The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-04-29

- - ONHh wv $500
bassof set themselves to watch
~ T last he made her a sign and the re-
porter, followed by Matrena. advanced
on tip-toe to the threshold of the gen.
erals chamber. keeping close to the wall.
Feodor Feodorovitch slept. They heard his
heavy breathing, but he appeared to be en-
joying peaceful sleep. The horrors Of the
night before had fed. Matrena was perhaps
right in attributing the nightmares to the
narcotic prepared for him each night, for the
glass from which he drank it when he felt
he could not sleep was still full and OBJ
viously had not been touched. The bed
of the general was so placed that whoever
occupied ii, even II they were wide awake,
could not see the door giving on the SER
wants stairway. The little table where the
glass and various phials were placed and
which had borne the dangerous bouquet.
was placed near the bed, a little back of 1t,
and nearer the door. Nothing could havs
been easier than for someone who could
open the door to stretch an arm and place
the Internal machine among the wild flow
ers, above all, as could easily be believed,
if he had waited for that treachery until
the heavy breathing of the general told
them outside that he was fast asleep. and
If, looking through the key-hole. he had
made sure Matrena was occupied in her own
chamber. Rouletabille, at the threshold,
glided to one side, out of the line of view
from the hole, and got down on all tours.
He crawled toward the door. With his head
to the floor he made sure that the little
ordinary pin which he had placed on guard
that evening, stuck in the floor against
the door, was still erect, having thus addi-
tional proof that the door had not been
moved. In any other case the pin would
have lain flat on the floor. He crept back,
rose to his feet, passed into the dressing
room and, in a corner, had a rapid CONVEX
sation in q low voice with Matrena.
"You will co. said he, "and take your
mattress into the corner Of the dressing
room where you can still see the door but
no one can see you by looking through the
key-hole. Do that quite naturally, and
then go to your rest. / will pass the night
on the mattress, and l beg you to believe
that | will be more comfortable there than
on a bed of staircase wood where spent
last night, behind the door"
"Yes, but you will fall asleep. / don't
wish that"
what are you thinking, madameT"
II don't wish it,, ! don't wish 1t. / don't
wish to quit the door where the eye Is. And
since I'm not able to sleep. let me watch"
He did not insist, and they crouched to-
cether on the mattress. Rouletabille was
sauatted like a tailor at work; but Ma
trena remained on all fours, her Jaw out
her eyes fixed, like a bulldog ready to
spring. The minutes passed by in pro-
found silence, broken only by the Irregular
breathing and putting Of the general. His
face stood out pallid and tragic on the Pill
low: his mouth was open and. at times, the
Inns moved. There was fear at any moment
Of nightmare or his awakening. Uncon-
sciously he threw an arm over oward the
table where the glass of narcotic stood.
Then he Law still again and snored lightly.
The night-lamp on the mantelpiece caught
the queer yellow reflections from the cor