Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-11-19


you viii not promise me that upon your
oath, LIP
A look OF dismay-a quick outward move
ment with his trembling hands, as If he
were abandoning everything-closed the
sentence which his lips seemed powerless 10
finish.
"If / am to believe YOU" said after
minutes reflection, "Iaras Will believe
you. and II what you have told me is not
lie he will forgive you
II do not doubt that. His faith is great
er than yours But it is his duty to report
this to the society, and because IL is duty
he will do II. despite the mercy in his heart.
The society will judge me by the letter OF
the law, and my sentence will be death
This is what exposed myself to by the at
tempt TO save Taras from the hand OF Ru-
dersdorf This is the fate 10 which you
condemn me the moment You betray the
secret have given you. You are bound TO
respect that"
"a secreti have promised nothing. 1
did not ask you to confess, and nothing
binds me TO conceal your explanation"
"You forced me TO explain--to confess
everything-to rely upon your feeling for
Taras, II not on your mercy, for man
whose Judgment has been betrayed by an
excess OF affection-the moment you
stopped me, and there WAS question Of your
charging me with an indictable ofense.
The merest rumor would suffice TO draw
down the vengeance of the society upon
me You must promise to keep my secret"
"If l cannot promise"-
"rhen must leave the country before
you can betray ME. Ny life will not be
safe here for another day. You force me
TO abandon Taras, and you take upon your
self all responsibility for what befalls him
after. This is what will follow. When
the police at ST. Petersburg discover what
has happened-and the telegraph will take
the news within few hours of my flight
Rudersdorf will bo dispatched to fill my
place, and all the precautions you may
take will fail to ward of the blow which
his relentless hand will surely strike
Within a week-aye, less than that-Tnras
will be a dead man, and you will have to
answer to God for his death"
II was now who trembled.
Seeing the deep impression he had made,
Kavanagh proceeded quickly;
i ask you for nothing that you cannot
safely give. throw aside the hope Of in
ducing you to help me in getting Taras
away from London. / merely ask you to
ne hllenJ loT ANnlle-to uulu my secret I'M
til have devised some new plan for defeat
ing Rudersdorf and the police. What else
can you desipY If human ingenuity, sharp
oned by the fear OF death, can discover
means Of saving Taras, he shall be saved
Wanton wickedness or madness can alone
lead you to refuse such an offer You hold
guarantee OF good faith on my part, for If
you have reason to believe that am play
ing falsely, you can at once make this
charge against me and bring two witnesses
to support it, furnishing my infdelity with
death. | Twill not even ask you 10 be silent
for an indefinite time Give me but a week
"A few days-to think out a scheme, and In
return | swear to deliver this friend from
the hands OF Rudersdorf"
would not consent mt once even 10 this
plausible proposal, but in the end feeling
and reason inclining me in the same way, l
said:
I'm say nothing for week anyhow
Keep that promise, and | will fulfill
mine" said he, springng to his feet, with a
conviction In his face which seemed to in-
dictate that some scheme for deceiving thu
police had already flashed upon his imagi-
nation.