Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-11-29

| NeSleTOf was leTTIUly ulSluiUSu. hS
paced to and fro in the police Office, and
his face did not regain its color. He
was playing for high stake-the high
est stake-playipg for his life-and the
game seemed lost.
Jansky sent for Itzig. and he came be
fore them.
"You went to sleep last night" thun
dered Jansky, whose theory was that
to obtain the truth from culprit you
must terrify him at the start.
81 swear did not, your excellency?'
replied Itzig, shivering In terror.
"You lie! went in the guardroom,
and you were asleep. | found there q
portion of a bottle Of wine. Who gave
you that?"
81! A bottle of wine! l never tasted
wine in my life. Brandy and vodka,
plenty, but wine-I am too poor"
"Oh, you did not buy this wine. Some
one at the fete gave 1t to you. Who
was It"
II know not! swear l know not
who put the wine in my room"
"You are lying. A tray was also
there, with dishes. You had your feast
and got drunk. Who brought the stuff
to you"
81 swear no one. If there was a
feast, 1t was some one else's."
"How could any one else eat there
and you not know It."
| T&,trv ho xyoo Loot
81 may have-perhaps l slept mo-
ment."
"A moment! You slept hours, and
the prisoners you were guarding have
escaped"
"Impossible| gasped Itzig, almost
sinking through the floor.
Enough of this" said Neslerov.
"ltzIg Is here. and If he has permitted
the men to escape he can be punished
any time. We are wasting precious
moments. Let us get down to the dun.
geons and find them"
Jansky took pistol, and so did Ne
slerov. They went to the guardroom.
Jansky took the lantern and opened
the door and iron gate. He led the
way. Neslerov and Itzig following.
"See? He has gone." said Jansky.
| pointing to the chains.
care you certain this is the room"
Certain? As am alive"
"Then for the other, and keep
watch. They are not armed. but re-
member Paulpoff's strength. and the
other is no pygmy."
Again Jansky led the way. he did
not tell Neslerov he had not been to
visit Vladimir. In his agitation at
finding the American gone he had as
sumed, Of course. that If one could es-
cape both could. Reaching an obscure
corner, toward which Denton had not
CHANGED to 60 in his search, they found
another stairway leading downward.
This short fight brought them to q
horrible place-more horrible than the
one where Denton had been chained.
This was q dungeon made cold and
damp by the water that stood two
inches deep on the floor, and In which
blind reptiles that had never seen any
brighter place crawled around IN the
Shiny ooze. Long strings OF rotten
moss hung from the walls. Here, IN
this noisome and terrible place, was
Vladimir, chained in the same manner
as Denton had been.
81 thought you said he had gone too!
exclaimed Neslerov, flood or nope
and courage showing in his voice.
81 thought so. In my excitement l
believed both had gone, but II one is
here the other must be. We Will
search the dungeons"
They did not speak to Vladimir, who
was suffering awful tortures, but turn
ed and ascended to the upper floor.
Here, winding and turning among the
passages, they crept stealthily-three
armed men searching for one man who
was unarmed, yet fearing that the one
might leap upon them and slay them as
they walked. But they did not find
the American and returned crestfallen
to the office Of the superintendent OF
police.
THAT man did not set himself free"
said Neslerov. "SOme one who knows
my secret has done this. Olga is here
Who else but Olga could do the thingT'
"Did the Princess Olga come to you
during the ball? Jansky suddenly ask
ed Itzig. "Was 1t the princess who
gave you that winew
The pallor of the mans face gave
Jansky his answer.
"Heavensw he exclaimed. "The wine
must have been drugged! 1t was olga
who set him free"
"Then we must act with extreme eau
ton, for II she knows this much she
will ruin me. For short time we must
act as II we did not know the Ameri-
can had escaped. But you and Unsge-
thop must find him-fnd him-before
he gets out Of Tomsk. Then, with him
again in our grasp. l will deal with
Olga. Fool, to put her strength against
mine, and in Tomsk"
what about Vladimir" asked jan
sky.
Leave him alone. Let him starve!
He can do no harm"
Jansky went quickly to work. Uns'
gethop. upon whom he depended most,
had gone to another place In the dis
charge Of his duty. Jansky made sew
eral fruitless journeys during the day,
but no trace of the American could be
find.
Olga. when. late in the day, she join
ed the governor, noticed the studied
calm and the steely glitter Of his eye.
j She knew he had discovered the escape