The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-11
Ii FORBIDDEN VALLEY
81 lj;lia.. Byon flousu+

)DEN VALLEY, |
Gaa. Bqron Mowgu+ !
i At the far end of the corridor she
pointed to the doorway Of the room
1t their left. In the hushed silence
Sonya lowered her voice to . whis.
per.
"The massacre room. Mr.. Ralston.
Those last eight Cossacks barri1
caded themselves here. These blows
were from the copper axes Of the
Klosohees as they broke down the
door,"
Inside the room Curt played tho
lash about. A dozen rusty musketS
Of the flintlock type lay scattered on
the door. He picked one up and
clicked the heavy hammer. A spark
leaped. Against an empty powder
canister lay Z broken sword With
richly chased hilt.
He rubbed away the corrosion till
he made out the looping wolf insignia
OF the old Cossacks. surrounded BY
the imperial crest Of the RomanofLs.
Not caring for so gruesome . son.
venir. he put it down and turned his
dash on the walls. Those dark dis
celebrations. splotchy and sinister.
looking-were they merely seepage
from rain and snow, or bloodstains
Of the murdered Cossacks?
He took Sonya out Of tho ghastly
place into the clean sweet night air
and they went on toward the post.
1T was plain justice that the
Klosohees did wipe out those Cos
Sacks" he remarked grimly. "Ths
Czaristic regime allowed torture
like this to go on for two thousand
miles up and down the Pacific Coast.
They knew all about It: they were
Just brutal to their own subjects,
and they kept it up right down into
modern times.
THANK heaven, that regime got
what was coming to 1t, too! The
Leninists did a good job when they
wiped that deprayity out, root, stock
and branch. They deserve thanks"
Sonya stopped suddenly, and her
hand dropped from Curtis arm.
''Thanks" She whirled on him, her
eyes flashing. ITO that crew Of muir
derers?"
Her words came in torrent, an
CRY ringing words. "You don't real
lie what you're saying! You don't
know anything about the red wave
Of bloodshed that swept all over
Russia In IT and Is.
You were here in peaceful Can.
ada, idling around pleasantly on
some river Or mountain range. You
didn't SEQ hundreds and thousands
OF innocent people killed. to atone
for what . guilty few had done.
Thanks-to those killers? Don't you
ever say q thing like that to met"
|0URT stepped back as though she
Mad struck him. Her anger was
like . blow. 80 sudden and violent
and utterly unexpected. For . mo.
ment he hardly knew what to say.
Then no became q little angry him.
self What he haA Just said didn't
call for any such TRADE from her.
II you please" he said stiffly.
II limited my statement to the Csar.
istic outfit And l wasn't .idlinr
around pleasantly during that time:
was pushing . plane back ana
forth across the front IN northern
France. I don't condous this red
wave Of bloodshed' that You speak
about ] said It was q good thing
that the Leninists swept the Ro.
manor regime OF the map. I'm sorry
Il my opinion wounded you, but
it's my opinion"
you're welcome to it!s
Lets not have any angry feel.
ings about It. please"
I'm not angry"
~Wsll Il you're not, I wouldn'a
want to b close BY when yop arei"
sonya struggled to control herself.
Lets drop It"
AN right
u IN awkward silence they
walked On ont tho path. Curt won,
dsrsd. n . bswildsred way. what On
earth his remark had touched 81
y her. 70 make her ~ oil % pieces
like that He had recovered from his
own anger. but her dsry words were
ringing In his ears yet
Near the tent she stopped. faceA
him. Ton needn't 60 on 70 the pogt
with NO: it, only : few steps. She
gaye him her hand. "Tm really
grateful to You and your partner
TOR coming over to that island. lt
was awfully nice Of you. ana ! von't
ever forget It."
Curt tried to dstain her. Somehow
10 had offended her violently. ana
he did want 70 part on friendly
terms But she disengaged her hand.
turned. left him. and vanished =
tho tran IN tho iusx.
| He was stin staring aftsr ~
when Paul camo out Of tho tent.
= say. Paul." 10 remarked dryly.
| ITS . good thing you ana / vane
over . that island and stoppel
that"
why so?''
We'll. Il W hadn't, I'm thin,.ine
thsfe4 b . dead half-breed ove9
there by uowls
| f0oSyrt0hs. 1855. WAliem ,. xop1r.t
~. ~ !. . ~. 4s:esE; ~ p ~
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