The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-03

rival was stroIllng down the street
toward the railway station, In com
~ paused and grasped my comrades
arm conyulstvely.
Look there!'' I exclaimed
Mazanovtteh shook on my hand. ina-
Il see he returned; at is the Sen
horita Lesba Paolas riding in the en-
peror's carriage"
e'fut that ScOu1drel Vaicour is with
hertz I cried.
"scoundreI? We do not call senior
VaIcour that. He is faithful to the
who are unfaithful. blame him for he
ddelity2"
While sought an answer to the
disconcerting query the carriage
around a corner; but I had caught a
glimpse of Lesba's bright eyes glanc-
ing coyly into the earnest face Vai-
c0ur bent over her, and the sight
filled me with pain and suspicion.
Listen, Captain" said I. gloomfly,
that girl knows all the important sec
rets of the conspiracy"
True answered the unmoved
ssAnd she is riding in the emperSr's
carriage, in confidential intercourse
with the emperor's spy"
True he said again.
''Paola has disappeared, and his sis
ter is at court. What do you make of
it. senhor?"
X 4EQOu me minister ponce
returned to his duties this morning
said the man, calmly. Doubtless his
sister accompanied him. Who
knows?"
why did you not tell me this ?" I
demanded, angriIy-
'sI am waiting for Paola to com
municate with us, which he viii do in
good time. Meanwhile, let me coun-
: sci patience, Senior Americana"
But I left him and strobe down the
street. very impatient indeed and filled
with strange misgfvings These Bra
ZilianS were hard to understand and
were It not for Lesba could wish my
self quit Of their country forever
Lesba? What strange chance had
brought her to Rio and thrown her in
to the companionship of the man most
inimical to her brother, to myself, and
to the Cause2
Was she playing a double game
Could this frank, clear-eyed girl be a
traitor to the Republic, as had been
label de Mar2
It might be. A woman's mind is
hard to comprehend But she had
| been so earnest a patriot, so sincerely
interested in our every success. so de-
/ spondent over our disappointm ents,
that even now could not really doubt
her faith.
never before realized the fact, knew
/ it in this hour when she seemed lost to
me forever. For never had speech of
j mine brought the glad look to her face
I
/ Valcour pouring soft speeches into
! her ears. The emperor'S spy was a
! handsome fellow; he was high IN favor
at court; he was one of her own peo-
pie
Was he, by the by? Was valcour
really a Brazilian? He had g Brazil
ian's dark eyes and complexion, it is
! true; yet now that thought upon it,
there was an odd, foreign cast to his
features that indicated he belonged to
another race. Yes, there was q SINH
| larity between them and the features
! of the Pole MaZanOVitch. Perhaps
| Valcour might also be a Pole. Just
now MazanOvitch had spoken kindly
| of him, and
I stopped short in my calculations.
| for had made a second startling dis
| covery. My wanderings had led me to
the railway station, where, as APP
preached, I saw the emperor of Bra
I'll. Dom Pedro de Alcantara sur
! rounded by a company OF his Uruguay
an guard, and in the act of boarding a
private car attached to the Matte
! Crosse train.
! 1 had never before seen the emperor
but from descriptions of him as we'll
as from the Difference Of those about
him, I had no doubt of his identity
His hurried departure upon jour
ney coupled with Paola's presence at
the capital, could only bear one inter
! probation. The minister of police had
! been in conference with the emperor,
and his majesty was about to visit in
! person the SE6u6 OF Tue AdlG LAdECAyf
and do what he might to unearth the
records Of that far-reaching revolution
! which threatened his throne.
Here was news, indedi Half-dazed.
| 7 started to retrace my steps, when a
soft voice beside me said:
Have you money. senhor?'
yes" I answered.
Then" continued Nazanovitch,
| you must take this train for Cuyaba.
Let the emperor guide you. If dan
ger threatens US, telegraph me the one
| word, Lesba't Do you understand
! Senior Harcliffe %
Ct think So" said I, 'but let me use
/ some other word. Why drag a wo-
| mans name into this affair %
He coughed slightly.
sit is a word you will remember
said he. Good by to you, senior"
He had an odd way Of disappearing,
| this strange Pole, whose eyes I had
| never seen. With his last word he
actually melted into the crowd Of lott
| ererS who were watching the emper-
! or'S departure and could not have
found him again had so desired
4 Ny first thought was to rebel at
leaving Rio, where Lesba Paola had
| taken refuge from the coming storm.
But the girl seemed amply amused
without me, and my duties to the in
/ tereSts of my dead chieftain forbade
my deserving the Cause at this crisis.
| Therefore would follow the emperor.
AS the train moved slowly out of the
station, swung myself upon the steps
| of the rear car, and the next instant
was tunbled upon the platform by a
person who sprang up behind me.
/ Angrily protesting, / scrambled to
/ my feet; but the fellow, with scarcely
/ a glance in my direction passed into
The ordinations died suddenly up
on my lips.
The belated passenger was Senior
/ Valcour, the spy.