The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-12-13

agent gathering data about the vari-
GUS foreign associations in this
country. Our object il altogether
friendly; we're merely making rec.
lords Of their personnel and activities.
miss Volkov is secretary Of your so,
ciety, and I'd like to- lind out a few
facts about her. NY friend tells me
that you know her quite WELL"
Eyes. know Princess Sonya for
twelve years. and her father before
that"
Princess Sonya-?"
"Her father is Prince Stephn Vol.
kov."
Curt caught his breath sharply.
"Prince?" he managed. "a courtesy
title?"
Plekhanov smiled. q bit oondss
scendinglE You know very little
about Russian heraldry. friend. The
VolkoHsare an old Kiev nobility, one
of the oldest in the Empire" He
told his son, Firing our guests the
picture that Prince Stephn saFe ua.s
Curt whistied beneath his breath
Sonya's father a Lrincei He had sns.
pected she was wellborn. But he had
never imagined that her blood was
quite so blue, and she herself had
not once limited that she was of noble
birth.
"You mentioned her father-does
he live here in Canada?"
AT Victoria. And her brother
Carl"
what do they dor"
when Prince Stephn first came
over, he accepted work in a lumber
yard as grader Of timber. Like any
common muzhik." Plekhanov made
q gesture Of shame at his country.
mans lack Of pride. He rose in his
employment: he Is some official now,
and Carl Is field expert for the come
pany. For time Sonya was governs
ess In a rich family at Victoria. Now
she Is teaching language in a pri.
vate school,"
THH son handed Curt Q photo. q
= medium-sized studio portrait.
With queer mixture OF feelings
Curt looked ct the picture OF Sonya,s
father. At his first glance he saw
Sonya's resemblance to him--her
stubborn determination and that
proud poise to her head came natu.
ral-he could see the traits In every
line OF her fathers face.
He passed the photo to Baldwin
and listened to what Plekhanov was
saying.
He had first met Prince Stephu
more than q generation ago in 81
Petersburg. PIekhanov said. A man
Of brilliant parts, sonya,s father had
been very close to the imperial court
at one time. but his liberal views
finally brought him into clash with
the reactionary clique that sur.
rounded the Czarina. As q genteel
banishment to Siberia, he was made
commissar Of the Grown forests
along the Yanisei.
When the Empire crashed, he
threw In with Kerensky's Provision
al Government. organized the vast
Irkurtz region in southern Siberia
and ruled It for the White Partizans.
When Kerensky in turn was over.
thrown by the Leninists. the Reds
put 8 price on his head. His long
liberal record did not save him; q
nohleman. an estate holder. . mod
crate. he was automatically con-
demned.
/ At Irkutsk. Sonya's mother and
sister and younger brother were
seized and shot, their home burneds
their immediate friends killed. Her
father was at vetemsk on the Lena
when he got word OF the butchery,
and h2 q provident mercy Sonya and
Carl were with him at the time.
Taking his two surviving children.
he led into the Lena Woods on
horseback. Q hunted fugitive: and
began the long horror Of the escape.
II met the volkoss In . woods on
Lake Baikal.n plekhanov recounted,
his heart full Of his subject aSonya
was but thirteen then. and her
brother fiftesn. Il had taken Prince
Hleph1 Ell winter to bring them
across that four hundred miles from
Vetemsk. They had frozen. starved:
had been wounded: had fought bat
ties to gek through the cordons Of
their enemies Once they met row
ing party az Terrorists. SIX Of them.
and wiped ont al sir and took their
EunR horses. food. They were ali
three wounded badly when they
came 70 Haikal and sick with mala-
RE. and nearly driven fnad--n0t By
what they had endured. but BY what
they had seen.
~our little hand Of refugees a
Baikal were betrayed By = asherman.
a company of Raids recruited from
the eonvint colony q Chita, sur.
pFised ~ enc night and rode down
|our camp. with pistols and ares.
Only q few of ms managed 60 escape
IN the dark and acrosn Q river on
lee RATA
f0oswssAk isss. Wnuiam ,. Mspws,