The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-05-04
Henry Seton Merriman

| Lien she turned 10 the writing table.
She resolutely took pen and paper, but
! the least thing seemed to distract her
attention--the corOnet on the note pa
per cost her five minutes of faroff re-
Election. She took up the pen again
and wrote Dear Mother
The room grew darker Maggie look
edEup. The snow had begun again. It
was driving past the window with a
silent, purposeful monotony. The girl
drew the writing case toward her.
She examined the pen critically and
dipped it into the ink. But she added
nothing to the two words already writ
ten.
| The castle of Osterno is almost
unique in the particular that one roof
covers the ancient and the modern
buildings. The vast reception rooms,
worthy of the name of state rooms, -ad-
join the small stone built apartments
Of the fortress which Paups ancestors
held against the Tartars. This grim
mer side of the building Paul reserved
to the last for reasons of his own, and
| Etta's manifest delight i'll the grandeur
OF the more modern apartments fully
| rewarded him
When they passed from the lofty
rooms to the DINNER passages of the
old castle Etta's spirits visibly drop
ped, her interest slackened He told
her Of tragedies enacted in bygone
times-such ancient tales of violent
death and broken hearts as attach
themselves to gray stone walls and
dungeon keeps. She only half listen
| ed, for her mind was busy with the
splendors they had left behind, with
| the purposes to which such splendors
| could be turned And the sum total
of her thoughts was gratified vanity.
II am glad your grandfather brought
| French architects here and built the
modern side," she said. |'These rooms
are, of course, very interesting, but
gloomy-horribly gloomy, Paul.
"All the same I like these rooms,"
| answered Paul. 'Steinmetz and I used
| to live entirely on this side of the
| house. This is the smoking room. We
shot those bears and all the deer.
That is a VOLTS head He killed a
keeper before finished him off,
| "And how did you finish him off ?"
she asked
II choked him. That bear knocked
me down, but Steinmetz shot him. We
were four days out in the open after
that elk. This is a lynx-a queer face
rather like De Chauxville. The dogs
killed him"
"But why do you not paper the
room,' asked Eta, with SILVER, "in-
stead of this gloomy paneling? 1t is
so mysterious and creepy Quite sug-
gestive Of secret passages"
There are no secret passages" an
swered Paul. But there is a room
behind here. This is the door, I will
show it to you presently. I have
things in there want to show you.
keep all my medicines and appliances
In there. 1t is our secret surgery and
office. In that room the Charity league
was organized
Eta turned away suddenly and went
to the narrow window, where she sat
on low window seat, looking down
into the snowclad depths.
II did not know you were doc
tor" she said.
II doctor the peasants" replied Paul,
'in rough and ready way. I took
my degree on purpose. But Of course
they do not know that it is I. They
think I am doctor from Moscow. I
put on an old coat and wear a scarf,
so that they cannot see my face I
only go to them at night. It would
never do for the government to know
that we attempt to do good to the
peasants. We have to keep it a Sc
cret even from the people themselves.
And they hate us. They groan and
hoot whhal we drive through the vii
lage. But they never attempt to do us
any HARM They are too much afraid
of u.s.
Paul showed her his simple stores of
medicine-the old coat saturated with
disinfectants which had become the
recognized outward sign of the Mos
COW doctor.
And do other people, other noble
men, try to do this sort of thing too r.
asked Eta at length.
"Catrina Lanovitch does,'' replied
Paul. She-she found me out, con-
found herv'
Eta had risen; she was looking curl
ously at the cupboard where Paurs in
fected clothes were hanging. He had
forbidden her to go near it. She turn
ed and looked at him.
Found you out! Howl" she asked,
with queer smile.
"Saw through my Disguise
Eyes, she would do that!' said Eta
aloud to herself.
"What is this door?' she asked. after
pause.
1T leads to an inner ROOM" replied
Paul, where Steinmetz usually
works.
He passed in front of her and open
ed the door. AS he was doing so Eta
went Oh in the train of her thoughts:
$50 Catrina knows:''
ayes"
"And no one else?"
Paul made no answer, for he had