Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-01-19
from the east. 1t looked as ii it might

Lying there alone, could net but
think of the. strange and doubtful adj
venture on which was bound. did
not so much as know the quarter OF
the globe to which was about to
travel. was about to cut myself off
from the society Of decent people, to
abandon the safeguards which the law
provides for those who travel in the
beaten paths Of life, and cast my lot
with men who were the enemies of So
ciety. and who probably considered
themselves bound by no law human
or Divine. 1t was quite within the
bounds Of possibility that in conse-
quence Of some quarrel. OF some refus-
al on my part to carry out their CON-
and kept in confinement for years. 1
Of men who, by their very position,
must be accustomed to be a law unto
themselves.
Nor had the slightest idea what
was the nature of that service which
the Committee wished me to perform
for them-the service for which l was
to ransom the Prince. Won Mitschka
had told me that it might be called a
crime. or not. according to tho views
Of the speaker. This was as much as
to say that in the eye of the law it
would be a crime. Most likely. L
thought. it would turn out to be some
desperate deed which honor and con-
science would forbid my touching. In
that case the Prince must remain in
prison, and i'll that case the hope of
winning Irene would vanish among
the mists from which it had sprung.
But it would be something to be able
to tell Irene that had seen her father,
and carry q message to her from him.
And here may take the opportunity
Of saying that 1 had strictly adhered to
the injunctions laid on me in the letter
Of instructions l had received from
the Committee, except in one point.
Besides my change of clothing my lit
tie bag held a serviceable revolver and
a score OF two Of cartridges. l scarce
ly thought it was necessary to take
them, especially as l am, for light
weight. pretty good at my fists: but it
was impossible for me to tell what
dangers might be exposed to before
1 found myself in Old England again,
and decided that it would be safer to
have the weapon with me.
I had knocked the ashes out of my
pipe for the second time, and was de-
batting with myself whether should
return to the inn for cup of tea.
when l noticed a. shadow, such as
would be cast by mans head, moving
above the shadow line thrown by the
sand hillocks upon the beach. 1t dis
appeared. and thought no more OF it
till. in surmounting the nearest sand
hill, deserted the figure Of my friend
the mineral water man, stealing Off
across the dunes.
My first thought was that the COM
mercial. having nothing better to 90.
had come in search of me for the sake
of my company. and, having failed to
find me, was now on his way back to
the inn. But then it occurred to ne
that when l saw the shadow of his
head appearing above the shadow cast
by the sand hills. he must have been
able to see over them. 1t was almost
certain that he had observed me, and
lad tried, by stealing Off in the direc-
ton of the inn to conceal the fact that
he had been watching me. The ques-
ton was-had this watching any sre-
cial meaning? In other words. was the
fellow paid spy. or had he been
haunting my steps through mere idle
curiosity?
l can scarcely describe the strange
feeling that came over me as put this
question to myself. l had kept my eX-
periences in Russia, and my present
| enterprise a profound secret from ev-
eryone in England. 1t followed that if
| this man were really shadowing me, he
! had been employed by someone who
| took his instructions from st. Peters
burg. 1t was possible, it was even
probable, that the Russian police had
a spy in the household of Prince Kro
pe1lski. 1t was likely, therefore, that
| they knew that had received a COM
,nunication of some kind from the con-
spirators. They must suspect the
| French valet had suspected him my
! self-and they might easily connect his
visit to the house With my sudden de
/ parture for London. 1t was quite pos
| sible that they had sent instructions
through the Russian embassy to en-
! gage a 1Civate detective to keep IAN
eve on my movements, in case l should
be a link Of communications between
the Nihilists i'll st. Petersburg and
, Their If1enQS III EISlduu. by lVlioW
ing me they might hope to learn who
these friends We're, and where they
We're to be found.
Clearly it would never do to allow
the detective to see me on the pier a
O'Clock in the morning-the time ant
place appointed for my meeting Vol
Mitschka's agent. My first business
must be to discover whether this com
mercial traveller was in truth spy o
not. And it struck me as a suspicious
circumstance that he should come tt
an out-of- the-way voltage like Brier
wick to sell mineral waters.
In order to set my mind at rest abou
this mans true occupation, I walked
rapidly back to the inn, passing hin
on the way, and when I got there
questioned the barn.aid rather closet.
concerning an imaginary friend o
mine, whom l said had expected t
find at the inn.
| then went into the coffee room an
closed the door, as soon as the tigur
Of the traveller appeared on the porcE
, After time he came into the COTE