Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-03-10

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 Cypress the weak. Laws are
simply canons for the regulation of
oppression. All these things are IN
natural and artificial and are built On
a substructure of superstition. We
propose to render government impos-
sible by making the governing profess
sion so dangerous that no man will
dare undertake it, But the question
now before us is this: Here is a la
in our midst who is not of is. 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. VIII it be safe
to turn him loose, after exacting a
promise from him that he will not be.
tray us, if such a promise can be OBJ
tanned, 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 n in
dividual is of small moment when
weighed in the balance against the
general good of humanity. Brother
Smirnoff will pass among you, hand
ing each one of you a white and a
black marble, a supply of which /
have here, and Brother Kourbski will
collect your ballots in a hat. A black
ballot will signify removal, a 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.
Kourbski followed him about with an
other hat, into which the members
dropped their votes. In the CHASTITY
silence that ~reigned, Hardy could hear
his heart beat plainly, and the mar
bles dropping, dropping, into the hat,
ratified like paving stones falling from
a 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. Il shall ap
point Brothers Kourbski, StankietcE
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 | have said, is
only an incidental matter, and VIZ
have much of importance before us.
I The three members retired, CLOSING
the door softly behind them. Tn
dream was becoming reality, Hardy
who was still standing, glanced abou
like a trapped animal, his eyes AUNT
ing some desperate Of escape
There was the window. He nigh
dash at that and leap at the panes
The crash and the cutlery which h
would make might attract the atten
ton of some passer-by. But, alas, tn
! majority Of the company were sittinI
D between him and the window, an
= the shutters, which he could discer'
through the thick curtains, were, n
doubt. heavy and well secured. Hi
overcoat dropped to the floor and
scarcely audible bump" attracted hi
'e attention. He picked up the carmen
re and slipped his hand into the poke
ID where it touched the cold handle c
It, a revolver. He remembered that
t. merchant had given him the weapo
ID in the morning as a sample of a larg
e. stock of German limitations that coul
n be sold at a much lower price tina
~ the American original. The merchaI
S. had said that it was a good weapon
a despite the cheapness, and had r.
tie quested him to try it.
ly But it was not loaded.
Mt fun Dir rnNTTTNTIED