The Washington times., 1910-02-14
PRINCESS lara @ ea=. sssssa5,a

OF his threats. but laugh at them
and forget them He does not
This man becomes a nihiliSt and 2
dangerous one. He plots and plans
Ter your overthrow, and for the pos
session OF your sister whom he con
she does not tell you these things,
Iear-DE the consequences II YOU were
70 night another duel. 1T last, how
ever more or less OF Il comes 10 your
attention and the consequence is that
you publicly hOrsewhip him, for which
act you are suspended from attend
ance at the palace for thirty DAYS
During that interval a horrible thing
occurs Il Is at the time when the
extremists among nihilists are ramp
ant and when the secret police does
Us deadly Work unquesuoned5 a time
I'VE years ago. People are arrested
and spirited away from among the
hiEhISJ ara the lowest. Victims are
found II the palace as well as in rhe
novel No person IS sacred from these
ms SteTiOuS arrests. no tribunal hears
a victim S defense. no official dareS TO
interfere Even you may at any mo-
Nent become a victim Of this awful
method \ cOI.II5sSint IS edged against
a wholly innocent person, no matter by
whom Z may even be Anonymous In
the dead OF tire night police from the
lnlrI section visit the rouse Of the
person complained against. a search is
made and II fncrim mating dOcumbe1ts
are found, that person disappears for
ever. Where. nobody knows save those
VINO carry out the secret decree 7
VIII -oJ worry YOU with he useless
details IN fact you have had sufficient
Introduction to the story already
Twice each week since your expuI-
sion from the palace you are compelled
70 remain on duty over night, and at
last the morning comes when Won re-
turn 70 your home after one II these
E1gl-S &C find yourself face 10 face with
a EJTTOT which YOU knew exist a1 F77rt
hsaT
hendec- Al. Il IS pitiful, but listen
fou md when you arrive, that all is
excitement The servants are running
llIner and thlther- they whisper among
themselves. and at first YOU can GET no
explanation from them. Ii vain YOU
call Tor your sister. Frightened ZlanCeS
Sobs and Eroans. are the only replies
you get. and you rush TO her apart
menL only 10 find that Il is empty
that she 1S gone The room Is in the
utmost disorder Clothing IS scattered
everywhere TvOnne's most sacred
treasures are slrevn upon the floor
The contents OF her drese Ing case are
tUmbied in confusion upon the furni-
tuTe- Chairs are oVertUrnCd- The cush-
ions OF the chairs and cOuches are
ripped open The bed Is a ruin dis
1nembeTed. torn apart. and heaped in
corner The carpet has been pulled
from It's faSteniugS. and is rolled and
tumbled into d mass in the middle OF
the floor The pictures are torn from
the walls vases have been OVeTUurned-
even the ETeTlCn CLOCK, on the u12ufpf.
has been ruined IN the awful search,
and the very walls OF the room are
dented by the hammer which has pound
ed them in the effort to find a secret
hiding place You know only too well
what has happened, and yet you do not
realize II
You are dazed. You think that YOU
VIII awake and find that it is all a
dream You cannot believe that Il IS
the sleeping room Of your own sister
that has been thus invaded and desc
Grated At last from one Of the older
and more trusted servants you hear
the truth, and while he speaks YOU
listen dumbly, wOnderingIy."
lara left her place beside me on the
dlVanr and stood facing zoe, near the
center table, and in the intensity of
her story, lowered her voice percepti- /
bly, She bent forward n little. uncon-
SclOusly throwing over me the same
sort Of spell that now dominated her.
In my own eaSerneSS I leaned forward !
my right elbow resting upon my knee, /
and with bated breath. waited for her
20 continue When she did resume. il |
vas with suppressed intensity that
is indescribable-
This IS what the old servant told
YOU An hour after midnight there va
a DereuptOry summons at the door and
when he opened IL he discovered bevOud
the threshold. one Of those terrible de-
tails OF fends which the Third Section !
sends out on its fouIest errands: but
he did not dream that they were after
your sister: he only thought that Won
were IN trouble. The officer in charge
went straight 10 the door of your SIS
tiers room as if ne were as familiar
with the internal arrangements Of the
house rs were its regular inmates He
threw the door a jar without warning
and followed by the scouudreIs who ac-
cOUpaI-ied him. entered the room where /
your sister was in bed Sleeping inuo-
cence vas aroused BY a brutal com
uaEd- Your sister, as pure, as sweet as 4
CuiltleSs OF wrong, as beautiful in spirit 1
as the angels in heaven, was dragged
from her bed by the rough hands of /
those human devils Her Shrieks and
cries were answered BY jeeTs. Her Dite-
Gus appeal that they would leave the
room until she clothed herself, was re-
fused with curses. She was compelled /
tc dress IN their presence, underneath
the blazing glare OF every light in the
room. and before the eyes of those inhu- :