Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-19

nad grown that Tor few moments Bue>
pected the writing WAS but an imitation Of
his. He Is very impulsive fellow, and
can think OF only one thing 1t q tirnes
which accounts for his success In the line
or invention. He was teiesraphed to that
his sister was I'll and left at once to sec
her. had allowed my mind to become SO
twisted by my fears for his safety that.
as i tell you. suspected the letter to be
counterfeit at drst. ] autographed to his
estate and received prompt reply. saying
that his sister was much better and that he
was already on his way back, and would
reach me at IL tonight. So that's what
happens when q grown man gets 1T of
nerves I drew the most gloomy conciu-
sions from the fact that 1 had been refused
admission to the foreign otiice and the adj
miralty. Yesterday that was ali explained
away. The business Is at last concluded.
and was shown copies Of the letters which
have been forwarded to my own chiefs at
home. Nothing could be more satisfactory.
Tomorrow Jack and Will be OF to Eng
land together.
II was to ge the promise in writing
asking). am not a rich man. but then. in
spite of your little fortune OF Bar Harbor.
you are not a rich woman, 80 we stand on
an equality In that. even though you are
50 much my superior In everything else.
/ have E5O0 a year, which is some
thing less than S2.6O0, left me by my father.
This is Independent of my profession. l
am very certain will succeed in the navy
now that the Russian government has sent
tnOSe letters, SO, the moment was az
sured of that. determined to write and
ask you to be my wife VIII you forgive
my Impotence, and pander to it by cabling
to me at the Bluewater Club. Pail Mall,
the word Yes or the word 'undecidedy
cabling NO. And please give me chance
of pleading my case In person, If you use
the longer word All, hear Jacks step on
the STAIR Very stealthily he is coming to
surprise me- but I'll surprise
ba
letter and placed 1t in her desk, sitting
down before it.
Shall make the check payable to you.
or to the society?'
ITO the society, If you please, madam"
Il shall write 1t for double the amount
asked. also am believer in liberty"
"Oh. madam, that Is generosity / feel
we do not deserve. I should like to have
for us with no conditions attached
Il am quite sure Of that" said Dorothy
bending over her writing. She handed him
the check. and he rose to go.
'Sit down again, IL you please. I wish
to talk further with you. Your people in
St. Petersburg think my friends have not
thatr'
"Well. madam thew have means of know
ing those who are transported. and they
are certain the two young men were not
among the recent gangs sent. They sup
pose them to be in the fortress of st. Peter
say"
. .. speak as il you doubted It,"
They have been sent to Siberia after
.'Ah, madam there are worse places than
Siberia. In Siberia there is a chance: In
the dreadful Trogznondoff there is none"
What is the Trogzmondoff?'
"A bleak Rock in the Baltic madam;
the prison In which death Is the only goal
that releases the victim"
Dorothy rose trembling. staring at him,
her lips white.
"a Rock In the Baltic! Is that a prison,
and not a fortress, then?"
'1t is both prison and fortress, madam.
II Russia ever takes the risk Of arresting
foreigner. 1t IL to the Trogzmondon he 10
them in their cells. There is spring in the
rock. and through the line Of cells 1t runs
like a beautiful rivulet, but the pulling OF
lever outside stops the exit OF the water
and browns every prisoner within. The
bodies are placed one by one on q smooth.
inclined shute Of polished sandstone, down
which this rivulet runs 80 they glide out
into space and drop 200 feet into the Ball
tic sea. No matter in what condition, such a
body is found. or how recent may have
been the execution, 1t is but a drowned
man in the Baltic. There are no marks of
bullet or strangulation. and the currents
bear them swiftly away from the rock"
How come you to know all this which
seems to have been concealed from the rest
OF the world?"
II know it. madam. for the best Of rea-
sons. 1 was sentenced this very year to
Trogzmondoff. In my youth, trading be-
tween Helsingfors and New York, l took
out naturalization papers In New York, be-
cause was one Of the crew on an Ameri-
can ship. When they Illegally impressed
me at Helsingfers and forced me to join
the Russian navy, I made the best of
bad bargain and being an expert seaman,
was reasonably well treated, and promot-
hut at Il cf 7 n
correspondence with a nihilist circle in
London, and when I was arrested. I de-
manded the rights of an American citizen.
to the Trogzmondoff in April Of this year.
Arriving there I was foolish enough to
threaten. I'D say my comrades had means
of letting the United States government
knew. and that a battleship would teach
the gaolers of the rock better manners.
1.-The cells hewn in the rock are complete
ly dark, so lost all count of time. You
might think we would know night from day
by the bringing in of our meals, but such