Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1915-04-30

rave repaid such communication
with a knife-thrust. The whole court
is honeycombed.
"While the prince was still hesitat-
ing, he suddenly became aware OF an
unusual sound, coming from the far
end of the gallery, where it ended in
the dieused apartments l have de-
scribed. The sound appeared to be
that of a door slowly turning on its
hinges. In an instant Boris realized,
or thought he realized, the situation.
The parsonage Of the garden had ar
! rived in the vacant suite by means of
a secret stairway from the garden
door, and was now about to pass
through into the gallery. with the OBJ
ject, no doubt, of making his way
finally into the imperial corridor.
There was not a moment to lose.
Unarmed, as he stood there, Boris for
tunately recollected that in the little
chamber, which l have spoken of as
set apart for the use of the pages,
there were pair of loaded pistols and
a sword. He darted in through the
| open door of the room, snatched up
the sword and one of the pistols, and
had got back nearly as far as the
threshold, when he was arrested, and
his very limbs were rooted to the
ground, by the sight Of the figure
which passed noiselessly along the
corridor outside.
Imagine a tall and somber appari-
ton, with long black robes sweeping
the floor, the head shrouded in deep
cowl, from whose recesses cleaned
out, pallid and spectral in the light of
the moon, the features of the dead
monarch, Alexander lII!"
At this point his excellency pretend
ed to perceive for the first time the
change which had taken place in the
position of the chessmen.
"Ah! You have moved your king"
he exclaimed, and promptly shifted his
attacking bishop SO as to give me q
fresh check. Then he returned to the
narrative.
"a moment passed. The first shock
of terror over, the awe-struck page
ventured to the door of the chamber
and glanced out into the gallery. The
ghost had disappeared, as suddenly
and as mysteriously as it had come"
Were there no other rooms off the
gallery into which it might have
passed?" l demanded, not to appear
too credulous.
There were none. The only other
door in this part of the gallery was
that which have already described as
closing off the imperial corridor.
BE sure that put the same ques-
ton myself when my young friend told
me the story. His manner convinced
me that he was not lying, and that he
really believed himself to have seen
the specter he described.
"As you know, am not believer in
the supernatural. sought to shake
the boys .superstitious state of mind.
What you saw was some illusion,
some trick of the imagination said
to him. -
1 l"He shook his head mournfully.
II am as certain of what saw as if
it were before me now,' he replied. My
mother will tell you that am not sub
ject to idle fancies.'
1.-THE princess confirmed this state
ment with nod of her head.
"I am sure that my son must have
seen something like what he de-
scribes, she said to me, though it is
evident to me that it must have been
some living person, masquerading as
the ghost of the tsar. The question is
for what purpose such disguise could
have been assumed, and on this point
confess feel uneasy. What do you
say, my friend?'
Il shook my head.
81 fear that the first suspicious of
Boris were correct replied, and that
the enemies of his majesty have re-
sumed their internal schemes
Both mother and son appeared
struck by this view of the circum-
stances. But Boris was by no means
prepared to abandon his belief in the
supernatural character of what he had
SEEM.
"'It may very we'll be that this was
!
noissance, to discover the nature of
the ground, before introducing some
explosive machine or other, and the
villain may easily have kept himself
out of sight for a few minutes. Doubt.
less he returned Immediately, only you
had then left the gallery.
"'But there is an easy way of put.
ting the matter to the proof. If 1 am
right in my suspicious this creature
whoever he may be, will infallibly re.
turn at the same hour another night
Tonight, on account of the presence OF
everybody at this ball, will be his most
favorable opportunity, as he may con
fidently expect to find the imperial
suite deserted. l propose to you that
we repair to this little room of yours
together, at the moment when the
page who has replaced you tonight
comes off duty, and if this mysterious
parsonage again presents himself,
will compel him to disclose his
IDENTIFY