Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-05-21

BaAery was Dy no means q pleasant
one, although no one page was re-
quired to be there for more than three
hours In the twenty-four. Moreover, a
small room opening out Of the gallery
had been suitably furnished for the
lads to relax themselves in during
their solitary watch.
ION the night in question Boris had
repaired to the gallery to relieve his
comrade at nine O'Clock. He had sim
ply to remain there till twelve, and
then, as soon as the clock struck, he
was at liberty to retire to his own
quarters.
1T wanted very few minutes to the
hour, and he was pacing the gallery,
impatiently waiting for his release,
when he happened to stop opposite one
of the windows, and look out into the
grounds. 1t was a bright moonlight
night, and every tree and shrub in the
garden stood out with startling dis
tinctness.
He gazed idly. letting his eye roam
over the expanse, when all at once his
attention was arrested by sight cal
culated to disturb anyone living in the
alarmist atmosphere of the Russian
court This was tall and closely muf-
fed figure, stealing along in the
broken shadows of the trees, and MAX
ing its way towards the nearest cor
ner OF the building.
1T was inevitable that the startled
page should at once connect this fig
ure with the audacious intrigues of the
dreaded secret society whose plots con-
stitute a perpetual menace to the Inn
perial throne. His impression that
he was watching Nihilist emissary
was confirmed when he saw him con-
fidently approaching door in the wall
Of the palace, which was never used,
and was supposed to be securely fas-
tened against ingress and egress. This
door. on the contrary, appeared to
yield to a touch of the mysterious Wis
itor who disappeared from sight be-
meath its arch.
Greatly disturbed by what he had
seen, Boris kept his station in the gal
lery, considering what 1t was advisable
for him to do. To have given the alarm
might have been Of the greatest dan
ger to the prince. The first person
whom he approached with the news
might have been secret Nihilist, and
have repaid such a 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 1t ended in
the disused apartments / 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 I 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 vhap ha mo. or-o,An5 -
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 I'LL"
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 30 as to give me a
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 1t had come"
Were there no other rooms of the
gallery into which 1t 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 OF 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.
He shook his head mournfully.
am as certain OF what | saw as II
1t were before me now he replied. MY
mother will tell you that am not sub
ject to idle fancies.'