Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-12-07


consequence. They intend to take me, and
probably they will. Three months ago the
minister of police received an order from
the car to silence me- He seldom has to
repeat an order of that kind"
~ could not believe it when you told
ne."
at was credible enough TO me. The
warning came from reliable friend in the
minister's household. The odd thing is
that | have heard nothing since from him
or other friends who watch the motions of
the police. 1t looks as if he had found
new agent-one less known to us than the
old hands"
The villainous looking scoundrel YOU
mentioned"
"Oh, dear, no He is only subaeent
employed by the agent in chief, who him
self takes care TO keep well ont of the way.
He may be directing the affair from Paris
pr Berlin Certainly he would not leopard
lae his own life or his position by an attack
IF this kind The whole business has to
be done by carefully concealed means, like
one of those clocks which defy ingenuity
to discover where the motive power is stu
ated. 1t would never do, in case of expo
sure, for Il known emissary of the Russian
government to be implicated in n conspir-
acy against the freedom of subject on
British soil"
THAT did not occur to me at the mo-
ment. What steps have you taken since
this attempt''
MADE my will and"--
surely they will not attempt to assassi-
nate YOU" kavanagh said quickly, inter-
rupting Taras.
"Assassinate mep MOI The rascals have
too much respect for your hangman and
their own necks to venture on that. But
they would not hesitate to kill me if they
could justify themselves by n plea of self
defense. That might have happened the
other night if they had not taken me so
completely by surprise that | could offer
no resistance. Every one of them had his
knife ready, and | should have been cut
down as sure as fate if their cords had not
held me. Taking place in villainous wa
terside beerhouse, my death would have
been attributed 70 drunken brawl, and all
evidence of my identity being removed it is
doubtful II the papers would take any no
tice of the inquest. 1t was all calculated
to a niccty--the agent must have gone over
tho ground and mapped it ont clearly.
would give anything to know who he is"
at IS horrible to fight in the dark. You
never know when the blow may fail"
mo, nor who may strike it-that's the
worst part OF the business. 1t shakes ones
faith. Tho man you trust turns out to he
an encmy-your favorite haunt nest of
spies-anything may happen at any mo-
ment fancy they viii give me a respite
now. am all right for Il time"
as it not possible" said Kavanagh, "is
there not Just chance that the attack was
| intended rather as a warning than anything
else, and that they would nave suffered you
to escape IF the girl had not forestallod
them? IL they silenced you tonight, your
works would still exist They cannot undo
| them, and they know it. sent to Siberia,
you become martyr, aud greater impor-
tauce is given to your work. 1t seems to
me that the aRcnts-the minister, the car
himself-will he satisfied with this mani
fcstation of power and drop the affair"
For awhile possibly probably, indeed.
! But when they find that do not profit by
! their warning aud will not accept their CON
| ditions of neutrality-that | am neither !,
| child nor an old woman ~ be frightened by
nenaces Of future punishment from the
course directed by my conscierce''-
But, my dear fellow, it is not as if you
were still AN active enemy"
IF you think | am nothing but passive
enemy, you are wrong" said Taras, with
more fire in his voice than had vet heard.
They have something TO gain by my remov-
al. For months have been mcditatin4 a
new attack, and the car knows it, for he
has spies in our camp as we have friends in
his. have only been waiting for the idea
and tho idea came tony mind the first time
! | saw Aura. | owe her that as well, poor
! girl. Come up with me, and will show
the shell am preparing to throw at the
ears feet"
AS their chairs moved | Slipped from the
door and ran mp to my room tomeditate on
| what | had heard and form c clearer con
! ception OF its meaning.