The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-01
THE benson REVIEW. FRlDAY. JUNE / 900

next. Turning to the wall behind her,
she saw that another hole had been
bored in similar position through to
room B. The car had been pretty thor
oughly prepared for the work in hand,
and Jennie laughed softly to herself as
she pictured the discontinue of the con-
spirators. The train was now rushing
through the suburbs of st. Petersburg,
and Jennie was startled by hearing an
other voice say in French:
Conductor, have room A. Which
end of the car is that?'
This way, excellency," said the con-
ductor. Every one seemed to be sex
cellency'' with him.
A moment later Jennie, who had
again risen to her feet, Mortified to
know that after all the messenger had
come, heard the door Of his room click
She stood there for few moments tense
with excitement, then berhought her
self of the hole between her present
compartment and the one she had re-
Gently left She sprang up on the seat
and, placing her eye with some caution
at the hole, peered through. First she
thought the compartment was empty.
Then she noticed there had been placed
at the end by the window huge cylin-
der that reached nearly to the ceiling of
the room. The lamp above was burning
brightly, and she could see every detail
of the compartment except toward the
floor. AS she gazed a man s back slowly
rose He appeared to have been kneel-
ing on the floor, and he held in his hand
the loop of rubber tube. Peering
downward, she saw that it was con-
/, nected with the cylinder and that it
was undoubtedly pouring whatever gas
the cylinder contained through the hole
into room A. For moment she had
difficulty in repressing a shrek, but
realizing how perfectly helpless she was,
even if she gave the alarm, she repressed
all exclamation. She saw that the man
who was regulating the escape of gas
was not the one who had spoken to the
conductor. Then, fearing that he might
turn his head and see her eye at the
small aperture, she reached up and COW
cred her lamp, leaving her own room in
complete darkness. The double covering
which closed over the semiglobular
lamp like an eyelid, kept every ray of
light from penetrating into the COM
partment.
AS Jennie turned to her espionage
again she heard blow given to the
door in room A that made it clatter.
Then there was sound of heavy fall
on the floor. The door of room B was
flung open, the head of the first Russian
was thrust in, and he spoke in his own
language single gruff word. His as
sistant then turned the cock and shut
off the gas from the cylinder. The door
of room B was instantly shut again,
and Jennie heard the rattle of the keys
as room A was being unlocked.
Jennie jumped down from her perch,
: threw off her hat, and with as little
noise as she could slid her door back ar
inch or two. The conductor had un
locked the door of room A, the tai
Russian standing beside him saying II
whisper:
"Never mind the mani He'll come t.
the moment you open the door and win
dow Get the box! Hold your nose will
your fingers and keep your mouth shut
There it is-that black box in the cor
ner. 7"
The conductor made dive into thu
room and came out with an ordinar,
black dispatch box. The policeman
seemed well provided with the material
for his burglarious purpose. He selected
a key from jingling bunch, tried it
selected another, then third, and tn
lid of the dispatch box was throw
back. He took out letter SO exactl.
the duplicate of the one Jennie ha'
that she clutched her own document t
see if it were in its place. The Russian
put the envelope between his knees an
proceeded to lock the box. His imagina
ton had not gone to any such refine