The Alaska citizen., 1910-09-26


 condemned man. She shuddered. For The first time the fearful selfshness of her treaCherous act came 10 her in it's full force.
 Another drumbeat recalled her to the window She would not have gone. but she wished to see if her lover would pass. No; it was an other of the conspirators whom she had handed over 10 his death. He. too, was followed by a firing party. He, too, was deadly pale Like his predecessor. he was soon lost to view behind the prison wing. There was horrible interval a volley. In Ike manner Vera saw four of the consprators marched by her prison window They disappeared the interval of suspense. the vol | ley. Every time one of the con demned men passed she vowed she would not go to the window to see the next man marched to the death she had prepared for him. But every time she was impelled to go lest the fourth 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 minis ter would keep faith with her as to sparing Krikoff When for the fifth time the drum sounded she saw her lover marched past her win. dow. He looked up, and she saw an expression of loathing on his face at recognizing her. She gave a wild shriek. 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 tive-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 of. iicer of the prison.
 "Come."
 Terror stricken, she arose and staggered out with him He led her down staircase and out into the prison yard. There stood a firing party. Supported, for she was unable 10 walk alone, she was marched around the wing behind which the others had disappeared On reach ing a certain spot she was placed with her back to the wall; her eyes were bandaged; she heard the words Aim. Fire," There was a 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 consci- business came back to her She felt for wound, but found none She had not been executed after all
 The carriage stopped before the house to which she had gone the morning before to inform the minis ter of the conspiracy. A man got down from the box and. opening the door, commanded her to alight She did so and tottered to the door, which stood open. An attendant con ducted her to the office of the minis Ter. He sat at his desk writing Standing in a row near him were the five conspirators whom she had seen going to execution, every 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- pense to Vera as the intervals be- tween the disappearance of each one of these men and the sound of the volley that was supposed to have ended his existence.
 Finally the prince ceased writing, looked up and said to her:
 You see that I have more than kept my faith with you.'
 There was no reply.
 T have not only spared your lov- CT; I have spared his associates"
 Still there was no reply, merely a vacant stare.
 The minister turned to the con- spirators.
 T 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. I could not bring myself to spare one of you equally guilty with the rest and ex- ecute the other four. You will be conducted to the frontier under guard. If any one of you ever re- turns to Russian soil he will stand again before a firing party, but not armed with blank cartridges"
 As the men filed out Krkoff turn ed him back to Vera. She fell in