The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1901-07-13
THE GUNMAKER
OF MOSCOW.
~
BY
SYLvANUS COBB, JR.

N OF you ere | can have her hand
lad now do you think I'll give it
no easily? BY the saints OF heay-
/.E,I'll have your name to this or
III have your lifew
'Now your tongue runs away
VIII you, sir count. have given
you my answer BE sure that only
one man on earth can prevail upon
De to place my name upon that pa
pr"
1And who is he?"
Il mean the emperor"
'But you will sign it ~ Kissed Da-
nOnof, turning pale with rage.
Here it is-signl If you would live
-4ign~
perhaps he cannot write" sug-
rsted Urzen contemptuously.
"Then he may make his mark"
ejoined the count in the same con-
fmptuous tone.
might not require much more
10 induce me TO make my
kaiKin a manner not at all agree
able to you, sir" the youth return
ed, with his teeth now set and the
dark veins upon his brow starting
more plainly out. "You have come
upon my premises, and you have
sought your purpose. You now
have your answer, and for your own
sake, for my sake, l beg you to
| leave me-"
"Not until your name is upon
this paperw cried Damonof, shak-
ing the missive furiously and crum-
ping it in his hand.
care you mad, sir count? Do
[ you think me a fool?"
/ cave, consummate one"
"Then," returned Ruric, with
curl Of utter contempt upon his
finely chiseled lip, "you need have
no further dealings with me. There
is my door, sir"
For some moments Conrad Da-
nonoff seemed unable to speak from
yery anger. He had surely some
deep, anxious purpose in obtaining
Ruric's name 70 that paper, and to
Be thus thwarted by common arti-
nn was maddening to one who
based all his force of character upon
his title.
"Sign" he Kissed.
"Fooll" uttered Ruric, unable
~ to contain himself in view Of
s~stupid persistence. 'Do you
seek a quarrel with me z"
Seek? / seek what l viii have.
Will you sign"
"Once more-now
"Then, by heavens, you shall
know what it is to thwart such as
mel HQw's that"
As these words passed from the
eount's lips in low, Kissing whs-
per he aimed a blow with his fist
at Ruric's head. The gunmaker
had not dreamed of such bastard
act, and he was not prepared for
it, yet he lodged it sufficiently to es-
cape the mark upon his face, receiy-
J inq the blow lightly upon the side
Of his head. But he stopped not 70
consider now. AS the count drew
back Ruric dealt him a blow upon
the brow that felled him TO the floor
like a dead OK. ~'e''~-
'Beware, Stephen Urzen" he
whispered to the counts companion
as that individual made movement
as though he would come forward.
81 am not myself now, and you are
safest where you are
The man thus addressed viewed
4 the gunmaker a few moments, and
he seemed to conclude that he had
better avoid a personal encounter,
for his fists relaxed and he moved
n tolhe side of his fallen friend and
"a ted him to his feet.
conrad Damonoff gazed into his
antagonists face few moments in
silence. His face was ashen pale,
and his whole frame quiyered. Up
on his forehead there was a hvid
spot where he had been struck, but
the skin was not broken.
sRuric Newell" he said in a hiss
ing. maddening tone, "you will hear
from mel The mad spirit of a
vengeance such as mine cannot be
trihed with"
And with this he turned away.
ePaul," said the gunmaker, turn
ing to his boy after the men had
gone away, "not a word of this to
my mother. Be sure"
CHAPTER III.
LOVE.
TIL ,,,rbt p,,rio Navel had