Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-16
PART IV.

PART ".
followed the girl into the car and
seated myself behind and near her. She
had sunk into the corner of the seat in
an attitude of utter WEAKNESS and dis
couragement. / owed her my life, no
doubt, and felt for her at the moment,
beside gratitude, sincere pity. Yet |
was on the point of asking her to risk
still more than she had already done
There was no other way. | looked
around ut our fcllow-p passengers
old woman with her basket; Il boy who
was audibly sleeping; and young man
who was seated in the front of the car,
absorbed in a yellow-covered novel.
There was not one whom could suspect
of watching us. Invent, therefore, with
out further hesitation, to take the place
in front of her and, with as much non
chalance as / could command, asked her
if she could tell me the name of the man
who had followed her into the station.
For n moment she seemed startled,
and shrank still further back, but a
glance at my cloth seemed to reassure
her.
II saw no one" she replied. 81 came
quite alone"
1t never occurred to me to doubt her.
knew, whatever the character of those
with whom she had been associated.
hat she, at least, was innocent--an un-
Milling tool in their hands. / told her,
therefore, in as few words as possible,
rho was, and tried first of all, to thank
,er for what she had done for me, while
le was kind enough to express pleasure
u learning of my escape. / then went
n to beg of her that, if she were Il.
rouble, as / felt that she was, to let me
elp her. / explained without reserve.
nv connection with the House With
ireen Blinds, and all hoped to accom-
lish with the knowledge had concern
ng it. She listened quietly while L told
er, and / s;~, n look of wistfulncss, of
bnging, of resolve, grow in her great
ark eyes. Finally it came.
II will tell you what | know" she
nd; and there were tears in her voice
lough her eyes We're dry. "There is
% other course. had no hope of doing
hything, but now you may be able to
b what | cannot" And she told me
he following:
Her name was Cutting, and with her
ther-a widower-she lived at p.
he winter before they had spent in
ashington, where, at n reception
ven ut the white house, her father
rst had met Madame of the White
loulders-as | still must call her.
his woman was stranger in the cos
opolitan city, magnificently hand
me woman, part French, part Rus
an and was said to be sister of one
the members of the Russian legation.
err beauty had created sensations;
ISIS Cuttings father had fallen under
spell. Madame seemed to exercise
strange influence over him. lie be-
me strange, moody, irritable. He
ls often absent upon sudden and I'M
planned journeys, from which he re-
rned detected and, apparently,
ghtcned and desperate. The cause
IS Cutting herself had never known
til her own connection with the af-
r began, but few weeks ago. At
at time new aid had been needed by
e gang of which she had since became
gnizant, and she, as one who would
t dare betray her own father, had
ZEN chosen. Since then she had been
Instantly employed as messenger
tween the members of the organiza-
IN whenever messenger had been.
eded.
For some weeks she had known thnn
plot of magnitude had been silently
tching, but in what direction she
aid only conjecture. Her father had
I'm silent and careworn when at
tme, which was rarely. She herself
been dispatched hither and Won. to
ivcr such messages as | had heard,
any time of day or night. She had
dared to rebel, for her fathers
Re. From the messages which were
;essarily conflded to her, she had
rned that the people with whom her
her had become entangled, belonged
large socitey which had members
organizations in many countries.
pm kilograms and cables which she
been required to send (written in
her, OF which she had sbeen
to acquire some knowledge), she
learned that the plot which was
ming in this country was duplicated
many European ones, and that the
summation was near she feared from
hy signs which the designers had
been able to keep from her knowl-
e. Madame of the White Shoulders
here the leading spirit. Her
Their, OF the Russian legation lin the
fription of whom recognized both
man who had given the note to the
senger boy and he who had assisted
xson in his search for me aboat the
y, was her chief assistant. The
2 man, she believed, was Russian