Gilpin observer., 1905-07-27

throughout the empire. 1t was on the
first discovery Of this paper that
Gortshakoff had summoned the minis
ter OF police. He had in no uncertain
manner indicated that the perpetra-
tt rs Of this latest outrage against the
peace and dignity of the czar must be
discovered. 1t was then that he ut
tered the words still ringing in the
ears of Constantine Karsichefr-"Do
something" And it was in pursuance
Of his determination to "do some
thing" that Karsicheff had sent Mi
chael Radaloff on his mysterious mis-
sion.
Madame lie Baroness Won Rhine
berg, widow of the banker Ferdinand
Won Rhineberg, of the great banking
house of Won Rhineberg and Strauss,
sat in her luxurious boudoir in her
princely residence in the most fash
ionable quarter of the city. She was
true type of the upper class Ger
man, and although she had lived most
Of her life in Russia and spoke the
language like native, she had never
entirely lost her national characters
tics. Her pink and white complexion,
light blue eyes and wealth Of light
golden hair, gave her somewhat the
appearance of great doll of the most
approved pattern. A letter she had
been reading had fallen from her
hand and she sat, with a rather seri-
GUS look upon her face, gazing out of
the window.
Poor child"
That was all; and having murmured
the words. almost involuntarily, the
baroness relapsed into her reverie.
Alone in the world, for her marriage
had been childless, the baroness found
certain degree Of happiness in shar-
ing other peoples miseries. When
Ferdinand Won Rhineberg departed
this life he left his disconsolate wild
ow the possessor of fortune which
made her one of the richest women,
in her own right, in st. Petersburg.
There was but one family, however,
to whom she was always at home and
in whose house she found congenial
companionship. Strangely enough,
the house was that of Constantine
karsicheff, minister of police. Not
that between the cold. naughty and
ambitious countess and the warm
hearted and affectionate German lady
there could be much in common. The
intercourse between the baroness and
the Countess Karsicheff was confined
to those social amenities and every
day courtesies that pass current in So
ciety. and are sometimes mistaken for
friendship.
Between the baroness and Olga,
however, there was a deep affection.
Had they been mother and child it
could not have been more profound
and sincere. In fact, Olga Karsicheff.
loving and gentle as she was by ma
ture, had never felt for her own moth
er anything like the love she be-
slowed on the baroness. Nor is this
to be wondered at. Katherine Karsi-
chef was neither of a loving nor
lovable nature, and the gentle Olga
could recall the tears shed in child
ish sorrow at many a repulse of the
girlish affection offered to her moth
er only to be refused. And so it hap
pened that the baroness became the
repository of Olga's childish affec-
tions.
Always earnest and thoughtful,
Olga now seemed to be under the in
huence of deeper feeling than usual.
With affectionate concern the baron
ess could not fail to perceive that
Olga was daily becoming more and
more preoccupied with her own
thoughts, and that on more than, one
occasion her reveries were ended by
sigh. She knew Olga's melancholy
to be due to the odious position in
which she was placed. She was mere
ly used as a pawn in her mothers So
cial gem. and compelled to marry
man in the selection of whom she had
neither voice nor choice.
"Olga," soliloquized the baroness as
she again glanced over the letter, has
not seen Alexis for two years. She
ring life of the camp may have
changed him since they parted-since
the time when she had been informed
by her mother that she was destined
for the wife of Alexis and forbidden to
refer to the matter again in any way.
other than to regard 1t as n fact. set.
tied beyond controversy. Alexis" the
baroness recalled, had been urged by
his father to propose as a matter Of
form. and Alexis had proposed in a
perfunctory way been accepted in a
half-hearted. listless style as some.
thing that could not be helped. and
then he went of to the wars to win
the glory that had gilded his career
ever since"
The baroness sighed. Her mind
went back some two and twenty years
to another marriage de convenance-
to another drama OF high life in Eu-
rope in which she herself had played
part. Then there came across the