Evening Star Newspaper, May 2, 1896, Page 17

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1896—TWENTY-FOUR PAGES THE GHOST OF THE WINTER PALACE By ALLEN UPWARD. Author of “Secrets of the Courts of Europe.” (Copyright, 1896, by Bacheller, Johnson & Bacheller.) “Check!” proclaimed the ambassador, with a threatening air, as “he advanced bis king’s bishop to the one square I had omitted to guard. And he leant back in his sect and smiled as if he considered the game already won. I sat silently studying the position. But my opponent was not a man who played chess merely by moving the pieces on the board. 4ie did not neglect the opportunity to distract my attention by conversation. “The game of cess is an admirable one for men of my calling,” he observed. “There is something truly instructive in the lessons which It conveys. Look, for in- stance, at the pawn, a piece which in its career scarcely repays the trouble 2 . but to which, later on, even the queen may be sacrificed.” Unconsciously gwayed, perhaps, by these remarks, I pushed forward a pawn between my kin and the attacking piec The am ssador affected to hardly notice the move. in how delicat he elaborate agi pawn, him, you tar en h ‘or him the ce of a never remove him from the ral of this?" I suggested, as a way out of the dirfculties as involved. ined in a to you if I were u would refuse to be- “Do you credit the for exam- remonstrated. res one to the most paired face. any chance led e for a romancer, a poet? d that the facts I shall nar- ou are perfectly authentic and to several persons In the inner n court. I merely ob- ‘ou that my y is incredible. I ay that it fs absurd.” ned myself to the prospect of los- game, and prepared to listen. ples of western Europe Russia. It is, of cou sia, the Russia of the gov I speak. During the whole t at the embassy in St. Peters- uld always perceive that I was @ stator, allowed to see no more of condition of affairs than it suited pose of the officials to display to me. h I flatter myself that I pene- d the scenes than they not understar offictal Ru as everybody knows, the acy, te power being vested in the sf the czar. But the true govern- of Russia ts a secret soctety, the ‘Tchin,’ which includes the the official class, and in whose often no more than a to exert his own will. ome this position is may be fact that only sixty Juke Constantine delib- ly refused to ascend the throne, which 1 to his younger brother, Emperor yas I. Nor has the ‘Tehin’ T nk from asserting Its supremacy by the t deplorable deeds. It is not the nihi- lists who have set the fashion of assassi- nating czars. It is by the hands of their own ministers and courtiers that the mon- archs of Russia have most often perished. “It is necessary to bear these facts in mind in order to understand the incident Iam about to relate. “Tt is not long since the attention of Eu- rope was concentrated upon the death of Alexander III. Occurring, as it did, in a remote corner of his dominions, on the shores of the Black sea, the accounts sup- plied by the newspaper correspondents who flocked Iike vultures to the spot were as circumstantial as if each one had been ad- mitted to the bedside of the dying mon- arch. ‘The interest taken in this event was, enhanced by the romantic cir- nees of the marriage of the present . Nicholas II. It was natural that the press, ever ready to give itself up to trans- ports over those incidents In which reyalty is cerned, should have lavished {ts pow- of description upon the sudden sum- ons to Princess Alix of Hesse, her hur- ried and desolate Journey across the frozen continent, her marriage with the czare- witch, celebrated, as it were, In the very death chamber, and then the grand passing away of the emperor, consoled in the hap- ness of his son and fortified by all the of his church. “Shortly after these events the new czar to St. Petersburg with his briae and took up his quarters In the Winter palace. As is usual on the accession of a Rew monarch to the throne of Russia, hopes of a reform in the government were extensively entertained. The progressive party talked with confidence of the mild and enlightened temper of the young czar, end augured much from the way in which he had formerly held himself aloof from the repressive measures his father's ministers. Fools! As if the ‘Tchin’ ever died, or its policy could be changed by the mere replacing of one royal figu another! “However, the result of all this was that the nihilists relaxed their activity, and for a time there was absolute repose in the Russian capital. This repose was broken by a@ strange and disturbing rumor, which circulated, observ among the ex- elusive circles of the court. This rumor Was to the effect that “the Winter palace had become haunted. “It was stated that a ghost had been seen walking in one of the corridors at midnight. And there were those who as- ser the spirit in question was that of the dead czar. “As you may imagine, such a could not be long in attracting th® tion of the secret police. report atten- The result was A Ghost Had Been Seen Walking. very soon apparent. The rumor itself had hardly been abroad a few days when it became silently understood in the society of the Russian capital that any allusion to it would be indiscreet, and might, In fact, subject the person making it to an unpleasant journey across the Ural moun- tains. “Never was the marvelous power of the police exerted with more crushing effect. ‘the rumor died out as swiftly and sud- derly as it had arisen. It never penetrat- ed beyond the nner circle of socicty, an‘, above all, never reached the eara of a single correspondent of any Journal outside the Russian empire. In the Russian press, of-course, it was impossible for anything to pass the stern scrutiny of the censeor- ship. “It is for this reason that the public of Europe has never had even an inkling of a secret of which, outside the immediate court circle, Tam perhaps the sole posses- That mere curiosity 13 not one of ny failings, you have doubtless long ago ob- served. But in the interests of France I deemel it necessary to penetrate to the bottom of this extraordinary affair, and circumstances fortunately put it in my power to de so.” A “Then you were in St. Petersburg at this time?" I remarked, in a tone midway he- tween that of an assertion and a question. id I not say so?” returned my friend. “1 was not there in any political capacity. The president had requested me to be the bearer of his personal congratulations to Nicholas, and I prolonged my visit at the request of some of those friends whom I had left behind me after my former resi- dence in Russia.” I apologized for the interruption. “But you are- quite right to interrogate me,” said the ambassador, blandly. “I should otherwise fear that my story did not inter- est you. As I was about to tell you, I was favored in my investigation by the accident of my friendship with a very charming wo- man, Princess Nestikoff, whose son, Prince Boris Nestikoff, was an imperial page, at that time on duty in the Winter palace. “I had formed the acquaintance of the princess during my former official residence at the embassy, and, though some years had elapsed since I had seen her, she received me with unabated friendliness on my return. Do not, I beg of you, allow yourself to put a false interpretation on the sentiments which subsisted between this lady and myself. The princess, although left a widow at an early age, was a woman of the most dell- cate propriety, and my attentions to her partook of an almost paternal character. I chanced to be dining at her mansion on the Nevsky prospect on the day after the royal apparition was said- to have made its appearance. We were enjoying a tete-a-tete after dinner,before proceeding to a ball given that night at the palace, when we were in- terrupted by the arrival of the young Boris, “Have you heard about the event of last night?” dressed in the imposing uniform of his of- fice. He was quite a lad; indeed, when I had formerly known him he was a mere child, and had been accustomed to consider me in the light of a father. He entered the room in which we were ted, more al han was perhaps tent with his Ll respect; but the which he evidently labored . with a gesture full of dig- attention to my presence. aim omitted to pay your re- the baron.’ you have something you wish to communicate to . With madam's permission, 1 draw.’ But this reither of them w d hear of, both mother and son ring me that there was no secret which they would not intrust t- m 1 know not how it Is," pu mbossador, extending his hands with an air of the most touching humility, “but there appears to he son thing in my character which inspires conf in ell those with whom f? come in ard induces them to in y fre to participate.” To such an observation it was obviously my duty to mak “The fact ts, ambassador, that do right. the strictness with you guard these confidences of which you complain that leads people to presume upon your amiabilit Having said this, I took advantage of the interruption to meke a desperate move on the chessboard. His excellency, affecting not to note what I had done, continued his revelations. “It was then that my young friend pro- ceeded to disclose the reason for his sud- den appearance, and to astound us with the intelligence that he was himself the au- A Muiiled Figure Stealing Along. thor of the rumor which had so perturbed the society of St. Petersburg. It will, per- haps, save time ff I repeat the substance of his story in my own words. PART IL “You must know,"’ the ambassador con- tinued, “that the Winter palace is one of the most colossal buildings in the world. Whole suites of apartments in it are never used even, but, in order to guard against all danger from the odious attempts of the nihilists, a certain watch is maintained even In the most deserted quarters of the palace. In these portions, which are given up t> the members of the imperial house- hold, this duty is performel by sentinels selected from the imperial guard, but in the neighborhood of the czar’s own apart- ments the task of keeping guard is under- taken by the corps of pages, of whom Boris wa; one. The imperial suite, com- prising eight principal rocms, is traversed throughout its length by a cofridor which opens at one end on to the first landing of the grand staircase, at which point two of the ges are always on duty, day and At the oth end the corridor is by a deer which is always kept On the further side of this door ts a disused gallery, overlooking a garden in the rear of the palace and leading to a suite of rooms which has not been used for very many years. Nevertheless, in accord- ance with the strict rule already mention- ed, an iniperial page has always been sta- tioned in this gallery to prevent the poss! bility of access to the locked door. It was at this spot that the young prince had been on duty the preceding nicht. “You understand that the task of rd at night in a deserted gal- s by no means a pleasant one, al- gh ro page was required to he there for more than three hours in the twenty- four. Moreover, a small room opening out of the gallery had been suitably furnished for the lads to relax themselves in during their solitary watch. In spite of this, the duty had remaines an unpopular one, so much so that the new czar, on taking up his quarters in the palace, had earned the gratitude of the pages’ corps by decreeing that from the hour of midnight to 6 in the morning the watch in the gallery should no longer be kept up. “On the night in question Boris had re- paired to the gallery to relieve his comrade at 9 o'clock. He had simply to remain there till 12, and then, as soon as the clock struck, he was at liberty to retire to his wn quarters. omit wanted very few minutes to the hour, and he was pacing the gallery, impatiently waiting for his release, when he happened to stop opposite one of the windows and look out into the grounds. It was a bright moonlight night, and every tree and shrub in the garden stood out in startling dis- tinctness. He gazed idly, letting his ey rcam over the expanse, when all at once his attention was arrested by a sight cal- culated to disturb any one living in the rmist atmosphere of the Russian court. This was a tall and closely muffled figure stealing along in the broken shadows of the trees and making its way toward the near- est corner of the building. “It was inevitable that the startled page should at once connect this figure with the audacious intrigues of the dreaded secret society whose plots constitute a perpetual menace to the imperial throne. His im- pression that he was watching a nihilist emissaty was confirmed when he saw him confidently appreaching a door in the wall of the palace which was never used,’ and was supposed to be securely fastened against ingress and egress. This door, on will the contrary, appeared to yield to a touch of the mysterious visitor's, who disappear- ed from sight beneath its arch. “Greatly disturbed by what he had seen, Boris kept his station in the gallery, con- sidering what it was advisable for him to do. The clock struck the hour for his re- lease, but he paid no attention, absorbed in the thought of how to deal with the dan- gerous Intruder.” “I should have thought it a simple mat- ter to give the alarm,” I ventured to mur- mur. His excellency regarded me with a look in which pity and rebuke strove for the mastery. “My friend, it is evident that you do not know Russia. To have given this alarm of which you speak might have been of the utmost danger to the prince. The first per- son whom he approached with the news might have been a secret nihilist and have repaid such a communication with a knife tkrust. Phe whole court is honeycombed. Even if Boris had succeeded in bringing about the arrest of the person whose move- ments had roused his attention, this might have turned out to be some high function- ary, perhaps a general or a chamberlain, who, after easily expiaining away his mys- terious proceedings, would have privately exerted his influence to have my young friend removed to Tobolsk or Tiflis. Be- lieve me, in Russia to be a too zealous courtier is hardly less dangerous than to be an actual conspirator, as you will per- haps realize when you have heard my story. “While our prince was still hesitating, he suddenly became aware of an unusual sound, coming from the far end of the gal- lery, where {t ended in the disused apart- ments I have described. The sound ap- peared to be that of a door siowly turning on its binges. In an instant Boris realized, or thought he realized, the situation. The personage of the garden had arrived in the vacant suite by means of a secret stairway from the garden door, and was now about to pass through into the gailery, with the object, no doubt, of making his way finally into the imperial corridor. “There was not a moment to lose. armed, as he stood there, Bori recollected that in the litile I have spoken of as of the pages, there was a pair of loaded pistols and a sword, He darted in through the open door of the room, snatched up the Un- fortunately mber which t apart for the u sword and one of the pist and had got back nearly as far as the threshold, when he was arrested, and his very limbs were rooted shi of the to the ground by the fisure which passed noiselessly along the corridor outside. “Imagine a tall and somber apparition, with tong black robes sweeping the floor, the head shrouded in a deep cowl, from Y Tecesses_ gleamed out, pallid and 1 in the light of the room, the fea- The ost Had Disapy de tures of the dead monarch, Alexander III!" At this point his excellency pretended to perceive for the first time the change which had taken place in the position of the ch men. “Ah! You have moved your king, exclaimed, and promptly shifted his ing bishop so as to give me a fres Then he returned to the narrative. “A moment passed. ‘The first shock terror over, the awestruck page ventured to the door of the chamber and glanced out Into the gallery. The ghost had dis: “Were there no other rooms off the lery into which it might have passed? manded, not to appear too credulous. “There were none. The only other door in this part of the gallery was that which I have already described as closing off the imperial corridor. sure that I put the same question my- self when my young friend told me the story His manner convinced me that he was not lying, and that he really belleved himself to have seen the specter he de- scribed. “As you know, I am not a believer in the supernatural. I sought to shake the boy's superstitious state of mind. “What you saw was some illusion, some trick of the Imagination,’ I said to him. “He shook his head mournfully. “Tam as certain of what I saw as if it were before me now,’ he replied. ‘My moth- er will tell you that I am not subject to idle fanci-s.’ “The princess confirmed this statement with a nod of her head. “‘T am sure that my son must have seen something like what he describes,’ she said to me, ‘although it is evident to me that ft must have been some living person, ma querading as the ghost of the czar. The question is for what purpose such a dis- guise could have been assumed, and on this point I confess T feel uneasy. What do you say, my friend?’ “I shook my head. I fear that the first suspicions of Boris were correct,’ I replied, ‘and that the ene- mies of his majesty have resumed their in- fernal schemes. It appears that they have obtained a key to the garden door, and who knows that they have not secured aaother to the dcor of the imperial apartments, that door from which the guard was to hav> been removed last night for the first time? Surely it is not by a mere coinci- dence that this strange figure presents {t- self in the corridor immediately after mid- right, that is to say, at the hour when the conspirators had every reason to expect that the page on guard would have just quitted his post?" “Both mother and son appeared struck by this view of the circumstances. But Boris was by no means prepared to aban- don his belief in the supernatural charac- ter cf what he had seen. ““T ean understand that it is difficult for my mother and you to share my opinion,’ he remarked, ‘but I cannot believe that any conspirator could have succecded in as- sumirg so close a resemblance tc Alexan- der III, with whose features I was so well acquainted. Besides, if your theory were correct, and he hai disappeared through the imperial corridor, why is it that noth- ing has happened, and that no one seems to have seen or heard anything of the intru- sion?” “It was, of course, difficult to answer this objection, but I reiterated my determina- tion to take a common-sense view of the occurrence. “It may verv well be that this was merely a first visit,’ I added; ‘a reconnois- sance to discover the nature of the ground, before Introducing some explosive machine or other, and the villain may easily have kept himself out of sight for a few min- utes. Doubtless he returned imm diately, only you had then left the gallery. But there is an easy way of putting the mat- ter to the proof. If I am right in my sus- Picions, this creature, whoever he may be, will infallibly return at the same hour an- other night. Tonight, on account of the presence of everybcdy at ihis ball, will be his most favorable opporianity, as he may confidently expect to find the imperial suite deserted. I propose to you that we repair to this little room of yours together at the moment when the page who has replaced you tonight comes off duty, and if this mysterious personage again presents him- ce i wil! compel him to disclose his iden- Yy. “Borls welcomed this idea. I could see that he was secretly ashamed of the ridi- cule which attached to him for his story of shostsecing, and that he was anxious to re-establish his character. The princess was good enough to express her opinion of my courage and devotion in terms which it would not become me to repeat to you. In the end we arrived at an understanding and departed to the palace together. “Throughout the progress of the ball— during which Grand Duchess Olga con- descended to become my partner in a waltz —I kept my eyes and ears open and ob- served that Boris’ adventure of the night before was a general topic of conversation. The more highly-pk officials were evi- dently in a conspi to treat it as a mere boyish delusion, but among the gen- eral body of the guests I found there were not a few who shared my suspicions. I ventured to appreach the czar’s confiden- tial chamberlain at-an irterval between tpe dances and to seund him delicately on the subject. His reply was characteristic of his nation and government. “‘My dear baron,” he said, sharply, ‘there is nothing so detestable as court gos- sip. It is most annoying to his majesty to have his late father’s name connected with the wanderings of a moonstruck boy. Take my advice, dismiss the affair from your mind.’ “His manner convinced me that more importance was attached to the incident than he pretended. However, I feigned to be perfectly satisfieg,.and returned to the I Distinctly Percet of Lig grand duchess, who was anxious to know whether her robe would been ap- proved in Pa But th agreed on for the rendezvous \ ching, and I had to mak T could think of to tear from the im- perial lady. You ure, of course, familiar with her portrait obliged to confess my ignoranc ares of the Grand Dui whom I had never prev though, of course, I did not say The a dor glanced at the chess- a moment, as !f meditating a re he resumed. ! 11, I will not attempt to describe her to you. Boris met me, as we had ar- ‘a small pass m, and we a back sta > our Way un. se into the fa A gallery ze on duty ving arrived. He grinned y Boris, who explained to him ought me to see the pages’ Fortunately, the other lad was im- to get down and take part in the g. No sooner had the great clock of to boom forth the than he hastily de- is und 1 were left in pos- ler PART JIT. armed with my revolver,” or continued, “which I had carefully with my own hands. I took advantage of ‘therinterval, while we were waiting for the approach of the ap- arition, to make my’ companion provide himself with a sintilar weapon out of the room, Lest our presence In the gal- when he that he } room. patient “T had com mbass ded lery should serve as a warning to the mysterious visitor; and prevent his ap- proach, we conceaied ourselves in this which was! plmged in profound darkness, We sat facing the door, which we ad left open, so as to per the pissage of any one who should come along the gallery. “Halt a s way with- n to grow 1 Proda d My Own W impatient, and to accuse Boris in my own mind of having Invented some fable. Bat when I hinted this to him he became so in- dignant that I was compelled in spite of myself to believe that the boy had really some grounds for his stor: ‘At last, tired of this useless perform- ance, I rose from my seat and moved cau- tlously out into the gallery. I glanced up and dov.n it without perceiving anything in the least resembling the figure of the previcus night. All at once, however, I did see something which caused my heart to give a grea: bound. Looking at the far end of the gallery, where the deserted apartments of which Boris had told me were situated, I distinctly perceived a faint glow of light along the floor. “Instantly I turned to the threshold of the rcom in which I had left the young prince, koned to him to come out into the He saw by my manner that I had me important discovery, and obeyed my gesture with shaking limbs. No sooner had he e from the doorway and followed wi yes the direction In which he gave a great gasp of r. ‘The deserted suite!’ he exclaimed, in a hoarse whisper. “There has never been a light there in all the years that I have known this part of the pal: ‘T nodded my head. ‘It la what I expected you to tell me,’ I whispered back. ‘But do not give way to nervousness. You must see that this con- firms my theory of the circumstances which we ure about to investigate. A spirit, such as you were deceived into thinking you saw, would not need a light for its purposes. It 1s evident that we are on the track of a more real and dangerous secret. The person or persons who are engaged in it have ob- tained possession of these vacant rooms, in which they are probably now engaged in developing their schemes.’ “The young prince no longer combatted the soundness of my conclusions. ‘But what is to be done?” he murmured. ‘Shall I summon the guards, or inform Velovitch #f the secret police?” “I considered well before answering. One of those subtle intuitions which are born of long experience in segret politics warned me that I stood on,the threshold of some discovery of no ordinary kind, one which I might perhaps regret having to share with the secret police, and which it might, for many reasons, be better that Boris himself should not be madejacquainted with. “‘No,’ I said, at Jast,i'we have no right to act precipitately. (Wiatever we may sus- pect, we as yet knaw yothing that would Warrant us in communicating with the au- thorities. It is a duty which I feel I owe to myself and to you, tozascertain the real nature of this mystery on which we have stumbled, You arg a:young man, and, moreover, a Russian, and, therefore, I do not ask you to expose yourself to peril in the matter. As the envoy of a foreign power my person is inviokihle. and I can, there- fore, afford to risk an injliscretion. Remain here, I beg of you, while I go forward and effect an entrance into the apartment from which that light proceeds. Should I not re- turn by the end of fifteen minutes, I au- thorize you to go to M. Velovitch and in- ferm him of the affair.’ “The lad was at first disposed to be in- dignant at my thus proposing to exclude him from the perils of the enterprise. But by dint of an appeal to the authority of his beloved mother I succeeded at length in winning his consent to the pian I had sug- gested. He then consulted his watch so as to measure the lapse of fifteen minutes, and I advanced with noiseless steps down the gallery : “The light which I had observed streamed out under an ancient and massive door set in a deep stone arck at the eastern end of the passage. My first impulse was to knock at this door, but as I got close to it another idea suggested itself to me. It was evidently through this door that the personage he- held by Boris had made his approach the night before, and it was just possible that he might have omitted to lock the door on his return. I laid my fingers on the oaken .what ever struck it right. handle, and turned it with infinite delicacy and slowness. As soon as it ceased to re- volve under the pressure of my hand I gave @ gentle push to the door. To my delight it yielded. I gave another push, equally slight, and the door responded with a hor- ritle grating sound. Further concealment was useless; I holdly flung the door open and stepped through. “The first glance was sufficient to tell me that I had merely gained an ante-cham- ber, forming a sort of general approach to the various rooms of which the suite was coraposed. This ante-room was deserted, but immediately on the right lay a room of which the door was partly open, and from which proceeded the light that had filtered out into the gallery. Hastily clos- ing the outer door behind me, I made two steps into this inner room. “Never shall I forget the thrill, the ab- solute stupor of amazement which over- came me at what I beheld. There, half risen from the chair on which he had doubtless been seated when aroused by the creaking of the door, I saw the very fig- ure which Boris had described to me, the tall form, the dark robes, and, above all, the pale and terrifying countenance of the monarch whose death had cast half Europe into mourning.” The ambassador seemed to think this a suitable mcment for returning to the con- sideration of the game, in which it was again his turn to move. “Let me beg of you to continue,” I ex- claimed, unable to restrain my impatience, “I will resign.” “By no means,” returned his excellency, with indulgence, you have got several moves to make before I checkmate you. But I will, If you prefer it, conclude my adventure before I devote myself to your overthrow. “What exclamation I uttered when I first caught sight of this startling appari- tion I do not recollect. But when the per- sonage before me thrust his hand into his pocket and drew out a revolver, it was impossible for me to doubt that | was dealing with a man of flesh and blood. Like lightning I produced my own weapon, which I leveled at his breast, at the same time exclaiming: “Hold! Iam the envoy of France! In the name of the czar, who are you? “He lowered his revolver, took a steady look at my features, which he no doubt t fan to recognize, and replied in mournful tones: Tam Alexander III.’ “At the same time he sahk down again into his chair, while my pistol dropped from my hand, and I had to cling to a table for support, g " was all I could gasp out. ‘But rdon this intrusio1, I imagined y to be ? Yes, I know it,’ he responded, in the same melancholy voice. ‘But sit down. Since you are here, and chance or e has put you into possession ef my secret, you had better know all. SI M. le Baron. I am no longer an emperor. “I obeyed, still struggling with my as- tonishment. ““First of all, you have pei which 1 mankind,’ s; tell me by what means trated to my hiding place, in gined myself secure from all d the ex-czar, “In as few words as pos his majesty been le I related to the incidents which I have you. He lisiened with deep telling aron, I remember you of with a faint smile, when T had finished. ‘You always had the repu- tation for worming out more secrets than any other man in Europe, and I ought to have foreseen that {t would be necessary to take you into my confidence. It is for- tunate that you have come alone, and that ur rigid hon not less celebrated than our dexter! “I bowed deeply at these complime: His majesty continued: he only return T can make to you for a fidelity of which I assure myself before- hand is to explain to you my reasons for What must seem u an extraordinary of thing: he fate of my fat ander II, n by a bomb in the streets of St. Petersburg, is, of course, fa- miliar to you. But it is n for you to realize the effect produc: t fear- ful ton my mind. The perils of a battlefield may be faced by a brave man, inspired by the enthusiasm which battle calls forth. But the perpetual secret peril which dogs one day after day and year after year, and never slackens for a singie moment—that is a very different thing. I am not ashamed to confess to you, baron, that from the moment I ascended the bloody throne of Russia my life was one jong, haunting agony. Never once did I have one hour of perfect freedom from care. And I could do nothing. I was help- less—a martyr bound to the stake of my autocracy. They prated to me of reforms. You are a man who knows Russia as few men know it, and you can tell me whether the first step in the direction of reform would not have drawn down on my head the vengeance of men beside whom the ni- hilists are bungling apprentices “I could only bow my acquiescence in this sorrowful truth years,’ proceeded Alexander, ‘I had secretly set my heart on abdicating. I only waited till my son Nicholas was of an age to face the dangers and difficulties of the task of governing Russia, But by the time that the hour of release drew near I had learned that abdication would earn me no respite from the hatred with which I was pursue. I had acquired the knowl- edge that there were those who had sworn . on the throne or off it, I should not be allowed to die a natural death. To give up my imperial state would simply be sur- rendering my safeguards against the en- mity of those who sought my life. It was these” considerations which ultimately forced me to entertain the idea of a decep- tion which I lament, but to which I owe the first peaceful days 1 have spent for twelve years. I resolved, as you have gathered by this time, to go solemnly through the forms of death and burial, and thus acquire the right to retire to some unsuspected retreat, where 1 might pass the remainder of my days, shielded from the vengeance of my relent- pursuers. In order to carry out this sign it Was necessary that I should take tive persons into my confidence, my wife, my son, two physicians of whose personal loyalty and friendship I had had many proofs, and an old trusted body servant on whom was cast the duty of arranging for my future privacy, and attending on me in it. He is at this moment away procuring supplies af food. “The deception was carried out with a success which was doubtless due to the very boldness of the design. The world, stupefied in its narrow routine, is never willing to be- lieve in the existence of anything unfamiliar to its every-day experience. Your young friend, the page, of whom you have spoken, Was more ready to credit that he had seen a spirit than that Alexander III could still be in the flesh. Your ingenuity will, I feel sure, easily discover some means of allay- ing ‘any suspicions he may have formed since? "These words of his majesty’s reminded me that Boris was impatiently awaiting my reappearance. I glanced at my watch. Twelve minutes had already passed. “‘I must leave you now, sire,’ I exclaimed, rising hastily, ‘or my comrade will be seek. ing for me. Rest assured that I shall not prove unworthy of the trust you have deigned to repose in me. But I venture to advise your majesty to discontinue your visits to your son’s apartments for the pres- ent. Should you desire to lay your com- mands upon me at any time, I shail be found at the French embassy.’ “With these words I took a respectful but hurricd leave of the ex-czar, who bade me a cordial farewell. “TI rejoined Boris just as he was about to set off and give the alarm, and was success- ful in putting a stop to any questions on his part by a few judicious words. ‘1 atn forbidden to tell you what I have discovered, but I may tell you in confidence that you must have mistaken the son for the father.” “The young prince accepted this explana- tion readily enough, and its effect was con- firmed the next day by the issue of an order discontinuing the guard in the gallery al- together. As I have told you, all trace of the incident quickly disappeared from the society of St. Petersburg. At the end of a few weeks the unlucky page received the hcnor of a lieutenant’s commission in a regi- ment which happened to form part of the garrison of Vladivostock, on the coast of the Pacific.” His excellency stopped, glanced at the board, and made the move which I had been dreading for some time. “Checkmate!” (The end.) ————— A Cyclone Incident. From the Texas Sifter. A stranger was about to register In a New York hotel when he took off his hat, disclosing the fact that he was as bald as a watermelon. “From the west?” asked the clerk. The man nodded. Then the clerk pointed to the guest's bald head and inquired: “Indians?” 'No," replied the stranger. Mother-in-law ?"" 'No.” ‘Barber's preventive’ ‘No. ‘Cyclone?” “Yes, by gosh! Pard, yer the first chap Let's liquor.” ANOTHER CONGRESSMAN. Paine’s Celery Compound, the Great _ Spring Remedy, Made Him Well, A Congressman is a public servant fn the full sense of the word, He is responsible to his constituents, to his party, himself—the honorable affice jess work, an] sman Willian W. fect is seen in fuilin, is full of hard, vy responsibility, Grout 1s grateful to al work bad wal | Physick en from the righ exhausted bis health and str Counnittee on Expendl! selves of its we falepower of mk T found relief in Pa Tis action oa the ton was also beneficial. ‘There ought to be ro necessity of @rumming into | 3 of tired men are broken in health, nd purify their noticed from j days ts a regularity of , sound sleep, and good dig SINGERS IN PARLIAMENT. MONSTER SAWFISE More Musical Talent Among Members Than Might Be Supposed. From the Musical Strand Magazine. The commons is cords than for its harmonies. the parliament orchestra as a whole would unsuitable for an or concert, yet a number of individual musi- cians might be selected from among them who, as solo performers, could be relied up- on to provide an excellent entertainm: Foremost among musicians must be mentioned J. W. Sidebotham, who has taken the degree of bachelor of m and can discourse as learnedly on the must- eal art as on the political situatic comes C. Stuart Wortie; is wont to speak with great modesty of hi: musical achievements, has written two es Azure Deck Weighing 62: Rod and Re From the Tropical News. One of the hoted rather for tts dis- plished by Mr. N. M. ¢ Conn., on Friday tarpon at Nigger I be eminent n he got a strike. It did not tuke long that the game was even big the fellow batt fish most skillfully, proved that he is a thorough expert in the use of rod and reel. hour and twe fish was brought to the measured fourteen sth and weighed 6: who, although he cellent songs, width, and his filppers measured Balfour, too, is a cultured musician, who delights not only in listening to the best performers, but in playing the p' for his own pleasure. It does not appear that Mr. Gladstone, with all his marvelous forward as But in the by, on the Caloosahat fish ever caught George says he doe other, and this is the for the largest saw- Vt care to tac sawfish. This may strumentalist. y to people who know little of the great eminent statesman del! and It is on record “My Pretty Jane, that his favorite song is a ballad that is not so famillar today as it was a generation or Sir Richard Webster known as a member of a church chgir, and he has appeared on the platform at concerts great succes: toward sacred and serious music; Sir Ed- ward Clarke, if report be true, leans toward the humorous, and can render a coster ditty with marvelous effect. The labor members are specially strong in musical talent. cheeked youngster, sang in a surpliced choir; and Keir. Hardie is not only a per- former on the melodeon, but can put pa- thos and force into a Scotch ballad. favorite song is “Mary of Argyll,” rendering of it has frequently evoke plaudits of his admire inent, of course, the facts as giv. The gentlemen who parts of the wor nuine sportsmen, absolutely c tarpon are and would scorn to t record made made with Sir Richard rods and reels. Statements Reconciled. From the Chicago Post. The fortune teller did not recognize the young woman as a f« was where she made ‘ou will have dicted the fortune teller, a preliminaries, the transfer person to @ quite @ romance,” 1 in the end you will ward live hapr people and to singing “The Men rouse a Weish audi the wildest pitch of enthusiasm. The hon- Harlech” or e young woman, with very 2 it is true, ne song within the hou: but he 1s able to boast that he has the request of a speaker. It arose in this way: In the short parlia- ment of 1885 Mr. Peel in members then in the house to a special din- an adjournment was his voice tn conflicting, os HIGHEST Awan. EAL RANOH, The STANDARD and BEST prepared FF OOD Prescribed by physicians. Relied on in hospitals. Depended on by nurses. indorsed by the press. wins hosts of friends wherever its supe- rior merits become known. It is the safest food for convalescents! Is pure and unsweetened and can be retained by the weakest stomach. Sold by DRUGGISTS EVERY WHERB! Jolin Carle & Sous, New York, World's Fair! After the repast made to the library, and here, at Mr. sred the company Ww a vocal selection. » 2 1 than the then speaker, who beat time o1 his knees as the singer p! an excellent story of compliments ¥ told of Mabor 's exchange prima donna were among the performers. The concert over, Mm Patt! stepped up to ed, with a pleasant smile, “You sing responded Mabon, , “and so do You.” The Irish party can boast of a aumber of The veteran T. D. Sullivan written the words of many and has sung them numerous political and f Tim Healy, too, is much given Irish ballads, ‘Mary Donn companiment; while his broth sits for North Wexfory n sing a good song, and so'can Tom Condon and Dr The Scoteh meraber so musical as th ‘and Ireland. caricaturists not infreq It ts true ths snuly deplet one or ‘al whether in re. ber of parliament 4 forming on an inst! by the unappr. some and unho! There is or Always , music at pe ing of his w cal meetings is bi ion, and who would have gone to thelr opponents wi captured by their musical o . Price, be it said, the Speaker's Bre’ has since had plen with great gusto. He y of opportunities of catching the august optic of that angust of having musi- there ought to If the practic eal election meetings grow: be a greai field among parttamentary candi ~ instrumental mus’ dates for tenchers and voice production.