The daily Alaskan., 1905-10-19
VARIA IVANOVNA'S
 ....VENGEANCE
tOrigInal.l

Congratulatlon. High in favor with the czar, be had long been employed in the work of hunting down certain persons suspected by II. I. NJ. He had just followed one of his masters bitterest enemies to Paris, secured his arrest and, by permission of the French gov ernment, was on the morrow to take him to Russia.
 A gentleman and lady entered the cafe and glanced at the occupants, and the woman, who was yelled, seeing Lu- kltch, though he did not notice her, said something to her companion, and they took seats directly opposite the Rus sian. When for the first time he looked at her hls eyes rested upon her curl. ously.
 "I will trouble you, m'sleu. to cease your insulting stare" said the wOm. ans companion.
 The Russian apOloglzed, but the oth- CT grew more and more violent till it was evident that he was intending to force a quarrel His insults came so thick that there was but one recourse for Lukitch--he tossed hIs card at the man and turned his back. Meanwhile the lady had retired to a distance, and her escort, having produced his owE card, Joined her.
 Day was dawning and the bells Of Paris at a distance were striking the hour of 4 when two carriages, soon followed by third, drew up In q road in the envirOns and a party from each passed to an open space beside a stream. The man who the night be fore had forced the quarrel advanced to Lukitch and said:
 Permit me, m'SlCu, to apologize for my insulting language last night, or, rather, to explain it. Early in the evening a lady asked me tH. escort her in a round of visits to the restaurants in q search for some one she wished to find. When she saw you she asked me to take the course I did, promising that the affair should be taken of my hands. Nrsleu, 1 have the honor to present your real antagonist"
 A figure, smaller than the others present, who had been standing back, | advanced. threw aside cloak and re- vealed that she was woman. She was dressed In a tight titIiuc costume. with short skirt such as girls wear in a gymnasium. The moment Lukitch saw her he started.
 "Variaw he exclaimed.
 "Yaria Ivanovua, at your service 1 Aleksei Lukltch."
 ."What does this meOn?" he asked In a tone that indicated he knew 1t | meant a good deal to him.
 That the day of vengeance has ! come"
 The others of both parties drew near Intent on this strange turn in the ar- | fair. The woman continued:
 You are a faithful servant of your master, Aleksei Lukitch. He rewards you for your service to him; 1t is my part to punish you for your treachery to me. You made love well, AlekseL so we'll that you won my heart You had fine revolutionary sentiments, so fine that they won my confidence and I revealed our purposes to you. Do | yOu see these shruuken checks, these prematurely white hairs? Well these 1 come from prison life in Siberia, where you sent me. It was during those bit l ter days in that dark winuy country that I conceived this purpose, and every day, except when I took part in a hunger strike In which we were try ing to end our sufTerIngs by death, l renewed my VOW of vengeance. That vengeance was to have been murder. I have changed 1t to death in an hon orable way in the eyes of the world. On guard"
 The woman spoke as though not for A moment did she doubt the issue or the combat. To her enemy her words seemed prophetic. The hand in which he held his sword trembled.
 Then he saw a throng of wretched creatures, emaciated, starved, covered with prison filth, white from the Shad- ow in which they lived, gathering about him and their champion. Their eyes glisteued as those of wolves hun grv for hls blood. He heard the wind roaring through the Siberian forest now and again laden with the shrieEs of some prisoner crazed by suffering.
 Above this wall came faintly the words "On guardw spoken sharply by hIs second to call him to himself. It failed to rouse him. Those looking on wondered. His condition was so piti- ful. he seemed such easy prey, that both parties looked to see the woman throw down her sword and give him his life. But she, too, saw in memory the throng of his victims. She saw, too, the handsome fellow that had won her heart for the purpose of betaying her and those whose secrets she had given him. Not one look of womanly pity lighted her face, dark with her own and others revenge,
 "On guard"' she cried.
 "On guardr' shouted the men of both parties as matadores strive to anger a dropping bull.
 Aleksei Lukitch heard and reused himself to die.
 A few minutes later the woman threw down her sword and walked