Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-30
CHAPTER XIV.
OUT OF THE CHAINS.

ut once.
Not only was she lost. but there was
a certainty that IL she was rescued she
would also be discovered in this ac;
against the rule Of Neslerov. Powerful,
as was her family. she was now abso.
lutely at the mercy Of the governor OF
Tomsk. whom she knew to be merci'
less. Who could ever know that Prin-
cess Olga, the rich and beautiful Nesle-
row, died in the dungeons under her
cousins palace?
To her vivid ina gination already the
horrors Of starvation doomed up. To
lie in that cold, dark place and suffer
and slowly waste away. to lose her
mind, to rave in madness-all these
thoughts burned into her brain. Then.
looking at poor Thcrese, the girls heart
was stirred with pity.
II am not only suicide, but I am
murderer az WELL" she said. II should
not have induced Therese to come"
Therese stirred.
"Ah, Therese! Good Therese! Speak
to me. will you not?" pleaded the prin-
cess. "You should not have come. 1t
brought you here to die"
81 don't want to diev exclaimed
Therese, sitting upright as though the
word had acted like an electric shock.
Il do not wish to die either; but We
are lost, Therese."
Lost! How can we be lost7 Are
we not under the palace"
hn h,rt
we are nevertheless lost. I have lost
the way. See all these passages? l do
not know by which one we reached this
terrible place"
I'VE seem to be almost at the center.
They cannot all lead to the stairs"
mo. certainly not. And there Is lit
tie chance Of telling which does lead to
the stairs. do not even know in which
direction the stairs lie. We are lost,
Therese. and will perhaps die here OF
starvation"
you must not! You shall notw ex-
claimed Therese. made stronger now
by the evident need Of some one to as
sist the princess. She did not think SO
much Of herself as she did Of Olga.
at hand" said Olga.
The terrible silence acted upon the
shaken nerves Of poor Therese, and
she began to scream Historically.
II will not die! Heaven help US
both: Help! Help! Help!'
The screams of the distracted wom-
an rang in weird echoes through the
caverns.
1.-THE echoes mock me" she cried.
els there no one to help?"
clark" said Olga. Il think I heard
q voice"
"a voice. I heard a thousand Of
them-and they are all my own"
"No, but this was not. 1t was q
mans voice. Wait till call"
The caverns were still.
as there any one here?" rang out
Olga's clear voice. I'VE are lost in tina
passages-two women. Is there any
one here?"
Here, here here" came back the
echoes.
81 am here-a prisoner came an an
swering cry.
-prisoner-isoner" came the
echoes.
"Where are your called Olga.
"You-you-you." echoed the mock.
ing caverns.
II must be near you-the voices sound
not far-follow the sound of my whis-
tie" came louder voice.
Observation-Disclosures" came the trou.
bled echoes.
Immediately there began, not far from
them, the tune of 1.-THE Star Span
gled Banner" Olga knew 1t was an
American tune and instinctively real
ICED that the person who was guiding
them must be the one who had been
trying to solve the mystery Of Graslov
and had been imprisoned by Jansky.
After few moments she managed
to distinguish between the real sound
and the echoes, and began slowly 10
work her way toward it. Therese,
trembling with weakness and terror,
followed.
At last the whistle led her into one
of the passages. and she swung her
dungeon. 1t was not far away, and
the CLEANS of the lantern went through
the door of gloomy cell. The light
fell upon a man chained to the walls.
One chain was around his waist, an
other held his feet, and each arm was
extended and held to the wall by a
smaller but stout chain. These chains
were built into the wall and their ends
locked together.
"Who are you?" asked Olga. why
are you prisoner here?"
"My name is Denton" was the reply.
81 am an American. and my arrest is
an outrage that will not go unpunish-
ed"
ut shall not | promise that, II any
of us ever gets out alive"
"But who are you. and what are you
doing hereT asked Denton.
II am Neslcrov and came to liber-
ate you and Vladimir Paulpoff."
In the light of her lantern she could
see him stare.
you Neslerov. When did you come
to Tomsk?"
1.-Two days ago. The governor Is a
distant relation Of mine. | am here
upon a mission that you will under
stand when | speak-the mystery Of
Graslov."
You are trying, you are seeking
a rnnsiD IF thor Drip M