The Grit-advocate., 1905-09-08


spontaneous impulse by all present as
Ida Barosky. for it was she who
had given the friendly signal, stood
for second at the door, until, her
eyes having lighted upon Ivan, she
swiftly descended the steps and came
into the midst OF the expectant group.
Her face was flushed with excite
ment, her fine hair disheveled, and
her whole appearance indicated that
she was laboring under some intense
mental strain.
Ivan sprang to her side.
"Ilda, my sister, what has happen.
ed?"
Ida gazed wildly for a moment. and
then, her voice quiyering with emo
ton, she spoke in quick. disjointed
sentences: "oh, infamy! Oh, cruel
coward-the lash-Alexis-I will be
avenged-terribly a,enged-do you
hear? The cruel Nazimoff; oh, it was
cowardly-" and, overcome by the
recollection of the terrible ordeal
through which she has passed, the girl
sank into chair, burying her face in
her hands, and shaking like an aspen
leaf from the violence of the conflict
ing emotions.
After having recovered in some de-
gree, Ida told the story of the night.
The sudden illness of Anna Dorski
had deprived the famous orchestra of
its great soloist, and at the last mo-
ment Anna appealed to Ida to take
her place. In vain Ida urged that she
had a reason for not going to the
Nazimoff mansion. and it was only
when the famous leader himself beg
sed her, with his daughter, not to
place him in false position before
the assembled aristocracy of the capi-
tal that she gave a reluctant consent
When Ida reached the part of her
story where she was brought by vio-
lence into the room, her audience
manifested intense interest, and she
proceeded amid deepest silence. But
when she told OF Nazimoff raising the
whip. the indignation of all present
could no longer be restrained.
Coward" wretch" and "Wom-
an beater!" we're some of the male
dictions hurled at Nazimoff, and
threats, deep and earnest, of dire VEN
geance for the deed, were uttered on
all sides.
But it was when she spoke of her
refusal to play God Save the Gar"
and of her sending the violin crashing
into thousand pieces at the foot of
Nazimoff. that the excitement broke
all bounds.
Death to the Nazimoff!" was one
remark. and the refrain was taken up
by all present.
Let me avenge our sisters wrong" "
spoke up one young and powerful
man who came into the group. "Give
me the right and I shall find a way
to his heart with this" and he drove
his dagger into the table and left it
quivering in the wood.
Not so! l am her brother" said
Ivan. 'and l am the one to avenge
her."
We'll spoken" exclaimed Oramin-
sky. He saw that the feeling produced
upon Ivan by the story of his sister
was intense, and he determined to
supporter of his own. But it must
not be. This wrong has been done to
the sister of brother of our order
none the less brother because he
differs with us on some minor points
The vengeance for Ilda's wrongs be-
longs to us all, but we must be guided
by our rules"
"Ay, by our rules" was the re-
sponse. They knew the rules. 1t was
not the first time that the rules had
been invoked for private revenge.
Ivan had taken Ida a little apart
from the rest, and was doing what he
could to restore her to calmness. He
seemed anxious to gain every particu.
lar, even to the smallest and apparent.
ly most unimportant detail of what
had occurred. But particularly was
he concerned about Alexis Nazimoff.
What did he look like? How did he
act? What did he say?" with these
and score of other questions Ivan
piled his sister, getting of course lit
tie or no information beyond what
Ida had told him at the beginning.
In the meantime, under the direc-
tion of Oraminsky, the assemblage
began putting in operation the rule
of the order" to decide upon whom
should fall the task of avenging Ida S
wrong by Count Nazimoff.
Bring the bag, Hersy," said Ora.
| minsky.
In response. one of the women pro.
duced a small bag made of chamois
| in which Oraminsky, after rapidly
| counting the number of persons pres.
ent, placed handful of roubles-
exactly as many roubles as there were
those in the apartment
And now for the Red Beauty"
From around her neck, fastened by
string Hersy produced s-all
leathern case which she opopod