The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-05-01
Night came. A brilliant BAH was in

Night came. A brilliant ball was in
progress. The Baroness had never
looked so lovely. In the prime Of her
womanhood. her figure was displayed
to the greatest advantage in evening
dress. I looked around me. Pfcsh,
Dakoutsk, Phloblosh and Chenkamin-
all were there. The gathering was
~honeycombed with the nihilistic ele-
ment.
I felt my hand suddenly grasped,
and turning around was confronted by
-Gurloff. He was without disguise Of
any kind. ! regarded him with wonder
ment. The second in command Of the
secret police, he must be well known
to these people.
l had the fourth dance with the Bar
oness Woronsko. 1t was marked a
waltz on my programme. She danced
superbly. l myself understand the
divine art. As to the strains of en-
chanting music we f1oated down the
long nAll-room, l could not but wish
Petersburg. 1t went hard with me to
betray that splendid creature. am a
Frenchman, and l have to confess that
she affected me powerfully.
The music ceased. and she led me
into a conservatory. We were hardly
seated when she spoke and said:
81 am the inc chosen to instruct you
by our circle. Tomorrow you will be
presented to the Emperor. Being a
foreigner, he will extend to you the
royal hand, as is his CUSTOM"
She paused and glanced n%ervously
around. Quitting my side for a mo-
ment, she parted the thick shrubbery
and peered out through the glass into
the darkness.
Il thought 1 heard a sound in the
garden" she said.
| know it was the noise occasioned
by Pierre Chauffaud and the men with
him in scaling the wall surrounding the
grounds.
20, it is nothing" I said, but feeling
all the time very much like q villain.
"Do notsbe alarmed"
She returned. seated herself by my
side, and RESUMED:
You have.been chosen by our circle
to rid the world of this tyrant. Take
this ring. No do not place it on your
hand yet. Its touch is death. ifyou are
not extremely careful. Keep it in it's
case, and just before you are admitted
to the audience, place it on your finger.
The slightest contraction Of your
fingers will pierce the hand you hold
with q small. hollow needle. Retain
the Cars hand in your own, respect
fully. for a moment. During that brief
interval you can inject into his palm a
deadly poison. Its action is sufficiently
slow to afford you ample opportunity
to make your escape"
Horror stricken, I gazed upon the
deadly ring. To my anazement, it
was an exact counterpart Of the ring in
the photograph.
Whose ring is this?" 1 gasped,
recoiling from her. Could she be a
murderessp
The ring was GurloG's," she an
swered. in a low tone. ut was suited
to the purpose. and he contributed it
to the cause. 1t was fitted as you see
it now by the Hungarian, Rudolph
Pfesh."
l saw it all now. Gurloff had him
self murdered his chief at the order
of the circle, and had sent to Paris for
a detective, thinking to thus divert
suspicion by apparently taking extra
ordinary pains to discover the per
petrator of the crime.
A sudden look of terror passed owe
the face of the Baroness. | saw at
once that | had done something or let
fall some exclamation to arouse her
suspicious, or had Gurlof discovered
me to her and was she simply Turing
me on. If the latter, she had repented
early Of playing with the fire. With a
swift movement she passed me, and
standing for a moment in the door OF
the conservatory uttered a peculiar
cry. In ar instant a crowd of desper-
ate men gathered in the doorway, fore
most among them Gurloff.
You thought to learn all our secrets
and betray u.s. Kissed Gurloff. point,
ing his finger at me. He is q
~mouchard, gentlemen. Seize him.
Your lives depend upon it."
The crowd dashed forward, at their
head the murderer of Pelaufski.
Down with the mouchard!' they
yelled, and a dozen hands were on my
throat.
Crash! Bang! ThudH!' Pierre
Chaulfaud and his men were breaking
nto the conservatory from the outside.
The next moment the crowd scattered
like chaf, but | never relaxed my hold
On Gurlof's throat. He was beaten al.
most into insensibility and secured.
Two weeks afterwards he was ar
raigned for the murder of Chief
Pelaufski and convicted on purely cir
cu,nstantial evidence. The twisted
ring was proved to be his property,
and was in his possession on the night
of the commission of the cSme. The
impression Of the thumb Of his right
hand exactly correspondent with the
wax impression taken from the deac
mans throat. He suffered death or
the scaffold. g
Tae Baroness. Pfesh and many mem
bers of the circle were exiled to the
gold mines of Kara. The ring witt
which it had been proposed to murder
tho Gar was sent for by that dignitary,
He caused the poison to be injected in
to the paw of a hound, aud the ANNA
died i'll great agony. Then the ruler
of all the RussiAs sent for vie.
You are u French detective?" d.
Eyes. SIRE