The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-04-16
DIR ANTEKIRTT .
TCoNTINUED FROM BIRD PAGE

cit matters little" he repeated. 81
shall break off this match"
Having made up his mind, what did
he 10? Reveal to Madame Bathory and
her son the history OF the banker of
Trieste? But did he hold material
proofs of the trencherv? No. for
Matthias Sandorf, Stephen Bathory and
Ladislas Zathmar, who alone had these
proofs, We're dead. Did he spread
through the town the report of this
abominable act without first telling
Madame Bathory? That would prob
ably have been enough to open an
abyss between Pierre and the young
lady-an abyss that could not be bridged.
But if the secret were divulged, would
not Silas Toronthal try to leave Ragusa?
But the doctor did not want the
banker to disappear. He wanted the
traitor to remain ready for the execu
toner when the day of execution
arrived, and were he to disappear events
might turn out differently to what he
had imagined.
After having weighed the pros and
cons the doctor resolved to proceed
more vigorously against Toronthal.
In the first place it was necessary to get
Pierre away from the town where the
honor Of his name was in danger. Yes!
He would spirit him away so that no one
could trace him When he had him i'll
his power he would tell him all he knew
about Toronthal and Sarcany his accom-
plice, and he would associate him in his
work But he had not day to lose.
It was with this object that IL telegram
from the doctor brought from the
mouths of the Cattaro, south of Ragusa
on the Adriatic, one of the swiftest ves-
sells Of his fleet. This was one of those
huge launches which served rs the fore
runners of our modern torpedo boats.
This long steel tube was about forty-four
yards in length and seventy tons meas
nrement, had neither mast nor funnel,
and carried simply an exterior deck and
cage with leniicnlar scuttles for the
steersman, who could be Theoretically
shut up in it when the state of the sea
rendered such precautions necessary.
She could slip through the water with
out losing time or distance in following
the undulations of the surge and
having speed excelling that of all the
torpedo boats of the Old or New World,
could easily travel her thirty miles an
hour. Owing to his excessive speed the
doctor had been able to accomplish
many extraordinary voyages, and hence
the gift of ubiquity with which he had
been credited, for at very short intervals
of time he had been able to run from the
farthest corners of the Archipelago to
the outmost borders of the Lybian Sea.
There was, however, one striking diff
ference between steam launches and the
Doctors boats, and that was that instead
Of superheated steam it was electricity
that furnished the motive power by
means ofpowerful accumulators invented
by himself long before the later inven-
tors that have become 80 famous. In
these accumulators he could store the
electricity to a practically unlimited
extent. These despatch boats were
known rs electrcs, with merely number
denoting the order in which they had
been built. 1t was Electric No. 2 that
had been telegraphed for to the mouths
of the Cattaro.
Having given these orders, tho Doctor
waited for the moment of action, and
warned Point Pescade and Cape Matifou
that he would soon require their services,
and it is hardly necessary to say that
they were very glad at having at last an
opportunity of showing their devotion.
One cloud, one only, threw its shadow
over the gladness with which they well
coined the Doctors warning
Point Pescade was to wait in Rapusa
to keep watch on the houses in the Stra-
done and Rue Martinella, while Cape
Matifou was to go with the Doctor to
Cattaro. This was separation-the
first after so many years of misery that
they had lived through together-and
hence touching anxiety ON the part of
Cape Matifou in thinking that he would
no longer be near his little Pescade!
:" Patience, old Cape, patience ! It
will not last +! The plays beginning, and
unless l am mistaken it is q splendid
piece they are getting ready for us, and
we have famous manager who has
given us both good telling parts !
Believe me, you will have no reason to
complain of yours"
"Think so? 2"
"I am sure of it. All! no lovers
part for you 1t is not in your nature,
although you are so sentimental. No
traitors part either! You are too big
for that No, you are to be the good
genius coming in Mt the end to punish
vice and recompense virtue"
GST iEo tbav do IN III k,ox,oJ;., IL - rs,