Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-07

St. Petersburg. John and George separated in
America when they were tired of punching
cattle.
John was something of naturalist and was
by far the most gifted of the three we'll
the most daring. He>gravltated to China and
at last to Mongolia wandering alone IN search
Baraka showed the ruby mine. He got back
to civilization with his treasure, and took 1T to
ST. Petersburg unmOleSted.
There he found George earning poor living
in an obscure position in the public service, his
conduct in the army having been condoned or
overlooked. John. who was the incarnation
of selfishness, would do nothing for him.
George, exasperated by him and halt starved,
murdered him in such way that he was sup
posed to have died by an accident took pos
session of his hoard of unsold rubies, and wrote
to his twin brother to come and share the
fortune John had left them.
George and Basil had been in constant cor
respondence, and had even helped each other
with money from time to time. Some weeks
elapsed after Basil's return to St. Petersburg
before his DEATH and during that time ne told
George, who knew London well and moreover
had helped him in his attempt to get a divorce,
vast number of details about his married HE
and his wife's behavior, her character and
tastes. Then Basil was killed in the street, and
George left the country and changed his name,
with the vague idea that his own was not
very creditable one and that if he kept 1T he
might be troubled by his brother Basil's numer-
Kralinsky.
He had not entertained the least intention
of passing himself for Basil and claiming Lady
Maud as his wife, till he saw her; and her beauty
made him lose his head completely when he
saw that she took him for her husband. He
would have been found out inevitably sooner
or later; but Van Torp's vigorous action
shortened Lady Maud's torments.
George was tried The family history OF the
Levens was exhumed and dissected before the
courts. The creditors of Basil Leven appeared
in legions, and claimed that in proper course ne
should have inherited the rubies from his
murdered brother who would then have been
able to pay his debts. The court thought SO
too, and ordered the confscated treasure to be
Sold But since it had been Basils, the law
was obliged to declare that the residue of the
money, after paying the debts, was the prop
erty of Countess Leven, bas1ls widow.
ADY MAUD thus found herself in possession
of considerable fortune; for she accepted
the inheritance when she was assured that 1T
would go to the Russian crown If she refused It,
The Russian Government at once sent an ex-
pensive expedition to find the ruby mine, an
attempt that altogether failed. because Ivan
Leven had never told anyone where it was, nor
anything about it, and the court knew only
from certain jewelers. who had dealt both with
kralinsky and Baraka, that it was somewhere
in Central Asia" which is an insufficient d.
rection, even for a ruby mine. The wealth
Lady Maud thus commands enables her 10
carry much further than formerly the peculiar
form of charity that she believes to be her
own invention.
Madam konstantinos Logotheti IS learning
French and English, on the Bosporus, with her
husband, and will make a sensation when he
brings her to London and Paris. On the day OF
his marriage in Constantinople, Logothetl re-
ceived letter from Lady Maud, telling him
how sorry she was that she had not believed
him that day on the yacht at Scaletta, and
saying that she hoped to meet his wife soon 1t
was an honest apology from an honest woman
He received a letter few days later from
Margaret, and on the same day magnihcently
printed and recklessly illustrated booklet
reached him. forwarded from Paris. The letter
was from Margaret, to tell him that she also
took back what she had thought about Baraka
and hoped to see him and her before long
She said she was glad on the whole that he had
acted like lunatic, because it was likely that
they would both be happier. She herself, she
said, was going to be married to Van Torp, at
Saint Georges, Hanover Square, before sailing
for New York. where she was going to sing at
the opera after Christmas. If he should be in
town then, she hoped he would come and bring
his wife.
The booklet was an announcement, inter
leaved with fine etchings to the effect that
The Madame da Cordova & Rufus Van Torp
Company would open their new opera house
on Fifth-ave two years hence, with grand
Wagner festival, to last two months, and to
include the performance of Parsifal, with en-