmitri, although he made great
efforts at shaking and beating the garment,
turning the pockets inside out, etc., still gave it
to me and left me.
clasped it to my heart. kissed it, buried
my face in the warm skins, for knew hers had
been pressed there earlier! 1t was perfectly dark
by this time, so l ate my bread and drank a
mouthful of the nauseous water. l then went to
work. I, with my finger nails grown long by
months of neglect, picked at the threads l could
not see; bit them with my teeth snapped them
in twain. laughing softly as toiled was care
full. she had hidden me be- and, at last, in the
padding of the shoulder felt soft roll drew
it forth; fingered it; bit of paper seemed to ut-
ter from within to the floor; CROPPED for it on my
hands and knees and found it, thrust it next my
heart. Again fingered this curiously- feeling roll
What was it! Aha / could distinguish with
touch grown KEEN that it was some sort of sin
gular masque And for the rest must wait until
that pale ray of light should visit me in the
morning. One thing could do gather together
the lining had taken out; and tearing hole
in my miserable mattress, tuck it in and under
the thin wisps of moldy straw.
Then, to await, to hail. to bless, to invoke the
dawn, by the first faint glimmer to decipher Va
lerias writing on the scrap of paper and these
words: THE other side of your garment re-
vealed by your tearing out the outer lining, is q
fac smile of Dmitri's cloak 1 made it The
masque is his double. l made it. Wear the
garment; conceal the masque in the inner
pocket you will find AS you will cross the
a melee will occur. throw youself upon the
ground as if shot Contrive in the darkness to
turn your cloak; adjust your mask; cap, the
like Of Dmitri's, will be thrown to You, put it on;
mix with the officials and the three prisoners
who leave the prison with you Then, make for
the prison as if to give the alarm Double on
your own steps; cross the corner, into the church
by the portico; leave it by, the transept west.
friend will meet you at the portal Yours till
death, Valeria"
That last day passed away as usual, only to
me more slowly. Eight o'clock arrived the hour
appointed for the transfer to the railway station
whence special train would convey us to the
capital and the fortress. Is it to be wondered
at that as crossed that threshold my body
trembledg That, AS guarded by twenty officials
under 81 escort of troops, although not man
acled, as were two of my confreres who
had already undergone their sso-calied
trial." my whole frame tingled with
the terrible excitements of the situation! We
neared the corner by ST. Isaac's Church, march
ing slowly few more steps, when a carriage,
with liveried servants, dashed around the cor
ner. In the Pickering lam plight recognized at
once the lTeries of the Prince O., a devoted
servant of the government, and for a long time
persistent sutton for the hand Of Valeria. A mo-
ment more. and the report of pistol flashed
upon the hearing. The spirited horses sprang
reared, tore madly around the corner, were pulled
to their launches and
Obeyiug Valeria's letter of instructions i'm.
plicitly was strange asst may seem, not only
possible. but the work OF but few seconds
merely. From the window of Prince O.'s car
riage amid the clash of bayonets, the veil of
smoke, the screams of women, and the shouts of
men, white hand threw to me the promised
cap caughtit and set it upon my head.
rose, as if stunned, slowly.
''Ha Dmitri," grinLed one of the officials
''you out to night9 Where is your pet bird, then
the Count Chapolsky2"
Never fear" answered I. boldly, II will at
tend to him. Yonder he isl"
Pretending to see an imaginary self in the dim
distance, pushed on. To gain the door of Prince
O.'s carriage would have imperiled more, much
more than life. !
did gain it I drew aside the silken curtain
i -Valeria-pale, with blood streaming
from wound in her side
'Valeria" gasped I, ''Valeria"
'Alexis, for my sake fly, fy! she MUIR
INJURED
"But you" culver as touch the blood on
her robe.
clam dying-dead-for thee-for thee. For
my sake-if you love me-go!'
My brain on fire, l turn, and almost blindy
follow the direction given me- At the west
transept door find friend. In fifteen min
utes l am out of dnnger-in an hour am en-