The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-03-31

greater venom
Olga Platanova was the latest ac-
QUESTION to this select circle. A word
concerning her: She was the daugh-
ter Of Professor Platanova, one time
oculist and sociologist in a large Ger
man university. BE had been one of
the most brilliant men in Europe and
member of a noble family. Less
than year before the opening Of this
tale he was executed for treason and
| conspiracy against the empire.
His daughter, Olga. was recognized
as one OF the most beautiful and Gull
tured young women in Warsaw. Her
suitors seemed to be without number.
Finally there came one who conquered
and was beloved. He was the son of
mighty duke, a prince Of the blood.
The young prince pledged himself to
marry her despite all opposition; he
was ready to give up his noble inherit
ance for the sake of love. The all
powerful ruler of an empire learned
Of this proposed mesalliance and was
Mortified. The Will Of the crown was
made known to him and-he obeyed.
Olga Platanova was cast aside, but not
forgotten. He became the husband Of
an unloved, scrawny lady Of diadems.
When the situation beanie more than
When Olga heard the news of his
death she was not stricken by grief.
She cried out her joy to a now cloud
less sky, for he had justified the great
love that had been theirs and would
be theirs to the end of time.
From passive, believer in the doc
trines Of her father AID his circle she
became at once their most imprisoned
exponent. She threw herself heart
and soul into the deliberations and
transactions Of the great red circle;
| her father understood and yet was
amazed.
Then he was put to death by the
class she had come to hate-one more
| stone in the sepulcher Of her tender,
| girlish ideals. When the time came
she travelled to Graustark in response
to the call Of the committee of ten; she
came prepared to kill the creature she
| would be asked to kill. And yet down
| in her heart she was sore afraid.
She was there not to kill man
grown old in wrongs to her people, but
| to destroy the life of gentle. inno-
| cent boy Of seven!
| There were times when her heart
shrank from the unholy deed she had
been selected to perform But there
was never n thought Of receding from
| the bloody task set down for her.
On a Saturday night following the
last visit of Truxton King to the
nrmorer. the committee of ten met in
the underground room to hear the lat.
est word from one who could not be
with them in person, but was always
there in spirit, If they were to 1eiieve
! his most Jealous utterances. The Iron
Count Marlanx, professed hater of all
that was rich and noble, was the
power behind the committee of ten.
The assassination Of the little prince
i and the overthrow Of the royal fam
lily awaited his pleasure. He was the
man who would give the word.
Alas for the committee of ten! The
| widest fox in the history of the world
was never SO willy as the Iron Count
Some day they We're to find out that
he was using them to pull his choicest
chestnuts from the fire.
| The committee was seated around
the long table in the sitting, breath
less room, the ar1norer at the head.
Those who came by way Of the sewer
had performed additions in the queer
toilet room that once had been a secret
vault for the storing of feudal plum
der. What air there was came from
the narrow ventilator that burrowed
Its way up to the shop Of William
Spantz or through the chimney hole
In the ceiling. Olga Platanova sat far
down the side, moody, inscrutable
expression in her dark eyes. At
Spantz's right lounged Peter Brutus,
a lawyer, formerly secretary to the
Iron Count and now his sole represent
alive among these people. He was a
dark faced, snaky eyed young man,
with a mop of coarse black hair that
hung ominously low over his high, re-
ceding forehead.
| julius Spantz, the armorer's son, q
placid young man of goodly physical
proportions, sat next to Brutus, while
down the table ranged others deep in
the consideration Of the worlds gray
est problems. One of the women was
Nine. Drovnask, whose husband had
been sent to Siberia for life, and the
other Anna Cromer. rabid red lee
turer, who had been driven from the
United States, together with her anna
bic husband, an assassin of some dis
tinction and many aliases. at present
foreman in charge of one of the bridge
| building crews on the new railroad
Every man in the party. and there
were eight, for Olga was not a mem
Der of the ten" wore over the lower
part of his face false black beard Of