Evening star., 1929-12-08

why Prince Shamyl Ali Is coming to see me?"
quite. Katyas maid overheard and sent
word. You know-she is in our pay"
For several minutes, without speaking. Boris
paced up and down the room. He stopped in
front of his aide-de-camp
IT shall prevent this marriage"
Il fail to see how you can"
'I am the governor general"
All the same, you step beyond the law,
we'll you not precisely persona grata in
Moscow these days. Certain of your recent
escapades-"
Il know. My beloved cousin, the TSar, is so
tremendously bourgeois in his inhbitions On
the other hand suppose Prince Shamyl Ali
should insult me-very gravely?"
why should he? He is not fool"
Live and learn" smiled the Grand Duke
as Shamyl ushered in.
He bowed deeply, clicking his heels. "Your
Imperial Highness!"
How you, Prince?"
Came an exchange of words courtly and
banal. Yet, somehow. the air seemed charged
with an undercurrent of tragic suspense
Won Bardeleben suppressed a groan. He
liked Shamyl. He looked at him and shrugged
his shoulders as if to tell him that happen
what might, it was not his fault.
Suddenly Shamyl decided to come to the
point
"Katya-" he began
"a delightful little gypsy! interrupted Boris.
''You know her?"
katya," Shamyl Said in low, steady voice,
~has promised to be my wife"
"Bozhe moy!" exclaimed the Grand Duke
"I am really glad about this marriage 1 ap-
prove of ton racial grounds"
Racial grounds" echoed the other, wonder
ingly.
Precisely. For you are Tartar and FSatya
is a gypsy. You belong both to the yellow
race-ah the inferior race. OF course would
have objected had you wished to marry a Rus,
sian woman-a white woman"
Allah" The single cry broke from Shamyl's
lips High. almost squeaky, grotesque and ter
rible
It was trap. trap meant to crush him
He knew it. But this insult this deadly insult
to his pride, his ancient race-no! No. he
could not permit it,
Thus thoughts flashed through his brain in
the few seconds it took him to clear the width
of the room-to raise his right hand to strike
Boris across the cheek.
Came silence. Silence of death The Grand
Dukes face was like a carved mask Then he
spoke:
You are hot-blooded, Prince have an
idea that Siberia will be the right climate to
cool you off a bit"
He addressed his aide-de-camp:
Call the guardl"
minute or two later, soldiers appeared A
sweep of the bearded faces on the threshold
Huge fur caps pulled deeply over broad fore
heads. Green uniforms A young officer mar
Tow-wsisted gold-belted. The gleam of a sword
Black holes of rifle barrels leveled in straight
threatening line
> The Grand Dukes rssping order: ARREST
this man-in the name of the Tsar!"
And the last descendant of the Grand Khans
. OF the Golden Horde was marched OF by a file
OF Slav soldiers who smelled regrettably of
vodka and cabbage soup.
40 ON the next morning High Treasonl
the papers headlined the event "Struck the
Grand Duke!" Prince Shamyl Ali started ON
his first lap toward the frozen north. the mines
On he marched, in irons, while right and left
the ankle irons of other prisoners clanked punc-
tuation marks to his black thoughts; while from
the serried, manacled ranks rose a great chorus
swelling bloating the bitter hymn of the per-
secuted:
"Slazamy zalit meer bezbzreiny
VSya nasha jizn-tyajoly Trood!
No dyen nastanyett neysbejny
Nyomoleemo grozny sood :"
(The pitiful world is drowned in tears
Our whole life is but blood-staned strife
The fateful day of reckoning will come
The day of mercileSS Judgment. }
The song vanished into the distance; van
ished with the coming of night, night that, in
Samarkand, in LIE Grand Bo-Ba-Bo cabaret
was greeted, as always, with the popping of
champagne corks light phrases. hectic gayety
and loud shouts of "Bravo.r "Bravol" "Bravis-
simo!" as Katya whrled across the stage in
the abandon of her dance
"Encorei Encore!"
Pounding walking-sticks Rafting daggers
Clapping hands.
''Encore!" cried the Grand Duke, who was
seated in the front row.
Katya stepped close to the fOotlights Sud
denly her hand reached into her Waist-shawl:
came out with a revolver
There was Shot-and Boris fell sdewavs