The Glenwood post., 1925-01-08

thre0 8lesSes or champagne, however.
Then she filled fourth glass for her
self and began to talk.
"Wsll. here is my story" Elisa
Francks said. draining the contents
Of her glass and refilling 1t. "Remem-
Dor 1t, for I shall never tell 1t again.
It II story l would like to forget
II will certainly remember 1t"
Mary promised
Twelve months ago went to live
| at Sokar," Elsa Francis began. ut is
miserable place, but went there to
be near my friend Ivan Krossneys,
the governor of the fortress. In that
| fortress was confined a man whom
| your brother went to Russia to res
cue. He came TO me to ask me to
help him bribe the governor That
| was In the month of October last year.
He was very different person then,
| and thought that liked him very
much"
The woman slipped her champagne
The warmth of the room. and the
wine. had moistened her face. A little
streak OF rouge had spread upon her
left cheek. There were black lines
under her eyes. Her voice, however.
wns stronger
"He offered a great deal of money
and ! agreed to help. 7 sent for Ivan
and. a!thor:h he made difficulties, he
was easy to persuade. 1t was all ar
ranged. The prisoner-No. %, we
cnlled him-walked out of the fortress
In your brothers clothes and with his
Il
was to take his place for twenty-four
hours. Then he was to leave the
prison in the funeral coach of an
other prisoner who had died.
This was seven months ago." Mary
faltered.
The woman wiped her lips, shivered
at the sight of the color upon her
handkerchief, closed her eyes for
moment and recovered herself
"That seven months" she said de
liberately, has seemed like seven
years, and each year like lifetime
in hell Listen. l go on with my
story. Yosr brother entered the
fortress as arranged, changed his
clothes with No. 90. who walked out
Of the place and came, without doubt,
to London. Your brother was to
spend that night in the fortress.
Krossneys came down to me. We were
J both excited. 1t was great sum Of
money which we had been paid and
life in Russia is a horrible burden.
We drank great deal of wine. The
more we drank. the more quarrelsome
Ivan became. He resented having to
part with so large share Of the
money to me. We quarreled. Once or
twice we made it up. Then Ivan's
anger fiared out again. In the end,
he declared that he would take away
part of my share. We had strug-
gle. Somehow or other. his revolver
went off He went backward with a
Eroan. He was dead"
The woman dabbed at her face,
Mary could find no word Of any sort
Her VISITORS eyes seemed hxed in q
rigid stare. 1t was as though she
were living through the scene again.
1.-THE police came," she went on. 'l
, was arrested. told my story. There
, were no witnesses. After four dayl
they had to let me 60. The moment
, was free went to the fortress
, Ivans deputy was taking his place
, He was a man of different type, 6
, politician, Bolshevist from convic
, tion. Every time he mentioned No
. 20, he spat. had much trouble with
him."
go on" Mary begged. glanclng a
the clock.
"You need not worry about youl
] brother" Elsa Franks said. HE will
not know you when you go to SEE
him. He has forgotten most things
: This mans name was Ahrensein.
told him the whole truth. am quite
sure that If he had come into charge
of the prison whilst the real No. q
, had been there. he would have fount
some excuse for having him sho
+. within twenty-four hours. He ever
told me SO. He was furious at the
: trick which had been played But,
he declared, the Englishman who hal
put himself In No. 29s place shall
I suffer for himr I was allowed to SET
your brother. He had got over thu
first shock of what had happened ant
I found him full of courage. We dis
cussed several plans for his escape
which. however. we never carried int
effect. I do not believe that any ON
could have bought the life of No. 2!
r from Ahrensein for a million pounds
] With your brother. however, II wal
different. In the end, made over t.
him one of your brothers drafts-ont
| took back from Ivan KrOssneys aftel
he was dead-cashed one Of tn,
smaller ones. and one dark night W.
drove away from the fortress
"But this Is all so long agoi" Mary
r exclaimed wonderingly.
The woman nodded.
; 1--WE were In. the train for Petro
grad" she went on. when | had