The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-02-12
A NIHILIST MANDATE.

have carried your image in my heart
these long, long years? In what
FOOLS paradise l have lived. And yet
it has been so sweet"
Sobs burst from her throat in wild
torrent. Austen stood with the paper
she had given him still in his hand,
looking. as he felt, terribly agitated.
The memory Of those few months he
had passed in Russia as an attache to
the British embassy returned to him.
He remembered the ambassadors ball,
at which he first met Olga Dobrouloff.
He had fallen in love with the sur
passingly beautiful girl at first sight
or at least, he believed it was love
at that time.
Introduced to her father-her only
living relative-the young Englishman
eventually became the recipient of
Paul Dobrouloff's views concerning his
country; but it was not until Austen
had strongly expressed his own opin-
ion regarding the Russian system OF
government, with all its attendant
evils, that Olgas father boldly avowed
himself Nihilist. Austen applauded
the aims of the society, and was at
length induced to become one of the
brotherhood, taking the oath to aid
them in their secret war against tyran-
NY
Shortly after this the death of a near
l. l, i
been in England but little time when
the conviction grew upon him that his
love for Olga, which he had thought
so all-pervading, was dead. He wrote
to her to this effect, but received no
reply. Perhaps his letter had miscar-
ried. Having no desire to return to
Russia, he had resigned his post there,
and, possessing small competency.
devoted himself to literature with fair
success. Indeed, only two days previ-
Gus to Olga Dobrouloffs visit play
of his had been produced and we'll re-
ceived by the critics.
The silence of the room was broken
only by the ticking of the clock and
the sobs of the kneeling woman. The
latter grew fainter after while, and
Austen was thinking he might ap
proach and offer some words of COM
fort, when, with quick movement
Olga rose to her feet. Her eyes were
swollen with weeping, but the express
sion of her face was calm.
chiefs?"
Il accept my fate" she said, "and l
will not trouble you again. You refuse
to execute the orders of the Nihilist
Undoubtedly. | will not commit
murder"
Ivan Bronski is traitor--a dog un-
fit to breathe Gods pure air. 1t is not
murder to take the life of such as he.
He revealed plot which would have
struck gigantic blow for Russian
freedom, and betrayed my father, who
is sentenced to a living death in the
Siberian mines-he and his fellowmar-
tyrs. By good fortune | succeeded in
escaping arrest. 1t was known that
Bronski had fed to England. He had
merited death, and the lot fell to you
among our brothers in this country to
wreak vengeance upon the traitor.
begged to be allowed to carry the de-
cision of the chiefs to you, but on my
arrival in London none of our frater-
| nifty could tell me where to find Cecil
| Austen. BY chance | was present al
| the first performance Of your play, rec
ognized you when you were called be-
fore the curtain and followed you tc
this place.
II have kept your identity secre
from our friends, because my instinc
told ma it would be for your good
Your reputation of me is not unex
pected, Cecil. Your six years silence
could only mean that you were tired 0
me- Nevertheless, it was a shock tt
hear the truth fro your own lips. AM
you still refuse to be true'to your oatl
as a Nihilist?'
81 am no longer Nihilist, howeve
much may sympathize with the Nihi
listic aims. TO ask me to commi
murder is revolving.
"The chiefs punish with death thos
who do as you are doing"
81 have no fear Of them
She said nothing for some minutes