Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-04-13

A1A wv
aernpe1s me- n, a fate l s~hadiered 10
think ~. But il wss useless 20 think
az what might haye been. ! threw nay
salf one. more on my hard bed. and
f,rfore | knew il 1 was fast ashep-
The SNOW came with the morning.
and il SON hecaE1e evident tnaf
EreBe-s e-xI~etaticn was TO he frsnilea.
Thsre was nothing 10 be los4 10y a
snort Delay. AMI ahe Prince declael
that / might rsnaain where | .zs u11ii
the weather moderated and tine roaas
werr Faure 1t for travelling.
Three-fOu- DAYS went by- and the
Weather had become bright and clear.
The nights FIRST had made the roaas
hard. ard there was nothing 10 delay
our departure All this time ! had
heard nothing from Irene. / WAS sure
that she would strain every nerve 10
10 something for Hy release. but /
auis~ understood that she might not De
all,s 10 effect anything. and | was re-
signed 10 tie tb0ughf that I must be
taken 10 81 Petersburg: and there. 1
n Selvasl. | would make the best hghf
L could TO persuade my judges that l
Rad nothing to 80 with the COMMITTEES
Of Public safety.
There had been a runner in the ya-
iage. Serge told me. that one or two
suspicious fean-ers had been seen ia
the neF Enl,0rboOd: end | thought y pos
sibse that the Prince was waiting 70
ind out who 1hpy were before leaving
home. But IL 80. he resolved 10 vail
no longer. ON the morning % the
fourrh day of ny Imprisonment l had
a - - ~An+4.V1 - ma avail h2
told me that fae Prime was going 10
-. Petersburg along with me. though,
of conrse. nor IN THE same sledge. and
that he would have started thar morn
inS. If he lad not been detained by
some unexpected business.
As l was eating my midday meat
that dav. the small loaf that had been
sent mp 10 me broke In two somewhat
easily. and. 10 my surprise and JOY |
saw y bit Of paper. folded several
times. in 3 cavity in the middle Of the
bread Irene had taken this wen
known plaza Of sending me- q note with
eut the knowledge Of the gaoler.
With trembling fingers l unfolded IL,
and this is wha: | read
MY father s. going out this after
nDcn. and / ana going 10 make an effort
20 brihe your new guardian 10 leave
the door Of your room and the door 81
tie foot of the stairs open for q few
moments after : O'clock. liz viii then
be dark, or nearly 20. IL ! sneree-i ia
persuading him 10 10 this, ] viii leave
some sheepskin clpTheS. such as the
peasants wear at the foot Of the
stairs This is all / can do for Won. l
would DO Hr0re-I would shed the last
drop Of my blood to sa-e You You
know that. do you not DEAREST /
have tried 10 speak for you To my IA
Their. but lie flies into a dreafal pas
SIGN If yoHr name is mentioned can
do nothing with hira. But this new al
tempt may succeed. If ii does ] may
foT-lve myself fer having detained
you that other time. Farewell. ms
lOve. and have courage. Irene.
Little need 20 tell me 10 have eOur-
age. The HOOD c,ursed through my
veins Ike a Hood Of fire / felt as if.
once outside these walls. / could de-
fead myself against m army
Slowly. a. il rhe minutes were hours.
the time went by. and 81 last darkness
fen upon the Snowzvyere-i landscape.
My ears were on the alert and just as
the twilight was changing into night.
/ heard the key softly turn Ia the lock
Of my door.
For q minute / sa1 perfectly still 10
give the man who had Just set me free
time 10 get ou OF the war. Then I
ran lightly down the stairs and out
into the corridor. No Was visible,
ard there were no clothes lying about.
Either Irene had been unable 20 pro-
cure what she wanted. or had been
prevented from placing them where I
could fiusi them However. | did not
feel al all sure thar / could ~pe-sonate
a Russian peasant 50 as TO escape de-
lection. and did not much regret the
less.
l made NY way quickly thrgreh the
corridors, with which IF courSe. l WAS
perfectly familiar. and ~sncgee4lea in
gaining the o3en air without being
seen hy anyone. / eoulG not help
thinking thar the man whom Irene had
l4r.iasi had slnoothed my way Ia this
matter. also.
How swee7 fise keen wind was.
blewin. en my cheek. As --a as |
vas beyond the immediate neighh.or-
hood of Tire Castle l broke into a run.
Mr. Intention Was To gain the road 10
NiReroSk and lose myself In the i'm
naeIlse country thar lay beyond: for I
knew that u make straight for the
frontier would be madness.
| was StiE in the park. but not far
from the main venue that led To the
Castle from the high .road. when |
beard the jingle 81 sle3ge bells. Think
ing II must be- the sletlse OF the Prince
returning 10 the Castle. l stood stoek-
siiH- TIL | could hear them no more.
Then ! stepped cut cautiously and
gained The avenue.
The great solemn pines made the
way 80 dark. that had IL not been for
the saow | rsuM not have seen 3 step
az llse way. As il was. l could see bur
> very little way ia front Of me.
went "a cautiously. TIL | coulf bear
the delay no longer. and. thinking
there might be safety in sEeei l broke
into q run
There was DO lcslge NJ the gate l was
making fer. ! knew very well
reached the gates They were stand
ing wide open. and | dashed through
between them. Into the highway. and
ran into $ man whose footsteps on the
snow | had not heard. nearly knock
iF- him down.