The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-19

: :
and influential friends both at home
and on the continent who would readily
help me to get out Of any bother 50 far
as matters had gone at present; but ii
( might be q very different thing If in
the present excited state OF the empire,
. 7 was caught helping the "P. r. F." by
carrying seditiOus documents for revO-
uttOnaTy purposes. NOlna also had run
no great risk as yet The mere fact
that she was travelling with Count
1 Peter Valdemar was not by itself likely
/ TO involve her in any serious conse-
+ quences. If the papers could have been
/ destroyed therefore, we could easily have
put an end To the complication. But
/ this was impossible. Their delivery in
! CTacOw was imperative.
We stood thus at the dividing line be
/ tween safety and risk: and there was
/ nothing for it but to so through with
the matter 10 the end.
My experience at the inn had its les
son I recognized that L must move
! very WariIv indeed in making any in
| quiries at the station The fussy little
| station-master, Blauben, might recog-
uize me despite the change in my ap-
/ pearancs; and I did not at all relish the
/ prospect of interviewing him.
But i'm this one respect the luck was
| with me, / was surprised TO see q small
/ crowd of people at the generally de
! serted station, and it was an easy mat
/ ter 10 mingie with them without being
/ observed.
/ That was all the iucl1 there was, how
/ ever as the reason for the crowd spelt
I further disaster to my plans of escape.
/ The place was in hubbub of excite
/ ment; and I soon learnt that there had
/ been a very serious accident on the line
/ at q place called PuIta, some seven or
/ eight miles west of BratinslI
! As d result Of this the line to Cracow
/ was blocked. There would be no train
/ going west that night.
! The people in the station were travel
/ ers from the opposite direction who had
/ been put out and told, with the usual
/ courtesy of the railway authorities, that
4 they must shift for themselves until the
/ line was clear They might think them
! selves lucky, I overheard little Blauben
/ tell one man, if they got on by noon the
! following day.
This was check with a vengeance; if
[ not checkmate.
huns about for some time with the
| object of asCertdining the chance of get
/ ting d train in the other direction-any-
thing TO get out of Bratinsk-and was
| pretending to study one Of the time bills
when caught my own name.
Know the Euglishman, Anstruther?
/ OF course L do" 1t was Blauben's voice.
IF he comes here. I'll stop him.
1--WE think he may try and bolt.
Flows he going 10 bolt? There's no
train west and nothing east except the
midnight express. But what's it all
abOut2" The reply was given in low
/ tone and escaped me. But part of the
stauOnmaster's answer was enough.
Spy? Rubbish Why he was here
! 81 rFr4rf rfff
| find spies growing on gooseberry bushes.
/ No. I have already told a hundred of
you that there VIII be no traiu'-this to
+ q questi0ner i'm d tone OF evaporation,
and L saw him hurry off gesticuating
/ frautiCally. ] could do no good by wait
/ ing longer, so I slipped out of the sta
[ ton, and went back to the village to
meet NOlua.
/ After all. the accident at Pulta might
not prove an unmitigated evil The few
/ sentences I had overheard showed that
/ the police were watching the station for
me; and an attempt to leave would
probably have landed as right into their
F hands.
! Then II occurred To me that we might
/ even turn the accident 10 good account
/ Il we could get TO Pulta soon, We could
/ give an excellent reason for our pres
/ ence; that we wished to inquire about
I some friend supposed 10 have been in
I the wrecked train; and, as the line from
/ there TO CracUw would be open, we could
/ do the journey after all by rail.
/ Pulta by the road was some ten miles
and q rough hiIly road it was. Too far
/ and too rough for NOlna to attempt TO
I walk. To hire any kind of conveyance
I was OF course out of the question; Us it
[ would lay a trail which even d blind
/ policeman could follow. / had a spare
! horse at the inn; but for the same rea-
/ son I dared not attempt to take it out
/ Of the stable.
/ in that part of Poland, however, one
/ deal can always be made without ex-
/ citing any comment OF surprise. Any
| one viii trade a horse with YOU. and at
! any time of the DAY or night 7 believe
I q man would not be in the least sur
/ pTised to he called out of bed at mid
night for the purpose; and I am sure he
/ would gladly get up for the sheer pleas
/ ure of the deal Tt Is the one great
I pastiWe. OF as near 10 q pastime, as the
| older men of that district care to get.
| But TO obtain a saddle was another
matter. while even 90 have asked for
such a thing a S a side saddle would have
/ stirred enough curiosity To set the Cos
! sips tongues click-cIacking all over the
village. There was nothing for it
/ therefore except that Nolna should ride
/ bareback; and as I should have to lead
her horse, there was no use in getting
/ one for myself.
Vo'ua was waiting for men when I
reached the appointed place. She had
made a. considerable change in her APP
poarance. A long fur cloak covered her
dress, and iu place of her former dainty
/ headgear she was wearing a close fur
Z turban.
Wishing 10 Try the effect OF my own
altered appearance, / assumed q sort of
slouching walk and made as if to pass
her
Did You think 1 should not know
yOu?" she asked
II was rather hoping you would not.
I am supposed to be disguised"
She laughed. 81 should know you any
where"
Then we must trust that other eyes
are not So keen ass yours. said T. feel
ing little crestfallen.
cor that they are not so interested
iu recognizing you. What about the
train?'
None but bad news" and 7 told her
what had occurred and how I proposed
to manage She agreed at once, but was
for walking.
IT think L can walk ten miles" she
declared readily
There is no need. Ii is rough billy
road, and there is man at the other
end of the village from whom I can buy
d horse without any chance Of rousing