The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-28

gives me every nope; Dut, LOUIS, some
thing tells me that | shall die, and !
shall have died in saving the life of a
woman who is worthless.
Louis. there is great news for you,
my brother; the car Is willing to let
bygones be bygOnes: our rank and our
property are to be restored. Prince
Vlastoff only today handed me the re-
script from his imperial master. Count
Bolskoi,' he said. as he pressed my hand,
don't speak TO me of gratitude; shall
ever be your debtor
1.-THE French doctor has come again.
My brother. there is no hope, and must
die. 1t may be a question of days or
hours only. Already l swallow with
the greatest difficulty.
Pray. Louis, pray for the soul of one
who longs for death
Your unhappy brother, PAUL"
There were two other letters-one
from Prince Vlastoff. another from the
French doctor. They gave me the dread
full details of my brothers death. He
died, as he had predicted, after fearful
sufferings from the mania of hydro
phobia.
have visited my brothers grave. I
have seen the place where my brothers
life was sacrificed for the Princess
Bakouline-for she became the Princess
Bakouline of course. And then | went
to st. Petersburg to thank my imperial
master for his clemency, and stayed
with Prince Vlastotf. One night, as
was talking with my host, he said to me:
You've never been in this room before,
| think. I ne very rug your feet az
resting on is the skin of the wolf that
killed your brother. The head is won
derfully life like" he said.
Yes, there was the head with glazing
eyes of glass, the mouth wide open, the
lips retracted, showing double range Of
fierce and cruel fangs.
1T makes me shudder when | look
upon it, said Prince Vlastoff; ''but it's
work of art all the same" he added,
with little laugh.
Presently he left me, and l sat by the
fire in half doze and thought of my
brother and his miserable death. 1t was
close on midnight.
The door was suddenly thrown open
and tall woman in evening dress, NUT
fed in an opera cloak. rushed into the
room, locked the door behind her and
flung the cloak from her shoulders. On
her pale cheek there was a great red
mark When she saw me she fell upon
her knees.
"Pauly"-she cried in Mortified ac-
cents-"Paul Bolskoi, have you come
back from the grave to haunt me?'
AS | stared at her in astonishment
recognized my brothers evil genius in
the beautiful creature who knelt before
me, looking into my face with frighten-
ed eyes
Madam" said coldly. 81 am Louis
Bolskoi"
And then she rose. "You are very
like him." she said mechanically, and
she sat down in the chair opposite me
and stared at the CHASTITY, grinning mask
of the dead wolf. and as she looked she
shuddered.
Your brother saved my life. Count
Bolskoi, she said. with groan.
| bowed, but did not answer her.
your brothers was dreadful death"
she went on, land | sat by his bedside
and listened TO his last rawlings He
prayed i'll his wild dclirium that might
never know happiness in this world. |
sacrificed your brothers love to vain
ambition, and sold myself TO Prince
Bakouline. To night he struck me-you
see the mark upon my face-and leave
him forever Just before your brothers
death. when his failing voice had sunk
to a whisper, he opened his eyes and
seemed to recognize me. Nadia, he
said, you will repent; and when you
have repented you will see me once
again, and | shall summon you to meet
your God He never spoke again, Count
Bolskoi. | have repented. God know
how bitterly, and when saw You sittiu-
there | thought that Paul had come
from one land beyond the grave TO drag
me to the judgment seat of heaven.
Count Bolskoi, she said bitterly. Hong
for death"
She never looked at me. but stared at
the VOLTS face upon the floor, and me-
chemically she placed her tiny foot be-
tween the double row of white and glis-
tening teeth.
There was furious knock at the door.
The Princess Nadia started 10 her feet
and as she did so she gave a little scream
of pain, and | saw a small spot of blood
on her satin foot covering. The door
was shaken furiously; the lock gave
way, and man broke in and hurled fu-
rious words at the beautiful woman. who
stood confronting him, pale and silent.
He spoke in Russian, and then he turned
to me
You are the Count Bolskoi, sir he
said; why do ind you closeted here
with my wifer' he cried and ne glsred
az me with furious eyes. infsmed with
drink and jealousy Il am the Prince I
Bakouline. sir" be said more calmly,
"the husband Of this-this woman"
And am her fathers guest, | said,
land do not handy words with drunken
men al midnight But, Prince Bakou- /
line, you are a coward. Have the good !
ness to leave this house"
And then ne rIrned and left the room /
without a word. Next day We met, +
soma dozen versrs from Petersburg. /
Prince Vals1of vas my second, and | /.
shot the Princess NaGia's husband dead .
and crossed the frontier within a dozen .
hours. And within tie month the wom- .
an xho had wronged my brother Paul .
died. a. nv poor brother had died, .