Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1903-04-10
OTAROFF'S
/. DAUGHTER


God be with you in all your perils. .
The young courier knelt and
swore to protect the life of the czar
with his own, and then he pushed
the curtain aside, leaving the gen.
eral alone.
The evening was fair, cold and
beautiful. AS the general leaned
from the balcony of the palace he
thought what farce this ball was
when his heart was full Of terror
for the czar and all Russia.
In the adjoining room near a
marble pillar stood young girl
covered with magnificent satin and
jewels. Looking at her with flash
ing eyes was a man of about forty,
with coal black hair and cruel ex-
preston.
'Nodine, this must be your
work" She shivered as he spoke,
but Otarolf, the traitor, had no mer-
cy.
"And to it at once" he said.
"What is my task" she asked
MIN, and again she shiyered.
Merely to throw yourself in his
way, and this courier will forget the
czar and all Russia"
81 doubt it." she answered.
"You must not doubt itw he
cried. "Our scheme must go through
this time, and the courier will ar
rive too late. You hear, my beauti-
full daughter?"
"But, father" she said pleading
ly, "you have never used me as de-
coy before. Oh, | beg of you not to
do it now! / cannot do it. I can
not"
"Foolw he Kissed at her. "You
little know your power. With your
beauty you can do anything"
''You are a strange father" she
said slowly, looking at him with no
spark of love in her eyes, 'but |
may prove traitor too. What then,
father?"
He bent his head and whispered
in her ear: '1 will shoot you, my
beautiful queen, so take care. For
the first time tonight | doubt you,
but tits an insane idea. Go into
the ballroom and dance an hour,
then return to your house and pre-
pare for your journey"
She went from him down the
marble steps into the room beyond
and never once looked back. Her
heart was sad and heavy. Many no
ticed the beautiful woman, but
wondered why her face was so
tragic.
1t was about 8 the next night
after the ball when the courier of
the czar arrived at the first post
house and asked for a change of
horses.
"Stop little ?" asked the worthy
postmaster.
"No," answered the courier in a
tone which silenced all other ques-
tions.
81 want horses and nothing else"
The Russian looked with much
admiration on this tall courier and
speedily went for them. With a
clap of the whip the tarantass was
off, and the little Russian was alone,
but not for long. Down the road
he saw another tarantass coming at
breakneck speed. "Ah, perhaps
they will stop" he said to himself.
The little man had to flee for his
life, for the horses dashed on, and
he only caught sight of a very beau
tiful face in a red hood.
A dreadful storm broke upon the
night, and in the darkness a flying
tarantass dashed by the one occu-
pied by the courier. "Some one
else in this dreadful Storm" thought
he. "God help them~ When the
first dawn of day came, the rain
had ceased, and they were almost
past the dangers. In the middle
of the road lay the figure of a wo-
man, and the horses almost ran
over her.
"She is dead" cried the courier
as he laid his hand upon her heart.
"No; she lives. l cannot see a NOR
tai die like this" So, with the help
of the driver, he carried her to the
tarantass and laid her gently down.
There he sat, looking at the girls
pale face and wondering what he
should do with her.
Suddenly she opened her large
dark eyes and gazed into his face.
Her wondrous beauty captivated
him, and he forgot to ask her if
she was hurt. He only gazed and
said nothing.
''You are courier?" she asked
at length.
''No. l am captain of the Four
teenth guards, And you?"
'T am going to meet my father
at Isham," she answered. Her voice
was wonderfully low and sweet, and
he believed all she told him.
They journeyed on together, and
the time sped rapidly away.
At last they reached Isham, and
The girl looked for her father, but
Of course he was not there. She
burst into tears and would not be
consoled. An officer had taken the
last horses an hour before, and our
hero had to wait for his own to rest. /
In the meantime Nodine, for it .
was she, wove subtle charm