The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1895-04-09
HIS WAX FIGURE.

We had been discussing fame and its
reward. We assumed that we, each and
all of us, had attained eiminenoe, and
we speoulated on the honor that we
should elect to receive from a gracious
sovereign and grateful country. Some
chose the Garter, others an earldom,
others a pecnniary grant. but Colonel
Holborow would have none of these.
He poohpoohed them, and bringing his
fist down on the table he declared:
"There Is only one indisputable and
supreme mark of greatness. .
"And what is that?" asked one of us.
"Why, to be in the waxworks, said
"True, trusi" I cried, but added sad
ly, "but it's almost impossible to
achieve unless you commit murder. "
''I don't know about that. " said Jack
Dexter, who had up to that moment
taken no part in the conversation. "I'm
in awaxworks show myself, not in Lon
don. you know. but--well, have any of
you fellows visited Petersburg7"
We all admitted that we had not.
"Ah, then you haven't seen my image"
said Jack regretfully. tits In Nine.
Marribon's famons exhibition there.
''But, my dear Jack" said the colo
mel, "how in the world did it come
about?"
''It's rather a curious story" said
Jack. "I'll tell 1t you if you'll II all prom
Use that 1t shall go no further. You
won't mind if / dom mention names?"
We promised discretion and said that
we should be quite satisfied with A, B,
G, or x, Y, 2, or such other symbols as
Jack chose to adopt.
well" he began, when I was
few years younger and good deal more
foolish than / am now-it was before
that affair about Lady Mary Fitzmoine
that / told yon Of the other day.
spent aswinter at Petersburg, and there
Imade the acquaintance Of one of the
most beautiful women who, I suppose.
ever lived"
Jack paused to allow the sensation to
take full effect, but we showed no sur
prise. and with slight frown he con-
tinued:
''I'll call her the Princess X.-Prin-
cess Nadia x. She was married to
grumpy wretch, who held a high posi-
tion in the police and treated her, upon
my word, little better than If she had
been nihilist pitied her. must ad-
mit-I am among gentlemen-that /
also admired her, and that warm, al
though perfectly honorable, attachment
sprang up between u.s. Her husband
was, however, savagely and unreason-
ably jealous, and what with him. his
spies and his mother (the worst spy Of
alD it was with the utmost difficulty
that / succeeded In seeing anything OF
the princess dared not to call at her
house more than once month, and
was driven-positively driven-to
thing for which entertain the greatest
dislike Twas, Isay, compelled to make
arrangements which insured my being
present at various places of public re-
sort-picture galleries and the like-at
the times which the princess selected for
visiting them. By these means we were
enabled to enjoy many most charming
conversations, and 1t was my privilege
to support and sustain the princess in
the very trying circumstances in which
her lot was cast. I did this, need not
say, at very considerable risk. / was
not blind to the danger ran. Her hus-
band welded large and secret powers
Save that was an English subject, /
was entirely powerless against him, and
1t would have been long time before
the voice of prisoner in the fortress of
Peter and Paul reached the ears of the
foreign Office However, took the risk.
Nadia needed me, and that was enough.
q "But of all our rendezvous there was
none which we found more convenient
and suitable than Mme Marribon's
waxworks exhibition. Il was a long