The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-10

my hands behind me. Nevertheless,
he walked me and holding my hands
to his lips, forcibly kissed them and
said: you are not yet one of our
faith % 1 made no reply, and pulling
my hands from his started hastily for I
the Tsarina's chambers. To my terror |
and surprise I saw him following me.
I was about to scream when the Tsar- !
ina, attended by two other maids-of- |
honor, entered the reception room |
from the nursery.
I was so unhappy that I was as |
signed to duty where had to see
and tolerate such man whose very !
presence was hateful to me. But in
the service one must tolerate every
thing that is for the good of the faith
erland. And soon it became my duty
to even court favors from this man,
but during all the time in which 1
was obliged to associate with him my
distaste for his personality and every
thing pertaining to him never grew
less but rather grew greater.
I suddenly received instructions
from Baron Steinhauer that 1t was
absolutely imperative that the Tsar
should be advised and urged to make
peace with Germany at; once, and that
otherwise his dynasty. his own life
and those Of his immediate family
were in danger.
This was a direct hint from our
intelligence bureau that I should in
fluence Rasputin to, advise the Tsar
to seek peace with Germany at once.
This meant nothing else but permitting
Rasputins attendance to continue
without objection on my part; and,
in fact, if I desired speedy results I
should encourage them. This one was
the hardest duty that the fatherland
had demanded of me. I had no choice,
however, I had to perform it.
On the next opportune occasion
heamed at him with a smile and by
my manner encouraged him to speak
| to me. And on the following day I
expressed my desire to become one Of
his disciples.
He was overjoyed, and after the Sc
| cret meeting of the court spirftualists,
to which I was not yet permitted en-
trance he invited me to visit his apart
| ments, so that he could open the Sc
| crets of his new faith to my full COM
prehension. q
I was in mood of hesitancy when
received anther message from our
| intelligence bureau to hasten activ-
tiles on the peace movement.
I I visited Rasputin's apartments
| alone. had prepared a form of per
| sonal epistle which wished Raspu-
tin to sign and address to the Tsar.
He met me eagerly at the entrance
of his apartment. He was CARRIED in
a heavy purple silk robe, and though
his manners were not those Of cour-
| tier yet he tried to be courteous. I
found him living sumptuously, sur
f.o11ndnd NTH no mi
hateful the atmosphere of the place
was!
I found others had arrived before
me, perhaps Is or 20, a few of whom
I knew to be in our service. He es-
corted me to the room where the rest
| of his dupes and tools had gathered
to receive the blessings of his new
faith. What a sight it was! Picture
to yourself the most ignorant of Rus
sian peasants, man not physically
attractive or mentally interesting, yet
I to whom had been given a strange
hypnotic power by which he duped
these silly women. He was, with all
his bad manners a gifted hypnotist or
a peculiar sort who. when he discov-
cred what benefits it could bring him,
developed his ability and built around
himself wall of superstition which
4
enemies, and, gave him "a power to
even use the Tsar and Tsarina as if
they were children.
| When the ceremony Of my introduce
! ton to the rest of his followers had
| ended he invited us to sit on the floor
| on the CARPET. We all sat around him,
] some OF us sitting and others half re-
| Ginning. Then he talked to US about
4 his wonderful new faith. He told us
how he had conquered sin, how many
miracles he had performed, and how
he had healed thousand of men. and
women of sin and disease. He told us
that day, as hint of what one might
expect of him should one cause his
| luminosity, that it was through his
| power than Won P1ehvn was struck
down. His listeners swallowed every
statement without reservation, but ii
was well known to me that Won Plehvn
was the victim of terrorist-anarchist
and that he was murdered for political
reasons. Another one of his favorite
doctrines was that there was no saliva
ton without repentance, and, o1
course. no repentance without sin. ]
do not care to further dwell on his
doctrines; they are unprintable.
At the end of the meeting, on a sig
nal from Rasputin, one Of the attend.
ants ushered me into another room
The ceremony of parting from his re-
cipients too about 15 or 20 minutes
and when they had all departed Ras.
putin returned to me. I had alread.
rehearsed my role. AS soon as saw
him enter the room I walked to him
l'like schoolgirl meeting her home
coming father, and told him 1 had
greatly enjoyed his every word.
will the holy father permit me t.
visit his seance another timer" Ras
putin was a conceited brute. He be
lieved I was sincere. 1 kept up thu
attack.
Perhaps may be able to hold {
few minutes conversation with YOU
when you visit her Majesty this even
ing You are aware, of course, tina
the grand duke is ill again; no doub
you will visit him.
He had not yet heard of the CRANE
dukes illness.
No one can imagine how relieved
felt on reaching the street. On re
turning to the palace I told the Gar
ina how I had enjoyed the service he1t
at Rasputin's apartments. I persuad
ed her then to send for Rasputin 81
g., Cro M TO-