The Springdale news., 1905-03-17
6he DUCHESS
 PACHELLI
Original


 doir reading the morning paper II was winter. but the duchess was spending the season at her villa at Nice, and from her window. into which the warm sun shone she could look down the quay lined with tropical plants.
 Twenty years" she unused. since l came here. and what a change in my condition! What dangers have passed to gain my present position! One by one have got rid of all who could pos sihly drag me down There was Nieho- las Vassaliovitch. who knew more than he should know of my antecedents, put he has gone to Siberia. That was neat fob of mine. proving an innocent mans guilt Then there was Constaa- tin. whom l also led by the nose ike my poodle till it suited me to try my ring on him. after which he died so suddenly that the police half suspect cd. Had he turned against me it would he under the sod. not he" 4 troubled look fitted across her face. "Andreas may yet live though it is ten years since I have heard from him. It was bad failure. my putting the police on his track to arrest him, and the worst of it was that he knew l was the inst- gator. But I was inexperienced then, and. after all we soldiers of fortune must make some mistakes, and l am conscious of having made but one. l hope Andreas has either died naturally or been executed under an assumed name He was yindietive man and
 Good morning, your grace.
 A man with shocky red hair and frecl1les, dressed in the garb of peas ant, had stepped into her boudoir. The countess looked at him with all the hauteur she could summon.
 Your grace does not remember me he said.
 ''I do not. I beg you will leave by the door you entered
 Not till I have refreshed your mem- ory. Twenty years ago little peasant girl was scullion in the villa of family in this place. She was endowed with great beauty and, though she was but fourteen years old, had her lovers. Her brain was very quick. and she had ting on in the world A young carpen- ter-Andreas. We will call him for the want of better name-fell in love with her, and she wishing to get out of the kitchen, married him. It was he who gave the little scullion her start She studied hard and in two years knew enough to pass for a lady.
 This Andreas. her husband, adored his young wife, not yet eighteen, and as she wished to dress in keeping with her knowledge and her beauty he spent all he could make at his trade upon her. Then when he could not make enough to satisfy her demands she persuaded him to turn counterfeiter. She was shrewd enough not to be mixed up in his ruin when it came. Indeed, it was
 
 too quick for her and the police and fled to America.
 But Andreas' love, turned to hate. grew through the years, and as each year he sank lower he wished to return and take his revenge. But he never dared remain anywhere long enough to accumulate sufficient funds to make a journey which. after all, might lead to his arrest and imprisonment. At last he went to a new town in the far west and work ed at his trade till he saved enough to go in search of his beautiful wife. He found that after he had left her she had ensnared duke, that be had died and left her his fortune, that society had opened it's exclusive doors to her, but love for adventure and vil- lainy had led her to take service as a spy for crowned heads--a Delilah to en- trap the rulers enemies-and that many a secret murder was laid up against her.
 And where, my good man." asked the duchess. deadly white, did you learn all this?''
 tI met in New York Russian who under the charge of being Nihilist had been sent to Siberia, from whence after twelve terrible years of exile he escaped and fled to America"
 The duchess started. His nameY' she asked under her breath.
 "Nicholas Vassaliovitch.'
 The duchess staggered as though struck by blow and caught at the back of a chair.
 Tt was fortunate, the man contin- ued, "the meeting of these men, An dreas and Nicholas. for they both wished for revenge. But neither would be safe in this old country, and SC ii looked as if the scullion duchess would end her days in peace, pet of socie ty, fayorite of the czar of Russia rich and still beautiful. But both had been kind to the little scullion, and their love had turned to wrath. One possessed written proofs of one of the duchess crimes. That proof is now in the hands of the czar of Russia and requisition has been lodged with