Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-03-04
he 81 ACK
E AL
BY Stuart 3. Stone.

Twelve men sat at dinner in an up
per room-12 chattering, eXcitable
men, and woman. Two other men
stood guard at the door, and no one
passed in or out without the exchange
of cabalistic signals and the mutter-
ing of mysterious passwords.
On the walls of the room the crown
weighted lords of Europe reposed,
head downward, with black crepe
draping and hemming the pictures
about Kindly expressions of Death
to Monarchs!" and The Dagger for (
Despots," twined above and below
the spectacle of the kings of the earth
upturned
The 10 men ate prodigiously, while
the lady, who was most ravishingly
charming, fitted about from one to the
other muttering smiling incendiarisms
and passing the things they ate.
At the head of the table was a
bushy- whiskered, red-faced individual
Brothers" he began, I'VE have a
single purpose; it only remains to
ascertain which of us will be the in
strument of of the wrath of the peo-
pie down trodden and oppressed"
There was a pounding of clenched
fists on the table, chorus of assent
ing voices In half-dozen barbarous
dialects, and pompadoured Swede
shouted: Down with the usurper"
The speaker resumed: 1--WE shall
now see who is to be the instrument
of righteous vengeance. Mile. Aimee
will spread the ballot, and conduct the
drawing. The black ball means we'll.
we know that, think"
A low murmur went round the long
table as the pretty Aimee procured IL
white balls and a black one. These
she placed in a wooden box, having
| lid opening at the top. fitting the lid
so that the contents Of the box were
screened from the observation of the
drawers, she approached the first man,
red-bearded Slav. The Russian
thrust his hand into the box and drew
forth white ball, whereat he seemed
much relieved.
Lucky Alexieff," said the Slav's
nearest neighbor "The black ball is
certain death, for how can man STAY
king and escape? Yet the work
must be done"
The speaker dived into the box as
he talked and captured white ball,
also
The third man was Gerard, the
Partisan, his smile never changing as
he, too, drew ball white as snow.
"Himmel." muttered Hamburger
by his side. q think the black ball
is to be mine" But the German drew
white also
The fourth and the fifth of the con.
spirators - Finlanders, who knew
something of Siberia-obtained white
, balls with never a sign of rufflee
nerve, but the sixth man, a Bohemian
shivered the least bit, requiring two
attempts before he entered the fatefu
box to bring forth another white ball
Half gone, and black yet remains,
whispered the president; and there
, was an uneasy shutting among thu
other five. But the president drew
forth ball OF the white dazzle. Tn
next three men drew rapidly-white
white, white-amid little whistles O
} amazement.
Dainty little Aimee stood now be
fore Brother Stathoff the eleanor
3 kindly-seeming young Bavarian.
the ~ had noticed carefully the
S might have seen that the lady's re
lips quivered the slightest and ths
$ her bosom heaved But they locke
!. only at the mild blue eyes of Static
II of Bavaria, who reached for the fats
> box Almost had he obtained the ba
v when the dainty Aimee stumbled, nea
ly falling.
L Mercy" she stammered LAUGHING
but it was necessary for Stathoff
draw again.
And this time as he reached for til
r ball-hidden TO him, but in plai
n view of uademoisele-th lid snappe
y TO, as by accident, and for the thin
e time the box must be made ready Il
is young Hans Stathotf. This time, wit
the brown eyes of Aimee following h
D. every motion, the gentle Bavaria
!; made successful entry-drawing
IS cleaning white ball
% 1T is WE'LL murmured the era
l. bearded Valmirsky, as he broug
forth the black ball of death, al
II the Pretty Aimee and young Hal
" Stathoff and all the other plotters DIRE
1T deep breaths of relief
so But only the pretty Aimee kne
x how love. entering even the clos