Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-12-24

and you We're asleep. l found there q
portion of a bottle of wine Who gave
| you that?"
| 81! A bottle of wine! 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 it to you. Who
was it?
81 know not! swear know not
who put the wine in my room!"
"Iou 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, it was some one else's."
How could any one else eat there
and you not know it?'
Itzig saw he was lost.
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.
"Itzig 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
sleroy. 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.
"Are you certain this is the room"
| Certain? AS am alive"
"Then for the other, and keep a
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 II one could es-
cape both could. Reaching an obscure
corner. toward which Denton had not
CHANGED te go in his search, they found
another stairway leading downward
This short flight brought them to n
horrible place-more horrible than the
one where Denton had been chained.
This was a 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 toop'
exclaimed Nesleroy, n flood of hope
and courage showing in his voice.
II thought SO. In my excitement
believed both had gone, but If 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 assembled to the upper floor.
Here, winding and turning among the
passages, they crept stealthily-thre
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 Nesleroy. "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 ballY Jansky suddenly ask
ed Itzig. WAS it the princess who
gave you that wine?"
The pallor of the mans face gave
Jansky his answer.
"Heavens!" he exclaimed. 1.-THE wine
must have been drugged! 1t was Olga
who set him free!"
''Then we must act with extreme eau.
ton, for If she knows this much she
will ruin me. For Il short time we must
act as If 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, 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 he
find.
Olga, when, late in the day, she join
ed the governor, noticed the studied
calm and the steely glitter Of his eye
She knew he had discovered the escape
of Denton, but the resolute girl did moi
fear him. She merely nerved herself
to finish the work she had set herself
to do. She had frequent errands thai
took her near the office of the superin
tendent of police, and she kept her earl
alert to catch the slightest whisper.
1t was evening when she went for thu
seventh time, and loud voices came
from the superintendent office. So ex
cited were the speakers that they dit
not realize that their voices reached
into the hall.
II tell you 1t is SOP said the voice O
Unsgethop, who had returned and VIII,
seemed to be angry. Flow was t,
know that .a,man could escape from tn