The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-18
CHAPTER vi.

The house seen by Andrew Popoff from
the window of the garnet in which he lived
with Poleno was a vast and gorgeous dwell
ing, a palace standing between a courtyard
and a garden. The front of the main build
ing appeared behind an open square between
two wings which ended at a railing, with
a gate opening upon Italian street.
The whole vast edifice had a lordly APP
pearance. The garden was we'll kept, the
walks were carefully sanded. the railing
brightly polished. Nevertheless, this palace
appeared to be uninhabited. The windows
were always shut. In those avenues with
their smoothly sanded walks one never saw
a human footprint.
According to the neighbors, however, the
left wing at times showed signs of life.
Baron de Schelmberg, the owner of the
house, a palsied and helpless old man, at
certain fixed dates received humorous calls.
It had been observed that on The 9th of
every month what looked like a procession
filed through the private door of the man
sion. On such days the baron's rooms were
brilliantly lighted. He gave evening re-
ceptions, it seemed, to his former friends.
for the baron, before his illness, had been
high in Office.
Ordinarily the main gate was opened only
to admit a man of ripe age, who came
she never went out, being wholly absorbed
in nursing her husband. The servants were
few and uncommunicatiye.
They said the baroness was a saint. who
attended with exemplary devotion upon the
baron, a noble old man, who had lost his
health in Siberia on a journey undertaken
in the service of his majesty. the Emperor
Nicholas.
For fifteen years no n had seen the
baroness. The daughter only had been
caught sight of through the windows Of her
carriage. She was very pretty.
The owner of this house, the father of
this daughter, was a paralytic.
In Siberia, seventeen years ago, he had
had an accident, 30 people said. He had
been nearly drowned in a river through the
desperate conduct of a band of escaped
exiles and briRands. and had never recov-
he was not Baron S~chelmberg, but merely
Mr.. Schelm. high in the police service Of
the car. He had never recovered from the
effects Of his ill-usage in Siberia. His
right side was completely parslyZed.
But his mind was still active and, refer
ring his misfortunes continually to the ene-
mics of his youth, he spent his time the
last days of an old mRn-in plotting against
those he had once failed to injure-eyen
those who had succored him in his distress.
Truly a hideous old man, both physically
and morally.
Though the right side of schelm's face
looked corpse-like. though the way he was
seated in his armchair bowed that it was
absolutely impossible for him to move.
his left eve was bright and seemed to
have concentrated in its fiery glance all the
vitality of his frail body. His struggling
white hairs, his left hand, with its crooked
fingers ~convulsively clutching the pile of
papers accumulated before him. his right
eye red and paralyzed, his Iivid face, all
made Schelm resemble the maleicent
Rnome,s some internal scribe. He had in
sisted upon 1t, that this room i'll his own
private house, where be found himself
Obliged to vegetate III forced inactivity,
should be in all points a counterpart of the
chancellor's office i'll tho ministry of the
interior. where for long years he had been
the terror OF all the Russians. The apart
ment was large and its ceiling high; it WIS
hung with tapestry, and facing his desk
were two portraits-faithful copies of the
two in the %chancellor's oilice--of the Cars
Nicolas and Alexander l..
Ihe reclining chair to which Scheim was
confined by his paralysis WAS a very compli-
Gated piece of furniture; it could be raised
II lowered at pleasure by means Of
u spring inserted in the wood of the back.
II sick man moreover moved il ut
pleasure by means of a screw. worked by
the left arm.
A whole system Of cords radiated from
the back of this easy chair like the wires
from u telegraph office. Three of these
cords disappeared in the woodwork of three
doors opening into the room; a fourth COM
inundated with an electric wire crossing
the ceiling: the others. sometimes interlac-
ing, sometimes apart, led no one knew
where.
Schelm was reading n book placed on a
book-rest level with his eyes. when n knock
was heard Mt one OF the doors of the room.
The parnlytic listened. The knock WAS
almost Immediately repeated ut tho same
door.
1T ia Darine." said Schelm.
Extending his hand toward a little round
table. standing Gloss by tine chair, he seized
] . kind Of bunch, composed Of six rubber