Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-03-10

What kill an unknown!-One who
has never harmed you? You must be
engaged in some very grave undertake
ing to harbor such a resolution"
Very grave, indeed. But you wish
ed to see and know; come with me
and you shall be satisfied" And Alex
is Ivanovitch drew Dounia, still sur
prised and frightened, toward the low
door of the mysterious house. which
opened silently after he had knocked
in peculiar and measured manner.
A regular meeting Of the nihilistic
committee was being held within, and
they We're discussing circular to be
sent out which was to inform the at
'filiated of an important attempt to be
made by the revolutionary party
against the life of the Gar. Alexis
Ivanovitch introduced Dounia as a
neophyte, and, two or three women
approaching her, gave her instruc-
tons. She was given pamphlets to
distribute, the names Of prisoners and
sick persons whom she was expected
to visit and bring food to- and other
! duties to perform. The affiliatiOn Of
the wife OF Alexis Ivanovitch, one Of
the leaders Of the society and the au-
thor of numerous pamphlets secretly
published by the nihilistic press, SEEM
ed quite natural and aroused no sus-
picion. Ways and means were next
considered and were discussed quite
freely before Dounia, who listened, as
If in a dream, TO the different plans for
carrying out their tragic purpose. The
meeting then adjourned.
| The following day, while Alexis was
| at the gymnasium inspecting the
classes, listening to the complaints of
students, and attending to his daily
routine work, Karl Strueber, the
handsome German professor, visit
ed Dounia who had not yet recovered
frcm the shock the terrible experience
of the night before had given her. So,
then, her husband was a conspirator!
He was the associate, the accomplice,
of those savage men who terrorized
the empire and whose audacity neith-
er Siberia nor the gailows could ar
rest. Alexis wished to assassinate the
Czar! All, he filled her with horror
now, she was no more ashamed of her
fault. and it even seemed to her that,
In deceiving him, she punished him
for the crime he meditated.
So she abandoned herself to the en-
braces of her lover with a frenzied
passion that savored of the primitive
ardor of the dwellers in her mountain
horne. The dull German! to be medi-
tative at such a time. But he had
mission to perform, and waited for an
opportunity, although he was for
time disconnected by Dounia's savage
voluptuousness. At last he succeeded
! in putting the following questions to
Dounia: Does your husband receive
many visits from men of peculiar as
pect, who, upon entering, hand the
doorporter a ticket?"
mo. never" replied Dounia, sur
prised
"Well, then does he go out often?"
every evening" she answered,
promptly, paling Immediately there
after as she thought of the terrible
meeting which she had attended. In
the meantime, a light dawned upon
her. Why did her lover ask her these
questions? Who was this German,
concerning whom vague rumors had
reached her ears? Quite number of
Germans We're employed in the police
could Karl Strueber be spy?
Strueber, not noticing her abstrac.
tion and carried away by his desire to
obtain more information concerning
Ivanovitch's movements, continued to
interrogate Dounia eagerly, thus ex-
posing himself. Dounia, prey to con-
f1icting emotions had answered half
mechanically, and now realized that
she had betrayed the secret of her
husband consigned to the prison, the
knout, Siberia, or even to the gibbet,
the man whose honor she had already
sullied. A gust of pride and revolt
swept through her, and the wild ma
ture of the mountain girl asserted It,
self within her. She had, indeed,
consented to betray the husband, but
she would not betray the conspirator.
The Circassian never gives shelter to
a spy. Her resolution was taken i'm
mediately. No, she would not deliver
Alexis over to the executioner She
arose, trembling but superb Strueber
sought to detain her. Remain" she
murmured, with bewitching and pro-
voking smile; Il shall return; l am
thine forever" In the neighboring
room she wrote few words, called
the moujick, and commanded him to
take the note to his master.
Ten minutes later, Alexis Ivano-
witch arrived at the threshold of the
chamber where Karl Strueber was
tenderly embracing Dounia, while en-
deavoring to obtain further informa-
tion concerning the vast conspiracy of
which the police already had an ink
ling. The next moment the bloody
form of Strueber, felled by a crushing
blow of a battle-axe. which Alexis had
torn from the wall in his library law