Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-03-02

|: THE BLACK TERROR 5
e a Romance of Russia. =
. by JOHN X. LEYS. &
% &
BY JOHN X. LEYS.


IA capital idea,' cried Won Mitsch-
ka. And remember, General, that we
depend on your friends to give Ia the
earliest information possible as TO the
vessel chosen. TX ma be the yacht.
after all. j think we had better send
word to Oristovitch that he must keep
an un~der-steward's place vacant till
the last moment. and be ready TO rec
ommend a member Of the Society
whom we VIII depute TO ill IT,"
How viii YOU manage that asked
General S~layianski.
"Oh. easily enough. They are sure
TO want several extra under stewards.
as the Gar will have a large suite
with him. 0ristoyitch is well known
10 the captain OF the Alexandra; and
any man he recommends is pretty sure
TO be taken on
There was a long pause. during
which the General left MS and went on
deck. while the other two conspirators
continued TO converse In an undertone.
II confess l don't gee how Ii is TO he
done in that way without the Doctors
help" | heard Won Mitschka say.
Il suppose it would be impossible TO
get Petroyski to take the place of the
SUI rfoiA VII ~ . liz
dwarf.
Won Mitschka shook his head. even
X il We're practicable, which it is not
said he. lit would be unfair 10 Petroy.
ski. who will incur risk enough as it
Is"
The Spaniard lit a cigarette, and we
followed his example. For some time
the three Of us smoked in silence.
sT pao r1vhsr,ar .an H. bA,.I Fn.
from MaurierT' asked the dwarf.
'"The valet? Not much. Butt If he is
properly paid, he will turn away his
head at the proper moment, so long as
he can do so in a way that will stand
after-inyestigg-tion. 1t Is a pity he got
such a fright oyer that affair of the
letter found on the Cars dressing la
BILE
"Yes. You know I always thought
that letter a mistake. But cannot
always have ones own way"
mo. And on the whole. we have
been wonderfully successful"
SAY completely successful, rather.
50 far as we have gone. 1t only needs
that this final coup shall be well man
aged, and IL plot viii live in history
as the most daring. and the most fer
tile in good results. that V e issued
from the brain If a patriot"
The sentiment, or rather the express
ion of ii, was contemplate, but the
man who uttered il was not contempt
ible. 1t was impossible TO look in the
face of the hunchback,' glowing as if
inspired by IN inward fire, and despise
him. A self-deceiver he might be, n
dangerous man. a potential murderer,
one to be kept under loek and key for
the safety Of mankind: but the enthu-
siasm that burned in his moGrnful
brown eyes lifted him to a height hr
above the common criminal or the self
ish plotter.
Yours is a grand task" he observed,
turning TO me.
| shrugged my shoulders. sit de-
ponds on the point of view from which
you regard IT," / said. coolly.
Il don't think the most lax Of moral
lists would approve that principle
said the hunchback. with a smile.
Perhaps not; but If there was ever
=. case I'm which the principle that the
end iustifies the means did apply. |
should say 1t was in this case. But do
not misunderstood me. I do not be-
long to your Society. and / have only a
qualified sympathy-with it's methods,
at all events. / know nothing Of its
secrets. except in matters concerning
this special business. which I have UNI
dertaken under certain conditions. All
/ can cay is that / hope to carry out
honestly my part Of the contract. |
mean nothing offensive i'm what | say,
bnt it is wen Il have things plain ut
tile outset
Both Won Misschka and his compan-
ion answered that they quite under
stood my position. and that what /
said was just and reasonable. Then.
prudence getting the better of my curt
osity. / left the cabin. As | WAS pass
ing along to the foot Of the companion
way. / heard Won Mitschka say to the
hunchback: ''Then. there is nothing to
delay our s%tarting?'
Nothing whatever" was the reply:
and preparations were Mt once made
for the return voyage. Within half an
hour | and my pos eSsions were trans
ferred 10 the Narka. and i'm another
hour we We're rushing through the wa
ter with the speed OF a fish. bound for
the Baltic.
Towards sunset, ON the second day
OF the voyage, we drew near the land:
and | noticed that two or three of the
sailors had changed their cans and Ter
seys with the name Narka worked on
them for others which bore the name
Sea Nymrh. Sagrari explained to
me that they made n point Of sending n
party ashore n few miles from u tele-
graph Office. each time the Yacht re-
turned to st. Petersburg. fer telecrams
that might have arrive! from Russia
since they left the Neva. Names OF
imagirary yachts We're arranged be-
forehand. ore fer every VOYAGE. and
clothing for the crew provided TO cor
respond with IT,. In This way warning
might be given that II was %dangerone,
to return 10 the Russian capital: or an,
necessary message might be transmit
ted.
As I expected no letters or tele-
grams. the matter did pot concern me.
| retired TO my bunk with n novel. for
there was n better library On board the
Narka than there WAS or the old S,i-
sannah. And il was then. / remem.
Der. that ] noticed that not only the
door but the walls OF the tiny cabin 7
occupied were lined with sheet-iron.
painted to represent satin-wood.
We arrived mt ST. Petersburg after n
pasSavq of marvellous ranid,fv. a,a