San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-24
by night, |hat do you say, Phil?"
Splendid, f." rejoined his friend.

Ivan shrugged his shoulders, gave an
order to a servant who answered the
bell, and in ten minutes the sleigh was
again at the door.
They drove for miles through the
dimly lighted streets, finally passing
ont ON the frozen Neca and speeding
far down toward the gulf of Finland ON
the smooth crust
As they were returning through one
of the spacious streets leading into the
Nevskoi Prospekt man in fur coat and
cap emerged from the portal OF a bril-
liantly lighted mansion. The rays from
lamppost close by showed Maurice a
strangely familiar face.
''Is not that my uncle" he exclaim-
ed, THAT man with the heavy coat?"
Ivan Tambor turned quickly in the
direction Maurice indicated, but the
man had already vanished in the shad-
ows.
His excellency is in Moscow" he
said. There may have been a resem-
blance, nothing more. :"
Maurice was readily satisfied with
this explanation, but an hour later, as
he tossed sleeplessly on his bed, he
wondered vaguely whether that could
have been Vladimir Saradoff or not.
The features were very like those of
his uncle, he felt sure.
Puzzling over this and various other
incidents Of his brief visit, lie fell
asleep.
The boys were awakened early, and
I after hasty breakfast, eaten by the
light of huge bronze lamps, Ivan an
nounCed that the sleigh was waiting to
convey them to the station. At his re-
quest the boys handed him their pass
ports.
He refused to accept any money for
the railway tickets.
His excellency your uncle has given
me instructions, he said quietly. Dis
tress yourself about nothing"
St. Petersburg was silent as the grave
when they drove away from Vladimir
Saradoff's mansion.
As the more central parts of the city
were reached some activity was noticed,
and at the railway station all was hur-
ry and excitement.
at is ii hours to Moscow" said
Ivan. "You will want sleeping apart
ments. Stay here while l get the tick
| cts. "
In the brief period that he was gone
Maurice found time to examine the card
given him the day before by the Rus
sian officer. He read it aloud, Colonel
Alexis Jaroslav, st. Petersburg.
"Pn rut that. away Safely, he said
to his companion. - may meet the
colonel some day after our return from
Moscow.
Little did Maurice think under what
circumstances he and Colonel Jaroslav
would next meet,
He had barely time to replace the
card in the inner pocket Of his vest
when Ivan came hurrying back with
the tickets, and in 90 minutes they
were rafting over the frozen land to-
ward the distant city Of Moscow.
The sleeping apartments were quite
as comfortable as those on American
railways, and the boys slept undisturb-
ed until long past noon. Then they took
their places by the window, eager to
see the country they were travelling
through. The landscape was fat and
monotonous, relieved at long intervals
by struggling villages and occasional
lonely dive llings. Thus the afternoon
wore on, and the short day came to an
end.
Shortly after dark Ivan gave the boys
their passports, which they placed in
their pockets without examining.
81 have had them properly stamped, "
he exclaimed. "Thus you will have no
delay at Moscow. p"
"How near are we to the city," ask
ed Maurice.
Half an hour ride, " was the reply,
and after piling the boys baggage on
seat in front of them Ivan entered 9
rear car.
''It is difficult to believe that we are
really approaching Moscow, sale
Maurice. 81 feel quite reconciled al
ready to leaving st. Petersburg. "
GIVE been thinking about Napoleon
and the terrible retreat of his army all
the afternoon, said Phil. 81 wonder
/ if any traces still remain of the great
fire."
Suddenly the train slowed up and
then stopped abruptly with little jerk.
Looking out of the window, the boys
saw a stretch of trodden snow, and the
feeble glow from a couple of lampposts
shone on a little group of gendarlhe Off
GERS, with white caps ornamented with
crimson cocliades, and half a dozen
mounted Cossacks in the background,
with their dull green uniforms.
"Why, this is not Moscow, " exclalm-
ed Maurice. "There are no houses III
sight. Why have we stopped, and what
is going on?"
The other passengers in the car, hall
| a dozen in number, flocked curlously
to the WINDOW. At that instant the door
was throw open, and grave, stern
J faced man in heavy military cloak and
cap strobe in, followed by half dozen
gendarmes who carried drawn swords.
The passengers, divining only toe