The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-03-17

Utopian. Murmurs of approval ran
through the audience.
You know" he continued, "how we
propose to accomplish this great end.
Government is merely a combination
Of the strong and the favored Of the
earth to oppress the weak. Laws are
simply canons for the regulation Of
oppression. All these things are un-
natural and artificial and are built on
a substructure Of superstition. We
propose to render government impos-
sible by making the governing profes-
sion so dangerous that no man will
dare undertake It. But the question
now before us is this: Here is man
in our midst who Is not of us. He Is
a sympathizer with and a friend OF
our oppressors. He came to us, sup
posing that he was going to the house
of the Princess Romanovna, and over
heard our plans. He has discovered
our place of meeting. Will 1t be safe
to turn him loose, after exacting a
promise from him that he will not be-
tray us, if such promise can be OBJ
tained, or is it your mind that he be
removed, as Brother Kourbski sug-
gests, for the good of the Order? In
voting on this question you will bear
in mind that the life of any one in
dividual Is of small moment when
weighed in the balance against the
general good of humanity. Brother
Smirnofr will pass among you, hand
ing each one of you a white and a
black marble, a supply of which l
have here, and Brother Kourbski Will
collect your ballots in hat. A black
ballot will signify removal, white
ballot life and some other expedient.
Brother Smirnoff!"
That member arose and stepped
briskly to the side of the chairman
who took a number of marbles from a
drawer and poured them into a hat.
Kourbsh followed him about with an
other hat, into which the members
dropped their votes. In the ghastly
silence that reigned, Hardy could hear
his heart beat plainly, and the mar
|
ratified like paving stones falling from
| height AS Kourbski stepped to the
table and poured the marbles on It.
the American arose, and mechanically
twitching at his pince-nez, gazed with
open mouth. A black stream poured
from the hat.
"The ballots are all black!" an
nounced the chairman. II shall ap
point Brothers Kourbski, Stankietch
and Golovlev as a committee of three
on ways and means. Gentlemen, you
will retire into the adjoining room
Kindly reach your decision as soon as
possible, for this, as 1 have said, il
only an incidental matter, and we
have much of Importance before u.s.
The three members retired, closing
the door softly behind them. The
dream was becoming reality. Hardy
who was still standing, glanced abou
like a trapped animal, his eyes hunt
ing some desperate means of escape
There was the window. He might
dash at that and leap at the paneS
The crash and the outcry which h'
would make might attract the atten
tion of some passer-by. But, alas, thu
majority of the company were sitting
between him and the window, ant
the shutters, which he could discern
through the thick curtains, were, NJ
doubt, heavy and we'll secured. Hi
overcoat dropped to the floor and {
scarcely audible bump" attracted hi
} attention. He picked up the garment
} and slipped his hand into the pocket
where it touched the cold handle o
a revolver. He remembered that
merchant had given him the weapol
in the morning as sample of larg
stock of German limitations that coul,
be sold at much lower price thai
: the American original. The merchan
had said that 1t was good weapon
| despite the cheapness, and had re
, quested him to try it.
2 But it was not loaded.
(TO BE CONTINUED)