The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1916-02-04

| "nere does This baron lve!
asked. surprised that he should occupy
SO high place in Russian officialdom
the representative OF the car. with
| powers as great as the emperor him
SELF
AT the Government palace. in Hell
singfors."
And Elma Heath IL herein this
grim fortress! Why?"
All. m'sieur, how can l tell? By
reason OF family secrets. perhaps
They account for SO much. you know"
The fact that the baron was ruler of
Finland amazed me. for | had half ex-
pected him to be some clever adven-
turer Yet as the events OF the past
flashed through my brain. recollected
| that in Rannoch Wood had been found
the miniature of the Russian Order Of
Saint Anne, distinction which. in all
probability, had been conferred upon
him If SO. the coincidence. to say the
least, was a remarkable one. | ques-
toned my companion further regard
ing the baron.
'Ah. N seur." she declared, they
call him The Stranger of the Firms
1t was he who ordered the peasants OF
kasko to be logged until four of them
died-and the car gave him the Star
OF White Eagle for the who sup
pressed half the newspapers and put
eighteen editors in prison for publish
ing report Of a meeting OF the
Swedes in Helsingfors; he who encour-
ages corruption and bribery among the
officials for the furtherance Of Russian
interests: he who has ordered Rus
sian to be the official language, who
has restricted public education, who
has oyertaxed and ground down the
people until now the mine is laid, and
Finland Is ready for open revolt The
prisons are filled with the innocent;
women are logged; the poor are starv-
ing. and The Strangler.' as they call
him, reports to the car that Finland
is submissive and is Russianized!"
! had heard something of this abom-
Unable state OF affairs from time to
time from the English press, but had
never taken notice Of the name Of the
oppressor. So the uncle of Elma
Heath was THE Stranger of Finland"
the man who. in four years. had re-
duoed prosperous country to a state
of ruin and revolt!
Cannot see her at once?" asked.
feeling that we had remained too long
there. II my presence in that place
was perlous the sooner escaped from
1t the better.
"Yes. cone," she said. But silence:
Walk softly" and holding up the old
horn lantern to give me light. she led
me out into the low stone corridor
again. conducting me through a mum
Der Of intricate passages. all bare and
gloomy. the stones worn hollow by the
feet OF ages. into small, square
chamber. the floor OF which was car.
peted, and where. suspended high
above, was lamp that shed but a
faint light over the barely-furnished
place. Beyond was another smaller
room into which the old nun disap-
peared for a moment: then she came
forth leading strange wan little fig
ure in gray gown, a figure whose
face was the most perfect and most
lovely had ever seen. Her wealth
OF chestnut hair fell disheveled about
her shoulders. and as her hands were
clasped before her she looked straight
at me in surprise as she was led to-
wards me.
She walked but feebly, and her coua-
tenance was deathly pale. Her dress.
as she came beneath the lamp, was, |
saw, coarse, yet clean, and her beauti
full regular features, which In her
photograph had held me in such fasci-
nation, were even more sweet ana
more matchless than l had believed
founded in admiration.
In silence she bowed gracefully, aud
then looked at me with establishment,
apparently wondering what l, per-
feet stranger, required of her.
Miss Elma Heath, presume?" I
exclaimed at last. May introduce
myself to you? My name Is Gordon
Gregg, English by birth, cosmopolitan
by instinct. | have come here to ask
you question: question that con-
Germs myself. Lydia Moreton has sent
me to you"
! noticed that her great brown eyes
watched my lips and not my face
Her own lips moved, but she looked
at me with an inexpressible sadness.
No sound escaped her.
stood rigid before her as one
| turned to stone, for in that instant, In
fash indeed l realized the awful
| truth
| She was both deaf and dumb!
She raised her clasped hands to me
in silence, yet with tears yelling in
| her splendid eyes. l saw that upon
| her wrists were pair OF bright steel
gives.
What is this placer" | demanded
Of the woman in the religious habit,
when | recovered from the shock of
the poor girls terrible affliction.