Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-08

animal at bay, now moved by fear,
now by desperation and now by a cold.
calm purpose.
Presently 1 saw her. when something
attracted the attention OF those about
her, take a pin. on the end of which
was a sapphire. from her corsage. The
hand that grasped it fell beneath the
table. l glanced at the waiter behind
her and was convinced that he had
seen the move she had made Neither
he nor 1 could see what work her
hands were engaged in, but from her
position at a certain moment ssw
that she had reached under the table
almost If not quite to its middle.
There are born In US impulses that
under certain circumstances are capa-
bic of working our ruin. got an idea
that the girl was fighting for her life,
and an uncomfortable impulse dom
mated me to help her. deliberately,
in full view Of the waiter, put my
hand under the table and felt for some
thing l believed the girl had placed
there. 1 came upon pin stuck in the
under side Of the table. / drew It
out, and with it came a bit of folded
paper. Between my fingers the latter
felt gritty. Before withdrawing it
from where It was hidden l endeavor-
ed to get rid of this gritty substance
Looking at the waiter, 1 saw him
watching me with q puzsled express
sion ON his face. He doubtless knew
me for one Of the diplomatic corps
and understood that had rights en-
tirely different from any one else. I
glanced from him TO the girl and saw
a look of gratitude that repaid me for
the frightful risk ran. 1 held In my
hand a jeweled pin and bit OF paper,
to which stffl chung enough Of some
substance for any chemist to tell what
it was.
There are fortunate or unfortunate
incidents that determine our happy or
adverse fate. One Of these occurred
i at this important moment to me. Ciga-
rettes were passed. In Europe the
| women as well as the men smoke
| cigarettes We American women usual
| " do not. 1 had never smoked ciga-
rette In my life. But now q device
came to me for getting rid OF the pa
per 1 held in my nand. 1 accepted a
cigarette from the servant who offered
1t to me, but instead Of lighting it
from the wax taper he handed me 1
held 1t In my hand, as IL celebrating
whether or not l should smoke it
Watching for an opportunity. when
my dinner companion lighted q ciga-
rette from q match he took from a
silver box he carried in his pocket, I
waited TIL the match was nearly burn
ed out; then, acting as If there was
not sufficient fire left to light my own
tobacco from it, 1 ignited the bit of
paper 1 held In my hand and just be-
fore it was all consumed touched its
flame to my cigarette.
There were three persons present,
only one Of whom positively knew
what had been done by the destruc-
ton of this paper. The girl opposite
looked radiant The waiter seemed to
consider that something had occurred
to thwart his interests. l did not at
tempt 20 solve the problem. I only
knew that the girl opposite ME had
desired to get rid Of it or what it had
contained.
This. SO far as the state dinner was
concerned, ended the episode. We
longer. Then, the dinner being ended,
the party broke up.
A long while passed before the mat
ter was explained to me. Then on
one of my at home days 1 was honor
ed by a call from Mrs. General Katzi-
koff. On Withdrawing she took my
hand in hers and left In my palm a
bit of folded paper. l had become ac
customed to the chicanery common in
Russia and had presence of mind not
to appear to notice what she had Civ
en- me. After all my callers had de-
parted 1 took what she had left me
to my bedroom. locked the door and,
opening a little note, read it.
1t was written by the daughter of
the lady who had brought it TO me
and expressed, as l could not express
it in my own words. heartfelt thanks
for the service | had done her, stating
that had saved her from the dreaded
Siberian mines. Many years later
met the writer IN England, and she
confessed TO me that she was Fin
lander and had purposed to slip a
poison powder into the wine of the
governor. Discovering that she was
watched, she knew that if she did not
get rid of the powder It would con-
denim her. / had taken terrible
risk, but had saved her from the con-
sequences Of a crime that had not
been carried out
I begged to return the jeweIed pin
with which she had fastened the pa
per to the table. but she insisted on
my keeping it as a souvenir. We be-
came fast friends the girl declaring
that, having saved her from what was
far more TO be dreaded than death, I
virtually owned her 1 naturally be
same much interested in her and beg
ged her to refrain In future from such
attempts as had miscarried under my
observation and the possible conse-
luences OF which | had prevented
But secured no promise.