Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-05-09
Copyrighted, 1906, BY The BobDs-Merriu Company
BY GEORGE HORTON

If we break this oath, may we all
come to violent ends and our souls
burn In hell for ever! Amen" said
the nihilists.
The American backed to the door,
still aiming at the ball, passed through
1t after some little nervous fumbling
for the knob, closed 1T behind him and
started to run rapidly across the
empty room in which he now found
himself, not without, however. making
an effort to lock the door, which was
impossible, as there was no key on
the outside, and no bolt.
A savage uproar broke loose in the
room which he had just Quilted the
sound of men struggling, curses,
shouts and ere he had traversed
half the distance of the hall, the
door behind him flew open, and half
a dozen nihilists were vomitad forth.
Several of them were armed, and
pointing pistols at Hardy, they shrek
ed:
"Drop that revolver. or we shoot!
You can not escaped"
"But your oath" he cried, facing
them.
"oath. hell! Do you think an oath
binds us? Can any one live in Russia
and believe in God?s
At this moment the hall door was
thrown open and man rushed to
Hardy's side. It was Mordecai, the
Jew, with his red eyes, his bushy red
whiskers his big haok-nose.
"Mr. Hardly" he cried, my dear
pupil" and he sprang between the
American and the pistols that were
pointed at the latter's body. stop,
Brothers, stpp!" he shrieked. What
madness 1t this? What is this man &C
cused Of? know him. He Is a friend,
/ will vouch for him on my life. !
will defend him. II you kill him you
must kill me, too"
HE is a friend Of aristocrats," AK.
planned Bielinski, stepping forward,
'ehe entered here by mistake, he says,
but 1t is possible that he is a SPY,
| At any rate, he knows our secret;
he has overheard our plans and he
| will betray US. He must die"
"And / say that he shall not die
cried Mordecai ut was he who brayed
the Russian mob at Stryetensk and
| saved my life. He is no spy nor
aristocrat, he is a simple merchant
an American, Though he does not
belong to the Order, he is in spirit Q
brother, and he is a friend of the
| downtrodden and the oppressed, for
whom he is willing to risk his life'
HE is also willing to risk his life
for aristocrats," Kissed one of the
4 nihilists. "It was he who saved the
Princess Romanovna on the Amur.'
II admit it" replied the Jew, land
| would that he had not done IT.
curse her and all her foul kin! But
/ in saving her life, he was fighting al
so for his own Shall man die If Il;
can live? But tell you he risked his
own life to save mine. and | am {
despised and prosecuted Jew. Ms
mother was murdered through the con
nivance of the Russian authorities
Who doubts my fidelity to the cause
Who has more reason that to hate
the governmental governments ?"
"Baruch is a Jew, cried one OF the
nihilists. "he would betray us fol
thirty pieces of silver let us XII
them both"
And at this that old murmur arose
that burden of hate which in Russi,
j is stronger than hate of the govern
! ment or of the aristocrats Or of on
lpression, that shibbeleth that make
4 all Russians brothers. high and low.
4 "Mosehke! Moschke! The Jew. TIL,
Jew!"
4 +My brave friend said Hardy turn
4 Ing to MordecRi, they are going II
! shoot now. Save yourself" ant