The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-08-21

settlers In the country after it's con-
quest from Turkey by Catherine in the
last quarter of the eighteenth century.
Dimitri himself was typical Rus
sion of the highest mercantile class,
such as is found in Odessa rather than
in Moscow or even st. Petersburg.
He was infinitely better educated than
the vast majority Of the thousands Of
princes and mobiles with which Russia
aEounds. Like Sir Maxwell Sister.
son. he was keen man of business.
and quite as unscruplous. but there
was in him capacity for savage ruth
lessness that the Englishman did not
possess. Demitri was a Russian to
the backbone, and it still remains true
that if you scratch Russian you find
a Tartar
When Sir Maxwell informed him
that the secret on which the gigantic
success OF the Sisterson business was
based was known to Nurce Joyce, and
saw what was plainly In the mind of
the head of his house. he would have
at once agreed with the view that she
"oo q uoh6SAONo pSA AAOAA "hoLA
the possibility of passing on that Sc
cret should be taken by the most final
of measures, if he had not admired
her. 1t made difference, but the diff
ference was not great enough to cause
him long to hesitate as to what
should be done with her. Dead men
and dead women tell no tales. 1t
seemed to him that Sir Maxwell was
justified in desiring her removal"
And yet he admired the girl-and. in
deed, was not far from being deep in
love with her. He was between two
fires.
But she would have to disappear
it was necessary; it was fate; there
was no other way. 1t was useless to
urge in her defense that she was
woman, and. therefore, that the
knowledge she had acquired would
not be of any disservice to the Sis
tersons, for if she were allowed to
live she would marry and, as a. mat
ter of course, tell her husband what
she knew, and the great business
would fall to ruins once it's secret was
revealed. 1t was obvious, then that
there was no choice. Christabel must
die-on1y thus would the secret be
preserved. So he had argued with
himself on hearing what Sir Maxwell
had told him, never for an instant
doubling that he had heard the truth.
So he still argued after he had re-
turned to Sulja, and had even consid-
cred the best means of removing"
Christabel. While in this frame of
mind he had spent the week in Odessa
to which his sister had mysteriously
referred, and which had resulted, as it
had come out later, in his engagement
to Anna Melikoff, the daughter of one
of the merchant princes of that city
an alliance in every was suitable and
desirable.
But he was not in the slightest de-
gree in love. with Anna. And now
Christabel was in Sulja, and as he
thought of her, comparing her face
and figure with those of his betrothed,
he fairly sickened Of Anna. Now that
Christabel was near him again he re-
gretted more and more that destiny
pointed out but one course for him to
pursue. He had no doubt what in the
end must happen, but he was undeefd-
ed when the end should be. She had
been delivered into his hands, and
must not escape. So his face was
grim
There was yet another reason for
that grim face of his. All the letters
that reached Sulja passed through his
hands, and he had had no scruples in
opening those that had come for
Christabel. A little steam, and it was
easy enough to ungum the flap of the
envelopes, small matter in which he
was quite proficient, as he had fire.
quently treated letters coming to his
workmen in the same manner. Had
he not the right, as their master, to
know what they were doing? That is
good, sound doctrine in the glorious
Russian land; at any rate it was good
enough for him.
So he had read Philips and Nor
mans letters. Philips was broth
erly effusion which did not particular
ly interest him, but Norman's letters
interested him profoundly. True. he
Gid not understand all that Norman
wrote, but he understood clearly that
Norman loved Christabel and that
Norman believed thst she loved him
two things which in themselves
were sufficiently unpleasant to him.
But what added to the grimness Of
his face was the fact that Norman in
both of his letters referred to some
thing he earnestly desired her to tell
him, something which so far she had
withheld from him. What could this
be. Dmitri argued, but the sisterson
secret? He determined to finds out
who this Norman Forde was, and also
to take care that Christabels letters
should be read, by him before they
were dispatched by the mails.
And while he was thus thinking,
Christabel, with moist eyes and flush.
ed cheeks, was reading those very let
ters Of her lover. little suspecting that
they had been seen by any other than
herself and Norman.