Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-03-05
The Secret Dispatch
BY JAMES GRANT

and when Natalie IN the solitude of her
OWN room was abandoned to tears and
unavniling regrets. u trusted messenger
from her brother arrived with n brief
note. written SO systematically that none
save herself could have understood or
dcciphercd IT.: but the spirit of 1t was
briefly this:
"All is arranged for freeing the pris.
oner of y. by Il strategem. a dispatch
That may counteract. IL not battle, our
plans. and fatally compromise us all. has
been sent by old Weymarn to st. Peters
burg. know not who the bearer il:
but be assured Of this, he will never
reach II alive. We have set rodutchkine
on his track. and he, worthy Livoninn,
for two hundred rubles, would skin his
own father alive"
After reading this pleasant epistle. lit
tie wonder Is 1t that Natalie was found
by Mariolizza. us the twilight dcepened.
half senselcss upon her bed, cold, In
tears, and utterly miserable.
CHAPTER VII.
A lover has occasionally been likened
to Il fool. ny being n man possessed by
one idea. This was certainly somewhat
Of poor Charlie Balgonie's state Of mind
He saw only the dark eyes. the half
dropped lips. and the farewell glance Of
Natalie; No full Of hidden and tender
meaning; and while thinking Of her and
Of her last words and promises, their mu.
tual hopes Of the future. based almost
entirely upon Basil, he fell an easy prey
TO the plans and schemes Of the willy
Corporal Podatchkine. who saw only his
anticipated two hundred silver rubles;
and who. knowing the country as well rs
II 1t had been every acre. rood and verst
his own property. led him OIL and on he
knew not where: but. at all events. two
hours after they should have met the
caravan. they found themselves. to all
appearances. lost In q dense forest Of
dark pine trees.
Failing the caravan. having now pro-
cecded. as he believed. some twenty
miles or 80. Bnlgonie had thoughts Of
passing the night mt the house Of n
friend Of Mierowitz, a country gentleman
Of whom he had been told by Mariolixxa.
who laugl,ingly assured him that this
parsonage was "A fine Russian gentleman
Of the old school. who beat his wife reg
ularly every Thursday and Saturday with
u whip Of thongs" and was seldom sober.
In short, though he knew II not, Bal
gonie had been for the last two hours
riding merely In wide circle and, by
the careful guidance Of Podatchkine. was
now not many miles from the hut Of the
gypsy woodman, Nicholas Paulovitch;
and. consequently, he was much nearer
the Castle Of Louga than he had the least
idea Of.
well, Michail," snid he, In reply TO
some remark In which the corporal urged
that they should proceed. I'VE have miss.
ed the sugar caravan, and cannot dis.
cover the residence Of the gentleman
spoke Of, 10 l am rather provoked at
YOU"
"Oh. excellency. who can withstand
destinyT whined the fellow, using an
old Russian proverb.
Shortly afterward the wood opened a
little, red light appeared. and they ap-
preached the cottage Of Nicholas Paulo.
witch, the half-breed.
TITS the cottage Of a man I know.
Here. excellency, We can pass the night"
said POdatchkine. leaping from his horse
and dutifully taking Balgonie's bride. as
II to anticipate any proposition Of pro-
ceeding any further. "There IL a shed
behind where l shall stable our horses;
Nicholas, I know, will make us welcome
to his lodge"
In a few minutes more, Balgonie found
himself seated In the cottage, the aspect
OF which struck him ~ being peculiarly
cOmfOrtless. dingy and squalid, as he
viewed 1t by the light Of a pine torch,
which stood In rusty iron holder on
the rough deal table. wherein lay u pack
OF frayed and dOg.eared cards.
In addition to Podatchkine and the
host. Nicholas Paulovitch. who stood re-
spcctfully at little distance from Bal
gOnie. and was appraising the exact
value Of his costume. arms and orna.
ments, even to Natalie's diamond ring.
there was present another ill.visaGed fel.
low. with u powerful figure, square
shoulders and giant beard. like every
Russian Of the lower order; eyes that
were small and piercing. like those OF a
mouse; long, fierce nose and jagged
teeth. hair shOrn OF close above the eye
brOws and brushed all down straight
from the crown OF his head. which In
form resembled cone or a pineapple.
This barbarian. who was dressed chief
~ In coat Of sheepskin. and had a
small. hut sharp. Ratchet and dagger In
his girdle. was n Stepniak. from dis
trict where nothing like a town was ever
seen or known, but whose aid and
strength Pau bvitch thought might he
useful and necessary In the work he and
Podatchkinc had cut out for themselves
IN the night.