The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-02-05
CHAPTER VIII.
The Murder of a Soul.

There is" continued the princess,
after a short pause, among your ac-
quaintances another officer, one who
also is favorite al the palace He is
Of good family, handsome, accomplished
and rich, but you dislike him. principal
~ because he IS in love with your sis
ter, and you know that he is in every
way unworthy of her. She shares the
aversion which you feel for this man,
declining all his advances, and at last
refusing to receive him at her home
He persecutes her with his attentions
however. to the point where you are
led to interfere, but he has already beer.
to the Cza@ and secured his approval
| of the marriage, SO he only laughs at
you when YOU demonstrate.
You also go to the Car, who listens
| attenttvely TO all that you have to say,
and finally consents that Yvone shall not
be forced into a marriage agains. her
will; but the officer, when he hears of
| 1t. is furious, and one night at the club
he publicly insults you, so that you have
| 10 other course than to challenge him.
| Being noted dueIist, he believes that
| he can kill YOU easily, thus leaving the
| coast clear for his further Vaccinations.
| I'm the affair. however, you surprise
| everybody by wounding him quite Sc
| rlousiy, so that for a few months you
are relieved from further care con-
| corning the matter.
But he RECEIVERS and returns to his
former position in the palace. and. mis-
Judging MS power and influence insults
you again, almost in the presence of
the Emperor. For that he is banished
| from the palace and degraded in the
| army, and quite naturally attributes his
| nnIEfnrfunPc
| vengeance. You hear of his threats,
| but laugh at them-and forget them.
But he does not
| This man becomes a Nfhifisf and a
| dangerous one. He plots and plans for
your overthrow and for the possession
or your sister, whom he continues to
prosecute in many ways. She does not
tell you these things. fearing the conse-
quences if you were to fight another
duel
AT last, however. more or less Of it
comes to your attention and the conse-
quence is that you publicly horsewhip
him on the street, for which act you
are suspended from attendance at the
palace for thirty days
During that time a horrible thing oc-
ours. II Is at the time when the ex-
tremists among Nihiiists are ramDant
anu n14CAi SSCIGt DOliCS GOSS lis deadly
work unquestioned-a time five years
| ago. People are arrested and spirited
away. from The highest TO the lowest
Victims are found In the palace as wei
as in the howell No person is sacred
, from these mysterious arrests: no Off
cfaI dares to interfere Even YOU may
at any moment become a victim of thi:
. awful method
; "A complaint is lodged against a per
? son, no matter by whom; it may ever
be anonymous In the dead of nigh
= police from the Third Section visit tn
house OF the person complained against
: a search is made, and if incriminatiu;
i documents are found. that person disap
, pears forever; where, nobody knows
except those who carry out the secre
$ decree.
= Il Will not worry you with useless de
4 tails; IN fact, you have had suff1eien
r introduction to the story already.
Twice each week, since your exnuI
T sion from the palace, you are compelle,
c to remain on duty all night, and tn
h morning comes when you return to you
{ home after one of these vigfls to fin
g yourself face to face with q horror tina
: you knew existed. but which you hav
never before comprehended. All, it i
pitiful; but listen.
You find that all is excitement TIL
servants are running hitler and thither
/ they whisper among themselves. and ii
first you can get no explanation from
them.
II In vain, you call for your sister
x Frightened chances. sobs, and groan
are the only replies You get AMI yoI
rush TO her apartment, only to fin
that it is empty-that she is gone.
The room is in the utmost disorder
y Clothing is scattered everywhere
. Yvonnes most sacred treasures ar
: strewn upon the floor The contents o
= her dressing case are tumbled in con
:. fusion upon the furniture. Chairs ar
overturned. The cushions of the chair
and touches are ripped up. The bed
ruin dismembered, torn apart an
= heaped in a corner. The carpet ha
been pulled from its fastenings and
- rolled and crumpled out of all recoe
- milton. The pictures are torn from tn
- + walls: vases have been overturned: evs.
- the french clock on the rantel hi
=. been ruined in the awful search. an
- the very walls of the room are dente
:; | by the hammer which has pornde
= them in the effort TO find a secret hif
N ing place.
NJ You know only too We'll what ha
m happened, and yet YOU do not realize
m You are dazed. You think that YOU Wi
d. awake and find that it is ali dream
to You cannot believe that it is the sleel
re ing room of your own sister that he
been thus desccrated.
i AT last from one of the older al
more trusted servants, you hear Il
o. truth, and while he speaks you liste
dunbly. wonderingiy."
X Olga came q step nearer to me, and
T. the intensity of her story lowered h,
voice almost to n whisper. She bent !
so near TO me that l could feel her breat
ht as it famed my cheeks. Her eyes h;
in them Il sombcr fire. such as migl
of glow III the crater of slumbering vo
q | cano Her breath came and went quic
IL Iy, fitfully. Her face WAS pale al