Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-06

red, and the nose itself looked not unlike
the beak of bird of prey; an uncanny
smile played around his pale, firmly closed
lips. Schelm felt in such moments that he
was alone, and took no pains to disguise
himself, and his eyes turned from his own
person to the forms of the all-powerfui
rulers of Russia, which he had continually
before his eyes.
As soon, however, as somebody entered he
closed his eyelids and hid them behind the
glasses, sat square down IN his arm chair
and assigned, with his inky, crooked fin
gers, to each visitor his place, as if he did
1t not from courtesy, but in wrath and in
dignat1on.
In Short Schelm's exterior was terrible;
the expression of his half concealed squint-
ing eyes did not encourage the boidest of the
bold This delighted him. All who entered
this luxurious apartment felt instantly what
power this man possessed, and were uncom-
Portable, even anxious. Schelm was fully
aware of this; quite conscious, in fact, that
ne made painful impression upon all, and
he liked it, 1t gave him a kind of joy and
he took it almost amiss if anyone did not
seem to be afraid of him and to tremble in
his presence. In the meantime our officer
had not in the least changed his appearance;
he remained as cold and ashaughty as before.
Upon a sign from Schelm, who seemed to
ask permission to finish the perusal of certain
papers before him, the Colonel answered
with slight bow, threw himself into a COM
Portable easy chair. put one leg over the
other and looked at the ceiling sif studying
the stucco ornaments. Schelm noticed all
this through his spectacles The head of
division under Count Perowski was great
man and almost omnipotent in the Ministry.
- al nd
casionally deigned to have him near him.
The ColonePs indifference offended him,
therefore, and in order to give him little
lesson he seemed to be absorbed in his
papers.
The Colonel waited patiently five min
utos, looking fxedly at the ceiling. Alter
five minutes more he looked fxedly at the
writing desk. Schelm pretended to read,
but in reality he did not cease watching his
visitor.
The aid-de-camp smiled ironically, raised
his eyes once more to the ceiling and at the
same time began to whistle very softly.
When the head of division heard these sub
dued, measured notes, he jumped up from
his chair and began to cough aloud. The
officer coolly continued familiar italian
air, but getting louder and louder. Behind
one of the portieres suppressed laughter
could be heard.
Angrily Schelm threw away the docu-
ments, arranged his chair so as to face his
visitor, and said rather roughly:
"What is you desire, Colonel Palkin?"
Palkin answered with honeyed smile:
SIT is a mere trife. The head of the gen.
darmes has charged me to inform His E1-
cellency the Minister of the Interior of the
arrest of Count Prosoff and Prince Marin,
who are involved in a conspiracy against
the Emperor"
Schelm sprang up, and, forgetting his
usual cautiousness, beat the table 30 that
several papers fell to the floor.
"Again' he exclaimed.
Palkin's smile was sweeter still.
"What will you have?" he continued
"The police must watch over the life of
the Gar when they have no time to do so in
the Ministry of the Interior. This is now
the fifth conspiracy which we have discov-