The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-04-20

Forgive, forgive. She cried. "lf it had
oeen life alone-Oh. love, forgive, forgive!"
The next moment she was gone.
CHAPTER xxi
TT is one thing to embark on adventure
and another thing to carry it through.
While the first step costs more than any
other one step, il does not cost more than
in amy prolonged enterprise. All of which
serves as an introduction to the statement
that Florence, though she began we'll, soon
sckened of her venture.
The conditions We're against her. She had
always been used to Il good share of the
worlds comforts Even in New York. hang
pit she had never been pcnnies> and had
never held back from anything she wanted
through fear of becoming penililcsS Like q
cat. she loved warmth and the cream of life
When she placed the red light in her port
on the Sea Spume and dropped over the side
into the arms in which Wilkins willingly
received her, she contemplated nothing more
unpleasant than Il sail 10y night over the
dancing waves to a safe port The danger
that menaced her not being visible. she dis
regarded it; or felt it only rs giving zast
to {: romantic flight.
But things did not turn out Us she had an
ticipatcd. They seldom do. Scarcely had
the sloop gained the open sea when it be-
came apparent that 1T was too heavily load
ed. The wind was only ordinarily fresh and
the. waves were not at all dangerous to an
ordinary craft; vet they broke continually
over the rail. Soon ii WAS evident that to
attempt to run across the open channel to
the Swedish const would be suicidal, and to
for Copenhagen even more Much
against his will, wilkins was forced to keep
south around the lee of the islands, and
finally to run for a Russian port. Even on
this tack. the trip WAS very dangerous, and
for more than three hours Florence, who
had never before done any work harder than
carrying a spear in the front rank of the
chorus had to toll StrenuouSy helping to
pump out the water that poured in unceas-
in iIY,aa it, ;, .,,., 49,, ,.n, ~, o,.,,a..,
cd beyond expression for several hours, dur
ing all of which death sits grinnng over
her shoulder. it is not exactly surprising If
candle.
Nor were matters greatly improved when
at last the sloop Won to the port of IIelsing-
fishing smacks in the bay, where her pas
sengerS hoped to lie unnoticed while Bill
wilkins. who alone spoke Russian, ran up to
whose captain would consent for sui
GENTLY large remuneration To clear for a
foreign port and then run out of his course
close to IIelsingfors.. to take the gold on
board Such Il captain once found. and sig
fors to join the others and help take the
| schooner out to meet the vessel.
| Tom Wilkins stood tho monotony of wait
ing very Well Used to the loneliness of the
| plains. his own thoughts suficed. But Flor
cnce had no resources. in herself Accns,
l t0TlPu 10 Inu cl:l'tpf aI Now YORK, she HAL
been bored even by the quictneSs of the life
on the Sea Spnme, and this was ten times
worse. Day after day she did nothing but
twir her fingers and think about Baron
Demidrotf and the wonderful tale of Prin-
| cess Yves NapraXine.
Such was her mood on the third afternoon
of her Imprisonment, when wilkins. with a
faulty scarcely credible attempted to cheer
her up by making love to her. Florence
promptly went into Mysteries and Wilkins
had the time of his life in quieting her.
i ,t.r1,t Nod
she slipped away, rowing herself ashore in
the only small boat belonging to til" sloop
and took the night train for ST. Petersburg
| Rv the time that Wilkins missed her she
was at the office of Baron Demidrotf.
Even when there. however she found il
none too easy to reach the baron. Totally
| ignorant of the language and unable to ask
her way, she had to trust to luck, and luck
did not favor her 1t was late in the after
noon-the afternoon of the same day and at
about the same hour when Caruth and Marie
found her way to the ,arons Office and sent
in card inscribed with Olgas name but
with the additional words. princess Yves
Napra kline" pcnciled in the corner
BUT after that events moved fast. Scarce
iy had her card vanished when the door was
flung open and the baron rushed in, botl
| hands extended.
All. Madame la Princess" he exclaimed
ITO think of seeing You here! Come in
/ Come in. Eagerly he urged her towar'
nn inner m Gre pouring W.,, nt lhs while
claimed. ITO think of it. Where did yo,
come from. princess? Where have you beer
all these days.:
Florence seated herself and stared at hin
With cool insolence InstinctiveY she knew
that she would gain nothing by softness an,
more than she had from the ''.Iolmnies' ii
New York. Men were AL alike. she decid
ed. and the weeping, clingng girl was
back number. 'tRnck off. Back Off, sht
ordered. I'm not telling where I've beer
yet
Put the gold. princess! The goll!
THE gold is all to the downy. It's whcr,
can put my hand on ii. You see baron
I'm one of the new woman push, and