The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-31

trees cast long purple -hadows over wide lawns of glittering snow tiny boy is playing, says The New York World. Clad in furs from his curly head to his little feet, he is romping in the crisp whiteness, building snow houses, snowballing his nurse. drag ging little red sled up the hills and making "belly-whoppers" down them. In the dark shadows of the pine trees. here and there. stand fur-clad soldiers. with fixed bayonets, silent as the trees. motioniess as the statues. When the child approaches one of these men the latter presents arms, silently, reveren- italy.
 The great gates to this garden are guarded by more of these silent senti- nels. None may enter without the password.
 In the vast palace, whose thousand windows glow like fire in the rays of the low winter sun, are regiments of soldiers. They stand like statues in the corridors, seeing everything, hear ing everything. but never by word or gesture betraying the fact that they are alive. They are under the orders of a handsome man with glittering black eyes, a long, black muStache. who wears a gorgeous uniform, spark ling with stars and medals.
 This gorgeous general, these silent sentineis, these fixed bayonets form the great net of precaution which has been woven around tbe life of the baby boy who Is heir to the throne of all the Russias.
 Never in the world has a boy been so guarded. Gen. Vladimir Dedjulin governor of the palace of Peterhof, and all the trusted Cossacks to whom his word is law, are there day and night to watch over this merry little lad Their protection must not be onerous to him; he and his sisters must have perfect freedom to play their games ride their Shetland ponies, build snow forts and slide down hills on their bob- sleds, and they must never realize that these silent soldiers are there for the express purpose of watching over them. but, nevertheless, they must nev- CT for an instant be out of sight of the sentinels.
 It is a terrible responsibility which weighs upon Gen. Dedjulin, and 1t IS mingled with an ever-present danger which would make any but blindly loyal servant of the cZar quail. Ded- julin knows that he will be assassinat- ed if any one of many thousands of men and women can reach him in an unguarded moment. He knows that the dreaded Trepoff, his predecessor in this responsible place, died suddenly, and II was said that he was poisoned. He knows that Trepoff's predecessor was killed He knows that only unrelaxing vigilance can save him from this same fate.
 But what weighs upon him even more than this-for he would gladly give his life by so doing he might save that or his master, the czar, or that of the baby heir to the throne-is the respon- sibilfty for the life of the czar and His one duty is to protect them The czar is a comparatively easy man to guard, for he is always by soldiers; he has great staff of officers armed with swords and pistols; but the baby czarevitch, not yet two years and a half old. must be over in his nursery and at his play in the snow.
 Who would harm an innocent baby?
 In any other country than Russia the answer would be. No one" and In any other land all this elaborate precau- ton would be unnecessary; but In Rus sia the Nihilists and the Terrorists are for their rulers have never shown mercy to them. The Terrorists nave no revenge to wreck on the baby but their assassinations are governed by other motives than mere they care more for creating terror in the ranks of their governors than for ridding themselves Of some tyrant. If by staying the ,zar's baby they could strike into the hearts of their rulers a deeper dread than would be caused by the murder of B cabinet minister, they would go to work pitilessly, ruthlesslx, and to the reproach that they fight against babies they would reply:
 You, too, fight against babies; where are our mothers and our sisters whose blood has run in the gutters? Where are our babies whose bodies have ouivered upon your bayonets7 Where are our maidens whose snowy backs have been torn by the lash of your whips? Where are the bread winners of our starving children, forced into your armies to fight our battles, ex- fled to Siberia to work in your minesT
 General Dedjulin stands between this imperial baby and the tens of thou sands of implacable patriots in whose hearts burns the fire of revenge: re- venre for centuries of tyranny, re- venge for countless official murders; whose minds crave with hunger for freedom, and who would stop at noth ing to attain this freedom-would con- sidjer no bloody deed a crime, if, by 1t, they could rise one step nearer their object.
 In their eyes Dedjulin is the repre- sentative of the huge governmental