Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1910-07-15

WV
cessor. he was soon lost to view be-
hind the prison wing There was a
horrible interval-a volley.
In like manner Vera saw four of the
conspirators marched by her prison
window. They disappeared-the in
terva! of suspense. the volley. Every
time one of the condemned men passed
she vowed that she would not go to
the window to see the next man
marched to the death she had pre-
pared for him. But every time she
was impelled to go lest the man should
be her lover. By the time the fourth
man had passed she had been thrown
into a mental condition bordering on
insanity. Surely she was being pun
ished for her infamous act She had
lost all expectation that the minister
would keep faith with her as to spar
ing Krikoff When for the fifth time
the drum sounded she saw her lover
marched past her window. He looked
up. and she saw an expression of
loathing on his face at recognizing
her. By the movement of his lips she
knew that he cursed her. She gave
wild shrek. She knew that he had
been told what she had done.
She heard the volley. Hardly had
the echoes of the shots died away
when again came the tap Of the drum.
She started. She had counted those
who had passed. and there were five
all those concerned in the conspiracy.
all the names she had given. For
whose execution could this drum tap
be the signal?
Suddenly the door Of the room in
which she was confined was thrown
open. and there stood an officer Of the
prison.
Come"
Terror stricken. she arose and stag.
gered out with him. He led her down
a staircase and out into the prison
yard. There stood firing party. Sup
ported. for she was unable to walk
alone. she was marched around the
wing behind which the others had dis.
appeared. On reaching certain spot
she was placed with her back to the
wall: her eyes we're bandaged: she
heard the words "Aim! Fire" There
was volley. Consciousness left her.
and she fell forward on her face
Then she knew that she was not
dead. for she felt herself shaken over
paving stones. She was In a carriage.
Gradually her full consciousness came
back to her. She felt for wound.
but found none She had not been ex-
ecuted after ALL
The carriage stopped before the
house to which she had gone the morn.
ing before to inform the minister of
the conspiracy. man got down from
the box and. opening the door, CON-
manded her to alight She did so and
tottered to the door. which stood open.
An attendant conducted her to the Of
fee Of the minister. He sat at his
desk writing. Standing in row near
him were the five conspirators whom
she had seen going to execution. ev
cry man alive One of them was her
lover. He did not look at her. The
men stood rigid; the minister went on
writing The waiting for what should
next come seemed as much Of a sus-
pensc to Vera as the intervals be-
tween the disappearance of each one
of these men and the sound Of the vol
Icy that WAS supposed to have ended
his existence.
Finally the prince ceased writing.
looked UP and said to her:
You see hat have more than kept
faith with YOU
There WAS no reply.
Il have not only spared your lover;
l have spared his associates"
Still there was no reply. merely a
vacant stare
The minister turned to the conspira-
tors.
II am considered by you to be one
whom it is your duty to put out of
the way. but you must admit that l
am not devoid Of justice could not
bring myself to spare one Of you equal
ly guilty with the rest and execute the
other four You will be conducted to
the frontier under guard. If any one
of you ever returns to Russian soil he
will stand again before firing party,
but not armed with blank cartridges
AS the men filed out Krikoff turned
his back to Y :.:.. She fell in heap
on the floor.