Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-06-27
A RUSSIAN TRAGEDY.


ment of Paulovsky. The regiment
was quartered in the great building
that still exists on the other side OF
tho Champ de Mars, fronting the
summer garden. The emperor Paul
was then reigning and had been
for three years. He resided in the
Red palace, which had just at that
time been completed
One night, after don't remember
what esoapade, the leave Of absence
which l had asked for in order to
join a few comrades was refused,
and l remained in the barracks al
most alone. was aroused from my
sleep by a voice that whispered in
my ear, "Dimitri Alexandrovitch,
wake up and follow me-" Iopened
my eyes. A man was before me,
who repeated to me the invitation
which he gave me while was half
asleep.
Follow your" said /. "Where?"
II cannot tell you. But take no.
tice that the order comes from the
emperor.
/ trembled. From the emperor
What in the world could he want
with me, a poor ensign, of good
family no doubt, but far too distant
from the throne to allow the name
to reach the imperial ears. Irecalled
the somber Russian proverb that
came into existence in the days of
Ivan the Terrible, CLOSE to the
car, close to death.
But there was no help for it.
jumped out of bed and dressed my
self. Then 1 looked with some at
tention at the man who had come to
arouse me. All wrapped up as he
was in his overcoat, l thought rec
ognized in him an old Turkish slave
at first the barber and finally the ia
vorite of the emperor. This exami-
nation, moreover, was brief. 1t
might, perhaps, have been danger
Gus to prolong it.
II am ready" said at the end of |
five minutes, and / buckled on my |
sword carelessly. My nervousness
increased when / found that my
guide, instead of taking the usual
door of the barrack, descended
through a little winding staircase
into tho lower portion of the i'm
mense building. He lighted the way
with a sort of dark lantern. After
several turns and detours / found
myself fronting little door, the OK
stence of which / had not known
before. During all the route we met
nobody. One would imagine that
he building was deserted. Certain
Y / fancied that / saw one or two ,
hadows pass, but they disappeared,
IT, rather, vanished, in the obscurity.
The door in front of which we
TODD was closed. My guide knocked
n a certain fashion, and it opened, ,
put in motion by n man
Tho was waiting on the other side. S
IS matter of fact, when we passed t
trough / saw distinctly, notwith- '
landing the darkness, a man, who i
losed the door again and followed I
=. g
The passage in which we entered /
'as a sort of subterrane, about eight /
Get wide, running through the soil,
those humidity oozed through the /
rick walls. {
At the end of about 500 PAGES this t
assage was closed by an iron gate. v
ly guide took key from his peck
{, opened the gate and closed it be- t
ind us. We continued our route. 7
ust then commenced to recall the
according to which a sub a
erraneous gallery existed between t
he Red palace and the barracks of
he grenadiers of Paulovsky. Iknew G
hat We were in this gallery, and
hat, inasmuch as we had left the 1
we were on our way to the {
alace. We arrived in front of an |
ther door similar TO the one through /
which we had passed in the first in. {
lance. My guide knocked at this S
DOR in the same manner that he had
Knocked at the other one, and it
pened like the other, set in motion
" a man on the inside. Here we S
ound ourselves at the foot of stair
ase, which we mounted.
It led to the lower apartment of
'uilding, but from the atmosphere |
was easy to discover that we were
we'll warmed establish c
nent. This building soon revealed
he proportions of a palace. Then a
IL my doubts ceased. They were I
ringing mo into the presence of the I
Emperor, tie emperor who sent for /
ne, an obscure ensign, almost hid i
len in the lower ranks of the guard. {
remembered the story of the young |
nsign whom he had noticed in the S
Itreet and placed behind him in his !
arriage, appointing him successive l
y in less than quarter of an hour l
captain, major, colonel S
nd general, but had no hope that l
10 sent for me with the same inten- {
ion. However, we arrived at last
'efore another door, in front of '
which sentinel was pacing up and {
lown. My guide put his hand upon q
ny shoulder and said TO me: Keep '
Up your courage. You are going into {
he presence of the emperor. Then
10 whispered something in the ear |
4 the sentinel, and tho latter moved |
o one side. My guide opened the
loor not by nuttinR, the key in thu