Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-13
| had the fourth dance With the Bar

waltz on my programme. She danced
superbly. | myself understand the
divine art. As to the strains of en-
chanting music we hoated down the
long ballroom. could not but wish
myself a thousand miles away from st.
Petersburg. 1t went hard with me to
betray that splendid creature. am a
Frenchman, and | have to confess that
she affected me powerfully.
The music ceased. and she led me
into conservatory. We were hardly
seated when she spoke and said:
81 am the one chosen to instruct you
by our circle. Tomorrow you will be
presented to the Emperor. Being a
foreigner, he will extend to you the
royal hand, as is his custom"
She paused and glanced nervously
around. Quitting my side for a mo-
ment, she parted the thick shrubbery
and peered out through the glass into
the darkness.
Il thought l heard a sound in the
garden" she said.
knew it was the noise occasioned
by Pierre Chauffaud and the men with
him in scaling the wall surrounding the
grounds.
20, it is nothing" said, but feeling
all the time very much like villain.
'.Do not be alarmed"
She returned, seated herself by nv
side, and resumed:
You have been chosen by our circle
to rid the world of this tyrant. Take
this ring. No do not place it on your
hand yet. Its touch is death, if you are
not extremely careful. Keep it in it's
case, and just before you are admitted
to the audience, place it on your finger.
The slightest contraction of your
fingers will pierce the hand you hold
with a small hollow needle. Retain
the Cars hand in your own, respect
fully. for a moment. During that brief
interval you can inject into his palm
deadly poison. Its action is sufficiently
slow to afford you ample opportunity
to make your escape"
Horror stricken. [ gazed upon the
deadly ring. To my amazement, it
was an exact counterpart of the ring in
the photograph.
Whose ring is this?" l gasped,
recoiing from her. Could she be
murderess?
The ring was Gurlofrs," she an
swered, in low tom 1T was suited
to the purpose, and he contributed it
to the cause. 1t was fitted as YOU see
it now by the Hungarian, Rudolph
PfeSh."
| saw it all now. Gurlof had him.
self murdered his chief at the order
of the circle. and had sent to Paris for
a detective, thinking to thus divert
suspicion by apparently taking extra
ordinary pains to discover the per-
petrator of the crime.
A sudden look of terror passed over
the face of the Baroness. | saw at
once that | had done something or let
fall some exclamation to arouse her
suspicious, or had Gurloff discovered
me to her and was she simply Turing
me on. If the latter, she had repented
early of playing with The fire. With a
swift movement she passed me, and
standing for a moment in the door of
the conservatory uttered a peculiar
cry. In an instant crowd OF desper-
ate men gathered in the doorway, fore
most among them Gurloff.
You thought to learn all our secrets
and betray us.n Kissed Gurloff point
ing his finger at me. He is
mouchard, gentlemen. Seize him.
Your lives depend upon it,
The crowd dashed forward, at their
head the murderer of Pelaufski.
Down with the mouchardr' they
yelled, and dozen hands were on my
throat.
Crash! Bang! Thudr' Pierre
Chaufaud and his men were breaking
nto the conservatory from the outside.
The next moment the crowd scattered
like chaf, but | never relaxed my hold
on Gurloff's throat. He was beaten al
most into insensibility and secured.
Two weeks afterwards he was ar
raigned for the murder of Chief
Pelaufski and convicted on purely cir
cumstantial evidence. The twisted
ring was proved to be his property,
and was in his possession on the night
of the commission of the crime. The
impression of the thumb of his right
hand exactly correspondent with the
wax impression taken from the dead
mans throat. He suffered death on
the scatfold.
The Baroness, Pfesh and many men,
gold mines of Kara. The ring with
which it had been proposed to murder
the Gar was sent for by that dignitarv.
He caused the poison to be injected in
to the paw of a hound, and the animal
died in great agony. Then the ruler
of all the Russias sent for me-
You are French detective?"
Yes. sire
II am sorry for it. If you had not
been detective | should have made
you noble. | shall instruct my Secre-
tary to give you hundred thousand
roubles. The best place on my staff of
secret police is yours, if you care to
fill it,
Il am Parisian-"
Il understand" he. Interrupted,
good You cannot live
away from Paris. They all say that"
The audience was over | left his
presence and returned to Paris COM
paratively rich man. | would not live
in Russia if could and if | tried to,
| don't think the NihiiSts would let
Chicago Journal.