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98 WILLIAM STREET, N. Y., December 8d, 1879.

QBeadZe cf. fldams, fiblzfshers,

Ten Cents a Copy.

 

 

Iron Wrist,
THE SWORDMASTER.

A TALE 0F COURT AND CAMP.

BY COL. THOMAS HOYER MONSTERY,
mron-ansms or soars AND sou-m summon.

CHAPTER I.
ran mvmoana.
Tin: streets of St. Petersburg were full or people,
the snow was one. the summer had come, and wi
it all the war to see the new czar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh. the glorious sword!

 

2-1

it turns a man into a gentleman! See! Your

The old Czar Alexander, just dead, had left two
sons, Nicholas and Constantine, and trouble was ex-
pected as to the succession; for there were rumors

hat the Imperial Guard was u y. Nevertheless,
Nicholas had been proclaimed czar, and St. Peters-
burg was full of police and peasants, while the
crowds that thronged the streets were swayed with
conflicting reports.

This hidden political trouble was not, however,
visible to stra ers; at all events it did not attract
the attention 0 a oung fellow with a knapsack on
his back, who stro ed leisurely along the broad ave~
nue of the Newsky Prospect, with an air as lordly as
if he owned all St. Petersburg, but with that indefin-
able expression 'of curiosity about him which marks
the traveler later arrived in 9. str country.

Everything seemed to be new to his gay young
man, who looked boldly out on the world through a

 

$2.50 a Year.

air of steel-blue eyes, bright as if they had never
own care or misery.

He was a handsome youngster, not more than
twent -two years of age; about five feet ten inches
in big t, with a frame whose supple elegance was
very deceptive. It was not till one scanned
closely that it was perceived that his chest was deep
and broad even though his waist was small. There
was, moreover, a certain jaunty swin to his shoul-
ders and a spring to his step that tol of one accus-
tomed to take c' re of himself. He was a very fair
blonde, and his ound, innocent face gave him the
look of a boy of ei rhteen an illusion increased by
the curls of 1118 fair air, which he wore quite long
and carefully arranged. It was evident that the
young stranger was vain of his face and figure, and
not without reason, for a handsomer boy were
to find in a summer's day.

 

 

   

they have light hair,

 

 

Iron Wrist.

 

 

2‘.

 

 

lint apart from graces of body, there was
nun-h in his appearance to attract attention for
his dress was decidedly odd if not outlandish
yet heurng the. remains of former splendor and
hen: unlleniahly picturesque.

it was the rather shabby remnant of a sort of .

uniform that resembled that of the Hungarian
flowers. with the barred dolman, hungln

l’e' .

lisse, light, leather-seated broeches, embroi ered ‘

at the 811105, and tasseled Hessian boots; thou 'h 1

the color, which was gray barred with blue ,
was that of no regiment in Europe, and he car-
ried no weapons but a stick, which he used in
walking. The oddity of his general a pearance
was increased by a genuine Scotch nnet on

’ his head which consorted ill with the rest of his

dress.

Neverthelefis, this blue—eyed blonde, with the
bold, handsome face, swung his lon ash stick
as he swaggered alon as gay] as if 's breech-
es had no holes in t em an the heels of his
'boots were. not worn off at the sides.

in is possible that the presence of a gleamin
diamond ring on one hand, and a pin of sti
greater value in the shirt—frilF—scru ulousl
clean, if frayed—that peeped out from is hal -
open dolmhn had something to do with his
lightness of cart, for no man with diamonds
need be. friendless in a big city, while pawn-
shops exist. .

Such as he was, this singular traveler swung
along the sidewalk of the broad Newsky Pros-
pect, as if he owned all St. Petersburg mstead
of having come in that day from Cronstadt.

As he strolled on, staring at ever thing he
saw, the Neva with its gayly-painted ts, the
broad “ Prospekt,” bordered with palaces on the
side away from the water, and crowded with
Vehicles ( nshing rapidly to and fro, he became
the object of a great deal of attentim from two
men in dark green uniform.

In St.- l’etcrsburg every one above the grade
of masant wears some sort of uniform, civil or
mi ital-y. The stranger had already noticed
this fact, but had not men long enough in Rus-
sia to distinguish grades. The two men who
noticed him as he assed, and who were po-
lice officers, fell in be ind him at some twenty
feet distance and exchanged remarks.

“He is a stranger, Vassili. What is his uni-
form?”

“ What a stupid question! Any one can see
that ho is a German. Look at his light hair.
Perhaps an Austrian desertcr.” '

“No, no. Germans don’t wear that cap.
That‘s English—the kind of English they call
Scotch. I know it, for I saw a Scotchman once
at the English embassador’s ball. He had no
trowsers, Vassili.”

“ No trowsers, Peter Michovitchl 'The Scotch

must be savages. Nonsense.”
“-I say I saw him, and he had a tticoat like
a woman and bare legs; thoiigh 9 carried a

sword. The English have regiments of soldiers.

like him.”
“ But this man-has trowsers, if they are old.”
“Y but his cap is Scotch. He is Eng .”
“ An he is German. ”

I

“ Perhap'ghe is neither. He may be a. Swede;
ou know.”

“ Well, we will flu out. He should have o

rt. We must look ati .3’

H s w on.” ‘

The two police-oflcers quickened their pace
to catch the stranger, who stillrstrolled along as
independent as ever, when they heard a. great
shouting ahead of them, and the poo le begun

P

together in crowds and run confuse ly to and

fro. .

Presently the cause of the disturbance was
seen out in the roadwa , where the droskies
were cluttering ofl’ to eit or side to make way
for a rapidly-advancing cloud of dust, that told
of a racc in progress. \ '

Thissi ht recalled the omcers to their ordi-
nary dut es, for racing is strictly forbidden in
St. Petersburg, while at the same time nothing
more deli hts the young bloods of the city than
to have a. rush, risking the interference of the
police and a fine if the ' are cau ht. -

Both Peter and assili rea inod' that the
mounted gendanntes must have quitted the
street for some cause, or these people would not
be racin ; and both left the stran or u est-
ed, whie they dashed out into t e r y,
blmng their whistles to summon their com-
ra . . ,

Already one could hear the rapid thunder of
hoofs at full gallop, comin down the broad
avenue, while throu h the c oud of dust could
be faintl perceived {he outlines of two vehicles,
neg; neck. h . d

e youn stran er saw t em com on
his eyes lighged up,gwhile he uttered a jifi’nlnnt
ell, and sprung out into the roadway, waving
is hat and shouting out in very poor Bus-
smn: .

“ Ten roubles on the bay tealn l”

He seemed to be beside himself with
mentat the race, on excitement which all the
peopllo shared, though they did not show it so
our y.

Presently the racers dashed by, two vehicles,
called trcnucas. each drawn by three horses,

eskcite-

tad clanging with bells over the horse-collar
W8.

'his'own

 

One team was buy, the other gray, and the 1
bays were leading by a half-lengt .
' ‘Ten roubles on the bays!” shouted the
stranger, as they , and then—“ Whack!”
he found that he was struck over the shoulders !
by the long lash of a whip, while a stern voice
shouted in Russian: P

“ Silence, pig 1”

In a moment the young stranger whirled
round and saw a drosky' g him, with a
black horse at a sharp trot, while the driver, a
big, heavy man in uniform, with stern, dark
face and scanty black mustache, lifted his whip
to repeat the cut.

The young stranger’s eyes flashed and his face
turned white with anger as he threw up his long
stick to interce t the second blow, in which he
was so success 111 that he can ht the curling
lash with an action of wonderfu uickness first
with the stick and then in his ban . . That done,
he whisked the whi from its owner’s grasp as
the drosky passed ull trot; then, dropping his
stick and seizing the whip, away he went as
hard as he could tear after the drosky.

He saw that the man in front was in uniform,
but he cared nothing for that. - All the energies
of his lithe and ' orous body seemed concen-
trated into the e ort to overtake the flying
equi and return the blow he had received;
for he plied the whi furiously as he went
striving to strike the osk ahead of him, andi
once or twice reaching the ind wheels.

A

 

CHAPTER II.
rm: PURSUIT.

IN the meantime the two police officers, who
had sprung out into the road with the 3, nt
design of stoppin the racers, had shru back
when they saw he pace at which the teams
were coming; for even a Russian policeman is
not given to dying at his post in the effort to ar-i
rest a rich law-breaker. " v_

As they shrunk back, the‘zy saw the droskyt
following the racers; noted t e slash given the
enthusiastic stranger, and saw him catch the
whip and give chase to his insulter. The man
in uniform shook his reins and shouted some.
words in Russian as he uickened his 9,.
when both policemen, as i at a signal, 1: w I
themselves before the angry pursuer, crying:

“ Poshh' eon! (Go awayl)’ .

But the youn stranger was not to be stopped. r
Without a wogrthhe railidcim,  tails 111: came up
agninstone egua anso o Wgavoo
swift nod of his head, half sidewise. The effect
was terrible. He caught the unwary officer
full in the face with the hard top of his own
head, and knocked him down senseless and
covered with blood. The other policeman
clutched the stranger. but cm to gaoxdown' in
his turn with another butt of t t on head, .
delivered so swiftly that it hardly seemed to
delay the nmner’s progress. -

Then away went the seedy young man aftbr
the fl ng vehicle, running like a deer,vand still
clutc ing the long whip.

The short delay with the police had enabled
theman in uniform to gain twenty or t '
feet on his pursuer, and his horse was now
loping after the racers; but the an am
never heeded as he ran along behin e ,
with a fierce, resolute look on his young face
that transformed it entirely.

The droski did not gain on him a foot for at
least a bloc and then he suddean his
$138801! in the road, and ran on

ore

rhe' peo 10 on the‘ sidewalks .3th with
laughter at) the spectacle. for he had lost hi:

on . .
RG0 infinite-head!” they cried, and still he
ran on.

ma

But thebest man cannot outrun a guoping
horse for any distance. The drosk , gun to
on him at last, and the man uniform

ooked back with, a mocking smile and waved
hishandnshe turned to the right  dashed
down a cross street.
The white-head stronger set his teeth and ran
on keeping his prey in ht, even while it was
goinin and presently u red an oxultant cry.
h The lack horsekiturned into as iszeway of .a
loom 1100 n ace, an ppeamd. .
“5‘13;an him nogfiu nted the amt, in
n ',and enherans you
till he come to e gateway.
There were two sentries there, and .both
chum their bayonets at the sudden apparition,
but late -

Before the clumsy Russians could realize the
meaning of the irruption he had dashed past
them, we the. whip, and was half-way
acre-o pov court toward a flight of stone

it the foot of these steps stood the black
horn covered th two-nil o bearded
Russian stood stolidly ‘ it.
the courtyard-was omp , save for
the two sentries, who were now shou g to him
to come book.
But the youn man had not come this far to

back. He ew at the Kinda-n like I'
gloger, seized him by the longifixaard

ank” that elicited a roar

- 0.

face became fairly demoniac in its fury as he
shouted:

“ Where is he? Tell me or die!”

.The Russian was much. larger ev way than
his foe, but there was something in t e manner
in which he was attacked that quite demoralized

. One hand of the stranger clutched his
tbeardh th, ans thelogher (an the side of his neck,

e um -na1 u t e °ugular vein of the
Russian behind t e'ear, inJa manner 0 ve
horrible pain. Down went the man’s h to
the gound, as he yelled: .

“ ercy! Mercy! My lord is inside l”
I The stranger flun him away with an angry

urseinDamsh, an turned to the stone steps
up which he bounded inahurry. He had picked
uplthe wmgagain, and cracked it as he went.
A alone t. Petersburg, in the midst of a.
strange palace, that he only knew contained a
man who had insulted him, and probably that
man; friepltlis illnd serziants, h: nitride forward,
crac e on w an 00 in flercel
roundlhim for hisgfoe. p, g y

As for the two sentries, stupid Russian re
cruits that they were, they gave 11 the pursuit
at once, on seeing1 the fate of the ig Russian,
who was none 0t er than the doorm’k, or pri-
vate watchman and doorkeeper.

“ He is a lunatic! Leave him alone !” was
their verdict, as they saw the stranger boldly
enter the great house; and they did not seem to
be for wrong.

Meantime, the young man entered a great
hall, with statues all round it, and bright fres-
coes on the walls. A broad flight of white mar-
ble steps was before him, and up these he ran
lightly, cracking the whip all the while.

at a soul was to be seen, and the whip-crack
echoed in the silent house as in a cavern.

“ Halloa! Where are you coward!” cried
the young man, an rili.l “ dome forth from
your hole and get h w 'p I took from you.”

But no answer came save the soft closing of
a door at the end of along stone corridor.

1118 car caught the sound, and away he went
down, the corridor at a run, till he cametoa
door at the end, which he flung open.

He saw an anteroom, magnificently furnish-
ed, a. gayly—dressed page as esp in a big arm-

chair, and a door beyond. ,
, Not heading the page, he passed on to the door
saloon, seventy or

and opened I .
_Before him spread a hu
:flty feet long, hung an furnished in white
At the end of it :1 fl in uniform, that he
recognized as that 0 his enemy, was passing
out of another door.

“Halt, coward!” cried the infuriated youth, ‘

, as he dashed forward, but the man in uniform

paid no heed to the request, vanishing through
the doorway.

Without a moment’s hesitation the bold stran-
ger ran full speed across the room, leaping
chairs and tables in the way, and seized the
handle of the door.

It was locked.
Uttcring a savage c , he looked round for
some to force the catching, and then ran

to the ow, hardly knowing why he did
The window looked down into the court at

., which he had entered- and as he looked, the

‘two contaicsnnd agngvorzik were in earnest
'oonvem on in ' to t a palace and their
own heads, _ each other that In eo-
mamac hagpu them a visit.

n for the time it seemed to burst on

. this rash youth that he had made a fool of him-

self in his fury, and he realized thnt he had lost
his hot, and was in a strange house.
“ Never mind!” he mutterodaloud, in Danish;
-“ I’ll find him, if I have to seek the car’s cabi-
net— Ha! there he is!”
‘ As he spoke, he beheld, to his amazement, his
(1th8 friend in uniform, down in the court-
.y again, entering the dronky. How he had
got there, our young man never paused to in-
,qulre but away he went down' the saloon at a
run', dashed o n theflrst door he now and found
himself—not the antechambor but in anoth-
or ball with a flight of stairs ending in n corri-
dor be ow. .
Only conscious that he must get out somehow,
,he ran down the and along the corridor
‘blundered into ano or court- wounded
by buildings, and full' of huge ned boar-
hounds, who be ed at him like wild beasts. and
finally came on into the original court, '70 find
ihis enemy gotfiéi‘andi: very distiby 
g po 9 n escorted ‘ 8“ 0
Cossacks, El unifoxgmed‘in rod. -
personage was a handsome ntleman, in
genernl’s uniform blazing wi orders; and
gimgplgthimulf of! boil-Ice ems float of the
as ourseed and ot- PO youn
magi-hated out of they 8

Therefore, the first ogject on which the eyes
of this great personage restod was our adven-

The needy onng man’s face turned crimso

nnd'the personage n
We».
n, on a sudden

stored at him with uni
o
hnndsome face of the R

 

and gave
that a ndag: a ‘
of poinpgom e erer, while the stranger’s

\

smile came over tho
, as he called out,
in Danish:

 

 

“Why, Olaf Iron Wrist, hast thou come at
last? And with an adventure, too, I’ll be sworn!
Welcome, my king of swordsman, welcome!
How camest then here?” _

The young Dane’s countenance became bright
as he stammered out:

“ Oh, your highness, forgive me. It was a
mistake. I followed a fellow who took refuge
here and he has fled.”

 

CHAPTER III.
THE GRAND DUKE.

To say that the retinue of the great person e
were amazed at the sight of seedy, hatless Olaf
—uninvited—at the palace door, is a weak de—
scription. They were scandalized and stricken
dumb by the sacrilege, and stared at him open-
mouthed. Theinstant recognition of his high-
ness hardly pacified them; but they were silent
perforce as t e gorgwusly-dreswd Russian noble
ran up the steps and cordially embraced the
seedy young Dane; for Dane he certainly was.

The great personage hug the young man
anddthen held him off, laug ' g heartily, as he
one :

“An adventure Olaf, an adventure, I’ll be
sworn! Tell me all about it at once. How didst
thou stumble into my house?” .

“Nay, your highness,” answered Olaf, smile
ing; “I was angr at a fellow who struck me
With his whi , so Icaught the whip and chased
the man. I ollowed him only to get satisfac-
tion, but he ran in here and out again Without
my catchin him, because the house was strange
to me. He as gone now.” _

His highness listened attentively, and asked:

“ Is that his whip?”

“ Yes, your highness.”

The Russian prince took it and examined it
carefully. On a silver plate in the handle were
the Russian letters “ V. S.”

“ Do you know these initials, Olaf i” he asked,

ve y.

“ N 0, your highness.”

“ Then ask no more. Let the man  If you
meet him, do as you please; but don t hunt for
him. He will meet you soon enough. Come in
to dinner.” _ _

His highnees looked tho tful as he laid his
hand on the shoulder of the ane, but Olaf hung

beck.
“ Pardon, your highness; I in}, not dressed. I

have lost my hat and knapsac

The prince turned to his suite.

“ Count Draukovitch send a ser at to
Strogonofl’s bureau, and say I want this gentle
man s hat and kna ck sent here. The police
must find them. ou understand 1”

A very dandifled young officer with a w
waist, made a salute an turned away, w ’
the rince continued:

“ ntlemen all, I wish you to understand
that this is my particular friend, Count Olaf, of
Copenhagen summed Iron Wrist the greatest
swordsman in the world. You will respect him
henceforth, or Constantine of Russia Will know
the reason why.” _

Instantly there was a general bowmg before
the seedy youn Dane thus suddenly come to
honor, and OlafIiimself seemed perfectly bew11-
dered for he stammered out:

" hness, is it 'blei I thought—”

“You tho ht was simple Count Labanofl,
and on find am the Grand Duke Constantine.
We ,Ohf, to theeIam the same as when we
had our adventures in Copenhagen together.
Come in and tell me how thou cement here.
What wind blew thee l”

“ The west wind, your highnesI—the old story
—-ouoetoo often inoarte over thearm. Ihsd
w’lzhm for it.” ing the oorrid to th d

e were u or egran
saloonfand thgeoGrnn _ Duke Constantine caught
him b the arm, inquirilpg eagerly:

“Dd oukillhim, o i"

“ No, at his embaseador was after me.”

“How many does that make, and who was
he!” .

“ thirty-seven, your highness. I
I woul not have fought the gentleman, as
hate quarreling, but he was a French mastre d’
(irate:i and I could not rpfuse, for the honor of
m 0] master, Hansen.

x That was right. Those French think they
can fence. Was it a hard Job?” .

“No, ‘your highnees.” answered Olaf, with a

; onlya few Those French are

g at the lunge, but they don’t understand

effecfive parries. He lost his sword tmce to

“IT; to ed th teroo here the drowsy
on r e an in, w

e{voke with a hithe Grand Duke‘

nstantine passed on s strangely-me

estinto the tealoon. There hesetdown

yhimonaso aandsaid:

“Olaf Iron Wrist thou art the man I
have longed to see for some time. I ave ad-
ventures for both of us. My friend, I love such
a woman as the world never saw before. Wilt
thou hel me!”

“ H hpness, what a question! To the death!”

The u know the answer before he ask-
ed. He had met Olaf, the beat swordsman of
Copen mwhfleonavmttctheDanishglg-
tehsnd ‘ taken a great fancyto him. e

Iron Wrist.

' grand duke had always been a perfect enthusi-
I ast in feiicin and adored fencing-masters in
proportion toiheir skill. He had traveled Eu-
rope incognito as Count Labanofl’, and had
! thrown himself into adventures of all kinds
! with the enthusiasm of a boy.
I Olaf, come of a noble but impOVerished
famil , had been well contented when assi ed
as a y to a militu cadetship, and h ap-
plied himself with suc fervor to the school of
arms that at twent he had been able to hold
his own with the net masters of the Danish
capital, then and now recognized as the athletic
center of Europe, whence come the best gym-
nasts and swordsmen.

Wild and quick-tempered, he was alwa s in
trouble, and no sooner was one duel 0 his
hands than another was on. He had been ex—
iled to Hamburg already for one of these
scrapes, and the last had been so serious that he
had come to Russia to seek his fortune trusting
to find his unknown patron Count Iabanofl’
who had proniisedtobefriend him and who had
turned up in such unexpected fashion as the
czar’s only‘brother.

All the ussian Olaf had learned he had pick-
ed up from his patron, but it was enough to
serve his turn.

“ Your hi bness loves a lady. Can it be that
your choice is not free—you, the czar’s broth-
er?” he asked.

Constantine smiled rather sadly.

“ If I were not the czar’s brother I might wed
whom I pleased, but royalty has its cares, Olaf.
I love—oh, how I love her—but she is—Polish.”

“ Well, your highness; what of that?”

“The late czar conquered the Poles, and the
present czar keeps them down. I cannot mar—
rynwithout his consent, and he will not give
it.

“Why not run awe. with her!” suggested
the rough-and-ready OlZf, who began to scent
an adventure.

“ It is indeed our only chance, but we must
leave Rumia to do i .”

“All lands are the same to a Dane, high-

Un-

ness.”

“ Yes, and we must find a priest, Ole.
derstand no one could revent my taking away
Natalie Dembrinski or eeping her here in my
palace, but when it comes to marrying-—
that is different. They care not for her good
name, but they will not let a Pole come near
the sucoession of Russia. Dost see i”

“ I see, your highness.”

“ \Vell, Olaf, set thy wits to work. Thou
wert always the best hand at a plan in our num-
ber. What am I to do?”

Olaf Iron Wrist got u from the sofa and be-
gun to pace the room. e seemed uneasy, for

e uentl looked round as he ' some-
thing wli ch he was accustomed.
Thvergrince noticed and inquired:
“ at is it, my Ole?”

!_

, “Pardon, your highness; I am thinking, and
my ideas never come to me well unless I—

‘ What is it? Ah I remember, there on that
table you will find i we wear one belt.”

He pointed to a table near by, on which lay a
rich hussar saber and sabertache.

“ Keep them, Ole. I do not wear humardress
an more, so they are yours.”

‘ Thanks, highness.”

And without more ado the swordmaster
buckled on the rich accouterments and gave
himself a shake which rattled every buckle
with satisfaction. Beside the sword on the ta-
ble lay a of light dueling rapiers, and one
of these e pick u& with a pleased laugh
throwing himself in fencing position and
shouting: _ "

“ Now, your hi hness, I can think! Oh, the
glorious sword! t turns a man into a gentle-
man! See! Your highness does not know this
thrust—Hansen’s secret—he taught it only to
me, and you will not betray it, highnessi”

‘ Never, Ole.”

The grand duke was an enthusiast also, and
loved eve point of the swordmaster’s craft.

“Behol ! My antagonist l h and I

hi h cam and retreat. e thin he has
me—he ollows and pushes in earte. Presto! I

in octave—thqu ' g my hand high
i: eerie—and away oes his sword in the air
over his right shoui er. It is a master trick
and there’s no parry to it. Well—es I was so -
tug—about the lady—ehl—I have it, your 
nem, I have it.”

Instantly he s his We and flourishes
andrth down vsl'i lhis (a leeining on the
ewe , speakingl ow y en grave y:

“ Your highnees needs a priest—why not take
a Pole! He will not refuse.”

“ But the Russian Government willnot recog-

sianchurch bye pope‘ormonk.”
Iron Wrist jumped up again

 

e 3‘"... pm priests of whatever rank, are
called “popee;” “pope " beingthessme es “papa”
orfsther. The lpopes are compelled to , but
& monks who ve in conventeerevowed 

bishops and higher 0
Chm-oh are all taken from the monks.

 

Sometimes
an ambitious pope, who has lost his enters the
ranks of the monks, leaves parish, .331
rises to high rank. '

nisetheman'iageiunle-it bemn'dein a Run-
end began to I

3

make the sword fly in all sorts of in enious
mouli’nets or circles, wh ' through t 6 air.

“Bah! It is vexatiousl 0 small sword
will not solve the roblem. Let us try the se—
i ber. That never ailed me yet.”

Slash! slash! whistle! whistle! went the blade
in the hands of this peculiar young man, as he
went throu h the sword exercise, cutting of!
imaginary ends and whirling about like a.
maniac. At last he shouted:

“ Aha! I have got it!” 

Then he sat down as gravely as before. 3

“Your highness, it is all simple. We find a!
poor Russian pope, bribe him to perform the
cer merry, and give him money enough to leave

11. 1a.

“But he cannot leave Russia without a pass-
port and will not dare to offend the cur. ”

“ Leavo that to me, your highness. If I take
him with me, we will leave Russia in spite of all
their police. Onlyxfind the priest.”

01“ Rut that will a dangerous undertaking' ,

e.

“ Your highness, danger is the swordninster’s
trade. Leave it to me, if you will find the
priest.”

“ He is found new, Ole. I have an estate
near the border, where we have a village. Pope
Andrei Androvitch would die for me.”

“ Then that is settled, highness. N ow for the
lady. Where is she, and will she dare to fly!”

“ We must see to that to-night, Ole. Will
you come with me on a visit to her palace!”

“Yes, hi hness.”

“ Not so ast. The cmr has strictly forbidden
me to 0 there, and olice s JIt’S are on the road
and al round the pa ace. f I am caught and

, the czar will exile me to co in
the Caucasu and I don’t want to go.”
“ Your hi ness will not be taken. ”
“ How wilva'ou prevent it?”
Olaf Iron rist made a. whistling cut through

no air as he answered:
“ That way. They may take me, but never
my patron. I am ready.’
‘ ut it may mean Siberia to you, if they
take you.”
“They have not taken me yet. Will your
hness risk it?”
LY”),
And the swordmsster smiled as he heard the
word. It promised an adventure.

 

CHAPTER IV.
VABSILI osrnor.

ST. Pmsnm as some ple know and
maxiy more do not know, is built on a cluster of
islands that form the delta of the broad blue
Neva. The fashionable part of the town is on
the southern and mainland, but a let e
monstendsonVassiliOstrofOI-Basis

to the north. This is the commercial-
part 0 St. Peters , the river-side faced with
solid granite quays: t on the outskirts stand
more than one grand old-fashioned residence
near the fortress where the cars are buried and
where the state prisoners are confined.

At the extremity of Vassili Ostrof, not far
from the great stone bridge that spans the Neva,

was a huge gloom building, more like a risen
than a residence, the surroun ‘ garden 11:; turn
encircled by a. high stone w . Just as the

clock of St. Isaac’s cathedral tolled twelve, on
that night, two men on horseback approached
this we 1 from the bridge and rained up in the
black shadow cast by the full moon on the nor-
thern side, away from the river.

They could hear the calls of the sentriee and
watchmen relieving guard all over the city, but
it was quite quiet where they had halted.

“ This is the place, Ole,” wh' red the
duke, who wore his uniform no onger bu w
clad in the dress of a boyar or private gentle-
man, as was also his cOmpanion. wore

swords.

“Ver lgood, your highn ” returned the
Dane. “ will keep watch w ' your highnem
goes in to to he lady.”

The prince laughed.

“ There is no need of that,” he said.
not in the habit of sta ' outside.”

Heraisedasilverw ' etohislips endblew
a soft note, low and vibratin .

Instantly there came a cla r of bolts from
inside the wall, and a door opened, not twelve
feet from where they stood, in a place where no
opening had been before perceived b the Dane.
Into the dark a rture theGrand DuieConsten-
“hoe'fidw in, hwmtiofgiloi'aved'h d

e e no t at t e oor was,
to all a ce, made of stone, though how
that be he did not pose to in uire. No
l sinner had both through than ey heard

a whistle in the other side of the road,‘
wheeled his horse in a moment.
i: theaperture he couldseeat least
‘ twenty figures mshinfinf‘or the door,.but
hardly had the vision met eyes when the
a door clanged to, with a hollow, metallic
and lo! the wall wanes rough
traces of an entrance having vanished.
‘ The grand duke in bed a the amusement on
his follower’s face, as e observed:
. . “ Our secret door is well made, Ole. The po-
; 110. have been watching for it ever so lag, and

“1m

 

“"31

_ AT»...

4:

 

I defy them to find it unless it opens. Even I
cannot be certain of it unless it is dayliiht.”

“ It is Wonderful, your hi hness; but how
shall we get out, with those fe OWS waiting for

“There are many roads to Rome,” answered
the prince, sententiously. “Now is your time
to watch.”

They had seen no one inside the garden so far.
How the door had been 0 ned was yet a mys-
ter to the swordsman. e sat on his horse in a
brilliant flood of moonlight, in the midst of a
formal Dutch garden, where high hedges and
box—trees trimmed into all sorts of fantastic
shapes, resented a weird appearance in the
moonlig t.

“ Stay here,” continued the grand duke, in a
low tone, “and listen to those fellows on the
other side of the wall; I don’t think they will
dare to climb over, but there may be one bold
enough. If so, you know what to do.”

“ I flatter myself I require no orders in such
a case, your highness,” replied the Dane, signifi-
cantly. “Your highness may rest content. I
will watch.”

The rince dismounted from his horse and
gave t e bridle to Olaf, after which he stole
away toward the great, gloom house, where
not a lamp twinkled, but whic , nevertheless,
be Seemed to know thoroughly.

The swordmaster listened a few minutes, and
heard low, muttered voices in the road outside,

but could not distinguish the words on account .

of his imperfect knowled e of Russian. Then
came a series of blows on t e stone, as if the po-
lice (he realized they were police) were sound-
' to find the door.

heir efforts seemed to be in vain. Though
he was in the moonlight, and had come throu h
that ve entrance onl a minute before, e
could no on er distin h any traces of a door,
and the no se of the blows sounded as if all
were made on a common surface of unyielding
stone.

Quietly he dismounted from his horse and led
the two animals into a nei hboring arbor that
seemed made on p e or them, where he
tied them to a tree an went back to the wall.

He could still hear the voices, and now came
ascufliing, scratching sound which he rfipfly
interpreted into an attempt to scale the w .

Olaf heard a voice sa , in Russian:

“Stand steady, or I s all fall. Now!”

Then he looked up, and saw the top of a man’s
head ap aring over the coping. Before the
eyes of til: policeman had come over, the quick-
witted swordmaster had slipped behind a box-
tree, and was peeping through the branches,
quite unseen.

Presently the man’s head came into sight,
covered with a round flat cap, and then it was
followed by a stout body in uniform, gleamin
with brass buttons. The olice-efiicer
himsslf astride on the top 0 the wall and looked
roun .

“They are one into the house,” he said, in a
low tone. “ hrow me up the ropes.”

Olaf saw the end of a rope thrown over the
wall, which the police-officer threw down into
the den. Then he looked round cautiously.

“ shall have to drop over,” he said. “There
is nothing here to tie it to.”
sic; Be quick then, pig!” cried a stern voice out-

e.

Olaf started.

“ The man with the whip,” he muttered.
“ Now we shall see. So he is on the police."

The young swordmaster smiled with grim
satisfac ion as he turned his belt a little round,
and brought the butts of a ' of double-ber-
reled pistols to view bes1de his sword-hilt.
There were no revolvers in those days in

ussla.

He had determined at first to prevent the
police from entering the arden, but the voice
of his hated enemy chan his mind.

Quietly he remained where he was, and in
another moment saw on the to of the wall the
well-remembered dark face 0 the “Man with
the whip.” '
CHAPTER V.

THE MAN WITH ma WHIP. .

Yas, there was no mistake. There was the
tall, burly figure in uniform, the stern, fat face,
full of sensuality and determination the face
and figure of the man who had stchm
ve morning with the driVlfi-Whip.

eswordmaster quivered over with r-
nessas he looked, for he feared lest the “ n
with the Whip” might not enter the garden.
He saw the first ofllcer drop over and carry the
end of the re to the foot of a box-tree but
the “Man wit the Whip” remained .astride of
the wall, and did not seem disposed to intrust his
person inside as yet.

Olaf watched and saw that he carried anoth-
er whip now, the short Cossack scourge, With
its lon lash, which he held doubled up, and
with w ch he gesticulated and pointed.

“Fasten the rope tight. pig. There are ten
men to follow \thee. Come along now, fools.
math" “Width” W

The an wi e ' ipappearedtobea
(legrtéga hectoring bully, and Olaf smiled, with
a light in his eyes, as he listened.

 

 

I??? Wllit

Presently another head came OVer the- wall,
and a second police officer sprawled across the
top, his foot having slipped in climbing.

‘Now swine, what art thou doin l” cried
the Man with the Whip, angrily, and e struck
the clumsy climber with al his force, dealing
such a blow that the amazed pincer gave a
friglhtened bowl and rolled over into the garden
wit out usingthe rope.

The sight so inflamed the indignation of the
swbrdmaster that he forgot his prudence, and
rushed out, pistol in hand, crying:

“ Come down, coward! come down! I have
your whip! Come down, if you dare!”

His appearance produced an immediate stem-

8. .

The Man with the Whip said not a word, but
went out of sight like a shot, without waitin
to bandy words with the pistol; the police 0 -
cer who had come over by the re took to his
heels incontinelol‘tilcy, and the 0 er, who had
fallegegil his h , lay still, and pretended he
was .

With rapid decision, the swordmaster pulled
over the .rope from the other side into the r-
den, for he knew from the clatter of feet Eat
the police outside had run. Then away he went
after the man inside, who, he knew, was cor-
nered, and ran him down into an angle of the
garden wall.

There the man turned, desperate, and drew
his sword to defend himself.

Olaf Iron Wrist laughed, and returned his
pistol to his belt, as he advanced on the fright-
ened policeman. ,

“Get over the wall,” he said, sternly. “Get
over it, I say. "

Then he drew his own sword and commenced
to threaten the unfortunate man, lau hing all
the time in a that f ' htened he other
half 'to death. e did not 0 a blow, but the
poor Russian thought one was coming every
moment.

At last, in desperation, the policeman made a
stroke at the head of Iron Wrist.

With a taunting laugh his sword was struck
u , while his wrist was clutched by Olaf like a

and he received at the same moment a kick
in the stomach, which doubled him up intoa

powerless heap.
He let go hissword and dropped groanin on
the ground, when the swordmaster pricked inn

up a ain with the point of his own sword and
t e rn order:

“ Get 11 ,Ithere. Move on i”

Doubl up, with his hands on the pit of his
stomach, the pplice ofllcer was driven along be-
side the wall where his c e was lying

parentlyoquite dead, when the Dane ro,
hfin also, sudden life, with a prod, saying:

“ Get up, melt. Bring out your irons.”

He knew t policemen carry handch in
their kets.

Bot men obeyed in fear and trembling when
the shrewd Dane obliged them to handculr each
other, sit down on the und and submit to be
securely “ bucked ” th their own swords,
which e passed under their knees and over
th'l‘ih  in his mind that

secure own
they e‘(Illc'luld not escape, he proceeded to
them with the rope on which the had clim ,
into the place, tied them back to k with an-
other turn of the. same rope, and left them to
their own reflections. ,

He had hardly accomplished his task to his
own satisfaction, when he steps and per-
ceived the tall form of, his noble tron ap-
proaching, with a lady hanging on arm.

CHAPTER VI.
ran PRINCESS NATALIE.
Tm: Grand Duke Constantine looked as baggy
as an accepted lover, with a very beautiful y
on his arm, could look.

Olaf the Dane removed his cap and bowed
low before a level creature, tall, slender, dark:
eyed and dark—hailed, who moved with a swa -
ing that reminded him of a weeping w 1‘
low a albreese.

“ Natalie, my treasure ” observed the d
duke, “this is m brave iron Wrist, of w om I
haYe told you. t is he to whom you must look
as your protector in the journey. Look at him
wo‘, him.’

 

that you ’ know
our nem- he looks like one on

t “whom a w‘gman could call for help in time of

need ” said the low sweet voice of the lady
ed Natalie, as she smiled sliglfilBand turned
a l'orious pair of dark eyes on me.
181 Iron erszhblushedf scarlet  fldgoted
toandfro. For eflrsttimeinhishfehe,w 0
W58, My. very forward with women, d

0111 ‘ or in :5 ul manner:

1m onorable' My may know-1-I—I would
die to her d—andr—hia , ”,

The rand ks Constantine ed at the

Hidden Wuhan of his follower, and to put
him at his case inquired :

“ Vghatof your watch, Count Olaf? .  are

He to sho‘ fetter-ed policm en, who
look up at the dignified “fiend duke in evi-
dent alarm, fdl- it wasc t theyreoognisod

Olaf shrugged his shoulders.

1

“Oh, these are only some fellows who were
too curious, our highness, so I shut their
mouths that t ey might not tell all they saw.
Perhaps I ought to have cut out their tongues—
but it is not yet too late.”

The two prisoners uttered a n in spite of
their at this cool propositlon .at which the
duke aughed. ~

“No, no,” he said; “we will not be so severe
this time. Unbind them, Olaf.”

It was the best point of Olaf Iron Wrist that
he had been bred to obey orders implicitly, and
he made no objection to this command, what-
ever he thought.

In a few moments he had cast off the rope and
withdrawn the swords wherewith the prisoners
were trussed, when both rose to their feet, trem-
blin excessively, while the lady had to turn
her ace aside to conceal a smile at the glance
with which Olaf regarded them.

Then Constantine raised the little silver whis.
tie to his lips and blew the well-remembered low
call. Again Olaf heard the clanging of bolts,
and am he beheld an opening in the wall, but
in afiace he could have sworn uite different
from that at which he had entere .

The grand duke addressed the two risoners,
who were still handcuffed, in a stern ut quite

ionless tone.

“ Give my compliments to Count Strogonofl',”
he said, “and ta 1 him that the next time he
comes after Constantine of Russia, he will do
well to avoid private houses. Go!”

The two men bowed their heads humbly and
ran out into the road, when the opemng la the
wall was suddenly closed with a .clang, and
there was the dead stone surface again.

Iron Wrist watched it closely, and could not
.see how it Was done, for the secret door was in
the shadow of a thick box-tree and the opening
and shutting were almost instantaneous.

Constantine noticed his look of wonder and
smiled. '

“ That is one of the secrets of the Dembriski

Olaf. The 'ncess will e lain it to
you, some day. In $3 mean time, ' ever you
wish to see her take this whistle, come here at
midnight, blow two short puffs, and you will
see an slashing. Enter it quickly, or it will
close ag an leave you outside.’

Olaf took the little silver whistle with deep
respect, and the lady asked her companion:

‘ Does the count know when to come and
what to do, IViour highness?”

“I will to him,’ replied the prince. “Lis-
ten, Ole. This lady 13 the Princess Natalie
Dembinski, my afflanced wife. If all goes well,
tomorrow night will see her on the road to the
frontier under our care, my comrade, if you
will undertake t e task.”

“ I will do my best, highness.”

“ To-morrow morning, to divert suspicion,”
continued the grand du e, “I depart for War-
saw; his majesty the czar, my brother, havin
a inted me governor of the province 0

d. The prlncem remains behind, and you
are to stay at the palace, as my master-of-arms.
To-morrow night you are to come here on horse-
back, at twelve, vs. the signal and enter the
garden. You ' find the princess in waiting,
and a guide with her. This guide will take on
bothtoacarriagewaitingforyouin a 00
place, and there are relays of horses on 'the
road. Your duties are comprised in one word
‘ Fight.’ The road and the vehicle are provide
for, but it will be full of enemies who will tr
to stop the princess. You aretoclear the 
Canlyou do it?”

“ can try, highness,” was the modest 1y.
“ How many enemies shall I have at a time ’

“ Not more than six, and there is this in your
favor, that they will not be allowed to use fire-

. arms. The czar wishes to take the princess and
my agents alive.”

“I will do my best, highness,” said Olaf,
slowly:I “ but I can only promise that the prin-
cess 11 not be taken while I live. ”

“That is enough, my brave friend, and now

, to horse.” ‘ .

Olaf was a very discreet youth, and he show-
ed it in the resent instance by bowing low and
ostentatious y turning his back, as he went to
untie the horses. He was quite a lon time in
performing this ve simple office, an seemed
tohaveagreat den of trouble in leading the
animals from the arbor by a devious route.

The consequence was that when he returned
to the place where he had left Constantine, he
found he grand duke alone, the lady having
vanished, and all the tender passages common
to lovers, Vin  unobserved.
Co stuntine muled on u faithful follower,
and then both mounted. The grand duke rode
across the garden b the silent house to the
‘ south side, when he rew rein close to a clump

of NOI'WIIY pines by the wall, and aid in a low

“ Sound the whistle twice.”

Olaf. obeyed, and instantly the wall opened,
disclosm a view of the river and, hill“ of the
Admiral y Palace on the opposite e.

Constantine shook his re and rode throu h,
followed b the Dane, and hardly had
emergedw enthe‘shalpclang of t 9 bolts be-

 

hind them told that the stone door had closed.
The swordmaster could not help looking back

/

 

. —____—._...

with renewed wonder n t this singular contriv-
mce and his patron observed:

“ hat'is an invention of the old Prince Dem-
binski, whom you have not seen. There are six
of these stone doors in that wall, so carefully
made that no joint is perceptible, and all are
oierated by one man in the house, who sees
nothing and works by signals. It was but an
amusement for the prince; but it has served my
purpose well. Come, we are safe now. All the
p slice of the capital dare not touch me, unless
they find me disobeying the czar’s order.”

“And me, highness; am I safe, too?”

5‘”VVhile you are with me—yes. Otherwise—-
no.

The two rode 01!.

CHAPTER VII.
run cmcassmn cum.

THE lace of the Grand Duke Constantine
was al in confusion next morning, the bustle
of departure pervading every place. To be sure,
there was no moving of furniture, but the
greater part of the prince’s retinue was going
with him; and his kennel of huge boar-hounds,
with its little moi attendants, was all ready
for the move.

The outer court was full of Cossacks, Circas-
si ans of the escort, and Russian officers of the
grand duke’s staff; the officers chatting to-
gether while they awaited the arrival of their
chief, discussing with great acrimony the char-
actor of the new sWordmaster, who had been
tloseted with Constantine half the morning.

“\Vho is this Count Olaf, I wonder?” asked
Count Draukovitch, the dandified,cur1y-headed,
wasp-waisted aide-decamp. “ By heavens, gen-
tlemen, I hardly believe e is a count, at all!
Donuts don’t carry sheep—skin knapsacks.”

“ These Danish counts are nobody,” remarked
a tall, burly Cossack. “The fellow is 3. Com-
mon fencing-master. You know his highness is
nearly crazy about such. ”

“Let us not a few of our best swordsman at
him,” suggested a stout, red-faced major. “ If
Elbe fellow is a master, he ought to earn his title

ere.

“ I fancy you have no swordsman here could
hold his own a inst him,” gravely observed an
old officer. “ have heard of this man before.
They say he was Hansen’s best pupil, and fenced
a tie with his master.”

“And who was Hansen?” superciliously in-.
uired Draukovitch. _“I never heard of him.

0 never fenced in Russia.”

“ There are many things you never heard of,
count,” calmly returned the other. “Hansen
was called the ‘Sword King’of Copenhagen.
I myself saw him, at a 'public enwrtmnh1' ent, sit
on a chair, with a swo in each hand, and hold
his own against two French masters, one on
each side. They could not hit him in five as-
aaults.”"I -

‘ Draukovitch stared, and all looked incredu-
ous.

“ My poor Ivanoff, I fear you had been tak-
ing too much vodka (Russian whisky; that

' ht,” lisped the aide-de-camg, sneeringuy.

a tain Ivanofll’s face fins ed, and was
then to make'an angry r31? when the sub-
ject of their comments, a himself, came
flow] down the steps toward the grou ,ad-
ran tgwith a sort of lazy grace peculgr to

II l ' dressed i nifo

e was in a ve gorgeous u rm,
the special invention of t e grand duke who
wished to do as much honor as “Me to his fan
vorite craft. It resembled t of the Hun-
garian hussars, but was composed of richer ma-
torials, and blazed with gold all over the breast.

In his fur cap he wore a tall heron-plume sup-
ported by a clasp of brilliant jewels.

Natural] his appearance was the occasion of
intense jea onsy, of which he took no notice, for
he saluted the group with the greatest
m‘t‘iGoodr-Ziid: tl ! I h to

y, gen emen am very a
present my compliments to such Mugged
cavaliers.

There were some stiff salutes, but Captain
Ivanofl took his hand and shook it warmly, say-

in":

t‘" I, for one, Count Olaf. am glad to welcome
the famouslron Wrist to the grand ducal house-
hold. These gentlemen wil not believe me
when I tell them that the great Hansen, of your

city, beat two French masters at once, sword in
hand.”
O'af smiled and shrug his shoulders.

“ it is true, I believe; at it was before my
tune. I would not dare to undertake the feat
ugiinst two masters, but I will try unify two
gentlemen here with the sharp point, they
wish to see it done.” _

He spoke with exquisite courtesy and such an
insinuating smile. looking round into the faces
of those resent, that every one shrunk back a

ace. 6 had a peculiar way of sm11ing..while

is eyes dilated and learned, that was qmte do.
moralizing toa timi man.

The big Cossack officer alone shrugged his
shoulders.

‘Incredihle as it may seem, this story of Hanson
is vouched for at Copenhagen.

.servcd, scorni‘ully, “but I

 

5

 

Iron Wrist.

“I know nothing of the small-sword,” he ob-
can take any man
that everswung a saber and cut him down—un-
less—yes, I will be frank—unless he be a Circas-
sian of the Guard. ”

Instantly Olaf’s face lighted up with ea erness.

“ I have heard of these Circaasians, he re-
plied. “ They tell me  are famous swords-
men. Have ,you any he I have long wished
to see them.’

The Cossack laughed

“ Look at them. There are at least a dozen
here, ”w1th Tekli Age. at their head—those in

Olaf turned, with t intere to look at
these renowned swo smen, and be eld several
stately men of very remarkable personal beau-
téy; standing in a group apart from the stat! of-

rs. -
Th3; were all of lithe, active-looking frame,
and wore helmets and chain armor, which
gage them a strange, medieval appearance in
midst of the modern costumes.

“ And are those Circassian chiefs?” he asked.
“ lies, and Tekli A a is the most renowned
swor an of his tn _,” replied the Cossack.
“I can cut down. any ordinary .ma butI defy
the devil to hit Tekh Aga; for he is ike a flash,
and never meets  sword. I tried once,
Worse luck, and go a slash on the thigh that
laid me up for six months.

Olaf Iron Wrist gazed curiously and longing-
ly at the Circassian.

“I have fought men of all nations,” he ob-
served. m _' y. “French, German, Dutch,
English, Sw , Danes, Spaniards, Italians,
one 11,  a negro; but never yet fought

n

a .

“ No nor a Cossack, neither,” interrupted the
Cossack officer, with a frown; “or you would
not be here, new.” 7

The swordmaster looked at the bi nun from
head to foot with a peculiar smi perfectly
amicable. ‘

“ 11 good gentleman,” he said, raising his
hand 11 a deprecatory fashion; “ do not get an-
gruy and try to make me fight you. I have seen

the. , ks I want, and they are good men,
but stupid—stupid. I cannot fight you. It
wg‘lhldtblmgrgck tamped his f t angril
9 3 0° 1 y,
and laid ills hand on his sword.

“By the head of Czar Ivan, the Terrible ”—
he began; but he was interrupted by Olaf, who
laid one hand on his in aoaressmg fashion.

“Now, 111 dear frie /be patient. I do not
want to fix t you, but should dearlylike to
measure swords with Tekli Aga. That is one of
the few. left me inthis world.”

Th'eCoesackla edh ' atthxs nest
for; he wasa. Wgw at bottifiqn. ’

Why, To we (1 cut on to pieces,”
he observed. “ e was a nch master
came here to .seekan advonture, and he must
needsflght Tekli Age. By In father’s head,
the cut 0 his swo hand with one

blow as neatlyas if asur eon had performed
the operation, and the Ga never got so much

as no at him.”
laf, listened offload inquired:
 the Fren use the small-sword?”
es.

“ He was afool; he might have known that a
thrust leaves the wrist exposed. That is'the se-
cret of knife-pug.”

“ Well, you w beanother foo ,’_’ observed the
Cossack, sagely. “ I see Draukovxtch has been
puttinfg him on you.” ,

In act, they could see Count Draukovitoh
talking eager] to one of the Circassians, a dark,
handsome fe ow, with glittering black eyes,
and occasio .pointi ,to Olaf.

The oung  but smiled as
one we leased, presently  Aga left
hisfrien ,cameqverandjom thegroup
around the swordmaster.

Count Draukovitch git-formed the ceremony
of an introduction wi great outward polite-
nes, but an evident undercurrent of t
satisfaction, and the two champions 100ml:
eachThothcr. E l ank . f (insure

ey were stn ,n Hem ace an ,
one fair-haired anda  the other with
raven hair great, liquid , in eyes gleaming
from his dark face; but theirfeatures ' ht
have been those of brothers, and neither f ed
to adm' the other.

The ircassian bean the conversation.

“ You want to fig me?” he asked.

“ I should esteem it a pleasure and an honor,”

replied Olaf, .with, great

How many have you ‘ 6d?” demanded
TekliAga. '
“ Not one,” the swordmaster phed, in atone

re

0f eat ride and satisfaction. “I
kilfiold a n’ian.”

The fierce, handsome face _of Tekli Age, curled
itin in a contemptuous smile. ‘

e—eighteen dead,”. he retorted. “You

none. How many wounded?”

“Thirty ven so far,”.answered Olaf, in a
low tone 0 self-depreciation. “I confess it is

'not ny, but fin know I am naturally very
acea . to a norm]. Ever one of
qu for '

dever yet

on me.
swan."

street all

 

O ythirtys:

“You Wire Wounded—how mnny times?”
asked Tekli Age, slowly, as if consider ing. "

“Only twice. In my flat (11M and in the
seventeenth. The Inst was a cut 01 the foot,
from a clumsy brute of a Spanin :21 in Madrid.”

The Circassian nodded and looked thoughtful.

“ Me wounded only twenty-three,” he admits
ted. “ Get hit five times. Never mind. We
mustfi ht. “When!”

“ M o it this evenin , by moonlight, on Vas-
sili Ostroff,” suggested raukowtch.

“Agreed,” was the unanimous verdict, and
then every one scattered; for the ushers an-
nounced the grand duke coming out.

CHAPTER VIII.
THE TUMULT.

THE Grand Duke Constantine mounted- his
horse and rode out of the court-yard, beckoning
to Olaf to ride by him while he gave him some
final private directions.

Just before starting, he spoke to his suite .'

“Count Draukovitch will remain behind till
the last of the baggage is safely on the way,
when he will bring up the roar. Swordmaster
Count Olaf will accompany me to the Imperial
Palace and then will retumato take charge of
the household, till the Chief of Police reports
with the guard. Tekli Aga and the Circassians
will remain with him. To horse, ‘entlemenl"

Amid the clashing of arms salu 'ng, the bril-
liant cortigc rode out of the palace, and Drauko—
vitch remained on the steps, decidedly ill.tem-
per-ed at the duty to which he was assigned.

The grand duke had not gone more than ten
minutes, and the last baggage-wagon was rum-
bling out of the yard, when a drosky drove ra-
pidly in, and the stern, forbidding face of Olaf’s
enemy, the “Man with the Whip,” made its ap—
pearance.

This personage seemed to be well known to
the aide-de-camp, for he greeted him cordially.

The Man with the Whip jum . out of » is
dro and came up the steps to rauko'Vitch.

“ ell, have you discovered anything?” he
ask‘elg,  a low tone. b I

0 ing Certain, ut suspect—”
“ W'ell, well, what do you suspect f”
1“ That this devil of a swordmaster is in the
p ot. -
.“lgf ,course he is. He was with the duke last
m .’
' But I think I have laid a little counterle
that will end in drawing his teeth.”

“May St. Isaac p . r the plotl He is not a
man, but a fiend. He at two of my best men
last night as if they had been babies, and tied
them In like chickens.”

“ , I have put Tekli Age. on him. They
are to fight Ito-night on Vassili Ostroff, near the
Dembinski Palace.”

.“ Good!” and the Man with the Whi slapped
his knee with an oath of great satisfac on.‘

:‘ We will have them, then. If Tekli Age
fails to kill him, we can have a dozen men
ready to arrest him, but we’ll give the Cireas-
Elan Enlist chmtclale—eh, ,Dréaukovitchl We gay
new live eczars omeaespecial'l a
degcate  like this.” d h m y

rauko to grmned' an t on ired:

“How are the guards now? Doqtlhey accept

 

the car?”
“My dear count. that is precisel my diffi-
culty m_ the whole thing. The nstantine

rty is Immenser strong,,and there is no tell—
ing at what moment some hot-head might
the bells and start a revolution. If it were once
known that we had'killed a follower of the'
ujand duke to event his doing his master’s
Wlll, there wo d be a mutinyat once. We
must encourage him in his deeds. After all, he,
is  )1 s.

‘ eysa thathe chasedyou throughthe
one, Strogonoif, only yesterda ,”
:lylynobserved the aide-de-camp. “Is that
me

The Man with the Whip flushed a deep pur-
ple and ground his teeth as he answered, re-
uctantly: .

“It is true. He is a maniac. I saw biggie“-
ing in the streets; and you know, Drank toh,
how it is to keep things uiet now.
SoIgave hlmacut over theh withm
whi as I drove pm, and bid him be silent, as
wou d to any Russian on foot.”

“Thatwas' ' ht,”observed Draukovitch,sen-
tentiouslg; “ dways strike a scrf first and
speak af rw . What did he do?”

“Upon my wordas a noble, he turned on me
like a hungry wolf. snatched the whip and
chased mo—me—re essof my uniform—like
a hunted stag. I to the nearest men to get in
hisway buthoknocked them down like nine-
pins and I was forced to flee here. Drauko-
vitch, Would you believe it, he chased me into
the lace. The man is a maniac or a devil,
but Will get him m irons yet: and then-aha!
count, the knout has tamed maniacs ere this.”

There. was apeculiarly brutal look of deter—
mination in his dark, sensual face as he said
211:3, and Draukovrtch laughed as if he enjoyed

e .

eir conference was cut short by the clatter
of hoofs 1n the street, and Drauhovitch ob-
served:

“Hcre he is, coming back, I think. He is to

l!

i!

a. -- a... w,

._. -v«

‘citedly. “Letus 01mm“?

-e..,,\

Iron Wrist; r

, _, ~_._- ,._—..—~..--..._. rhv‘..-“ w an... »— w.

 

 

be left in command till on report to him that
the guard is ready to ta e charge of the palace.
How vrill you relish that, Strogonoiri”

The lace of the Man with the Whip other-
wise Strogonoif, had been changing all the time
that the malicious aide—de—cam was speakin ,
turning almost green, while t e usual purp 6
spots on his mottled complexion stood out
white and ghastly. The muscles of his cheeks
twitched and trembled as he stood there, and
his knees shook beneath him.

He evidently wanted to run, but did not dare
while any one was looking; for his eyes watch-
ed the open gate of the court-yard with an ap-
prehens1ve look, and his mouth was half-open.

Presently into the open gateway gallo a
horseman all glittering in steel and gel , and
the Man with the Whip drew a long breath of
relief as he ejaculated:

“It is only Tekli Aga, after a .”

The brilliant Circassian rode up to the steps
and said to Draukovitch:

“ Make haste—the train is all up and his high-,

ness in the carriage—Count Olaf is coming up
the street.”

“ Then cod-by, Draukovitch,” said Strogo-
nofl, hast' , as he climbed into his drosk and
drove off. “ Remember to make them fig t.”

Draukovitch lau bed as the other vanished,
and observed to To li Aga:

“Won’t it be disagreeable for you it. no under
the orders of this Dane all day, when you are to
flglhltlz him to-night'l”

e Circassian gravely shook his head.

“ He is a brave man,” he answered. “ If I
kill him I shall be the best in Russia. We are
friends till we fl ht.”

Draukovitch red at him as if only half un-
derstanding; his meaning and the next minute
they heard he voice of laf in the street, shout-
ing loudly, amid a clatter of horses’ feet, going
at a gallop.

The aidede—camp slade his thigh with great
glee and climbed on his orse in a moment, say-

In :

g‘ I’ll wager ten roubles the mad swordmaster
has seen Count Strogonoff.”

His conjecture seemed to be correct, for al-
most immediately the flying pelisse of Olaf

the gate at a furious llo , his horse do-

ing its best, while the ewe ter swayed to
and fro a long wagon-whip which he had seized
from a driver. '

“By the bones of Czar Peter! he’s seen him
and is after him a ain,” cried Draukovitch, ex-

)7

He rode out of the co yard with all the
glee of a boy running to see a cock-fl ht, and
beheld Olaf rapidiyngalloping down he side
street, which was eat em ty of ]people and
gaini on the drosky, w ich t e aide-de-
cam ew contained none other than the
chile of the Russian secret police, Count Strogo
no .

With the same eager lee Draukovitch -
10 after, and saw Ola gain on the druid,
li t his long whip, and commence a most un-
merciful thrashing of the chief of flpolice, to the
horror of a single passingopolice o cer.

He was not destined continue long, how-
ever; for hardly had the first blow fallen, than
Draukovitch saw a white puff of smoke from

the sidewalk, and heard a sharp report, when

down went Olaf’s horse on its knees and head
in the street, while Btrogonoif drove on faster
than ever.

But, to the aide-de—camp’s surprise the sword-
master seemed to have fallen on his feet for

' awa he went after the droaky again on foot,

lea his horse.

At t 9 same moment the liceman who had
fired the shot darted into a case near by, and
Draukovitch smiled as he noted the terror in-
spired by this redoubtable Dane, who had drop-
ped into their household as if from the skies.

Presently Olaf, seeing himself distanced, gave
up the chase and came back, waving his whip
and talking to himself with a tone of savage ex-
citement, so different from his smiling courtesy

. of the mornin that Draukovitch felt his heart

jum as he ad him:

“ -morning, Count Olaf. That policeman
served you a scurvy trick when he shot your
{10556. Whom were you chasing so earnest-
y“ The Man with the Whi ," re lied the
swordmaster. “ Ah, what uck have! 8
never catch that villain?” ‘

eyes were glaring to and fro, as if see
his enemy; and he‘ treated Draukovitch wi
scant courtesy as if he had forgotten his man-
ners in his excitement.

Then he turned on the aide-de-cam in the
same menacing manner and asked, stern y:

“ Who shot my horse?”

“A policeman. He ran round the corner,”

lied Draukovitch, prom 1y.
‘ Another policeman! enhe belongs to the
police that wretch. Who is he!”

“W’h ! did not his highneee tell you!” en-
gired aukovitch, in a tone of sur rise, more
“fin time than anything else; for e did not

to answer.

“No, he refused to tell me.”

“Then, my dear Count Olaf,” responded the
aide-de-camp, in the sweetest of tones, “you

 

.___..___..__, as; _._. _

cannot surely expect me to disobey the orders
of his highness.”

Olaf Iron Wrist shook his head discontentedly
as he turned away, remarking:

“ No no, of course. It is strange however,
that all of your people shield this villain. He
came out of your palace.”

“ Well, msyadear count his highness may have
important to reasons for employing this man,
if he be on the police, as you sa{—”

“ I sa nothing. Let us go ack,” answered
Olaf a little sulkily, for his usual politeness was
muc ruffled. -

He took his way back to the palace on foot,
while Draukovitch, with a courteous salute, gal-

lo§d away.

ot a person could be seen on the side street
in which the fracas occurred, and the young
officer augured that some excitement was draw-
in them awa to some other part of the city.

e gallopedv on toward the imperial palace,
cxpectm to find the explanation of the mys—
tery, an heard an ever-increasing hum as be
advanced, which confirmed his suspicions.

“ By heavens!” he muttered, “it would be too
vexatious if, after all, a mutiny should occur
and spoil all our plans. It must be something
of the sort.”

As he entered the Newsky Prospekt he found
the whole street blocked with ple and he
could see, close to the Winter Pa ace, the white
tilts of the grand duke’s baggage-wagons, halt-
ed in the middle of the crowd.

He rode into the midst of the people who were
densely packed into the roadway, and began to
ply his whip, in Russian noble fashion, over the

eads of the nearest, to clear a passage, crying:

“ Poshli van I Poshli eon f” (Goaway !)

But he had not struck an ordinary Russian
crowd this time. Rather a mob of Dutch
burghers, fully aroused, such as tore the De
Witts limb from limb in the public streets in old
times.

In a moment there was a roar of re. , and a

hundred hands were raised to seire im and
clutch his bridle. ’

So demoniac was the e ression in eve face
that Draukovitch quailed fore it and :

“I belong to the Grand Duke Constantine.

‘For God‘s sake let me through.”

“ Leave him alone,” roared a rough peasant.
“Clear a way for the 00d Constantine’s aidev
Lie-camp. Go forward, atushka (little father),

go forward.”

The transformation was startling, and Drauko-
vitch understood his position in a minute. The
mob was in favor of Constantine; and if so, a
riot was impendin .

“ Lct me throng ,” he cried; and immediately
a way was opened through the crowd as if by
magic, while the young noble spurred his horse
mgsrly to the gates of the Winter Palace.

hen he got there, the black mass of heads
packed the whole street, while through the wide
open gates could be seen a tossing, gleamin
forest of bayonets that told of the court filled
with troo , but also that those troops were no
lon or to depended on.

11 of anxiety, and almost equal curiosity
Draukovitch 0 within the court-yard, and
found it, as he had an] , crammed with
troops, in a terrible state of excitement.

The men were all in their ranks but they
were pounding the butts of their muskets on the
ground and shoutin at the to of their voices:

“Hurra for Con tine! urra! Hurra!”

The officers, he could see, had withdrawn from
their men, and stood in little grou on the
flanks, with kpale faces. , and a terrib e look of
anxiety, tal n in low tones and furtively
watching the so diers.

Outside and inside the palace not a blow was
struck, but at intervals arose that mighty roar:

“Huam son Cons'ramun!”

Draukovitch lookeda rehensivel around.

“Now, for a riot” e mutte , “if some
fool starts the cry, ‘Down with Nicholas!’ ”

And almost as he spoke, abig, bearded ser-
geant bellowed: -

“Down vwrrn NICHOLAS! Czsn Cons-rm-
m!”

Draukovitch turned 6, and all the officers
drew their swords. T e mutiny had begun.

CHAPTER IX.
m lU’l'INY QUILLan.

No sooner had the big sergeant shouted,
“ Down with Nicholas!” than the very o te
effect was produced to that which Dra ovitch
had anticipated.

A dead silence fell on the comrades of the ser-
geant as two or three pale-faced but desperate-

ooking ofilcers rushed at him with drawn
swords and him out of the ranks.

Then the silence spread all round the court
and into the crowd outside.

No one seemed to know why they were silent,
an more than why the had shouted before;
bu for all that the hush hecame universal, and
even the big sergeant said not a "word, but sub-
mitted like a lamb, as he was dram awa .

Then Draukovitch heard the c r of oofs
on the pavement, and beheld the czar himself,
with his brother, both in full uniform and blaz-
ing with orders. riding slowly into the midst of
the troops at the head of their stale.

 

 

.. s.“ . ._.,__._.N.... .4-..._._.-.;__

They were very much alike, these brothers;
but there was a pale, frightened look on the
czar’s face that detracted rom his personal ap-
pearance, and he sat his horse in a ashion that
showed him to be a poor rider.

Constantine, handsome and portly like all the
Rcmsnoil’s, more German than Russian in their
looks, was smiling roudly as he looked round
at the troops. He clt that the destiny of Bus
sia lay in his hands that day, and that his elder
brother knew it and relied on his silence for
safety. '

He said not a word, but sat still on his horse,
and then amid the deep hush, the emperor
spoke.

His Voice was a little tremuloiis, but it was
harsh and loud as he cried:

“ The soldiers of Russia have honored the bro-
ther of the czar, and the czar thanks on. My
brother has consented to assume the urden of
government in the Province of Poland, and is
about” to depart thither. Otiiccrs, to your

.‘ts!

As if by magic, the groups of officers broke
up and hurried to their posts, while the lately
turbulent ranks of soldiers stood as silent as the

grave.

Only the little group round the big sergeant
did not let him go, but hesitated.

The quick eye of Nicholas noted the excep-
tion and he rode forward, angrily inquiring:

“ by do these not obey?”

Draukovitch found courage to salute and say:

“This man shouted treason sire! We arrest—
ed him.”

The czar turned and transfixed the big ser-

ant with a look. He saw a stupid peasant

ace and realized at once that such a man was
on] a tool.
9 waved his hand loftily.

“The czar forgives everything to-day. Let
him go to his post. Stay! What is your name,
sergeant?”

“Ivan Ivanovitch, father ” replied the ser-
geant, in the patriarchal fashion of the Russian
soldier.

“See that you do your dut , Ivan,” said the
emperor, sternly, “or we shal meet again.”

“ Yes, father. Thank you, father,” answered
Ivan, humbly, and he went quietly to his place
in the ranks.

The czar waved his hand to the officers who
had arrested the sergeant,- and said, in a low

tone:

“Re rt to the cabinet this evening, gentle-
men. he czar does not forget his friends.”

This was said with the sweetest of smiles, for
Nicholas was keenl aware that he was still in a
very nervous pre icament which required his
best management, and that he needed friends. '

Then he rode back to his brother, and shouted:

“The Grand Duke Constantine, my brother,
aspagts for Warsaw. The troops will salute

m.

Everybody had been waiting for the signal
and in a moment the muskets clanged out ed
the pavement in the Russian “Present,” where
the butt rests on the ground, the musket held at
arm’s-length; of! went the men’s hats, and a
deeptoned “Hurral Hourra I HURRAH-H-Hl”
echoed from wall to wall.

The officers at their posts were still very pale.
They knew that the whole trouble had arisen
from this very shouting before, the men refusing
to stop; and that? held their breaths as the last
“Hurra” peal out, expecting a repetition of
the former scene.

But, the charm was broken. The czar himself
had iven the word, and the shouts were fol-
low by a deep silence, amid which Constan-
tine embraced his brother and rode out of the
court-yard into the street.

Draukovitch drew a long breath of relief, and
turned round to meet the gaze of Count St 0-
nofl’, the chief of police, who had got into i e

palace by some means, and now stood behind.

one of the battalions, his pale face very white,
while he breathed hard.

“I thought it was all up with Old Rumia,”
muttered e aide-de-camp, as he stooped from
his horse, in 8-

" We must careful. Send me all the news,”
was the reply, in the same cautious tone, and
then Draukovitch fell in behind the stafl of the
master on whom he was detailed as a police
sp and rode out into the .

he crowd was re idly dispersing after the
usual fashion of the 11 ns and Asiatics of
the lower orders. They (1 come to hear the
shoutin ready to rush at any one of the oppo-
site fac on, and now the were ually ready
to gpe stupidly at the b liant “3 and escort
of e Grand Duke Constantine, and to 0 peace-
abl holine asrsoon ’as had paged by t em.

e ong me o g w ons clattered
awa ; the Cossacks Waved gheiralgng lances and
tro off; the wild-looking Circassians of the
guard sheathed their cimeters and settled into

air saddles for the long journey; andso the

nt moved away
. n those days there were no railways in Rus-
sia, though man were to come under the ener-
getic rule of Nicholas: and the athletic d
uke was one of those who alwa rode on one-
back rather than take 9. ca age, even when
ting stages.

\5: s _ """‘“‘v

As for Count Strogonofi', he rt-niaincd in the
:ourt—yard of the palace till the troops had filed
out and returned to their barracks, and then his
eye caught that of the Czar Nicholas.

Neither said a word, but both men understood
each other, thoroughly. The czar nodded and
dismounted from his horse, reénteriug the pul—
ace while the chief of the secret pohce thread-
ed is way through a labyrinth of dark pass-

; ages in the basement of the same building to a

-

‘ it’s bein
stint.

little door, which be unlocked, disclosing a stair-

wa

This stairway he ascended till he came to a
door, at which he knocked softly.

It was opened almost immediately by the czar
himself and the chief of police entered the pri-
vate cabinet, to be met by the question:

“ Well, count, what news? More danger, yet?”

The em ror’s tone was very anxwus, and

Strogono s grave face did not reassure as
he answered:
“ Yes, sire. The grand duke was at the Dem-

hinski Palace last night, and hadwitb him _a
certain Danish swordmaster, called Olaf, who is
a devil incarnate. He was there to meet the
Princess Natalie, to plan her flight, and this
! ‘ane is to be her companion and protector.”

“ How do you know this?” . ,

The question was nick and, annousn .

“Two of my men ell risoners to this Danish
devil and be bound an agged them. They
heard the and duke tell i: e princess. that the
swordmas r was to be her protector in a jour-

ue .”

'the emperor started. .

“And our men: how did they get out?”

“His bness ordered their release, sire, and
they were at out of one of the holes in that en»
chanted garden, as they call it, where no man
can llnd 8. ate.”

“ And w en is this ambitious lady to flee?”
asked the czar, in a bitter tone.

“ To-night sire. At least, I fancy so. His
highness ordered the swordmaster in public, to
toe the cefill the police- arrives and
thafwou diet him of! to-nig t. But we? have
rme chance to sto the whole business.”

“ What is that ’

“ He, is to fight a duel to-nigbt, before be de-

-‘ Oh, that will not delay him if he is a profes-
sional swordsman.”

“ Pessiny it may, your majesty.”

H  7”

“He is to fight Tekli Age.”

“Tekli Agni The Circamian who killed one
French mat re d’armes, and slashed a band of!
the other?"

“ The same, your majestdy.”

“ That is ood. It woul not do for the police
to kill him n the resent excitement, bu by
the by—is this Tek i Aga in. my guard, or my
brother’s?” . .

“ In the guard of his highness, sire. It was a

lot which one of my spies fomented—Count
Bmukovitch.” .

“ Very good,” observed the czar, in a tone of
great satisfaction. “Now, how are you to ar-
rest him i”

" Ver simple, your majesty. soon as they
a re ful eng my men will in and
mire bot , without any risk. One is perhaps as
do erous as the other. ”

" iii: suppose your men fail to take them?”

“ Then, your majesty, in men can have or-
ders to shoot both. The rinoess Natalie can
never escape when the swordmaster is no.”

“ See that she does not Strogono ,  on
value your place. If m brother mamas er
and has legal heirs to t a throne before I do,
there may be trouble yet.’ ,.

Btrogonoff bowed low and retired, mafia-mi:

" I know that as well as any one—worse luc
to me.”

' CHAPTER X. .
nmmovnca rnimus DOWN.

 

Tin: sun was setting that evenin and it
was nearl nine o’clock-for it was miner
in high titude—when Count Draukovitcb,

lookin more ill-tempered than ever, rode a
tired hgorse into the n ul ducal palace yard and
asked for “ Count 0 f. the Swordmaster.”

Poor Draukovitcli had been worked hard that
day, and felt he had a r' ht to be ill-tom red.
The grand duke had rid en fast, and been
sending his stuff back and forth all da With
m , finishing b 0rd Draukov tch on
a thiilgy-mile gallop re rt the new sword-
master and v0 him ale tor. .

“It’s not e ride I minda” growled the aide-
de—camp to Tekli Age, as e dismounted, “but
sent to report for orders to that up-
ere is he?”

The Circassians, who had been left behind,
in char of the swordmaster, were lounging
round t e court-yard, whens Tekli Aga was sitr

' on the inner steps by a bronze lion.
m“gl'he swordmaster is within,” answered Tekli
in ve tone. “ He wants for the guard.”
Again? Ii'tfrliiiasn’t the police guard come at?”

“No. It will keep us from our mee till
tomorrow.” .
“'l‘hntit shall not, if I can help if?"

e

thought
Draukovitnh; and then he went insi

and re-

ported to Olaf, whom he found in the grand sa-

 

Iron Wrist.

loon, extended on a sofa, with all the lazy dig-
nity of a man at home.

It cost the proud Russian officer a severe in-
ternal stru gle to salute this “ nobod ,” as he
called him, iut he did so, and deliver his let-
ter, which Olaf rused attentively.

it was very rief, merely some directions,
thus:

“Twelve at night—two whistles—enter—guide will
show vou—clear road. ons'ran'rrim.”

Draukovitch would have given Worlds to know
what was in it, but the young swordmaster gave
him no opportunity to inquire» Calmly, and as
if such missives were matters of everyday re-
cei t, be lighted a cigar with the twisted letter,
an watched the flames turn it into black ashes
before he said a word.

Then Draukovitcb observed: '

“ You do not treat his higbness’s letter with
much respect, it seems to me, count.” .

He lai a spiteful em basis on the word
“count,” as if implying a oubt of Olaf’s right
to the title, and the swordmaster looked at him

with a peculiar. smile.
“ His higbness and I understand each other,“
he said, dryly.

“ So do youand Tekli Aga, it seems,” sneered

Draukovitch. “He says you’re not going to
fight—that it’s ut off.”

“ Who saysi ?”

“Tekli Aga.”

“Then Tekli a is mistaken,” said Olaf,

rather grimly. “ f the moo shines and noth-
ingbappens, we meet on Vass' Ostrofl to-nigbt,
at eleven o’clock. I have a little engagement at
twelve, so I must finish Tekli a in a burr .”

_;lilfouseem very confident,” o rved Drau 0-
v1 .

“ Why not?” with a shrug. “ I know his style
already. I have seen it in Spain, where they
have a. saying that the ‘swords are made-of
glass,’ and must not be touchedto that or they
will break. Has that police guar arrived yet?”

“ No; at least Tekli Aga says not.”

“ Then oblige me b going to this Count
Strogonofi', chief of po ice, and tell him that I
am waiting for his guard, and that if he does
not send it, I shall have the honor of calling at
his oflce myself for an explanation.”

Draukovitcb hit his 1i and colored high. He
did not like the ramp ry tone at all.

“Sir,” he ed, “do you know that I am
captain ii’i7 the Imperial Guards and aide-de-

to— '

camp ,,
The swordmaster’s face became a little scorn-
fui as be waved his band and interrupted:
“ Do on refuse to obey my order or not? It
isama r of indifference to me but his high-
ness ,may think otherwise when 1’ make my re-

port.

Draukovitcb bowed stifliy.

“If you ut it that way, sir, orders are or-
ders; but I hink that such conduct is more like
that of a bully than a gentleman.” And the
aide-de-calmes glared furiously.

Olaf sta and then laughed aloud.

“ It cannot be 'ble that you wish to fi ht
m my little amb,” he said, pleasan y.
“ Why, it would not be allowed. Come, come,
be reasonable. Draw your sword and try to
hit me. I Will promise not to hurt you.”

Instantly Draukovitch
spite, and delivered a furious lunge at the
swordmaster who was standing opposite to
hung-Erma half folded a mocking smile on hislips.

0 did not even draw to do and himself; but
just as Draukovitcb thrust, the swordmaster
shrunk his body to one side with a rapid motion,
and ca ht the wrist of the aide-de-camp with
one ban as the ineflectual point of the sword
ghlided barmlessl by his own bed . To be sure,

6 sword went brougb his bangl’ng pelisse, but
that did not save Draukovitcb. The re. id, ner-
vous clutch of the swordmaster, taking is wrist
at the very close of his lungs, added so much to
the im tus that he was thrown forward on his
face, t e sword being snatched from his hand as
he went.

How it was done, he could not tell; but there
be was on the und, and there stood Olaf,
with a half-mac in smile on his face, holding
the sword by the b ade.

“You see, Draukovitch, in little lamb,” ob-
served the swordmaster, quie , “it would not
be fair for me to fight you. I ve been fenc-
ing for ten ears. Please take your sword and
go where I- d on.” .

Deeply mort' ed, but With enough sense to
avoid a repetition of the same scene, the aide-
de-cam rose, sheathed the sword Olaf offered
him an left the room, when the swordmaster
indulged in a bear lau h, all by himself.

Then he resumed is cfgir and began to pace
the room in silence, wa hing the setting sun
till it sunk below the horizon to the mom of the

evening gun._ .

Just as this ha nod, a knock at the door.
was heard, and To A entered the room with
a respectful salaam, to arm him that the po:
lice d had arrived.

“ ,” said the swordmaster, animatedly.
“And where is Draukovitcb?”

'l‘fiklilA smilectii‘d The count would not come
‘ ut i re ues rim to re rt.
“m, Olaf laughed. p0 '

“ He is foolish. He cannot stomach a defeat

obeyed, with peculiar

 

'7'
What, does he think it a disgrace to be beaten by
a professional, and be only an amateur! \Vell.
let him go. Where has he gum-v"

“ Back to cum i,” re lied the Circassian.

“ Very good, ekli ga; and now to arrange
our little affair,” continued Olaf. “ What 
pens do you prefer i”

“This,” and Tekli pointed to his saber,
proudly.

“But before we begin I have a secret to inn

part to you,” continued the sw0rdmastcr.
‘ Will you keep it on the faith of a soldier 5”

Tekli bowed gravel .

“By the life of ohammed, the Prophet of
God, will keep faith with thee, oh master of
the sword.”

“ You are a follower of his highness, like me.
Would you serve him, even at the risk of dis-
pleasing the czar?”

Tekli thought he would, and then Olaf told
him of the mission with which he was charged
by the grand duke, concluding:

“ I would not tell you this, had not his high-
ness informed me privately that I might trust
you. We shall need all our forces to save the
princess from the power of the police: and
herefore, whichever of us is the best man should
be the one to guard the lady. If I am wounded,
take thou this letter and the Whistle, follow my
orders, and bring the led through, for thou
wilt be a better man than ”

d “ Ggod,” said the Circassian, gravely; “ I will

0 it. ’

Then he drew from his bosom a ring, set with
a cluster of lar e diamonds.

“If I die ” e said, qjiéietly “ keep this. It
came from the fin er of null khan, the Tartar
robber chief, who 'lled all comers till he met
me. It is for the ki of the sword. I will ask
it  to—nigbt at t e sword’s point. Is it

’1

“It is good,” replied Olaf, gravely, but re

garding the ring With great admiration. “ Now
at us go to our duties.’ 7
They nt another hour or two in attending

to the or ers given by the grand duke, putting
the police d in possession of the palace and
seeing the orses of the Circassians made ready
for the journey, besides findin one to replace
Olaf’s slain charwer. No troub e occurred with
the ofiicer in c arge of the police guard, for
Count Str onofl! took excellent care not to be
seen aroun the palace, and the lieutenant in
charge was obs uiously polite to the sword-.
master. The f was that the re tation of
Olaf had spread like wildfire throng the Rus-
sian police in St. Petersburg, and they were mor-
tall afraid of him.

e lieutenant was therefore agreeably sur-
prised to find in the dreaded swordmaster a
manof the most polished courtesy, who bowed
at every second phrase and smiled in the most
insinuating manner.

. At last the reparations were all over, the
little tree of ircassians bad ridden out, head-
ed by Ola and Tekli A side'by side; and by
that time it was near] e even at night, while
the moon had risen a ut an hour above the
horizon.

Then it was that Olaf said to Tekli:

“Send them on by the regular road. It is
time we turned off for our little affair.”

The  bowed and addressed his fol—
lowers in his own guttural tongue, directing
them to pursue the regtilar route followed by
the wagons.

Then the swordmaster and the mountain chief
turned aside and crossed the long bridge to Vas-
sili Ostrofl. .

CHAPTER XI.
THE DUEL.

OLAF IRON Wmsr paused and drew _rein under
the walls of Dembinski Palace, in a solitary
n spot, all surrounded with trees, just as the

lls of St. Petersburg tolled eleven. '

“ Here seemsto be the very place ” he observed.
“No one can interrupt us if we 0 not make a I
noise and shoot. How will you prefer to fight?"

“ As we are,” replied the Circassian, eagerly,
but Olaf shook his cad. o ,

“ No, no, that would never do. We both
carry pistols, and we should rouse the town
shooting at this hour. We must draw our
chargfis or we shall be tempted to use them.”

Te A with a proud smile, threw his
pistols on t e ground and drew his saber.

“ I am ready ” was all he said.

Olaf follow his example as far as the pistols
went but did not draw his sword.

“ on have prmor; I none,” he observed,
quietly. He did not seem to have any fear of
being attacked b . surprise; and he was right.
He had taken Te Aga’s measure correctly.

tientl the Circassian sheathed bis saber
and t row 0 his mail shirtand helmet.

“ Are you ready now?” he asked, when he had
completed his preparations. Olaf smiled and
answered as he drew his sword:

“Come and take the rin , if on can.” .
Instantly Tekli Aga rusied is horse at the
Dane, and commenced an attack of mnrvclous
activity His gra steed, slight-limlwd mid
beau ' ully train wheeled around the other
hke a hawk on the wing, while the gleaming

 

 
 

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2:15
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71v
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. .-_,__ .___.~. fiw... 4.—

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8

saber ‘flashed high and low, ri ht and left, al-
wa s threatening and never stri ing.

ouud and round he went, striving to fit:
the left rear of the swordmaster, confusing 'm
with false cuts to distract his attention, and al-
ways out of reach of a return stroke.

In reply, Olat' kept his own horso, a sober,
steady beast, almost in one spot, wheeling on its
haunches, while his sword, held nearly per n-
dicular, was thrust out to the full extent 0 his
straight arm, his bod crouched low in the sad-
dle and leaning over the right. By this sim—
ple means he showed the Circassian, wherever

e Went, a blade at right angles to his own, and
meeting it at every turn.

In vain Tekli Aga turned ; he could not (gait in
and at last he altered his silent tactics, hed
in, and began to fight like lightning, showering
blow on blow with a cimeter as sharp as a razor.

Hitherto Olaf had been silent and wary, but as
soon as the clash of steel on steel was heard, he
lau hed aloud, crying:

q “ ”0 use, Tekli Aga. That is my best point.
a eel

As he spoke, he partied a blow far aw y from
his body, and with a turn of his wri like a
flash, caitirght the chief on the side of the face,
slicing o a iece of his ear. Tekli Age imme-
diately whee ed his horse away.

“You cannot make a false cut before a mas-
ter without .paying for it,” continued Olaf,
calmly, as the other used, a little,wa off,
surveyin him doub 1K6 “Those eig teen
that ou ' led were only ys, after all, A .”

“ ou shall see if they were, ’ cried the ch of,

D

fiercely. “Come down to the earth. Let us
finish this.”
“ With~all m heart,” and the Dane leaped

from his horse, ollowing Tekli’s example, both
letting their animals run loose. '

Then commenced a strange combat, in which
the chief exhibited the most marvelous ilit ,
leaping from side to side, and aiming cuts in t e
most reckless fashion, throwing his body appa-
rentlan at every stroke. 0

As ore, Olaf was content to stand on the de-
fensive entirely, wheeling on his left heel to
meet the circles of his wil adversary, and per-
mitting Tein Age to do a the work of assault-

mgle did not attempt to attack in turn for he
knew the school in which the Circamian had
been trained, and that it was Tekli Aga’s cue to
risk a blow if he could give one effective cut of
his own weapon in exchange.

Presently, as he wheeled round to face Tekli, ‘

llS attention was ca ht by a surprising sight.

Behind the Circaslgan, and evidently cgnin
.on to seize both of them were a num r 0
men in police uniform, with drawn swords.

Instantly realiz'mg the situation, he a run
back with awarning shout to Tekli a bot
men found that they were face to face with a
common foe.

A moment before they had been threatening
each other‘s lives, and now, in a twinkling, they
seemed to become friends, for Tekli sprung to
Olaf’s side and faced the police. The common
enemy imited them.

That sight caused a halt, though there were
twenty men in the line, and Olaf whispered:

“The are too strong. We must get our
horses.’

Tekli uttered a low whistle, of liar into-
natioxi;l and his ogn well-trained orse itrtofttlald
u to 'm,w en erCirsaaIiansprung n to
afddle.

In a moment he charged right into the midst
of the lice, cuttin and slashing on all sides
like a emon, and win them into confu—
sion, in the midst of which laf ran at the line

‘ on foot and cut down two of Strog’onoif’s men

before they could realize 'that they ere serious-
ly attacked.

Then he heard the well-remembered voice of
the “ Man with the Whip,” ahoutin :

“ Surround them,- pigs! Cut t m down!
Shoot them I” ..

“Ah,are you there again!” almost shrieked
the swordmaster, as he rushed toward the
voice. “Where are you?”

‘ He saw before him the well-known 
and dark face, but the “ Man with the
p ” was mounted on Olaf’s own horse.

The police had dismounted 'him a second time.

Even while he rushed toward the hated form
of his enemy, the men, obeyin orders, closed
in behind him with a rush, and 0 might have
been taken or killed, when down like ahawk
came Tekli Aga, into the midst of his foes, scat;
terin them once more. _

“ ck! quick!” cried the chief, checkm the
plunging ammal an instant before him, an the
nimb e swordmaster was not slow to compre-
hend him. ‘

With a bound, learned years before in the

military mum at Copenhagen, he vaulted
u behin Tekli, and away went the gallant
(- er, double-weighted as it was, out of the
m ow.
Strogbnoff as soon as.he saw them coming,
put spurs to his stolen horse and fled, an exam-
. ple followed by his police.

As they passed the place where they had

~ ter aimed than the fest, and the Circassian’s

.A_-~- . — . . w“...

Iron‘ Wrist.

l and at the same moment that they observed this
‘, fact, the crack of a pistol and the whistle of a

bullet warned them that the enemy were not
yet quite routed.

Almost at the same minute the clock be to
strike twelve, and Olaf remembered his on.

“Quick!” he said to Tekli Aga. “We must
finél the princess. Ride for the wall.” .

an !

A sgcoud shot whistled between their two
heads, and the horse galloped on to the wall,
where they halted a moment in the shadow,
while Olaf fumbled for his signal whistle.

Before he could find it came a third shot, bet-

horse reared and plunged with a motion that
told the bullet had struck.

Tekli Aga uttered a cry of rage and wheeled
his horse to charge the police again but at that
moment Olaf found the whistle and sounded his
two notes.

Instantly the grating of bolts was heard, and
once more the wall opened right beside them.

The police saw it too and uttered a loud yell,
rushing forward, when Olaf, by main force, suc-
ceeded in mastering the arms of Tekli Aga and
tumin the horse once more to the o ' .

Crac ! crack! crack! went a little volle of
shots, and then Olaf felt the horse going own
under them, just asthey entered the mysterious
opening. InstinctivelyJ he and his companion
leaped off, and found t emselves in the garden,
just as the huge slab of masonry, revolving on a
pivot, that served for a door, swung to.

It was not dest' to close, for the dead horse
la in the way an blocked it, and both men re-
alLed their danger as thgy saw the lice come
rushin toward the wall, outing umphantly.
“ He me,” cried the swordmaster, pulling at
the h of the horse; and they did their utmost
to drag the body out of the way; but before
they could quite accomplish tlgircgmrpose, the
foremost man was nearly up a wall, and
Olaf cried:

“ Keep the pamage with thy life. I will seek
the lady. ”

Tekli Aga nodded without a word, slipped be-
hind the door, and stood with his keen saber
ready to strike at the first comer while Olaf
turned away and ran tothe house, dill of anxi-
ety for the safety of his master’s runaway
match.

The policemen, aeein no one before the open-
ing‘,i imagined that hot men had fled, and rush-
ed eedlemly on. ,

The foremost jumped over the dead bod of
the horse only to come on the sword of‘ ekli
Aga, ghich laid him, a he'adlem corpse, on the
groun .

That stopped them in a hurry. The heard
the dull sound of the blow, and saw the h of
the sword. No one followed. That gas enough.

Meantime Olaf ran on to the house, and found
not a soul visible till he came to the other side.
There he met a man standing with some horses,
of whom the young Dane breathlemlglzsked:

“ The lady where is she? there is ger!”

“There is always dan n” replied the man,
in a ban ty tone, and en Olaf perceived he
(was H g toa ugllmn ofdranll? from his

rose. 0 was y an spo e sharp y.
“You have wag; time with your follies, you.
The fate is out of order. Who blockflt?”

“ comrade’a hOrse, Idiot by the police,”
said laf, dryly.

“ Then they will enter the garden,” an  y

exclaimed the old noble. “ We are mined.
“ Not so,” answered Olaf.
“Why not?”

“ My comrade is Tekli Aga, and he keeps the
gate. Get the lady out; give me two extra
arses and we are safe, once out of this.”

“FUpon in word,” angrilgflexclaimed the
other. “An do you expect nce Dembinski
to'leaiye hispalace open to the visits of police

ies

“ If he expects his daughter to be grand'duch-
ass, yes ” replied the Dane, bluntly. “ o,
my 10 , we waste time; where is the lady!”

‘ Here, father,” said the sweetest voice n the
world, and there was the Princess Natalie be-
side them. “ What is the matter?”

“ The matter is that the south gate is blocked
n, and the police are waiting there,” he re-
p ed, angrily.

‘ Then it must be closed,” she said. decisivtly.
“ not hel this tleman do it?”

“I my 10 will 0 so, all dangerwill soon
be over.’ added Olaf, and the old rince slowl
followed him to the blocked gate, hind whic
waited the Circassian chief, grim and inflexible,
with his drawn saber.

 

CHAPTER XII.
run scan 31.0an.

How to get the horse out of the gateway was
now the question. The door had swung half-
way to, operated by the hidden machinery in
the house, and the animal’s body was jammed
between the wall and a‘slab of masonry weigh-
ing about eight hundred pounds, roVo ving on
an iron pivot.

So much of the mechanism could now be

 

 

thrown down tlwir fire-arms mvl Tckli’s armor,
they  Dual} thou.  Ha Lad (l wil'Iwared,

clearly seen in the moonlight; also the fact that
the e-lgo of do« w and wall w. re made of p allslicd ‘p

‘ 5

stone, curved in segments of circles, so as to al~
low of perfect fittin .

Then Olaf said to Tekli: .

“ Come, let us char 9 them.”

In a moment more e two swordsman dash-
ed out of the opening like tigers and flew at the
nearest policemen, who were watching in a
circle by the door.

The attack was so sudden and unexpected,
while the dread inspired by the two men was
still so overwhelming, that an immediate stam-
pede was the result, the first to fly being Strogo—
not! himself.

The comrades did not chase them far, but im-
mediately returned to the entrance and found
it Wide open.

seizing the horse they were about to drag it
outmde, when the old prince an ' y exclaimed:

“Fools, what are you about Do you want
to leave a mark for the police to find the door
to-morrow? Drag it into the den.”

They obeyed and accom lis ed their task in
safety when of a sudden the great door swung
to With anothpr clang, and Olaf rubbed his eyes
at the deceptlon, for he could not tell for the
life of him where the joint was to be found, so
ro h was the appearance of the masom'y.

“ ow then,” said the old rince, hurriedlv,
“ we have no time to lose. on are the sword-
master, sir. Who is this?”

“My sworn comrade and true friend, Tekli
Aga, chief of Circassians,” answered Olaf
Egomptly. “Two men are better than one, if

th are good men, and, as our duties are to
fight he will be useful.”

“Very well, sir,” answered the other, in his
haught wa . “ Follow me to the carriage.
You w 1 bet have fighting enough, before you
have done.”

He led the way, and the two swordsmen fol-
lowed in silence, neither much liking the old
prince, but both obeng their orders.

In another rt 0 the garden stood a travel-
ing carriagte o the Rusdan style called a taran—
fuse, with hreo honea,'a.nd on the box sat two

men. -

“ 0 man on the right is the guide ” observed
the ol rince in a low tone. He knows the
way an will follow the correct road. All you
have to do is to ride after the carriage and
fight an one who tries to stop you on the we .”

_“ Sb 1 we have rela of horses?” asked 011:,
doubtfully, as he look at the carria e- for the
horses, though very fine animals, loo ed too fat
for a long journey.

“So the nd duke sa. ” answered the old
prince, wit a sh . ‘ at is part of your
trouble. You may ave to force them out of
the postmasters, 1i e eve one else does. That
isyour business. Come, t is time. Yom' own
horses are here.” ~

Two powerful, well-built animals stood beside
the tarantass, and without more ado the two
swordsman mounted.

Then the prince whistled; the wall door open-
ed a ‘n, and out dashed the tamatass into the
,h road on the banks of the Nova, looking to-
ward St. Petersbu .

No one was in ai t, and somewhat to Olaf’s
surprise the driver ed his horses’ heads totho
Isotn bags 9 and drove straight over it toward

It seemed to him, knowing only that the
lice had been hhootin at them that very ni ht,
that this was a tea dy proceeding, bughe
said nothilagl.l

“ M b on is to obe orders and fight,” he
thoug t and with that e settled himself into
his saddle for a long ride, feeling already a. lit-
tle sore. '

He had not been on a, horse for six months be-
fore reaching St. Petersburg and the best of
horsemen are always chafcd by a first ride.
Olaf had been in the saddle in the morning and
again at night, and had been going at a rapid
pace all the time.

As he rode over the long bridge after the gal-
loping team of the tarantaas, be e ted every
moment to see a party of mean gendarmes
sally out to arrest them for he did not know,
the state of. stairs in gt. Petersburg, nor the
fact that the em r did not dare to arrest any
of his brother’s ollowers openly for fear of ex-
citing a. mutiny and revolution.

Therefore he was quite surprised that they
traversed the streets of St. Petersburg without
molestation, and final] emerged in the open
country to the south, n the midst of a
greegb plgrin scantily mzemgi :ith Wm
scru trace, throu w 0 ran a broad
wgfirtim' h t th s k

neww a etrac w thou hhe had
never; seen it before, for he hadafibservged the di-
rection in which they had been coming.

He knew that they were on the Warsaw road,
over which the train of the Grand Duke Con-
stantine had lpnassed that momin .

When this owledge came to his min he be-
ganto feel quite easy, for he thought hat as
soon as he reached the train all danger would
be assed.

way they went for about two hours at a
hand-gallOp, till the fat horses in the tarantass
gage white with foam and panting as it ready

r0 .

Olaf}: who was a great horse-lover, noticed

 

. .-.m,____..1

 

s

calling out:

“You’ll have to pull u , neighbor, or your
horses will give out and fa 1.”

The
served, urned a pair of dark, glittering eyes to-
ward hiiii, and answered: -

“Concern thyself with thy fighting, brother,
not with my business. Yonder is the post-
house.” .

As he spoke, he inted to a twinkling light
ahead, and almost immediately after 11 led up
hisdrippiiig u am before a 10w thatch cottage.

“ Get us horses—that is thy business, brother,”
said the guide, coolly. “Rouse the postmaster.”

Olaf instantly obeyed, jumping off his horse
and poundin on the door of the t-house in
fine style, 3 outing the while. resently the
door opened and a sleepy Russian, in a night-
cap, stood there, candle in hand, blinking.

‘What do on want?”

“ Horses—t ree—at once 2” shouted Olaf, as if
he was addressing a deaf man.

“Impossible to-night,” answered the post-
master, ,with a yawn. “They are all out at

ture.

At that moment the stamp' and n ' hing
of more than one animal werelgfainly 311315)]8 in
the rear of the post-house.

Olaf was never a very patient young man, as
all know, and the idea of a Russian presu
{slaw and brazen such a lie off to him, irrita

In a moment he had seized the Russian b ' the
throat, tri ped him up, flung him on his )ack,
and was p ying his Cossack whip lustily around
the man’s naked legs, shouting in his best Rus-

sian.

“ ' 1 Dog! Thief! Getthehomes,quickly!

'ck
Qque had heard, that this was the only way to
treat a. Russian postmaster, and certainly it
seemed so, for the man at once began to bowl
out:

“Merci, general; I will at the horses, mar-
shal; oh, your  Hig , I Will put them

to at once!

He jum up, still bowling, and followed by
Olaf, ran the stable, in the rear of the house,
stood three horses all ready harnessed,
according to the law. »

Still in dread of the whip, the postmaster hur-
riedly led out these animals, and was taking
them to the front, when they heard the bells of
another tarantass coming 11 behind them.

While the postmaster stil used in doubt, up
came the strange vehicle, fol owed by a Circas-
sian on horseback, whose gleamin mail shone in
the Econfight,  halted incfki'lgnshof gig %r.

. one? pi orses ui on a rn
9 fire in a h" q 1”

voice. “

Now, indeed, the i- station~master had
cause to tremble. He only three horses, and
six were wanted.

He clasped his hands in dismay.

“What shall I do, your excellency i”

“ Put ourhorses to, in a hurry,” answered the
swordmaster coolly. “We came first.”

“ But this is a government carriage,” faltered
the r station-master. “ See the Circassian.”

“ t our horses to, and leave me to attend to
the Circassian,” was the quiet reply.

“ How now, p , where are my horses?” shout-
ed the some roug voice, and out of the taran—
tass jumped a big Cossack emcer, flourishing his

whi .

“Put our horses to,” said Olaf, sternl . ,

“ Give me my horses!” bellowed the

The station-master fell on his knees.

“Oh, gentlemen, what can I do?” he ejacu-
lated iteousl .

“Plug in mg; horses, and I will pesto this

y, with such a cut

ntleman,” mid Olaf
5; his whip that the’sta (in-master, dreadi
menses. ..
u an o e 0 er.

pThen Olaf strode up to the Cosmck odioer and
observed, coolly: . '

“You make too much neise here. These are
our horses. You will have to wait.” -

The Cossack, who was a very large man,
looked down w1th(l contlfgiipt on the slender-ap-
peu'in outh an rep ' z _
“3823115210qu ,to waiting, sir.

or a .

“There is a’lady here,” answered Olaf, un-
guardedly.
The Cossack’s face lighted up, and he cried

out: .

"Ohol So we have found
Let us see this lady, as on call

He turned toward tarantass, where the
new horses were now being harassed, and
madeamotion asiftogotowardit. Instantly
Olaf was in front of him, and the swordmaster
extended his hand w . y.

“The carriage is_priva ,sir. I cannot pa-

mi onto oneari "he . .
auctier that T i Agawas. watch the
Circassian very narrowly, whi e be
the poor frightened station-master to
and harness the animah. The quick-
witted'zwordmaster scented a plot at once. .
The Couack looked at him as if amazed.

“ Who will prevent me?” he asked.
“ I will,” and Olaf fell back a step and stood

I never wait

{grub have we?

’ e, whom he had not hitherto ob— ,

prospective pain. jumpfi‘

this with alarm and rode up beside the driver, 1

 

Iron Wrist.

lightly balancing from foot to foot, in what
the Cossack did not recognize for a boxing atti—
tudefigngrant as he was of pugilism.

" on!

The big man said no more, but raised his

w i .

Ingtantly Olaf made a dart forward and sent
in two rapid stabs one with each hand, comin
from the hi , an ' g the unwary Cossac
in the mids of the face, where they sounded
like mallet-blows on w . '

It was not a uestion of parrying an assault;
it was simply t e delivery of two rapid blows
at a big man who did not know what they
meant.

He found out at once, for his legs gave way
under him and down he came in a heap; knocked
senseless b those two stains.

Olaf di not even sta ' to watch him. He
turned to the station-mas r and cried out:

“Now then, harness up quick. I’ve cleared
the road of that man.”

Hardly had he said it when the tarantass
seemed to burst open, and out of it dashed at
least a dozen men in uniform, clutchin at him.

A moment later he was surround b foes,
too close to be warded off, and was fighting for
his life, shoutinfito Tekli A a:

“ Drive on! rive on! ve me!”

He had drawn his sword, and was cutting
furiously round him, every now and then kick-
ing awa a fellow who clutched him from the
rear, an soon had the satisfaction of hearing
the rumble of wheels that told his orders were
obeyed. He saw the tarantass dash off, and
then he struck out with such fierce desperation
that all, his assailants bore back, as he dashed
first at one, then at the other, keeping them
apart to prevent himself ' surrounded.

Then came the clatter of oofs, and he saw
the lances of a of Cossacks approaching
from the same (1 , tion whence the tarantass
hadcome. He realized that he was alone on
foot, with at least twenty enemies near him,
but that his charge was safe on the road under

“ I su nderl” he suddenly cried, just as the
Comacks rode up and the big officer began to
recover.

In a moment they had seized him.

CHAPTER XIII.
THE CZAR AND THE swonnuasun.

Tim Emperor Nicholas stood at one of the
windows in the summer palace, lookin g thought-
fully down into the great courts-yard, when word
was brought him that Count trogonoff was in
waiting.

“Admit him,” was the pager injunction, and
the chief of the secret hoe entered the room.

“Well, have you n her?” was the ues-
tion of the anperor,t0 which Strogonofl.’ re “ed:

“ Not yet, your ma esty, but I expect the news
every moment. We ve taken her protector,
that devil of a swordmaster Olaf of Copen-
hagen, that they call Iron Wrist. She cannot
«camth men much lon er after that”

“ , en Tekli Aga d d not kill the Dane?”
asked the czar, rather languidly. “I thought
he would not.”

“On the contrary,” replied Strogonofl, “ the
Dane would have killed the Circassian, d we
not interfered at the moment they were most
fiercely en .”

.

“Indeed ” with a little more interest, “and
what then, count? Were they taken W'
_“Not so, your majesty. The two 6

friends as soon as the saw my 1e, and
fought us like devils, wi h the killing
five of our men that night.”

- .“ Five!” echoed the czar, now decidedly at-
tentive; “ andwhat followed?”

“ Theygot to the Dembinski Palace, and came
out thence about ten minutes later. behind a
tarantass, which contained the Princess Natalie,
while her brother, Prince Ivan, was on the box
by the driver.”

“Prince Ivan!” said the our, in a grating
tone. “Very well, Prince Ivan. we will see
where you end, in Siberia or on a throne. Go
on Strogonoff.”

He was very pale and angry as he

“Well, your ma'esty
have taken them
ma knows that in such a case riot would
surely ave followedi so I concluded it best to
let the‘iz‘fet owe. a on stage on the Warsaw
road, catch the lonely poet‘rhouse
near Psakof.” '

“You did ri ht. Well!"

“ Well, sire, t was :1

spoke.
, of course we might
here in the city; but your

hem a

to send enough

i'dt‘°i‘é%§i“c' “mm “61?in W” '°
_a 1c a o e stron est
ruling-anion the Cossacks of the ’ , in . Eu.

ntam,l with SOldierB.W ' therestofhis
sotafizhwmnpany) 13:10 He  up
wi e party as 9 were c ' ones,
picked a quarrel [with the WOW”

“ And killed him?” erly asked the czar.

“ N 0, your majesty. captain did noteven
get time to drew his sword, for the Dane knock-
ed him senseless with a blow.”

“Ah! had he astick?” ’

“ No, your majesty, the men say hedid it with
his bare hands.”

The czar laughed scornfully.

9

_._ ., . .,

“ They had been taking too much vodka. Who
ever heard of a man knocking another senseless
with his bare hand.”

“ Perhaps your ma 'esty would like to see the
man,” here interpose Stro onoff. “My people
were too many for him, an he surrendered just
as the tarantass with the Princess Natalie drove

7

“ Did the men follow her?”

“Yes, your majesty. Of course their horses
were blown, and the others fresh, but they ex-
pected to overtake the fugitives before morn-g

in . ’
1 g‘ Where is this swordmaster i" inquired N icho-
as.

“ In waiting to see your majesty, sire.”

“ Send him in. I should like to see what man-
ner of man it is that kills my best men and
frightens Count Strogonofl' so roundly.”

The czar spoke With considerable sarcasm,
and the chief of police flushed a doe purple, as
he realized that the czar must have card of his
humiliating flight the day before.

He bowed and left the room.

Ver soon after, a guard of four soldiers with
fixed yonets entered the room, bringin the
swordmaster with them within a hedge 0 four
sharp ints, constantly directed on him.

Besi es this, his wrists w ere manacled together
behind his back, so that it did not seem as if he
were very likely to escape in a hurry.

As he entered the grand saloon, he held his
head as erect and strutth along with an air as
proud as if he had been walking into his own

ouse

He knew well enough, but pretended not to
know, in whose presence he was, as he strode
up to the divan in the middle of the room and
threw himself down on it, exclaiming:

“ Now stab away. I’ve gone far enough.” ‘

The four soldiers were aghast at his im u-
dence, and one of them made a. prod at
with his bayonet, c ing:

“Get up! Get up ’

In a moment the swordmaster had parried
the thrust with a dextrous motion of one foot,
sending the man s ' half round from the
leverage of the kic at the end of his long wea-

 

pon.

Then, ere the clumsy Russian could recover
himself, Olaf had bounded up by an exertion of
his back muscles, and was inside his guard.

With the We swift sidewise motion with
which he had overthrown the liceman the
day before he gave one “ buck ” the soldier’s
face with the top of his own head and sent the

“r fellow flying, stunned and helpless, to the

00’- ,

“N ow by the head of King Olaf the Great!”
he called out to the other three, “ if you
 we r the 

ree 0 on e— , w1
five musket.” y ’ 8mg

He was interrupted b the harsh tones of the
Czar Nicho saying oud:

.“ Then, by eavens, oung man, you shall do
it now. or be shot for ' t to me.”

Olaf knew well enough, as we have said
fore, in whose presence be was, the more so
that Nicholas and Constantine were striking]
alike, but he pretended not to know as he met
up to the emperor, with his hands still bound
behind him, and asked:

“Who are you, that one mustrespect on!”

Helooked so menacing, with his h shak-
i from side, as if he actually were about to
‘f uck” the Our of all the Russias, that Nicho-
las started up and drew his sword, crying:

“ Back, sir. do you not know your emperor?”

Instantl Olaf fell on his knees, with an ex—
pression o terror and re ntance, admirably
counterfeited, on his face, tering out:

“Oh, your majesty, forgive me; I did not
know it. ’

The czar was veryangry,and called out to
the soldiers:

‘ “Come here quickly, fools. Would on let
this roaring swordmaster assauinate e em-
peror at once?”

Ve much frightened they ran forward and
were ust about to stab the kneeling Olaf, when
the czar cried:
k“Fo?lsl there is no danger. Take ofl his

one.

“ Please your majesty, Count Strogonofl has
the key,” promptly ' the corporal in
cha

“lfien summon him quickly.”

The em r looked down at the kneeling
Olaf, who ept his face hidden in apparent hu-
milit , and said:

“. ytell me that you are a great sword—
mastor and that you love -my brother very
much. I am goingwto see what you can do. _
Are you w to tried ?”

Olaf rose to feet and bowed profoundlybe—
fore the car, while he could hardly restrain a
smile of glee. It was the very opportunity he
had coveted and for which he had originally

come to St. Peter-shag.
1; before e czar is my glory,” be

r H To 

A moment later Count Strogonofl entered the
room. He had not hitherto ventured to show
himself before the swordmaster, bound thong
I the lattei was, for he had been completely

 

3+: -v-':

M'—

~+:t?&.— --.. :.

‘w L: ..1.:;_

10

Boralized by the ferocious pursuit of the
one.

Now, however, in the presence of the czar,
and seeing that his enemy was manacled, while
three armed soldiers were ready to assmt the
Clllifdf of police thought he might show -
se .

The emperor looked sharply at both men as
the minister entered the room, and smiled sar—
donicall at the )illl‘lleSS of Stro ‘ n‘dfl’s face.

Then e looke at Olaf and be old, to his sur-
prise, no sign of recognition on the face of the
Bwordmaster. The story of the “ Man With the
Whip” had already reached the pa] ce, with
variations, and the em ror malicious y hoped

’ to see the swordmaster reak out once more.

But Olaf gave no sign that he knew Btrogo—
noif, and the czar ordered the latter' to unlock
the manacles, which he did with a very bad
grace, trembling excessively.

No sooner had he done so than the sword-
master, with a low obeisance, inquired: ‘

“ May I ask a favor of your ma esty, before I
fight these gentlemen here? It is t permission
to do a thing.”

“And what is that?” asked the emperor, with
a smile, for he saw that he had a character be-
fore him.

“It is that your gracious ma'esty will give
me leave to throw this man out o the window,”
said Olaf, on a sudden wheeling round and
catcbin the minister of secret police' by‘ the
ear, which he twisted in a way to produce in-
tense pain.

The czar lau hed aloud as the tortured
Strogonoif raise( his hands to his ears with a
laid cry and crouched to the ground with the
pa n.-

“No, no, Eu savage!” he cried not ill-hu-
moredl . u t him gO'instantl‘y, i say.”

Olaf et go his enemyin a mornent and rung
back, watching him keenly, for Strogcn ‘ was
now at last worked-up to he point of fighting.
At least his paleness had . on we to a crim-
son flush, and he said, cho ‘ g wit passion;

“ Your majesty sees. What am I t0'do with
thigh-lama”? 1 him tak h

‘ ease your majesty at e t c mus—
ket of that pmr‘fellow there and come at me
with the rest,” cried the swordmaster, eagerly.

Nihholas l'au hed again. The idea p eased
him. Like‘his rothcr Constantine, he was do:
votedly fond of seeing combats, but
him, he“ seldom engaged, in them himself, from'
constitutional physical timi

“It shall be done,” he said.
down into the court, Sir Swommaster, and we
will see if you are worthy of the title of master
with all weapons. Are you ready, for thetestl"

“ Quite ready, your majesty.”

“ equitgourself well. If‘you are kill you
are no oss any one—onlya Dime the ens,"
observedlthe czar, ically. “ If youpass ii
the tests, I_ will m e you swordmaster'tothe
0231"? all theiRu’i‘sgas. b

a starte . s prospect was a 1111th
one, and yet be reflected that to take advantage
of it was robe.ny to do treason to his benefac—
tor, Cons tine. Nevertheless, our sharp Dhne
determined to accept the offer openly,  to
play his cards so as to he! the grand duke

i(gait oflending the czar, such a thing was

9.
p0The em ror took his arm, and did him the
honor to can on it heavily whilst  descended
the stairs to the great inner ' count 0 the sum-
mer Palace, with its marble floor and fountains.

The three soldiers and 8t not! were al-
ready there all armed With‘mus ets‘ and bayo-
nets when Nicholas said:

“ kowfswordmaster, run in and do your best.
If you kill any of my men, it will be the worse
for you. Take the sen ’s musket from him.”

- He pointed tothe stol' sentry at the entrance
of the court, and Olaf sidled u
scious person who knew no of what was
going on till he suddenly receiv a prod in the
stomach from Olaf’s elbow that caused him to
«ho hismusket in a hurry. Before he could
r what had happened, the actiVe Dane was
boundin lie court to meet his four one.

across t

mics, m hot in hand,- and than ensued the

gtrangcst contest ever seen—one man charging
our.

 

CHAPTER; XIV.
mu swomasna’s 

Om IRON,me had this in his harm in the
contest before hini’ that one of his opponents
was thoro hl f htened before he began
lookin on a no as a maniac. This timid
indivi ual was Count“S off, on whom the
grim humor cf the sw master had produced
a demoralizing. effect. The Raglan could not
tell, as he advanced, what strange and horrible
trickwas about tole all; ed on him bythis
“ fiend incamate.”'as he agist! him. .

The soldiers—big gran rs of‘ the Guard—
were not at all frightened, but they were very
much“anle at e novel‘exercise. at those
dgsrbayonet- laxnwas but little understood,
a the «and? yonet charge'wm a: more
rush‘and scramb e. _

Therefore, the three grenadiers ran at OH,

1 with a rapid-

2‘You shall go- enom

. ried the next low that came Mug in

to this uncon- ‘
'stdring, loot in wonder at the whole platform-
sacs

 

Iron Vi rist.

all in a hen , while Count Strogonoff cameh

more slowllyl .

AsforO t, he sprungoutafewsfls intothe
court-yard, and waited for his versarios
poised lightly on both feet, knees bent, the flat
of the musket-butt on his right thigh, while 
left hand sup rted the gleaming bayonet-pomt
at a level w1t 5his opponents’ eyes.

Down came the three in a heap with a wild
hurral and in a moment, with an actiVe side
potty—a trick then quite new—Iron Wrist had
evaded the clumsy rush and was behind the

Ruqians.

There was a startled cry of pain almost at the
samemoment from the nearest soldier. With
a sudden stab, as quick as a flash and as soon
withdrawn, the active Olaf had pricked one man
just behind the knee on the  tendon,
and down he went, as if be h 21 0t.

In- another mement the swordmaster hadleap-
ed away to the other end of the court to attack
BtrogOnoir, who awaited him with comparative
firmness, w ile under the em r’s e e.

StrogOn turned deadly .10 an made a
desperate thrust at him, u a savage curse
as he did so.

Clash l‘

The swordmaster’s bayonet met his, with a
slight shock, the butt of'Olaf’s musket still on
the thigh, so that the whole force of the loin—
muscles assisted the blow, while Strogonotr’s
musket was out at the end of his arm.

Awa went the Russian’s musket, and awa
went trogcnofl! with it, spun round by that -
most impe 'ptible parryas if he hadbeena
child and almost disarmed.

“than I” he‘shriekedin another moment- and
this time he dropped hisweapon clapxped’both
hands behind him and ran like a deer spite of
his fat,‘while'theem roared with Ian
to see the mischievous Dane prick him up tom
the rear.

Then round Olaf j to face the
two big rcnadiers, who were a most on him.

Both bbed 'almost'simultaneously, and he
gave a :1: id double parry in the same nervous
style bot men being spun round as easily‘as
was a chief of police.

'I'h'cn,‘while their buckswere still toward him,
he suddenly shifted his hold of his on gun,
hirl, bringing the butt to the
front, and dealt the nearest man a tap, appar-
entlyggite We, at the nape of the neck.

. a...

bi ~dro ' if h
hallllieau ,amf 51M'w'vu?left:‘vlzllielli (hist on:

y.

“10 last Bunion nothin dauntcd, up
his musket like a'club, andgmadc uni-mus glow
at Olaf who evaded it by a rapid leap to one
side. on the big man, seeing t at his enemy.
reheated, began to s the weapon round h
head, and toad] 'im ned he was going to
chain Olaf out o the cum-t. "

FUrbeveral steps the swordmaster bore back,
andthen, stasthc Russian missedablow, he
dashed in close carton;

This time the nadior'tooka leaf out of the

Dane’s beak—he 1 back to ‘sVoid close ‘
um:

V ‘ It'wascv thath quickto
Olaf, of Cope la hed aloud:
“ You are: one,” o cried,“ but you are
not'a master yet. See here.” '

He threw'u his musket with'both'hands, par‘i
an
before the 'Russian could recover himse ’ sent
the 'butt of his own piece, with a rapid thrust,

rl ht into the other’s face.

he effect was innnedia'to, the poor or
ingonthe pavementwi aluodnnosa,
more than half-stunned. '

The swordmuter leaped back and whirled
round as if tosecWho elsetwdscoming, [the
' ‘wu cleaned of armad enemies, while the
trywhom he had robbed of his musket stood

As' for the Cm Nicholas he made no some

'of his admiration when Olaf came up and sea
‘lutcd’ss if nothing had happened.

'“ eua'r -indeed wonderful with theba 0-
net ” he said, cordially. “Can you do as 11
Wltll’thfi sword?”

“Your Eajefitay has ,onl to ‘ all:v and seal”
observed ' e us, run y. o q
good with all apical; even to the Raisin
eunuch“ their" 1 "

.

‘gs'it' true that on t the Circus-inn,
To A’ga; ms ‘night ' pursued the our.
“No, your majesty.” .
H No I?
The empemr’s face altered. He began to
thfnlt’the swon‘lmast'or not so 11 after an.‘
‘iiitémitl‘dtl' had i ":13in u
‘ ' our ma . '
my sworn friend,y We tyeach other no

' ti: police

sins .
Olaf endows Image]! from the dimculty
with a bow and smile.

 

'IJ':_-—"_.n

“Your majesty, as an emperor of course has
ministers; but 1: e police are only their under-
lin , not those of a gallant ggntleman like our
ma esty. All gentlemen ha policemen. ey
should go after the thieves an bad people, not
interfere with the amusements of entlemen,”

The cmr stared and then laugh .

“Upon my honor Olaf, on are am .
Well, who had the best of t when these ‘v -
lains,’ as you call them, interfered with your
amusement?”

“ That is not for me to say, sire.”

“ Well, then, who was wounded!”

“Neither, sire. Tekli A a had a scratch on
the ear, but that was all. e made a false cut,
and your majesty knows that a false out can-
not be made in presence of a master without a

pen$ty.”

‘ “ ery good,” said the emperor, in a thought
ful tens. “ You swordsmen are strange beings
You seem to love this Circassian.”

“I do sire, because he is the best man I ever
met. He made me do my best to avoid a cut
and I dip not dare attack him.”

(6 80!!

' The czar looked at him musineg for awhile,
and then suddenly roused himsel to inquire:

“Well, Si or Olaf of Copenhagen, are you
ready to on r my service as swordmaster to

0 at bowed low in acknowledgment, but then
shook his head.

“ No, sire.”

The emperor started in amazement, and o
dee‘ggrown crossed his brow.

‘ hat do you mean? Do you re use f”

“I crave pardon of your maj , but I am
already a swordmaster. I want to be an of-
ficer, on_a par with colonels. The swordmas’tsr
of the guards is—I hear—only a lieutenant.”

The czar’s brow cleared. .

“Oh is that-all? You want a better place.
Well, I will create a new ofllce. You shall he
swordmastortgencral, with the rank of colonel.
Will that do?’

' TheDanc bowed still lower.

“ I cannot sufficiently thank your mart .”

“ Very well, count—you hold that ti ,' be—
lieve—~ ‘

:‘gibcmgfirk, yez, sire.” in

‘ eryw‘ ,coun, accompm me up-sta .
In ano cerwhowill go an;th and do
anyth ” ‘ e is  You are the man.

And there was $01- Olaf,‘of Cope' nhagen, who
had entered St. ctersburg‘almost ess,
once more fallen Onhis foot, and‘al ' , in high
favor‘with‘ both the cm and his brother;

' The autocrat of all the Russias walked up—
stairs‘as he had conic down, leaning been! on
the swordmaster’s arm, and Olaf not elp
smiling at the change in his on, as the
guards saluted at every turn of he pdlace‘.

'ArriVed once moreth grand saloons»
empégor tosuched a hand-bell and ordered:

unt Mignon—st once."

Presently, in the room 6 themlnlfir o;

lice, as pale as ever and ‘ n1 ed,

at outwardy-flrm. He remain by 9 door,
howls .
Thelma , ror had thrown himself out couch
snowman :

“Oh, come forward, count. I want ycu.
This is Count Olaf, the new swoi-dmutcr-gene-
ral. gag: you lingo had some troubleshghe
put, vc.‘ bear on mm

' st the count for i???“ y 

. “On' the centrag, sire ” answered the minis-

‘,eage'fly, “I buld'beonly-tooh '.to
be friends With the count, did he not me
with such rancor.”

. “You hear that Olaf?” asked'the cm.

H   a. 9’
'“ ell, whatsoij gypsy"

“ that this out 8 rogonof!’ undertook
tbs mb—a‘noble of Denmark-in the open
streets with a whip and that onl his bbod
can‘at‘lastmh out a ‘ 'of'flia blow.”

“ You hear, Stro novffl What do you say i"

“Issy,yourma y thstIhoveblod'hh-eady
in three places from is tleman’s weapon,
“9' Mir smwbtigmt '" t” id Olaf

c a e no ye sa
inn 0 to tone; “When'we vo, I'shall
he’sstisil .”

“You ear Str not?” observed the czar,
my:  is mattgr. I never in-

9 see things 11 iscreet lo.
mcnfie'vh'o'tnow how to avolcl a public ‘ l.
I fear, on will have to give the count satisfie-
“an fi‘fi‘im with 1 "

‘ ,. ensure— n
om, but at out himghort. been

“ blow admits of no opal  It must be
mod. I could not ugh you my oflcnse‘

of‘thisforlamas' ,buta
$0: 3.,whip can never be atoncd for, um

“Ve , well then,” suddenly interrupted Czar
{23013, t ’ ""‘itt‘ié time I  ivord in

. Conn , o o c u
on your obedience me‘fifm MMd
to quarrel with count of till you" are
executed the commission which I am‘ ‘ t

tointrhst. 811‘. lam in tunnel to to
Warsaw mace to my grad», the Brand

._.-.. ._-. _._..V'» V“_... c

_..._.__~__‘ '.m. ._a. a. .

‘

'evenlng,‘l0 af booted and spurred

Imag‘hiis will payyour ' uses," continued the

Iron Wrist.

 

 

Raf“ If” .

Olaf started into a stiff military position 'and '
eluted.

“At once, your ma esty,”

“Then remember , at, till your orders are
obeyed, you are to be at ce with Count
St email. You understan T"

“ es, {our majesty’.’” “
“Coun Strogonoif, .the czar, you
will take this ntleman to he stables, see that

Le is provid with two of he best horses, and
that his outfit for this -  is complete, .as a
special messenger. e w start tonight.
( 'ount Olaf, youwill report here at 31: this eva-

' f our hes.
ml’lfiisot‘itie on: ed low and than followe
the minister of lice from t 9 room.

Once outside n the corridor he ran his arm'
throu b that of the astonished human, and ob-
serv , playfully:

“So weare to be forced comrades under his
maiegvty’s orders tillI have carri my dispatch-
m. ‘ ell belt so. 'I can afford-to Wait, and in
I he meantime let me tell you that! begin to, like-
\ on a little. “Who knows? If you behave well,
3‘39 time may come when I forgive you nth“

plow. But you must be very good In 

Then the swordmaster smfled at him so
In eetl , withsuch a wicked glitter'in his'eyes,

that nod felt decidedly uneasy and was
much re ved when they came on e sentry
at the entrance of flie‘guu'd-room.

 

CHAPTER'XV.
us DIBELTQBIS.

hour before sunset, that same
lung bl orde 'f a} madwm‘
the-czar can 8 is or e g
The emperor had in his hand a sealed packet,
andeome'loosiempepers‘la'yon the table beside
him with p. s l pile of gcgg. , ,
W‘hies'e amiour erdetgx,e loner (lounging;
said the cur‘ auding- sWordmuter e o
the-p . "‘You 'will, find route laid
down erein, fbr alltheguad to hrssw."
Olaf thefd lowi ' took the paper. The
t.tleof “ Colonel ” ' very pleasant to his

ABOUT

.m ror hazi' him ‘he little lie 'of ld
pi ' ;“’and diligin ttoW anew you???
presenltflgiis letterof credt to  trelik I ,
thebe r whgwili sap ythe'fuhgfer y _r
return. Y’ou m ride ,and hm- t l!
ackagetomybrother‘ soon as youhn-iye.
ff youare attacked outbound-301117“! def d
the packet 'with‘llfe, a, . it if,
thereisa‘chbnce yum-capture. 4 .7 cum-h
deretandi”

I,
m" LYon will remember, colonel that these dis-‘
)9 ages are priv te—to my brother alone. ”
‘ your in .” _ ,
‘Ilis mperial lg essandmyself havoheen
srted y d‘i’ mil of intrlg'uin
nle's.” contained; 3cm, '1} a ow tone; "
‘V ' 1 t r ma e ec urumon once more.
319; te‘bnld gmgggheve his ea‘rs. Was the
-a ltocrat of all the sins g confidentth
t \Ihim, aehgnntile swordmasterl
t seem so. ,

The c’zar looked thoughtful and  and
sunk into a reverie for a manent,  hlch'
he redid himself to my, in a severe tone: ,

“ You did Very wrougoto enter my brother a
service, befoid’e cg‘min me .‘flrétficotlgnel, and
worseto‘ai ttn Moo. 1 -
Thank Hfhveiligbe h:s% by this-time,

di as e on.

“Ola'f Wham of his feelings, so he did not
start, but he shot a keen glance at the emperor
 m  1.

u mse :

“ $3? ' Age! 80 they have Maxim,
m0. ”

Then he bowed low. .

“ Any further orders, y0ur majesty?”

“None, colonel. good journey.
as soon as you can.”

H Y sir-an

Be back

And ' left the room. _ .

In the e to the ‘ - , where his
horse. , -he met -8 , bun-{ring m
with a pale f e, and min in! "lite y.

“Goodeve n‘g, count. am ,.
But, to his W. the minim-r 01'
hru‘shedby withi’an tfent curse, ea
“Oh, get outof lug-w y I’m busy.
_It was evident he
Mon;

police

, d. not _ him _'n
his for¥trogomi£dwas e
an anxious.

Another time, Olaf would have mead this,
but at'thelnoinent hevwas 1500 much mm,
and before he had made up his ,mind what to do
the minister w e. '

Then an idegbfienly flashed, on his mind,
andtheran toth as he thought of it.

“ Come, Nicolai,”z_he called to e o

l‘emountedin a h set of! at a gallop

‘h‘w ("onetantina How soon can-you be“

“I do, sire. Your majesty can count 

 

k edto ,aiid‘ '
Cossac whome 11
dowathestreet.

“ Bi the head of Kinnglaf the'Great,”'he‘
thong t “theyhave not en the~princéfi and"
that fellowY brings the news. Olaf, it”, hime,
thou wert away, if thou wishest'to save the
good duke’slad from ‘ n.”

Leavi him‘ pursue his journey, let .us fol-«
low Conn Stro nefl’, who rushed on, pale and
full of care to t e emperor’s cabinet, which he
entered with the news: _

“ Sire, that she-devil, Natalie Dembinski, has
escaped again. The Cossacks nearlzlkilled her
remaining guard, the Circassian, Te iAg'a, but
she got away a sin.” _

Tillie czar startged to hisfeet with a peaionate
08-h .

“[An'd'they call me em i”he shouted, his

black with ra e, “a . ‘I-have servants, and

ey do no better arr-this I”

And so saying, he lifted up his arm and smote
the ministers. violent blow on the face, under
which Strogonofl crouched tothe, floor in a sup.
pliant attitude.

Like many another. ' “those days he
mtufgefiiliénominy of a ow, but merely

' on. v

seemedto he'de with rage»

The «an r
no‘hdhmthis handin strikin down Strogo-
,nofl,snditmalie-him meresa '8 . He "

to a table, picked up ,a riding-w lp, and; ’ n
to lash the hgoor minister . 'who on his part 0‘ 
crouched bead under-his arms like 'a schoo a
box, and tooklitquietly.
few blows seemed to recall even, the
ozartohidsensesflor atlast hath
whi ‘ and cried out:
“7 ooll doltl idiot! Why did you tell

ad.
row away 9

had her! I-have sent my broth is co

robin m ,= he resigns-his claim/to e’
succession. thought she washers, under bolts
and bars. And now-afoot! You have made'

me thaw myhamd! What can you d‘o-to re-:
phir'this-‘foll ?” !

White wi irfuryland f at othewzneuthf
theezar Was not a 'pleasant ob to contem-i
plate but the minister had seen him 
n andhsd toomueh at stake to allo 

w .
gamddenl looked up boldly. ,
“ Give me order, sire, and‘I will' get back}
the consent. ~Who has it?”

The czar burst int05a fit of  laugh-

r. .

“ You- it? Why, fool, I have net sent it
of! b swordmgster. Can

Q f Iron  the
yogi “33"” “in {dbl lo and trembung'
was on
but he out boldly‘ 9:11 that. ”
“GM me'the nibg, sire, with power :to gr.
 l”ih ussia, save your in'ajesty,
an . I _ . ‘ .
Nicholas 2limited down at his minister with.

some surprise. , v

“VP-y, man, he will kill‘thee. Thou kno'weet
‘ “,Not like»! have my orders to take him,”
answered’thb chief or police in ’a tone ,of deep
earnestnem. “ Your  thinks me acow-
ard. 'Bejt so. I will ' ow your  that'
'I am net-afraid ev of this swordmaster, if I,
“Pv'”"°"ét'€£"   a {1 ’

" eryw , en, theem‘ror‘ et';l
“I will try you this, time, and 13:19  1;th
gur life  on yo r success. Fafm Iii-i
' either italic - embinshi. fiathat ket,
 hearthe game in 11 em 
t i , or czar you now we w'ba your-
fstewill be.” - -
The minister of police rose to his feet and‘
stood waitin in gloomy silence while the czar
jwrote-e. few nes onih'n emblamnedgidrehment,
fillin inthenamesqndsl ' the it V .

en-he handed tEjFI-g‘go I' if-the ’la‘ r

bowed once-more, but n‘ i}; leaving
room in silence. . , .

(hoe outside he hurried to his own head-
mrsandsummoned his agents, with ‘whom

alon secret , forenoe.
It results: in  out a gene alts-inf
ontheW wroau the "lip intole-
graph (for was befo -, the' ya of

orse

we the lice oerses fa'r hsLWiln find

» =Grodno  esonthe road weretobe
_ a

detainedes'l spossible.

It was add only to the secret police; for
Strogonol did not dare to face the po' mim-
frry wlgh‘he knew wetgd follow the aim“;
_t on in: . Pwmrg o the arrest 0 any of
Constantine’s t . ‘

The instructions were tonly to datum one

32‘;me “23.2.. lf'he mam!”  '4 -

t in} . .

 'accggrplished,'the-,dhief of police, celled
foratamuduand astrogfiescort 01%.
an set forth on'his, event )ourney about
0’0 oek, when the moon had not yet risen and
all was dark. ,

H6 knew that If his orders were pgggg’fl
obeyed hewouldceitainl comeu wit '
Wm we rd mm“
:in er - ' oess . a e.

Alter an 

Y
e
Y
111' he sonntimeegavr

’ rd . i l‘
:3; ashram i. I

(1 yet he '

 

"mons loud



idienee, followed e

'fresh.

V ventstq'ihst ’

 

_ a ‘. The
’prorg‘flzif'hii 'ortfi courage “he (not that is he

#11

rattled out on' the Warsaw road he fell asleep in
the corner of his tarantass.

Just as the chief of secret olice 'tted St.
Petersbu we south, Ola Iron rist drew

bridle at kofl.’ st-house and shouted for
a relay of horses. 9 night had closed in,
foggy and dark.

 

CHAPTER XVI.
ran FIRST STAGE.

1'! was the same post-house at which the Dane
had been overtaken the evening before that he
now knocked, and he took care to make the sum-

' sh
Kid postmaster came to the door
e saw the gleaming uniform of
e swordmester, he began to make obeisance.

The same

“Mighty eneral, Imperial highncss, the
horses are al ready. ow many does your
lordship uire?”

“How many have you of?” demanded Olaf,
for an idea had come into is head.

“ Two complete sets general—six horses. .” ,

“Out with them a —on the. emperor’s ser-
vice,” cried Olaf, and away went the postmas-
ter as if he hadan running a race.

Out came the heroes, all reudy.’ harnessed for

,a trm'upa or tarantass, and the postulaster

looked roundffor the vehicle.

“Take the harness off, Nicolai, and han'ge
airsaddlesflwmmanded the Dam"; and Nico-
lai, a stalwart trained to implicit obe—
Th er in slilence.b d

e postmaster stared in 81' once, ut id.not
date say'a word, for Olaf stood close to him
with a heavy whip in his‘hand. _

No sooner were the saddles shifted than the
swofifina’ster mounted his fresh horse and

“‘Bhw many  horses, and where are
they?” four cell d h

“ our ex en an 't e
out ' t e-flelds; Cy” y #8

“ . n drive these on, Nicolai. W shall
Rang otn-ttlllie road,” gag the cool y, and
. 9 guns as 6 exam wavin is lot)
whip and sending thepwhole ‘  of 16935::
horses away ata gallop down 1: ‘e white road,
through the fog. V , I
Tile" cosine): obeyed ' ers withthe s‘tolid air
of a Russian soldier. “ g e. czar’sprdex's’ cov-
ered'evegythin inhismin . ,“ .
am‘ihp‘éi ‘W at??? my. "° “’5‘?” ‘8
9 0’3... ,e-firess .0-
‘ ' hues (gvgertskejis in cal-flunygtms
time,” ‘ ' t. “We have all the horses,
as: by theht‘ifiige we thafvg swept, a few .post' -
we s _ ou anger, ,
simulcast loose  fwfllifollbw a herd
f°§£ti°°fii$ WWW “asi‘ém'rv flit ii”
a ,a' e an ,, y
c 'ng fro'm horse to horse on; the route he
w be able to go quite fast ,
Therefore he di not attemptto, husband the
animal hewas ridiu'g,'but kepton at a ' ood stiff
op for ' e after mile, the loose erd fol-
owing him t the same  ‘
Only the whiteness the roadneuabled him
to fig? his way, for the t was very dark
and' e fog wasso thick t at the trees of the
greet were innsible till one almost touched

he’rode on for nearly‘ an hb’ur at the same
rapid'gallop ‘till he began to feel that his new

be was rm ,heavil .
fimahm, e rode nto the herd and he

and the Cossachlix ghalngedmglfig saddles lin a
any, ~w c . 0 near as
fast as before. 6y  y
The w horses acted as. if they were uite
1 ~“l‘2l”“fi‘:d"b3£m an “a?
as . as . , . . ,. an e
gens  A t,ht gfimgow that
n, e . a e moon th
charm? I w sure“
now, an e . e w
Hedidnot wanttomizlsl' 03' o '

_ ,th' 50.1186- .
“remind ems-d. m“th

lo for half an
tiger longer, and then s if dles a second
e. ‘
As he did so the f bew'folift above the
tree—tops, and he agar, e has in the midst
of a" mt plain, d t as.a_'_bflhard~‘table and
‘ h  hardly thic en-
ogest ,,  Jgh which the
an arrow '

,4.‘ efié .  ' .
11%”; ends-fl Ritual. the
Cossack goth, nodjnthe direction of the light.
, lu- vewecome,jt i" asked Olaf.-
“s‘ilfty-flreversts,”labout'l -six miles,)
was e . , .
“Onlyngfis’t!” exclaimed Olaf, incredulously;

‘ “addhburthe city?"

“ o, groml’sakoff colonel.”
«it I: better. ’You say it is sixty-five

. me, it is time we
were that ,Nicolai." (Come on, Nicho-

las. .
filen they were away again, galloping as hard

asev qn th last mi of ho -s, which Olaf
best' media: wimth thin to the post-

 

 

, V ._.___....s.. .i ‘

1 S .

‘ Iron Wrist.

 

 

 

As they went along in their mad career, the
Dane noticed a little stone tower, away off to
the right of the road, on a tiny swell in the
plain. This tower was distinguished by a num-

r of lanterns on the top, arranged ona frame-
work, and these lights were moving about
throu h the night in a very peculiar manner.

“ hat is that, Nioolai?’

“ That?” grunted the Cossack. “Who knows?
The ,say that the devil lives in those towers, or
sen s some of his im there. They had no such
black deeds in the o d- czar’s time. They have
one between every gist-house, and sometimes
two all the way to arsaw.”

“ but what for, Nicolai?”

“Colonel, I do not know. Theésay the czar
talks through them all the way arsaw, in
a minute or less. Iéut you wouldn’t get a true
Cossack to believe that, you know.”

Olaf watched the ueer—looking lines of Ian-
terns waving about Wildly in the air, and won—
dered to himself what it could mean. In those
days even the semaphore telegraph was a new
thing, and not much used, outside of co.

However, he rode on Without thinking much
about it, and very soon drew up at the door of
the Nicoloi‘f post-house with his six horses pret-
ty well exhausted b their forty-mile gallop in
two hours and a h f, reeking with sweat and
read to drop.

“ ey Won’t be able to follow us very far on
this road,” observed the swordmaster with a
grin, and then he swung himself out of the sad-

le and rapped loudly at the door with the butt
of his whip, but without effect for several min-
utes. '

He knew that some one was in the house, for
he had seen the light, but the person was evi-
dently a sound sleeper.

Nicolai, the Cossack, jumped off his horse and
came to his ofllcer’s aesistance, shouting at the
top of his voice and battering at the door with
his feet, alternate] .

At last Olaf, of anger at the dela
tered a savage imprecation in Danish, an

ut-

one of his pistols up at the window where the,

light: still shone so serenely. He smashed the

g .

Almost immediately they heard the sound of
a grumbli , half-plaintive voice, and the shuf-
fle of bare eet coming down-stairs.

It seemed that they were doomed to a ti-
tion of former delays. But Olaf had not u
in the czar’s service six hours without 1 '

a few things, and he soon showed his know -

ge.
fid“Who’s there this time of night?” asked a
surb' voice, insi e. “ Go away, in God’s name,

honest people.”

“‘2‘?

01 had fired a second pistol through the
door and now he shouted, savagely: .

“ n in the csar’s name, fool of a tame-
ter, or I’ll burn our house over your end.”

The bullet made a hole through the door and
the heard a startled cry from within, bu the

os master did not give way yet. They heard
aiiiishuifle up-stairs, howlin all the wayas if
he was in pain, and Olaf  that the Rus-
sian depended on the thickness of his doorto de-
fend him from a forcible entry. .

“ Come we must give our friend a lesson,” he
said, to Nicolai.

The Cossack grinned, for he liked nothing’bet—
ter, and the two prowled round the house, till
they came to the railed inclosdre in the rear,
used for stables.

“ Here are the horses, excellency,” observed
the Cossack.

True enough, there were about adosen horses,
lean scraggytrutes, in the corral.

“ Why no take them and go, colonel ?”

“Very true, Nicolai; we’ll do so; but first I
must chastise this impudent fellow. He must
learn he cannot insult a Danish gentleman with-
out paying for it. Take out a rail.” ,

Nothing 10th, the Cossack obeyed, and they
went round to the front door, when a few vigo-
rous prods sent the door fl ing from its fasten-
in and reveal the s ation-msster in his
:hfi at the head of the stairs, trembling with

ear.

Olaf of Copenhagen drop d the rail, seized
his whip, ran upstairs and gan to thrash the
unf nate Russian, who made no resistance
when he saw the rich uniform of his nt,
but merely howled in a dismal manner.

“There, you rascal,” cried the Dane, ygutting
all his strength into a final cut. “ You try to
stop the oflcers of our r on public busi-
ness, will gou? T me qui how many horses
have on

“ one, excellency, none,” cried the Ru-ian,
in a tone of itiful entreat . “Indeed, I, have
horse for you.”

“ Liar! What are those in the stable?”

“They are all lame, fineral, sick, blind.
Not one is fit to go out. are at pasture.”

“ Well, I’ll . try them sumay,” and the
swordmaster was as as word; for he
rode of! at a gallop, a ew minutes later, driving
all of the new lot of horses before him and leav-
ing behind him only the homes from

o away, he noticed not fifty
yards frogzgut e post-house, anothex" of those

 

 

stone towers, and the lanterns were swinging
away in the wildest fashion.

Olaf looked at it a moment and then far
ahead. He saw another set of lanterns, up in
the air, a few miles further on, and, like the
others, these lights were swin ' g about.

Then it flashed on his mind in a moment that
he was being 3' naled about.

He contr the treatment he had received
at the post-house with what the emperor’s or—
ders led him to ex ct, and his acute mind at
once jum d to t e right conclusion. Then,
too, he su denly remembered that he had heard
of, althou h be had never seen a telegraph.

And if t e delay at the post-house arose from
the message signaled ahead, the tower in front
of him was probably already warned of his
coming. What was to be done?

CHAPTER XVII.
mu TELEGRAPH.

Mom: than a hundred miles further on the
road to Warsaw that same ' ht, the tarantass

that contained the Princess atalie Dembinski,
on her way to join her lover, was halted before
another post-house.

About ten miles be 0nd the lace where Iron
Wrist was riding on, he house old and baggage
of the Grand Duke Constantine had gone into

camp.

At least three hundred miles ahead, thanks to
rapid ting the grand duke himself, with the
imm ' 0 rs of his personal suite, were
rolling alon on the road to Warsaw, having
left the sad e for the tarantass as soon as fa-
tigue compelled them to slee . Constantine
was a man who lost no time on t 9 road.

Just as Olaf started on his gallop from the
Nicolofl t—house, Tekli Age, pale and weary,
his head und up, his arm in a sling and other-
wise in a general condition of dila idation, rode
slowly toward the camp of the d e’s baggage,
comin from the direction of Warsaw.

If 0 af could have seen what was going on at
these same places at the same time, he would
have been puzzled to account for it. He knew
Tekli A a must have been in a fight and got the

,worst 0 it, but he did not know that the prin-

cess had one a hund miles further under
the sole guidance of her brother, without an es—
cort.

As it was, at the moment when he galloped
off another station-master, a mat Hercules of
a Cossack, was 'ust informing 'nce Ivan Dem-
binski that he ‘ could not have an horses that
night, perhaps not the next day. ho knows?
God is great and the czar is far oil”.

So that the irate young rince, not being big
enough to thrash t e master himself, was
obliged to at up with the delay for the night
at least, litt e suspectin that the swaying arms
of the sema here had  couve ed the in—
Rnctions o delay as far as hey he traveled.
beth hadt reverited the tg‘ansmisslilongtin-

'noein eear part0 enigt, as
sad: as the fog lifte , the signals flashed along
with the utmost ra idit , and the short ha] -
hour in which Olaf ad c nged saddles for his
last ride had givon time to his relentless foe,
the secret lice, to get ahead of him.

Much 0 this he susggted, but he trusted to
his luck to carry him t ugh, and dashed along
at full speed

An hour’s sharp riding brou ht him in full
view of the red lure of camp- es, which told
where the train gone into camp for the
night, and he was sore y tempted to turn aside
and ask after the fugitives.

However, he felt that to do so would be im-
prgdent, as well as disobedient to the car’s
or ers. .

About the last he did not much care, for he
was so, much infatuated with his earlyepatron
the Grand Duke Constantine, whom looked
on as the very mirror of chivalry, that he was
willing to abandon the emperor any moment to
please the grand duke ' but he reflected that to
ask in the camp would be to expose Constan-
tine’s secret to Draukovitch, who was there,
and be had a sort of instinct that the aide-de—
cam was not to be trusted. Therefore he gal-
lopes on, full speed, past the cheerful glow of
the camp-fires, which never looked so ruddy
and pleasant as they did now to his tired eyes,
and pretty soon saw, hhead of him, a solitary
horseman coming slowl down the road.

his pace, erodetomeethimand'

scon r the Circassian Chief, Tekli Aga,
evidently in bad light.

For the first 1: me in his journey Olaf pulled
up to halt in earnest and eagerly in uired:

“ Well, what is it? Is she safe ye. 7” .
“ The lad is safe at Luitzen by this,” returned
the Circassian quietly. “The Cossacks at at
me,but in horse was toogoodand led emu
chaso. I illed three but a lance struck me on
the head, and one of the cowards flredat me
and made a hole in myarm here. You’llfind
them all alon the road,  horses used up.

Where go you ”
“ to be] her,” replied Olaf briefly, and
rows.

gathe up h
“ God cop you. Take care of the Cossacks,”

 

was the answer, and then Olaf galloped off
down the road on the wa to Luitzen at the
same wild (paceat which he d come. He was

retty tire already, for riding sixty miles at a

ast gallop, no matter how man horses 9. man

uses, is hard work; but Olaf ron Wrist was
also worthy to be called Iron Heart in his
constitution and pluck so he galloped on the
same as ever, changing horses as he went, till he
came to the next post-house, some twenty miles
further.

He did not pause here, for he knew that the
horses he had would last him to the next sta-
tion, and be judged that the loss of time would
be more than equivalent to the gain of horses,
if he stopped.

The next post-house was only ten miles off,
and he changed horses twice on the last stage,
riding up to the door with Nicolai on apair
comparatively fresh.

As he came up to the door, three horsemen
were there, whose long lances showed that they
were Cossacks.

In a moment he realized that these mustbe
the men who had set on Tekli Age.

As he thought of this, he also remembered
that his pisto were unloaded, for he had fired
them off at the last post-house and had not re-
loaded them.

He i-eflected, however, that his position was
now very different from what it had been the
night before. He was no longer nominally a
dependent of the grand duke, but swordmaster-
general to the czar, a title implying a good

es] of power.

He rode up to the door and found it wide
opelrris, the postmaster conversm' g with the Cos-
sac

As he approached they all looked up, and he
took the ' tiative:

“What you man doing here?” he in-
quired, in the angry tones of an officer of rank
with a sharp tern . “ What are you doing
away from your ks, and where is your
officers?” ,

The Cossacks seemed to be amazed, for they
saw before them an oflcer of authority in a
rich uniform, and followed by one of their own
comrades, a “ red Cossack ” of the Guard.

“Honorable father ” began one, “we have
lost our officer at the hands of a devil of a Cir‘
cassian, and—”

“Then what are you doing herei’,’-he inter-
rupt‘evd, as roughly ast'opossible}eed  f

e were ying a 0 grain or
our horses, little father.get

“Thigget out of here. Posh“ m! Poahli
van!” Olaf began to swing his whip to
drive them away. icolai unconsciously aided
the deception by crying:

“ Go, you ' s you long-cared donkeys! Have
you no sense ' is the colonel swordmaster-
general}, with dispatches from the cm himself.

w

80 the Cossacks shrunk back humbly enough.
They were not in the secret police, and knew
not of the semaphore message.

“Now, station-master,” cried Olaf, roughly,
“out with all your horses in a hurry. A man .
who rid with dispatches rides fast. Out with :
thfim”a.l quickly, or I will know the reason
w .

B’iit the station-master had been warn and
in a moment be to make excuses—wit the
utmost respect it is true—but still to make ex-
C

uses.
“Where are the horses?” demanded Olaf,
sternl , cutting him short.
“ e have none, general; they are all out in
the fields.”
“Liar. The law obliges on to kee
alwa shamessed. Thrash 'm out
No ing loth Nicolai began to o the sta-
tion-keeper, w 0 on] danced an howled,
while he protested the he was telling the truth.
“ Take us to the stables, then.”
“Certainly. Your excellency shall see for
yourself.” ,
And be men led the way to the stable. Sure
enou h, it was empti.
“ ere are the orses?” asked the sword—
master, and as he spoke he alsobegan to flog the
r Rumian, who between Nicolai and Olaf
ced and howled in good earnest.
“ Where are the horses? Quick!”
Seeing that it was. no. use to revaricate, for
the swordmaster and his order were beating
him so severely that he feared or his life, the

poor postmaster yelled out:
“ ercy general Oh, your excellency,

our
hiihnem, Iwill tell. _They are out on the plain,
bu Icancall them in with the born for' on.
I had to turn them out. Count Btrogon has
sent orders-4’ .
“ That will do, Nicolai,” interrupted Olaf, as
he desisted. “Call in your horses quick. 80 it
was Strp onofl’s order, was it?"
He am this ina musing tone while the now
contrite station-master was “math: horn.
Then the horn blew an the pling of
at least twenty

one set
icolai. ”

hoof: was heard. Up came
yogig horses, running at full speed to get the

on
Olaf laughed for jgy to see them.
“ Now, Count trogonofl,” he thought,
“stop [:28 if you can.”

 

Iron VJ 171st.

 

CELL— .._ __ .7 - ._

CHAPTER XVIII.
A CLOSE RACING.

J new about noon of the next day, the post—
house at Luitsen was the focus toward which a
good deal of exoitement was converging. '

The big Cossack postmaster  leaning
against one of the door-posts, smo g. his pipe
with the most perfect nonchalance while before
the door stood a tarantass to which the servant
of the Dembinski famil was harnessing the
same three horses whi had brought them
there the night before. The animals looked
thin and drooping, for they had been driven
her-Y, and their rest at the post—house had not
. We them much good. The station-master had
5 (used to provide them with oats In the plea
mat he had none, and young l’rince Ivan
though he knew this to be false, had not dared
to say so, being alone. Now he stood by the
carnage, looking very gloomy while the lady
in the tarantass was pale, and had evidently
been crying.

Assoon as the harnessin was finished, the

rince got on the box with t e driver and made
his odious: as bitter as he dared.

“ -by, postmaster. I’ll remember you
for this when I get to Warsaw and if the
Grand Duke Constantine does no see you re-
moved and nnished, I am mistaken.”

The bi Cgssack grinnedim dently. I

“ -by, batushka, (1i e father), and if

you see the nd duke, it will be because the
police are fools. I know in orders.”
The prince gro his teeth in impotent fury

end drove slowly awa . He knew from the
bold demeanor of the ossack that he himself
was in danger, but hardly knew as yet in what
t periloonsisted.

list as the tarantass drove off, a man
emerged from the same. hore tower about fifty
vardsin the rear, an came up to the post-

nuse. - —

“ Well, Andrei Ivanovitch, we kept them a
good long time. They will not get to the next
station before ni ht, and by that time the count
Will be there. here are rose for him,
by the by i”

“ All safe in the sunken stable to the rear. I
know In business, Karlovitch.”

" Ano er traveler is coming along. I saw
him through the telescope just now. He has a
Cossack With him and a number of loose horses.
lIe is riding post. It is the second party,
Andrei, the troublesome one. I did not think
he could have got this far.”

‘ “He will be no trouble to me,” observed the
big Cossack, stretching himself. “ He has gone
as far as he is going to-day, if he wants homes.”

As he spoke Wred up the road, and sure
enou h, a dar y was rapidly advancing.

It ooked as if it might indeed be a herd of
loose horses, driven by two men. '

But Andrei Ivanovitch saw something else be-
sides the herd of horses. Far away be and
them Was a dark spot, also advancing, an the
practiced eye of the station-master saw that it
was a tarantass.

“ The count has ovortaken him ” he observed.
“ It can be no one else, for the o ers were strict
togive no horses to any one till he had .
How he must have driven, to be here now!”

The tele aph-man looked a moment, and then
ran to his awer. _

“You must get out the horses now,” be said,
as he left the station-master.

The b' Comack immediately left the East-
touse an went to the rear of the semap ore-
tower, where a little hillock appeared on the
plain. It was the brush roof of one of the half-
sunken stables common in Rumin, and entirely
Iiidden from view from the road.

Had Ivan Dembinski pomessed the boldness
of his former, tector, Olaf, he might have
gone there and ad the horses, for there were
no lea than nine animals, all ready harnemed,
«tan ' inside munching their cats.

The s tion—master went into the stable and
peered out through a hole. He saw the first
traveler, an ofiicer in brilliant hussar dress, ac-
companied by a red Cossack of the guard dash
up tothe door, his herd of loose horses a] cov-
ered with foam and dust, and peer out eagerly
on the road ahead. .

“ There the?' arc, Nicolai." he cried, in a
cheer tone. ‘We are in time. Now, where
is tha tmaster, I want to know i” ‘

“ Per aps on can wait a little to  out, ’
muttered An rei, with a of satisfaction.

“He must be in the le behind the tower,
Andrei heard the Cossack say. “I know the
old rascal. He used to be in my sotm‘a (troop),
and he was always a shirk.”

" ‘ Now the curse of Ivan the Terrible on thy
head, Nicolai Androvitc ” muttered the post-
master, as he heard his old comrade express his
opinions. “ If we are to have a fight for it, let’s
see who wins. The count is coming.”

“ Lead on to the stable, then, cried Olaf,

gayly “ We have smoked out five rs
already. Let us see if the sixth is any bet-
bar.”

“You. shall see,” muttered Andrei, wrath-
fully, andhe picked up a big staff, as long as
himself, from the corner of the stable, as the
,swo ter swung himself of! his horse and

came toward the tower, followed by Nicolai.

 

Presently they met at the stable door, and ‘

Olaf demanded, fiercely:

“What are you doing here lazy postmaster?
Do on know an officer of the czar when you
see im? Quick! All your horses! Strip them
at once. I am on orders from the czar, With
dispatches to his imperial higlmess at Warsaw.
Do on hear? Out with them?”

“ ow am I to know that you are on orders
from the czar?” demanded the big Cossack, sul-
enl .
“Iiere they are,” responded Olaf, displaying
his podoroshnaya, or order for horses.

“ That may be all well, but other people have
the same papers; and I have orders to give no
horses to any one till the chief of police comes.”

“ Nevertheless, you will give me yours at
once.”

“ How will you make me?”

“ I will kill you if you refuse.”

The big Cossack ran out and began to whirl
the ole round his head.

“ ‘o away, robbers!” he shouted. “I’ll teach
you to come and bully me.”

Instantl Olaf drew a istol.

“Drop t at staff or I re.”

The Cossack’s only reply was a scornful laugh,
and Elaf again remembered that his pistols were
em y. ~~

drei Ivanovitch rushed at him with the
staff and instant] Olaf chan ed his tactics.
Suddenly shifting ' rasp to t e barrel of the
istol, he hurled it a the Cossack with such
orce that it struck him in the forehead and
knocked him senseless.

“ Quick, Nicolai; lead out the horses,” he
cried as he stooped to recover the weapon, and
then he calmly proceeded to reload his pistols,
while Nicolai obeyed his orders.

Only takin time to saddle two, and leading
the rest still in their harness, the resolute Dane
resum his rapid gallop after the tarantass of
Natalie Dembinski. .

Before starting, he looked back and saw far
away in the rear, the other tarantass, which he
already susglected to be that of Strogonoif,
coming rapi y on.

“ B the head of Olaf the Great, thatcount is
a one,” he said to himself, in an admiring
wag, for he adored ener even in a foe.

e began to respect t chief of police who
had followed him in spite of all the obstacles he
had thrown in his way.

A short quarter-hour’s gallop brought him up
to the Dembinski party, where he was We —
corned with an extravagan oy that told how
much relief he brough . e rinc burst
into tears, (while Prince Ivan orgot all his
hau hty ways and fairly hugged the Dane.

“ owat set we can go on again,” he cried.
“how we have suffered since you deserted
us!

“ I did not desert your highiiess,” answered
Olaf a little stifliy. “ I was taken prisoner
and broughtbefore the czar, but I left one as
good as myself behind to protect you. ”

“ But he deserted us, too,” protested Ivan,
who was a selfish youth.

“ He beat of! our ursuers and gave you an—
other start,” re rtetl the Dane,  “ A
man can only light his best, and Te ga ot
a lance-wound and a pistol-hole for your e.
Come, my lord, let _ get on. Strogonofl is
coming behind us.” 

“ But our horses are not fit to travel.”

“ Is it so?”

Olaf saw that the rince spoke the truth, and
in a moment was 0 his horse, together with
Nicolai, unharnessing the jaded beasts and put-
ting in three of the fresh ones that he had so un-
ceremoniousl taken from the last station.

Ashe finished he looked back and saw that
Strogonoff’s tarantass was already, near the
Luitsen post-house.

“ Now, my lord. Whip and spur is the
word.”

Suiting the action to the word away flew the
tarantass at a wild op, so diflerent from the
slow rumble of a ew minutes before that the
Princess Natalie brightened up and smiled.

Poor girl! Her face had been very white as
she thought of the fate in store for her, bad she
been overtaken by Strogonolf.

' The snout first, even thou h she was 3. WO-
man, and then—if she surviv —Siberia.

Such a fate was enough to blanch the cheeks
of man or woman in those da 3, when the word
of the czar meant life or deat as his whim dic-
tated, and when the only relief from oppression
was in the grave. . I

But inthe rapid rush of air past their checks
as they sped along at full allop with the
knowledge that evo step too them further
from Strogonofl, the nout seemed to fade from
Natalie’s 'nntion-

At interv s Olaf would look back for: the
chief of police, and had the satisfaction to per-
ceive that the tarantass had not stirred from
the station. .

His clean sweep of the horses had been ef-
fectual at last.

In less than an hour they were out of sight of
St nofi? and kept along at the same burst of
sp§§§° till they arrived, after a change of ho ,
at another station, midway between Lu
and Postavly.

 

If :‘ .uim-v! : 1, 1:, tlwir surprise, theyhad no
trcul,.e  getting horses, the ‘tmaster com-
ing out in the must obsequious ashion and fur-
nishing them with a change for the tarantass
and two for the riders, showing them at the
same time that his stables contained no more.

Olaf, being of a naturally suspicious nature,
had an idea that all was not right here, but as
he could not define what he feared, he said noth-
ingland went on. _

othing happened to confirm his suspicions
till they were at least fifteen miles from that
station, and the same distance from Postavly.
Then on a sudden, one of the horses in the tar-
antass stumbled and nearly fell.

Almost immediatelyafter it stopped and went
dead lame, holdin up its forefoot.

Olaf dismounte to examine the hurt. A bit—
ter exclamation of an r esca his 1i as he
saw that the horse h ste ’pe on a ca trap.

“And what is a caltropx asked Natalie, in a
tone of wonder as he made the announcement.

“ Look, gracious madam.”

He wrenched away the torturin spike and
held up the diabolica implement to er sight.

It was a ball of iron, with four spikes set on
it at such angles that one was always u right.

“ Oh heavens! Who has done this?” 6 ask-
ed wit pale face.

2‘ No one but soldiers use caltrops. The en-
gineers make them to stog cavalry. Some one
set that trap for us, an it was an omcor of
troops—or—

He paused a moment.

“ Or police.”

“What shall we do?” asked Prince Ivan, once
more disturbed in mind.

The swordmaster shrugged his shoulders and
frowned with an expression of anger.

“ We are not beaten yet,” he said. “ Stay
here while I go back and search.”

He had only a few steps to go to the lace
where the horse had trod on the caltrop. he
had suspected, there were several more, in an
irregular line across the road, and the only won-
der was that none of the otheranimals had been
lamed by them.

The poor beast that had been staked was the
shaft-horse, on which the others depended, and
it was clearly impossible to go on in the same
condition.

“ The honorable gentleman will have to in
the tarantass with the lady,” said Olaf; ‘ and
then we will put my horse in the shafts, while I
get on the box.”

This promptness of resolution was one of the
traits that marked the Dane, and in which be
contrasted most forcibly with the rather ' timid
and irresolute Prince Ivan Dembinski. In a few
moments the change was effected, and then the
tarantsss went on again at the same teari gal-
lop, Nicolai, the Cossack, ridin aheadand eep-
' a sharp watch for more trope.

. ey had not gone a full mile further, when
Nicolai signaled danger, and they pulled up in
front of a wire carefully stretched about knee-
hi h from the ground.

‘Oho!” said Olaf, with a 'm ile, “ our
friend Strogonofl' begins to in earnest at
last. We must be getting near his ' hness.”

He dismounted from the box, the wire
to its origin, and found it fastened to a tree at
one end, while the other was tied to asu icious—
looking black box, half buried in the 

“ We will leave that for the next comer,”
quoth the swordmaster' and he led the animals
in a circuit all around t 8 wire. It was a long
and troublesome job, for the track was so mucn
obstructed by trees that be had to go at least a
quarter of a mile, and the operation took nearly
half an hour on account of the many steps. At
last it was safe] accomplished, and away they
:futdagain at e old pace, Nicolai still riding

88 . a

A mile further on, the Cossack waved his
hand as they emerged from a patch of woods.
and before them they saw the steeples of Post-
avly, half buried in foliage, not three miles
away.

 

CHAPTER XIX.
COUNT srnoaoxorr.

AT the moment that Olaf caught sight of the
steeples of Postavly, Count Strogonofl‘ drove up
to t e station where the postmaster had been so
unusually civil to the fugitives.

The chief of police looked worried and aux
ions, for the im ted success of the sword-
master in overcoming all the obstacles he had
put in his Way had a .Very dfiressing effect on
the nerves of the minister of e czar.

As he drove u to the station, his horses were
all white with cum and ready todrop, for he
had been com lled to wait at the last post-
house till free animals could be brought in
from the fields, and had had to drive them mer-
cilessl to make up for lost time.

“ all, how long since they passed?” was his
ea r question, as the aster ran out.

‘ An hour ago, but. the instructions of the
graciom count are obeyed, and ere this they
are ste , if not blown u by the torpedo.”

“Di the telegraph man forward the insane-
tions to Postavly ?”

“Yesggracious nobleman.” .

" Cilia for him, at once.”

 

"_ mo-rr-‘f'z—«St’im .«.V;"~'__: as

“f- 

3::“4§2'&? :1" ' i

- 15:17:15“ ~—

«: 

1.2;}  - ..

d
if

    

“ He is here, noble sir.”

And. at the word, the telegra h man came
run -' . He had been the first see Stro o-
Oflmng S

n .

“When did his Highness pass through and
where is he now, if you know?” a

“ The gracious Grand Duke Constantine
changed horses here, yesterda , two hours past
noon. I shall have to signal t e inquiry to find
where he is now, gracious nobleman.”

g “ Do so, quickly, while they change horses.”
, Away went t e operator, darted into his
tower, and presently the arms of the semaphore
' began to move, first in one uncouth shape, then
in another.

The chief of police lay back on the pillows in
his tarantass and went to sleep.

He was completely tired out with his long
and rapid journey, although he had had more
or less sleep, and every moment of waitng was
too recious not to be utilized.

hile he slept, the horses were changed (for
the wily postmaster had taken care to
send for new ones as soon as Olaf drove away),
and the creaking of the seina bore arms was
the only sound that disturbed t e stillness.

Presently the telegra h man came to the side
of the tarantass and we e Strogonoif.

" Honorable sir, they send word back that his
[m rial Highness sle t at Wilna last night,
andxcsmly left at noon gy-da . He is still on the
road between Wilna and rodno, where he is
to sleep to-night.”

“ Have the fugitives entered Postavley Iyet?"

“The Postavly operator signals tha 6 sees
them coming, and that Colonel Grapevitch has
been appealed to for a squad of Cossacks to stop
them.’

“Good!” said the count in a tone of exulta-
tion. “ They have given us a long chase but I
think we have them now. Drive on at once.”

“Your excellenc forgets,” interrupted the
postmaster, “that here are obstacles. Let me
advise your excellency to take an outrider that
knows them.”

“Come yourself,” answered the impatient
count, and then away Went the tarantass at a
tremendous pace, the station-master galloping
after it as hard as he could go.

Thanks to the efforts of that skillful pilot they
turned off ata side road before they came to the
dangerous places, and so escaped all the perils
into which the fugitives had fallen.

At last, to them too, the spires of Postavl
zamein sight, and the minister of police slept

10 mo”. He knew that his game was near,

I ind that in all probability it would turn to bay
very soon, for he was fully aware that his
dreaded foe, the swordmaster, had joined the
fugitive party.

Now was the time for Strogonofl' to show
wlpt he was made of. He had told the czar
that~he would arrest Olaf and take from him
his dispatches if he only received his orders.

Would he dare to do it?

The minister of police was n0w very pale and
:‘weating profusely. Nevertheless he went on.
He had resolution enough to conquer his fears
ED Olaf’s absence.

Would he do as well when he met the sword-
.naster face to face?

The time was at hand to prove him.

He drove on into the market-place of the
own of ostavly, and there was a group of
ulossacks und a tarnntass, while the splendid
figureof the swordmaster could be seen, sittin
v n horseback before the carriage, just as

carted out from the post- house.

Olaf looked round as the tarantass of the chief
«f police rumbled into the square. He wore a
; roudly defiant look, as who should say: “ Stop
. no if you dare.”

Strogonofl, livid and sweating, rose to his

~et and called out to the Cossacks:

“Arrest that man, in the czar’s name i”

 

CHAPTER XX.
ran 'rwo swoamms'rnns.

WHEN Olaf, the swordmaster, arrived in
:‘ostavly, he found that the route led through
1 lie center of the little town, the post-house being
.' l the market-place; and Ivan Dembinski
r winced great fear as they entered the square,
; 2-, seeing an officer with a squad of Cossacks,

ttin on horseback in front of the station.

“ e are lest!” he ejaculated. “They have
\ ders to arrest us.”
“ One is never lost so ion as he breathes,” re-

onded Iron Wrist, senten iousl .

Then they drove up to the station.

" Horses, nick. for the service of his imgerial

aliesté.o have dis tches for the rand

u e nstantine an must overtake him,”
. . ied Olaf.”
" Not so fast,” was the response of the Cos-
:ck officer, in a tone of iron . “Fine feathers
H. not make a capta if he acks a commimion.
Nho are you, my yo ng friend?”

The omcer was a large, portly man with a b'
«l mustache, and he was evidently [5
1 , look with contempt on the boyish face 0 Olaf.

“ I am Colonel Count Olaf Svenson of Copen-
l-ngen,"returned our hero, proudly, givin for

7 Iron Wrist.“

 

instruction s.’

said. “The lice te
scription.
Count Olaf is still in St. Petersburg.”
and came up to the Cossack officer.

“Do you deny I am Count Olaf?” he asked
with his peculiar smile.

polite smile.
prove it on me. I have heard that you Cos
poster.”

himself to the ground and faced O

seventh Pulk?” (r ' out.
“So much the

tenant Soltikoff, and I w

er. ”
sense of unce

market-place, between two officers.
saber.

secure Olaf’s arrest.
gains, and the nearer he came to the
state of the country, an

tempt to arrest a bonafi
tine would have been the si

revelation of

p ns. Still

ieved the message, was a good
he realized
that he had no common adversary.

SWOT

fensive: Olaf laughed at him

“ If on are the swordmaster-general, it is
your p a‘ce to attack,” answered the Cossack,
cautiously.

Instant y Olaf stamped his foot and advanced
on the Cossack, making a circular feint and
throwing himself 0 an .to tom tthe othertocut.

' I p r  made a furious
blow at the Dana’s eft shoulder.

In a moment it was parri , andwith a quick
turn of the wrist Olaf , the other’s right
cheek open. .

It was a light slash, but it angered the Cosmck

to vsvefflhis own blood dram}: so easily. back d
an angr curse e g an

glgnmmade a despots.y to thrust fl tieroe at blaf’s

Ban l Clash! ‘
Wi a sharpodownward blow Olaf struck the
saber almost the earth, and with a second
blow, slanting up, sent it flying over the heads
of several Cossacks.
“ Well, Soltikoff, am I am impostor?” he
asked, fiercely, for the clash of swords always
put up the Dane’s blood.
The Cossack looked completely crestfallen.
“ My lord isno iW; heis fit to be sword-
!nastgr to the czar, was his answer. “I apolo-
ze

With a grim smile Olaf drew out his handker-
and wiped from his blade a few drops of

“Then I trust to you to see that we do not
want for horses,” was his comment. “This lady
is a dear friend of the Grand Duke Constantine
and I am escorting her to him, besides omgfi
my orders. You are a soldier and undo

these things.”

The Cossack was perfectly transformed. No
sooner did he find that he was in the presence of
a real master, than he became eager to do him
every ble service; for he adored the mem-
bers 0 his own craft in exact proportion to their
su riority to himself.

astil stanching the blood from his cheek by
holdin ishandkerc'hief against it, without try-
ing to ind it 13p he began to hector the post-
master for his clays, and in a few minutes had
a fresh chan e of horses out, with an additional
span to lead hind. _
At Olaf’s demand, he was also supplied wrth

 

iliefirst time his surname. “I am swox mas-
ter-general to the our of all the Rumias, and

a saddle-horse; and it was gust as the were all
ready for departure tha Count frozen-(ff

acting under ,his majesty’s orders. Behold my

full .
“I have heard of you for an impostor,” be
e ph has sent your de-
ou stole t at paper, and the real

In a moment Olaf had leaped to the ground

“ I know you are not. You are merely an im-

“ Indeed?” replied the Dane with a still more
‘Then you should be able to

sacks think you can use a sword. Get off, and
I will show you if I am Count Olaf or an im-

With an angry laugh the big pfificer swung
a .

“Fool!” he cried, “do you know that I am
Demetri Soltikofl’, swordmaster of the Twenty—

tter,’) answered Olaf, with
the same engaging smile. “ I should be ashamed
to fight an amateur, but as you are a profes-
sional it is all right. Be lplleased to draw, Lieu-

‘ show you that I am
swordmaster-general and that you are a bun-

The other Cossacks looked onin wonder. The
brilliant uniform of Olaf impressed them with a
' ty as to his status, even after
the words of their own commander, and they
were too fond of a fight to interfere, even in the

Lieutenant Soltikofl’ immediately drew his
He honestly believed the truth of Stro-
gonotf’s wily message, which indeed was well
calculated to veil the true state of affairs and

The chief of police was constantly  new;
no

uke Constantine the greater became the dan-

ger if he revealedthe truth. Inthe infiammablte
an a

follower of Constan-

an, and
the moment that Olaf drew his saber,

drove up and electrified every one by his im-
perious order to “Arrest that man, in the name

And he drew forth the emblazoned parchment of the car.”

'ven him b Nicholas and dis la ed it before Here was a fresh quandary. Ivan Dembineki
Elie e es of e Cossack: p y who had  begun to breathe £83m, turned
To is surprise the other only laughed scoru- pale as he lived th

Ll 1t k fife muffins punled
'eutenant i 0 was on y .
He did not know what to do. He '
the minister of police, but he had gone too far
in Olaf’s favor to recede at once.

“Why, count ” he said, in a deprecatory'tone,
“ this is the colonel swordmaster—general, un-
der orders from his ma esty—”

, “Fool,” interrupted trogonofil, angrily, “ do
you not know me P”

“ Certainl , count, but--”

“Do on ow this, then?” asked the minis-
ter, p ucing his parchment. “Here is an or-
der, filled in y the emperor’s own hand, com-
- mending all persons to obey my orders. Arrest
that man!”

The lieutenant looked still more Signed. He
reco the new order, but he ' had seen
the o d one.

“But this gentleman has an order, too, count.”

“ Stolen from its proper possessor, Count Olaf.
I tell you this man is an impostor, and the wo-
man is nothin more than— ’

“Stop!” su denly shouted Olaf, riding up to
the side of the tamntass. “One word
the lady, and I will chastise you in public.”

As he ke, he glared at S nofl’ in his
own  fashion when be 0 009—13 "look
that had caused brave men to shrink beforerthat.

The minister of police turned paler than OVOI',
but commanded his emotions.

“I callonall here tohelpmearrest this man
for treason to the czar,” he cried, appealing to
the b standers.

“ hi up, Nicolai; I will follow ” W
Olaf, cu ting short the colloquy. ‘ Let a man
offer to stop you, and he disobeys the order of
the czar.”

The stolid Nicolai instantl obe and the
tarantass with the Princess atelier-o edaway,
while Olaf drew sword and rdhed up blfbre
the minister’s c e.

“ Lieutenant ‘Sol ikofi.’ ” he shouted, “ as
swordmaster-general, and your superior oflcer,
I order on to take your men bac to the bar-

racks. you bel to the army or the ’
“ To the army, co onel,” responded fing-

gual fora disturb- sack promptly.
y ‘ance and the robable defeat of Strogonofl’s “And
SoItikofi', however honestly he be-

those of this gasconading police
“ I swoar colonel, I don t know what to do.”
“Then take your men back and leave me to

the police. Let this S not! arrest me if he

Instead of rushing on, he stood on the de- dares. You hear my er, siri'
and began to

7
Theswordmaster had struck the right key,

taunt m. for the lieutenant saluted.
“ If I am an impostor, why do you not ad- “Do you take the responsibility, colonel!”
vance swordmaster of the Twenty-seventh “ I do, an Be off.”

Instantly the oflicer of Cossacks wheeled his
horse and rode of! to the barracks followed by
his men, leaving Strogonofl in the marketplace,
' pale with rage.

Olaf rode up to the tarantass, shook his sword
at the minister and said, fiercel :

“ Now, sighfollow me if you ”

Then he eathed-his sword, wheeled rand
and gaHOped away after his

Strogonoff, left to himself ior a moment, sunk
back on lib pillows, pale with emo-
tiOns. He had failed again.
But the minister of police was not quite beat-
en yet and soon showed it.

‘ Put in fresh ho ” he commanded.
Then he added in a oud, bitter‘tone, so as to
beheardbyalltheidlersiwho had congregated
roimYd them to Stgfml’ost 1 ill be sorry for
‘ ou e av w ' I
this. Iwfilo hyouwha itistodisobeythe
orders of the czar when I come back from ’Wil—
na with that man a prisoner. We willvaee ifhe
will fool Colonel Platnol! as'he hu'fooled your
men here. Pat in those homes .”
The statiammaster, glad to ge rid pf the con-
fiict of authorities, hurried in the new horses;
apggsawlmmemfits  dme out’
o v in pursnn eeeeaping party.

Hesaw he tar-entails about two milesahead
of him on the road to Wilna, and gave orders to
his servants:
“Keeptheminsigh but do not press them.

Our fight will come at ilna.”
CHAPTER XXI.
that night‘. d ch
11' was late an a Mn: 9.
mo ' when the Dembinski max-ed the
town 0 Wilna

Olaf and h‘isfaithful Comaok had at last
given way to fatigue and were fast as! , one '
on. the box of the‘tarantals, the otherin 've-
hicle itself, while Prince Ivan and his servant i
had taken their places on horseback. eel- i
fish and haughty young rince had onl con-
sented to thisarrangemen when besawt 1: his
protectors were actuall sinking under their ex-
ertions, and after Na ie—clearer-headed than
her brother—had insisted en the change.

All dangerseemedtothemtohavepamed; at'
least the had no more trouble about getting
horses, lthe wa toWilna.

9)] 7:; m Olaf and Nicolai kept awake and

 

mngomgtoobeymyon'i’ersorc

 

.-;- “wk—mm r

 

 

 

Iron Wrist.

 

dalihtlasted,indeed thedan rhadbeen
mtihalessened; butduriii the ' and while
thessfaithfulsguar ' 8 nm .

leipursuer, trogonoif, had not been idle.

the last station before reaching Wilna he '
to be signaled by the 1

had sent a long messaghe

lanterns of the'semap ore through the night,
and that dispatched, ordered his men to drive
on faster, so as to- enter Wilna ahead of the

'tives.

r“EndOlaf been awake this would never have
happened, but in the darkness of the night, with
a tuned, open lain covered with short on
which to trave , while Ivan Dembinski and his
servant were fully occupied in tryingto keep
awake, the minister found it a comparative
easy'tln'ngtcslip by, and dashed up to the W -
na post-house nearly ten minutes before the
Dembinsky party arrived.

TM ten minutes was fully-utilised by the sa-
gacious Strogonoff. His vious  had
warned the police of his coming, and founda
pailfidten men waitingarmedwith'big
ed

He gave his instructions rapidly and clearly.

“A part is coming 11 With atarantassoand
tvmnien horseback. I econ as it arrives,
rush not, pull the men of! their horses, and beat
them over the head with sticks till they are qui-
et. Then yoii'willlead-the horns of the taran-
tassinto’the stable of the pest+house and leave
thetarhntaseoutside. Do not hurt the people
in the vehicle. "There is only a lady, and she is

not dangerous. _ .
That one tb'ewily-minister ordered his own
carriage to his/taken away, while he waited for

the-newaomners.
It waenpt lo ~ hetero the rumble of wheels
is: heard, and eysaw the tarantass accompa-

nied by! theitwo batsmen, coining up the street
eta wary cantor.

Ito halted before the postrhouse, and one of
the horsanen rode up to the gate, where all was
silent and dark.

“ Horses, shrunk" hevshouted, in an imperious
tens; buth re hehadtime tosa more-half a
dam men leaped out out him,  of! his
horse in a moment, and began to beat him over
the head. .

One short exclamation of fear was heard, and
than only thedull thudi of thesticks.
oftheflrstvictim wasechoed by an-
“ and the second horse-

street atlfull

Thenall wgswstill, and the horses stood pant-
ingin the tar-antes: as o! cameouttc
see what had been done by his myrmidons.

"Where are-the mom”

“Here, exce ency. We have the boldest one
killed ’for your excelleimy, but the other ran

a . ’ ‘
Y‘afiave tmb in the. tarantass been hurt?”

“ - c . They" seem tobeasleep.”

B a,”  ‘ sideoftheyehi—
do in. Hecoul seeadark form at
each e of the  but there was not

ten h toidistin anything else, and
fimguolaiigbreathing convinced him that both

people were
Oaths boxilayathird , which snored so
hudthat there was no. its character.
, and without an die

.r Into this inclosure e' tarantas was
gown, the horses taken out and led away while
a lockedllie‘gate'aud put the hey m

Me at. Then he handled free]

y.
“ fire-eatin friend ” he ejaculated,
ow’nxiiy‘, “mirage” ' ’ our accounts

at < r It will even Natalie

Dembinski, with all her a to get out of that

place; natives-forr you-”
He suddenly suited. .
Itocdurredtohim for the‘flrst time to inquire

wheflierthe man whohad been beatenwas real-

1 the swordmaster, or whether the Dane was

Lam Who hwfii‘titi eless fear he went back

' nan
M a fracas,  for a lan-

Sinogonoif" u a (n'yof surprise.

“It is Ber) us Androviteh, the prince’s 
man," heelaouhted. “ Then one of the men in
theco’achmustbe theswordmaster or hisCos

Nosoonerhadheooaceh‘ed this ideathan he
became anxious to find out if it were'true.

Muttentbeektothebarrackoyardh
car by

hismen.
, wh I give the word, to strike
peintontto ou,”hesaid.

cars grasped th sticks and

, t eirrelent- '

I

i The police officers to look uneasy, but
I they followed their] er neVertheless.
Quietly they approached the tarantass. Stro—
‘ gonoff lifted the lantern and peered In. I

As he did so he uttered an exclamation of
The tarantass was em ty.

I “Guard ourselves. The dev' is unchained!”
, he cried, a in a tremble, and the next moment
. heard the click of the lock as the gate slammed to.
| With a wild cry, the whole party rushed to
the entrance and looked out.

Three figures, one of them a woman, were
walkin rapidly away, and turned the corner,
out of ht, a mement later.

The minister of police was tricked again.

In a moment he comprehended that the quick-
witted swordmaster had been shamming sleep,
and had made his escape once more, under the
cover of the darkness.

“ But they cannot taway ” he cried aloud,
in his desperation. ‘ Rouse t e town, some of
you. Is there no way out i”

“ Yes, your excellency,” said one of the men.
“I have a master-key. They cannot get any
horses, for the stables are locked.”

“ Quick, then; let‘ us get out of this.”

A few moments later they were out of the
trag‘ into which they had so foolishly run, and
in llehase toward the stables.

But when they got there, the streets arbund

the house were empty.
0 fu itives ware not'within sight or hear-
ing, and he clock of the great nunuery of St.
Catherine struck'three while they were looking
around them.

“ Rouse the police, all over the city, and
search for them. It is only half an hour to
dawii, and if the leave the city, I will break
every inspector 0 police in Wilna,” said Strogo—
noif, saVagely.

Away went two of the men to the police bar-
rack, and a. few minutes later the alarm-bell
tolled out its loud summonsito-the . sleeping citi-
zens of Wilna.

“Now, my bold swordmaster,” crin the
count, in a tone of triump , “ come form when
Wu please. I think you will not get out of

ilna as quick as you came in. ”

As the streets began to fill with armed men,
it did seem indeed as if his threat was likely to

be verified.

wonder.

 

CHAPTER XXII.
THE CONVENT on ST. CATHERINE.
HAD Count Strogonoif’s‘ vision been keen
enou h to lpierce stone walls, he might have
seen hat 0 at Iron Wrist and the Princess Na-
talbnigt were not so far from him when he made his

The swordmaster and his faithful Cossack
were standing in the little . lor of the great
convent ‘ofS . Catherine, ile a. stout, conier
nun, of venerable and dignified appearance, who
had one arm around the Princess Natalie, was
speaking to them. ‘

“Itis indeed most providential, Count Olaf,
that were able to get here, for the princess
is qui safe till his imperial highness chooses to
cans for her in person.”

The swordmaste‘r bowed law before the ab-

“It is true, your nobility, «that the credit is
notdue tome. I was-in truth sleeping at my
and allowed the honorable lady to be taken.
t was her own head that conceived the plan
that extricated us. As for his highnem; I know
not how I shall dare to face him when I have to
tell him thatthe Princess Natalie, hisr'Peurl of
Poland, as he calls her, is a prisoner.”

“ She is not a risoner, my faithful sol-vent,”
interposed Na ,earnestly. “ You have done
all and more than any man livin would have
dared to do for me._ I am as 6 here as at
bomb in myfsther’s palace, and so much nearer
to his highness.”

“Then all thatremins forme todo is to take
horse and go on to his higimess,” replied Olaf.
“ Has the honorable lady any . for him
—a letter—an hing tha , '_ show in I have
not abandon his trust without orders?”

“You shall have the letter at once,” she an-
swered; “lint youare surely not goingonl The
bell‘lms been rung, and Count Shogonofl’s men
will arrest you.” I

Olsi’gave a short, contemptuous laugh.

“ Not with the car’s orders in my pocket,” he
said. “The danger for both of1us was river, ex.
cellent 1w“,‘83'w0n98 the princes was

they try, let them beware.”

‘ But on are too tmed to
pose till the darkness comes,

“ Has your nobility an horses

“ nay, how sh d a convent of holy
women furnishgiin With hot-3:; is

“Then our no sees t .3909“ ry
was ’ "due ' ” (1013f withauotherbow.
“Willit l thalwnora le'vladiestom
the'letter or his _ i”

He looked so obstinate that both ladies realised
it to be a useless task ‘ him

0 on. At least re-
 the abbess.

to try. and .
More may departed, and Olaf-wwto the

 

window of‘thevconvent I lor‘to'look anti-i ,
The bell was still to , and‘themwvem
fall of people in the awn of ,. The '
' convent out came“

a.‘ 1"
“~71..-

1b

 

saf
from the police. They‘dare not stop me. 

 

3' square of Wilna, on which the police barracks
‘ opened at one side, while the cavalry

barracks
faced it at the opgisite end of the square. The
church of St. Cat erine and the convent occu-
pied the third and fourth sides of the inclosure
while the post-house was tucked away. as i
were, in one corner.

Out in the middle of the square stood by thei
horses a whole pulk or regiment of Cossacks,
dismounted, while the commandant and his
staff were in the middle of the square in a
group, talking to each other in an excited way.

laf could see the tarantass of Count Stro -
not! with the minister on the cushions, near t e
commandant, and there seemed to be a hot dis-

going on. A buzz of voices that was en-
ly opposed to the usual restraints of military
disci line announced that a disturbance was on
foot 11 the town.

Olaf mniled to himself ashe looked, for be well
knew the cause of the agitation. It was the
mysterious disappearance of his p that had
made all the trouble, and he well knew the
jealousy between the army and the police that
caused the grumbling.

“The commandant is scoldin Strogonofl for
musinghim out ofhis bedwit out just cause,
and Strogonofl is ex laining,” he thou ht.

Then he called up icolai to the win ow.

“ What regiment is that, Nicolai?”

“ The Twenty-seventh Pulk, your nobility.”

“ Who is the colonel?”

“ The Colonel Platoff, your nobility.”

“ Platofll I have heard that name before.”

“ Exactly so, your nobility. He was once
the tutor-in-arms of the Grand Duke Constan~
fine and his majesty, the czar.”

“ th do you put the grand duke first,
Nicolai ’

The Cossack colored d lg and stammered:

“Excuse me, your nob y; the soldiers all
do that, for they love the grand duke. ”

“Will on take a note from me toColonel
Platoff, icolai?”

“lam here in obey the orders of
bility ” answored the Cossack prompt

Ola sat down and produced from his'saber-
tac‘he, wholll'e hehal h 6h hoarried them,
an apenc',wit wi ‘ehastily' screw a
letter to the colonel of Cossacks.

Itwassimpleand tothepoint:

“Comsnz—There is a lady in the
minister of 'ceisa scoundrel, who wants to rob
him the Grand Duke Constanune.
ifniou wish to earn the gratitude of his highness

t‘ (tugging. ibilit let rd 1
lead the lispw'o t who-3m regimenyour Osageme
o

0111' no-
1"}.

caseandthe

. t u
the d r of e convent, and, do? 01': 1 ok the the:
way  Ictve the rest tyo oneoof whom you
must have often heard, Our synsos,
“ (Mamet! Iron Wrist.)'

When this curious missch was written th<
swordmaster sent Nicolai off with it, and went
to the Mildew it; watch.

The Gossac'k was no fool, and Olaf 'saw with
satisfaction that he all (1 out of a side door at
the convent and into e are without being
noticed among the other sol iers

As he crossed the square, hawever, his scarle l
11me was so different from that of the other
blue—clad Cossacks of the. line, that he became
the object of some attention an as he ap
preached the commandant all the ' cers stared.

,A red Cossack of the Guard was not often
seen Outside of the capital.

(gaunt Strogonofl' noted him and eagerly cried
ou :

“There, Colonel Platofl, on would ot be-
lieVe that the im was ere. Now e has
the impudence to sond—”

“How can he be 311111328170}; if this man is
his orderly?” sharply i rru Platofl, a
stout, white-mustac ed old sol ier. I “ I begin
to suspect that there is something not right
here, count.” ‘

Before S OH could reply, Nicolai'h’ad ad-
vanced and before the colonel saluting,
asstifl' as 9. her and holdin‘ out his letter.
Colonel Peugeot it and misfit in silence af-
ter which he stuflbd it into the breast of his
uniform coat, and turned to Strcgon'off. He
manner: of thev type in which Olaf
confided fond of an adventure, and, like all the
why onicors in those days, secretly inclined to
wish that Constantine would raise a rebenion in
favor ofhis own claims to the t e.

.“OountSit-ogon' off”he sud,‘ fle “Ibe—
lieve you deoeited ,me, and thcm the gen-
tleman“whem Inylon have been foll ‘ is no
impostor. At events I am not going keep
n13; men undlqiyr arms thigflorningttp) I???“ on.
on ce arrest. 001m h
wisth r'imopo‘ other hassles.” ’ ey

Then he, turned, to his stafl: ,
“ Dismiss the grade, a'djutant. Take m
horses over by e convent door, orderly.
shall, not want them for awhile."

Heinh‘lied’to Nicolai:

“ Friend, whom do you attend”

1.21%: Olaf, 003ml and swordmaster—gen»

e mew e can- your nobilit ” was-
the proud re or  was too the y,

_ , _ routh '
Wk, no a) admire the omcer on whom'hza

ery'well; go over and stay by those 

till the count wishes for on ’ the l ,
and Nicolai quickly took the enthuse?”

v

Iron 

 

16

Then the trumpets blew and the hoarse orders
of officers followed, amid which the orderly
ranks of the Cossacks broke up, as the men led
their horses back to the stable.

Count Strogonofl watched the whole.proceed-
i with t anger, and expostulated with the
co onel, s owin him his orders.

“ You see, co onel, that his majesty expressly
bids ev one to obe my orders and arrest
an one t t I shall in cats.”

‘All very well, but you have indicated no
one. I do not believe that your man is even in
Wilna. I have not n him.”

“ But there is his or erly before your eyes.”

“ That man isa Cossack of the Guard, on duty
with some officer. You do not expect me to ar—
rest him, surely ?”

“I surely do, colonel.”

“Very well. I am ready to do so when you
show me that your police cannot do it. There
is a whole battalion of them under arms.”

Strogonoif turned an ' y aWay.

“ I see, you are like a the rest of the soldiers.
You are not loyal to the czar. Very well, you
will see what will hap n.” ~

The old colonel w' ed at his staff, as the an-
gry minister drove oi! to the lice battalion,
and then calmly extracted a Cigarette from his
pocket, li hted it and roceeded to smoke.

Arriv in front of is own men, Strogonofl
directed a scouting— to patrol the streets
and arrest an strange o cer whom they should
meet with a ady and then told of! a second

rty to watch Nicolai, with orders to arrest

im the moment any stranger came up to him
to oin him.

n the meantime from within the convent,
Olaf had been watching the turn of afiairs with
decided interest and some anxiety. He had,

for the first time in his journey been ob ' ed to
trust to another rson, and doubted w ether
that rson woul befaithful.

on he saw Colonel Platofl stuff the letter
in the breast of his coat, send his own horses
down to the convent door, and dismiss the pa-
rade, he felt a decided sense of relief; and al-
most at the same moment the Princem Natalie
entered the room, with her letter to the Grand
Duke Constantine in her hand.

“ Thanks gracious lady,” said the sword-
master, and he dropped on one knee to kiss that
white hand as he took the letter. “ If you will
but look from the window for a moment now,
you shall see me ride off before them all, a free
man.

Natalie smiled admirineg at him in a way
that complete] won his heart.

“ I begin to lieve that you can go anywhere
and do anything,” was her re ly.

Then Olaf once more k her hand with a
warmth that was entirely unnecessary, and ran
down the stairs. '

As for the princess, she ran to the window in
haste, for where is the woman who does not love
excitement when she can see it safely?

She saw the square dotted with groups of
pie the Cossacks filing away into the sta les
and the dark-green ranks of the police still
in their grim order on the opposite side of the

uare.

Below the window were two handsome horses
in splendid equipmentsi‘which she knew must
belo to oflcers of ran .

A amk in blue held both of them, and he
was conversing familiarly with another Comack
in red, whom Natalie recognised as her late
guardian, Nicolai.

As she looked, the dark ranks of the police
broke up, and a number of parties were sent off
in diflerent directions, one of them coming
acres the square to the horses beneath the win-

ow.

Almostas soon as this occurred, she noted a
sudden disturbance immediately below her.
The brilliant figure of Olaf Iron Wrist, in his
glitterin uniform suddenly ran out into the
early rays of the morning sun, just then
flamin into the uare, and rushed at the blue
Comac who was olding the omcers’ horses.

The man had his back turned to Iron Wrist,
and it was but the work of a moment for the
active swordmaster to di his knee into the
other’s hack and send him ying prostrate onto
the hard stones. '

In another momen both Olaf and the red
Cossack had mounted e ofilcers’ chargers, and
were riding rapidly out of the square.

The lice seemed to be so dumbfounded by
the an den :pfiarition that they halted.

Then a e heard the hoarse voice of the
minister of secret lice shou :

“Fireonhim, lAhund roublestothe
man that shoots he traitor dead.”

In a moment there wasa spitting volle , suc-

bfi a rattle of reports, and atalie
screened or eyes in terror.

When she uncovered them, Iron Wrist and
Nicolai were gone.

CHAPTER XXIII.

IVAN DEXBINSKI.

11' was true enough) The pluck and boldnem
which had carried n Wrist through so many
perils had triumphed once more, and he was
gallopingawayoutofWilna,afi-eeman,as he

 

had predicted, the carbines of the police having
missed him and his orderly.

There was nothing left for Strogonoff, if he
wished to catch him, but to secure an escort of
Cossacks and make the best of his way after
him, which he was not slow to do.

Colonel Platoff affected to be ver much sur-
prised at the sudden appearance 0 the sword-
master, and promptly; acceded to Strogonoff’s
demands; but it the ad 'utant an uncon-
scionable length of time to m e his details for
the escort, and it was a good twenty minutes
before the minister of police left Wilna.

Colonel Platoff’s last words to him were more
than half mockin :

“ This Count 0 af seems to be a devil of a fel-
low, but if you can’t arrest him with twenty
men at your back you deserve to be sent to the
czar as a sub 'ect for Siberia.”

“You needn’t laugh, Platoff. He has stolen
your best horse,” was the snappish retort.

“ Horses are plentiful brave men few,” re-
plied the colonel of Cossacks, mysteriously.
“I don’t grudge a brave fellow the loan of a
horse.”

Strogonoff said no more to the colonel, but be—

.fore he went he called for the town inspector of

police and ave him certain secret orders.

The resu t of these orders was that the nuns
of the convent of St. Catherine found them-
selves in a close state of police surveillance that
day, with men stationed in front of every door
and win w. When the abbess heard of it she
told Nata ‘e in some terror, but the “Pearl of
Poland ” was in nowise discomflted.

“I made up in mind to stop here when we
first left Postav y,” she said. “ I knew you,
mother, and I know also that no police dare en-
ter this place. Let them watch. They will not
see me nor hear of me neither, unless your sis-
ters tel ."

But the nuns were stanch. The abbess was
herself a Pole of the Dembinski family, a dis-
tant cousin of Natalie, and had been expecting
her or since the visit of the d duke on the
pre one day. Though love a airs were foreign
to her order she would not have been a woman
had she not cherished a love of intri e and
match-making and the romance of Na 'e’s W
sition appealed powerfully to her feelings.

Leavmg them to concert their plans or fur—
ther action, we must follow Olaf on his now un-
fettered quest after the Grand Duke Constan-

tine.

“By the head of King Olaf .women are a
great trouble to take care of, Nicolai,” he ob-
served, as they galloped along on the road to
Grodno.

“Exactly so, {our nobility. We shall come
it? with his big ness to-morrow morning, now

e‘y are gone.

‘ I hope so, Nicolai.
he is?”

” Sergius Petrofi, the man (your nobility was
so kind as to knock down, to] me that his high-
nemleft Wilna yesterday at noon for Grodno,
where he was to stop all ni ht. If he does not
leave the place till noon sly, and we ride all
night, we shall come up wit his highnessbe—
tween Grodnc and Bialystock. It is a very long

e.”
a(“IFWe shall, if we can get horses as good as
these for all the wa , Nicolai; but we mustn’t
kill these, or Colon Platoif will have aright

to be ”

“ Colone Platoff cares nothing for a few
horses, for he owns thousands, your nobility.
His father was the t Platoif, Ataman of all
the Cossacks of the n.”

“ Very Then let us spur on.”

They made the miles fiy behind them for two
or three hours at a hard gallop, and then saw a
post-house ahead of them.

Here they obtained fresh horses without
trouble, and left the others, with orders to send
them back to Wilna, with Count Olaf’s compli-
ments to Colonel Platoff, and “the equipments
should be returned as soon as they reached the

grand duke.”

As the loped along once more they saw,
far ah of them, a slow] movingnspot, which
was develosed as they vanced to a le
horseman, owly urging a tired horse over

“Whocan that be?” said Olaf, in a musin
tone, and he was startled by the Comacks
prom tre lytohis th ht:

“ t the young olish pathos
bility, thatran awa from us t. His
horse must have gal oped all the way in W11.
na.

Olaf uttered an im tient exclamation.

“ More trouble! e is worse than a woman,
for he will not keep still. I will not be bother-
edxithhim Wemustride ’ him.”

‘ ery good, your nobility. ‘ .

Bothe opedon Olafstrivingalltheway
to  heart, what he knew
would be the piteous pleadings of Ivan Dem-

thoy ra idly overhauled him, they saw
cast one Iris toned look over his shoulder
then begin to his exhausted animal,
hich presen y stumb ed and fell.

As for Iv he fell partly under the horse,
and began to s out so lustin for help that they

a

How shall we tell where

,yourno-

at,

1

\

out:
' “Oh, what a terrible

 

Axum.-.“ .i _. , .. .7" ..__ “v -

were forced in very shame to belt and assist
him out of his predicament.
Assoonasherecognized Olafhe begantt cry

j‘ovurney I have had
since you deserted me at ilna. They would
not give me a horse at the t-house, threaten
ed to arrest me for a thief—Me Prince Ivan
Dembinskil—for a thief- and I had to
awa to save my life. Where are you
“ oGrodno, and thence on till we
Grand Duke Constantine,” said Olaf.
“ Tlvien you must take me, too. Where is my
r

siste
We cannot take

)
lug if?)
d tllhe

“In the convent at Wilna.
you. We have but two horses.”

I “Then the Cossack must dismount,” said
van.

Olaf laughed at him.

“ The Cossack can fight. I cannot afford t»

lose him. Good-morning, prince.”

Then Ivan set up a piteous cry.

“I shall be taken and sent to Siberia. Hen
Ehey some now. Look back, if you don’t be

eve.

Olaf instinctively turned his head and saw in
the distance a tarantass, surrounded by the
lances of a Cossack escort. He uttered a cry of
an r.

‘ So he is not yet satisfied!” he e'aculated.
“Come I have this 8 no - long en-
ough. NowI teachme titistoin
terfere with Olaf Iron lVrist.” '

CHAPTER XXIV.
CATCHING A 1mm.

As soon as Olaf saw that the unnister of pones
was bent on following him into the presence of
the d duke, his resolution was taken. He
can] have defied pursuit but for the new and
vexing incumbrance of the rince. He felt
that he could not abandon the tter to pomible
agrelst, and he made up his mind to a hold
s ro e.

Turning to Ivan Dembinski, he said:

“ If I ve you my horse can I depend on
youwto ri e to the next post-house and wait for
me

“Yes,” was the overjoyed answer.

“ Then take him.”

In a moment he had dismounted, and Ivan
needni-irig no further advice, was galloping away
as h. as he could go on the road to Grodno.

Nicolai, though completel mystified, said not
a word, but remained stoli y awaiting orders.
All that he did was to dismount and offer his
{1011i to Olaf, who declined it by a wave of th9{

tan

Then both awaited the coming of the ministei
of lice and his escort. ‘

n about a quarter of an hour the tarantass
dashed up and halted, the Cossacks formin a
circle round Olaf who stood perfectly cool
fore the bristling lance-heads and bowed to the
chief of be with unruflled courtesy.

“We ,” cried the minister, in hoarse tones oi
triumph; “so we have you at last, Sir Iron
Wrist. Do you surrender, or must we kill

 

you?”

“0:11) no aciclpunt tlliink Bkailli me, count,’
was e mi] rep y. are gs on in
life than you think—your own in fact. My dig

patches are safe. Yonderthey go at full speed.
under all the _whip and spur the prince can give
them. ‘ His hness wil have them by noon to
morrow, and shall have done m duty.”

The minister turned pale wi h wrath and

ear.

“What do you mean? Have you given up
{fur dispatches? Your orders were to destroy

em.

“If I could not deliver them. I could not in

rain, but they will reach his highnees for all

For one minute Strogonofl was dumb wifli
ra e and perplexity; then he shouted:

‘Wretch, neither they nor you shall escape
:2. "I will take this prince, now I have you
s.

“You have not me safe,” replied the Dane,
with the same winning smile. ‘Bhall I tell the
lieutenant here what you wish to do to the lady
whom the Grand Duke Constantine-”

He had said enwh, for he noticed that all
the Cossacks show marks of attention at the
name of the Grand Duke Constantine, and began
to lift their lances, while the officer in command
looked suspicious.

s of! saw it too, and realised' that he
must ble before the soldie till he could

among his own lpféice, who no' use
atheism whoalso no homewexceptt ose
at the post-houses. .

“Well. What do you want? What was our

gmtin stopping?’ he asked, inatone 0 1e.

' y_ ..
“Emmy that you will ‘smi- your escort.
If you Wish to arrest me I ain,but you
need no escort with me. I o with you to
the Grand Duke Constantine, if you wish.”
“That is fair ” broke in the I oflcer, in
a harsh tone. ‘Colonel Platofi told me to see
that you arrested the gentleman, and. then to
come back. Fours righ about. mrchl”
“But you leave me alone with him and hi
Cossack! ’ cried Strogonoif, desperately.

 

I whether 3:31 should

 

 

cm

“ By no means. I will stay here alone,” said
Olaf, polite] . “ Here, Nicolai, ride on and
wait for us a the next post-house.” .

Nicolai saluted and gallo away toward
Grodno, while the other ossacks, endently

lad to, rid of a ' ble duty, turned

‘ k to line, leaving Count Strogonofl with
a le gemtshik or driver, and his servant, to
d wit the swordmaster as best they could.

No sooner were the soldiers fairly out of hear-
ing than Olaf observed:

‘Now, my lord count, let me give you a iece
of advice, which is to turn round and go ome
inpeace, for I am resolved to be followed no

longer.”

‘ Get your arms ready, men,” was the only
answer of the chief of police, who was trem-
bling violentl , but who still retained his de-
termination banks to that m rious some
thing behind him, called autho ty.

Olaf looked up and saw the driver reachi
for his carbine, which lay on the box behin
him, while the servant who sat beside him was
taking his own weapon from his back. In a
moment the Dane had covered the driver With
a pistol. and t e stern command:

"Thro

wn own that carbine.” 7
Like all, ies the man was not for much
t an ~o en ght, and he obeyed In a ludicrous
urry, ghrom the carbine to the. and, for
there was somet ing in Olaf’s eye t warn

him not to try to level his weapon.

The man beside him was also full of nervous
excitement, and had got into trouble over the
fastening of his gun-sling, when he too found
himself covered by the muzzle of Olaf’s pistol,
while the swordmaster said:

“ Come oi! the carriage instantly.”

The man obeyed an came up to Olaf, who
(nietly' cocked and fired OR the carbine, slung
as it was, up in the air. '

He performed the same' 0 ration for the
sther wea n, Strogonoif 100 'ng on all the
while in he pless rage, and then quietly stepped
into the tarantass beside the minister. .

“ Pashol, emtshik,” (Go on, driver), he said,
Iternl , an then awa drove the tarantass,
with t e swordmaster sitting quietly beside the
chiefofpolice, who was too bewfidered at n rs
to say a word.

The servant was left behind on the road, look-
ing saggy after the tarantass, and Olaf smil-

l o rved'

‘ me, count, the uestion has hitherto been
ems back to St. Peters-
,b ap ner. Now you will please to come
wit me to Grodno, and if necessary to War-
saw, to 9991113 highness.”

“llnsoleifit wretehl” begagihatéie hminister, 
ous . 0 on w on we go
Grodno in pines :33 let you esca ?”

“Hush, f you please, not so fas ,7’said Olaf,
withadeprecatory lift of the hand. “_ Allow
me to say in the first place that the expresszon
‘insoleut wretch’ is inadmissible amo gentle-
men and that I re uire an apology or it m-

itantly. Do on un erstand?” _

The chief o lice looked at the smiling face
of the man do him and his got the bet-
lei' of his rudence. He himse was stoutly

built and a least thirty .pounds heavier than
Dlaf. All of a sudden he threw both.ar.ms
u'ound those of the swordmaster, pinionmg
hem to his side and shouted:
“Hel me quick! Get the irons, Peterl”.
The 'ver looked back and saw the situa-

lion.

The slender, fair-haired swordmaster was a
parentl completely in the power of the bur y
thief 0 police. 4

He beganto all at his horses and fumble in
his kets for he handcuffs.

0 ton hispart'did not pretend to struggle.
He merel observed in a quiet way:

“CoungStrogono if you do not take your
hands awa you will sorry for it. ”

The no .moment the driver heard a dull
thud, as of a blow, and looking round saw that;

' the minister had fallen back into the carriage,

both hands to his face, which was

with blood, while Olaf was smiling
serene ssever. .
“As I was Observing, count,” he continued,
\s‘anquilly, “before ou compelled me .to e
you the Danish l,* the term ‘inso ent
Wretch’ requires an aim , which you will
givetn’ie on penalty 0 one her skal in a mo-
men .

Perfectly convinced that he

was.

3
$8

mig]: better
' leave this smiling person alone, driver

whi n his h rses sgai' while the minister
'1pr ' esixinkbagkinto till: oornerof the car-

e :

i ‘ A’n hing but that. I willfight you, rather.”
“ In sad?” I
The on came in tones of pleased rise.
“ Isi really true that on would rather fight

me? I never dreamed t at on would do me
such an honor. Shall we begin now?”
.“No, no, I have no wee _ us,” was the half-
;ihlfliedi reply as Sta‘ogono continued to nurse
n .
“ In" 1 Then were you not foolish to come

 

*1» the Danish term forahutt with the head.
In "1'. the bases are very expert and dangerous.

 

Iron Wrist;

1?

 

after me? However, be it so. As on say, on
owe me an apology or a ht for t ie.term in-
solentwretch,’ an we ’ have our little afiair
before the grand duke, when we overtake
him ”

“Ali, you feel confident because you are an

expert, and I am only an amateur,” cried
Strigonofi, bitterly. _

“ a , nay, you shall not say that, my friend.
I woul not fig t you at all, were it not for the
old trouble of the whi . As it is, I will make
the affair equal. I wil fight you blindfold with
the small-sword, your eyes being free. Is that
sufi‘lcient odds to give you?”

“ It must be, I suppose,” was the sullen an-
swer, and then they came in sight of the post-
house.

Nicolai the Cossack, stolid and patient as ever,
was stan 'ng by the door of the t—house, hold-
ing his horse, but Ivan Dembins ' was not to be
seen.

“Where is the prince?” asked Olaf.
Nicolai gninned slightly as he saluted
i t

“The l e gentleman would not wait for
your nobility. When Icame up he was dispu—
ting with t e postmaster abou afresh horse,

which he could not get. The postmaster knew
my uniform, and the little gentleman called on
me to help him get a horse. I an posed it was
all right, your nobility, and I he ped him; but
he nqsooner got the animal than he galloped
away at full .”

Olaf laughed heartil .

“What a fool does ear make of. a man,” he
ejaculated. ' “He will get no further than the
next station, for they will not give him a. horse
without a podorozhnaya (grder) or the sight of
a uniform. Well, put in t e horses.”

The minister of secret police said not a word
at this post-house, while the horses were being
put to. The postmaster saw that something
mysterious was going on, but did not dare to in-
terfere without positive orders, and so the
change was effected, and the tarantass rolled on
once more.

Strogonoff lay back on the cushions in the
corner of the vehicle, revolving new plans of
arrest. He could not depend on soldiers, and
the question was, how should he decoy his prey
within the power of the police? ‘

 

CHAPTER XXV.
GRDDNO.

THE town of Grodno was all astir that after-
noon, for the retinue of the Grand Duke Con-
stantine was sojourning in the town, oocup ing
the best rooms of all the large inns in the p .
The garrison w full of excitement over the
arrival, and the dies of Grodno were all in a
fiutter, for it was announced that the d
duke was to
to rest from his fati es.

About an hour fore sunset, his imperial
highness was seated on the balcon of the Gov-
ernor’s house, smoking a cigar and ooking down
into the grand uare.

Two troops of ossacks were exercising there,
and his lii hness was watching them with in-

terest, for nstantine was, above all things, an
enthusiast in arms.
The Cossacks were tilt' at each other With

headless spears, firing at
ground, and cutting up all sorts of similar an-
tics, when the rapi lop of hoofs and rumble
of wheels was hear , and a tarantass dashed
ri ht u to the door of the Governor’s house.

0 ntine uttered an exclamation of sur-
prise and alarm, as he noted the fur kalpak and
white heron plumes of Olaf, the swordmaster.

He missed some one else beside him.

In her place were the dark, scowling features
of the chief of secret police, Count 8 nofi.

Constantine Romanofi’ was trained to se f-con-
trol, like all princes, therefore he said nothing,
though his heart beat fast. He heard the sen-
tries below challengmfiisslgw the swordmaster
and minister of lice ount from the car-
riage and enter e house together, and then. his
attention was attracted by a single horseman in
plain clothes, who came galloping across the
square all alone.

“ Ivan!” muttered the grand duke to himself.
“ But where is chef Some misfortune—”

He was interru  by a violent squabble be-
low. Ivan Dem inski was trying to force his
way t the sentries, who were refusing him
admittance. The sound of his excited voice
was plainly audible above the growling tones of
the soldiers. . .

“ Tell them to let .11!!!) in, Draukovitch,” said
the grand duke to his aid-de-camp. “ I believe
I know the gentleman.”

A fqulmomentislafér, thehthrec men who had
been 0 owing 1m in sue a singular manner
entered the room,  weather.

Ivan Dembinski at once began to speak, but
Olaf and Strogonoff 1118!:le pulled out bundles
of papers and remained ently awaiting their

turns.

“Please, your highnem, I have been scan-
daloust treated on the road hither,” began
Ivan, petulantly. “ This man that ou ordered
to attend .us, abandoned me, and was com-
pelled to flee to your highness for rotection.”

Constantine raised his hand so .

“It is unnecessary to enlarge, prince. You

nd the whole day in the wn, .

its of paper on the.

I are here, and some one else is not. Is that per-
son ssfe?” _

“ Howcan I tell?” asked Ivan, a little sulkily.

“ How! Did you abandon her, air?”

The tone of the d duke was one of haughty
amazement, and van turned scarlet and -

mered.

“ I did not abandon her. I only escaped death
by fii ht.”

“ en where is she? A

“ Ask him,” and Ivan

The and duke turn round on Olaf with a
look 0 stern inquiry, which was met by the
Dane with fect impassiveness. He merel
saluted and eld out his dispatches to the cm s
brother.

Constantine took them and glanced at cover
and seal, which bore the imperial arms.

“ Where did you get these?” he asked.

“ l‘h‘om his gracious majesty, the car," was
the re 1y, in a stifl military tone.

“ Why when did you see ' i”

“ The {y before yesterda , ighness.”

“ What! cried Constantine, in a tone of sur-
prise. “ :d you n’pt startwhen I ordered you!”

“Yes, highness.

“Then how came you in St. Petersburg the
day before yesterday, sirrah ?”

‘ I was taken prisoner, highness, and brought
before his majesty, who was pleased to make

prisoner?”
inted to Olaf.

me swo ter-general and send me hither
with ' tehes for your ' hness.”
The ussian prince loo ed at the Danish

swordmaster for a full minute with a wide-
open, threatening stare, under which Olaf nev‘er
wilted a moment. Then he said, in a low, grat-

ing tone:
‘So'you have left m service.”

Olaf cast one swift nce at him and made
an almost imperce tib e sign, which the quick-
witted Russian un erstood ' a moment.
ry well,” he observ ' , in a tone of pre-
tended coldness; “ I will answer your dispatches
in time Mr. Swordmaster-General. You can
fall back "

Then he turned to Strogonofl.

“Well, count, what can I do for on?”

“Ire ttosay,dvour 'ghness, hat I come
one painful erran . His ma'esty sent me on
with this special ukase, whic your highne-
can read for yourself, to arrest this man Olaf
and recall the dispatches sent by him. This
man has defied arrest by exciting the soldiers
to sedition, usin your highness’s name to make
them diso o ers.” .

The gran duke smothered a smile under h'n
heav mustache and gravely replied:

“ t is a serious case. Let mesee the uksse.”

He rused it attentively and then observed:

“ is 'ves you practically unlimited power.
You mig t offer to arrest me under this ukase.
What do on want?”

I “The ‘ patches that this man has just de-
livered to your highness, who can perceive that
his majesty has been pleased to change his mind
as to their delive .”

“i” if? m  i... 0......

“ ot ° our ‘ ed them
which you will not do.” ’

“ Why not?” demanded Constantine, sharply.

“Becausetodosoish’ ht ”boldlyan-
swered the minister, an be looked the ens-’8
brother full in the face.

Constantine smiled for all answer and opened
the  given him b Olaf, while Btrogo— ‘
nofi ook on with ashy ace, feeling that now
his cause was lost indeed, when the name of
treason had no effect.

.The grand duke quietly read the letter sen
him by his brother and made no signof '
till he had finished. Then his vaice trembled
ever so slightly as he said to Strogonoff:

“You can take these back to his majesty
without the trouble of arresting the swordmas-

ter. Will that do?”
Strogonoif could hard] believe his eyes as he
saw the dispatch which cost him so

trouble actual] placed in his hands.

“What am to understand, your highneml"

“You are to understandthat I refuse tombs
any compacts under durem, count,” was the
stern answer. “ I am going back to St. Peters-
burg to-night. You and our police lmvetried
my patience too long. here is the Prince-
Natalie Dembinski?”

The question was so sudden that eve one
started, for it was the first time the gran duke
had openly mentioned the name of his mis-
tress

“iiighnas, in Wilna, I think” stammered
the chief of police. “Ihave not had charge of

her.”

“And etit seems you have chased her are
how do I d on here, and. how comes it that
her brother ' ce Ivan, was forced to flee
from her? Come forward, Ivan, for it is time
that these mysteries were cleared up. Where
did on leave the rincess?”

“ nWilnliii, hmess. I was drivenoifb a
mayo pocewohuedmrcmchmamsgv

“ Where did you leave her. Olaf?” asked Con—
stantine, suddenléturning on the swordmastsr,
who stood by w1 folded arms.

“I lefther twice, hi : the first time

charge of Tekli Aga, w en I was taken prisoner.

 

 

 

 

l8 ‘.

Afterward I rejoined the gracious lady alone, Then they were left alone.

near Postavly, and continued with her party
till the coachman was killed.” ..

“ And where is she now?”

“That I will tell your highness alone.”

“How came you here with Count Strogo-
noff?”

“The count arrested me, highness. I am his
figisoner, he says, so I brought him on here till I

d obeyed the orders of his majesty. Now I

‘ am ready to go back.”

“ And where is the princess? Speak out.”

“ 1 will tell your highness alone.”

“You need not be so mysterious,” interposed
Strogonoil’, with a sneer. “ We knew that'the
princess must be in St. Catherine’s convent as
soon as we had time to think. The abbess is a
llcmhinski. ” ’

Olaf turned on him with a smile of cruel po-
liteness.

“ You are determined, I see, to make me kill
you, with your exposures of confldences. Can
you not have a little discretion, Count Strogo-
noff? You compel me then to punish you once
more.” Then he resumed to the grand duke:

“ Your highness hears me witness that I be-
lray no secrets in public like this gentleman,
who has done me the honor to question a state-
ment of mine, made before you. I have already
t )]d the gentleman that he must apologize to me
or fight me, for former doings, and inasmuch as
he is an amateur, I have consented to fight him
blindfold. ”

‘f Why, what is all this about?” asked Con-

Itantme.

“ Mere] that this is the ‘Man with the Whip’
of whom once told your highness: that he has

rsecuted me with his company all through a
ong joumey, and that I ask your hi hness’s
permission to end the thing now. t ma
 your highnes‘s to see a man fence blin —
o .

" lilindfold, Olaf i Surely you are not in ear-

gm

“Perfectly so, highness. It is the only way
I can satisfy the insult and equalize the chances.
Does our highness consent to see the duel?”

“ illin ly,”cried Constantine, with a laugh.
" How is i Strogonoff, are you willing to fight
this man of steel ’ v

The minister of police was very pale, but he
commanded himse f sufficiently to say:

“ I am read , highness.”

“Then, by .‘t. Isaac of Moscow, get them the
swords and put them out on the square,” cried
he grand duke, in a jovial tone. ‘ Why, gen-
tlemen. here is s rt enough for an evening’s
‘- entertainment. et the swords.”

 

CHAPTER XXVI.
THE BLINDFOLD DUEL.
BY the time that the preparations for the sin-
duel Were complete, the news had spread
abroad through (lrodno, where quite a number
of omcers were assmnbled.

Grand Duke Constantine had always been
known for a wild and reckless fellow, but it was
the first time in his history that he had ever
\ ~penly abetted a duel in public.

The resent duel was such a singular one that‘
It ex ted universal interest. Every officer in
'irodno had heard of Olaf Iron Wrist, the suite
of the grand duke having duly chanted his won-
derful prowess.

When they heard that he was tofence or fight
In public, With shaapoint against the chief of
the secret police, unt étrogonofi’, who was
I oted in the capital as a swordsman, the interest
rose to fever heat.

By the time the grand duke was ready to
rome down—stairs, a ring of officers was formed
i I front of the door, all eagerly waiting for the
. p mum of the combatants.

it wasmore like the ancient “ trial by combat ”
than an ordinary, ille l duel.

Presently the czar’s rother made his a pear-
r use at the door, followed by his staff, w ile a
I umber of soldiers brought out chairs and ar-
ranged them in a semicircle on the top of the
etc .

‘ Now, gentlemen,” said the Grand Duke
( 'onstantinc, in aloud voice, to the officers out-
side, “ remember that this is no duel, but merely
a trial of skill between two gentlemen, one of
\ 'hom fancies he can keep off a seeing man with
h Ts eyes blindfold. The first blood drawn de-
( tiles the contest.”

This he said remembering the fact that due]-
4 g was forbidden by the law, and not wishing
2 . appear to defy it too openly.

Then he took his seat and a moment later the

20 men who were to fight made their appear-

.00.
Both were in their shirt-sleeves and unarmed,
7 at each was attended bya second, carrying a
2:rlord under his arm. i l d
be ionswereverysmpean soon
nude. pTEey consisted in Draukovitch binding
nix handkerchief round the eyes of Olaf Iron
v. rist, gulacing him in‘ the middle of the ring
.  n' no sword and bidding him “defend
l l

. Another officer led Btrogonofl' forward placed
a sword in his hand, too, and hid him ‘ attack
the “my.”

 

Iron Wrist.

 

In the center stood Olaf, slightly bent for-
ward, with his sword pointing diagonally up.
He was motionless, except as to his head, which
turned from side to side as he listened intently.

On one side was Strogonoff, ale and nervous,
but still grasping his sword rmlry, as be pre-
pared to advance on his apparent unguarded
adversary. '

Presently he stole off in a circuit to the left;
but the swordmaster, listening keenly, heard the
fmtsteps on the pavement and immediately
turned, faein him.

The chief 0 police quiet] stooped down and
began to remove his boots, but was deterred by
the groans of the officers all round the circle.

Constantine heard the groans, and cried:

“ Leave them alone, gentlemen. I will wager
a hundred to ten that Iron Wrist draws first
blood.”

“Make it a thousand, hi hness,” cried the
cheery voice of the blindfo ded swordmaster.
“ This Strogonofl' is t ing to take off his boots.
I hear him. Let him 0 it.”

Down went the Russian on the ound, and
off came his boots in a twinkling. en, carry-
ing them in one hand and his sword in the other,
he began to prowl round the Dane in a stealthy,
feline manner.

Olaf listened and turned‘slowly round as he
caught the shuffle of feet but the Russian step-
ped so softly that at last he lost hearin of him.

This became evident from the alter manner
of the man. He no longer stood erect and con-
fident, but began to crouch, keeping both hands
before him, as if groping.

Strogonoif saw it and stood perfectly still,
while the other continuedtoturn slowly, ollow-
in an imaginary sound.

on at last, when Olaf’s back was almost to
him, the Russian made a spring forward like a
tiger, uttering a hoarse oath of triumph as he
thrust hard.

But that very oath, irrepressible utterance of
a brutal soul, proved the ruin of Strogonofl in
that duel.

Olaf heard it and wheeled about in an instant,
his int presented and whirling round in small
circ es.

The thrust of the chief of police had nearly
reached its mark when one of these whirling
counter-parries caught the blade and dashed it

aside.

The instant that he heard the click of steel on
steel, the whole attitude and expression of the
swordmaster changed.

“Now I have syou t” he shouted, and at once
lunged out at trogonofi', as straight as if he
hag seen him; so strjaiight mg the minister was
ob to arry an eap .

Cfigkli ‘lickl

A in steel met steel, and again Iron Wrist
laug ed, as he began to threaten the other
blindfold though he was, keeping the touch 0
his sword all the time, and drivin the man who
could see all round the ringbami the enthusi-
astic applause of the specta rs.

Strogonofif parried and retreated, but he did
not dare to thrust; his hands were too full.

At last he uttered a shn'p cry, and jumped
back with the exclamation:

“ Enough] I am wounded.”

Immediately Olaf halted, withdrew the band-
age from his eyes with a bow, and waved his
sword in salute.

“I am satisfied,” was his only remark as he
walked proudly back to where he Grand Duke
Constantine was standing up before his chair,
beamin with smiles.

The ussian prince embraced the swordmas-
for with the appearance of great aflection, cry-

m :

g‘Welcome my rince of swordsmen. Thou
hast beaten  airly. Such fencingInever
“were . .. , - a...»

a , ness, e mug was no ,
said 0 af. g‘ It was finding my man that was
the trouble. Once the swords touch I know
where I am, and where I hit. I touched the
count in the right breast on a line with the
shoulder, and my point went in and came out.
Examine and see.

Sure enough, when Strogonoff was examined
by the sur eon, which was almost immediate] ,
the foun the woundsas Olaf had said, in t 0
11 y part of the right breast, not deep, but
with two holes, where the sword had pinched
up the flesh like a pin.

Then Olaf went up to his adversary and offer-
ed him his hand frankly, saying:

“ Blood wipes out blows. I forgive you the
whip now, and I am ready to go back with you
as our prisoner before the czar.”

trogonoff took the offered hand and pressed
it llta'nguidly, with a smile of mysterious im-

p0“ Very well,” he said, “ I hold you to your
promise. Come at once. Get into my taran-

.Olaf hesitated a moment, but the other con—

tinned:
“ Your misc is given. If you do not go I
will, and will report you to the czar as havin

broken your ,parole. You cannot fight out 0
that uarrcl. -
Iron Wrist said not another word, but

\

.had his papers and his

 

stepped into the tarantass, in his sh1rt—' sleeves
as e was.

“I am ready, count; please send for my
thin ,” he observed, quiet y.

“ ere are you going, Olaf?” cried Con-
stantine.

“To St. Petersburg, hi hness, to see the
czai'. I will be there in two ve hours,” was the
re y.

hen Strogonoff entered the tarantass. He
' prisoner at last.

He thou ht that he was safe for the journey,
and was ready giving orders to his servants
(all secret police agent? when the grand duke
overthrew all his p ans or the moment by the

request.
‘ Count, I have a favor to ask you for the

granting of which I will be responsib e to his

majesty. Let your prisoner come and sit by
me for five minutes. I will see that he does not
escape, and he shall remain in your sight. I
wish to speak to him in private.”

With a very bad grace the chief of police an-
swered:

“ The carriage is at your imperial highness’s

d' l.’

El‘he grand duke rose and waved his hand.

“ Retire, all, out of ear-shot.”

In a moment the circle widened, and the
grand duke entered the tarantam, from whence

trogonoif and his servants retired. He was
seen to be conversin very earnestly with the
swordmaster, th b heir tones were so low as
to be inaudible to t e crowd. '

After about ten minutes of this consultation, ,
2118 £31881]!!! prince left the carriage, saying

ou :

“ Then farewell, swordmaster-general. If
you dprefer his majesty’s service to mine you are
pru ent. . I Will meet you at St. Petersburg,
and 'see if the em r, my brother, insists on
retaining you. I 0 not give you 11 et.”

“ What a trouble about a misera e fencing-
master,” muttered Draukoviteh, envionlly.

CHAPTER XXVII.
run our. In menu.

Tan Czar of all the Russias was pacing his
cabinet in the Summer Palace in a deal edly
bad temper. A deep frown of care and anxiety
-—a look that afterward became habitual to him
—was on his brow, and hemently looked
out of the window toward V ' Ostrof, where
the dark mass of the De'mbinski in full
view above the trees, seemed to h a tan]
femipder of the ambitious schemes of firfiilish

arm .
Nicholas knew that his position was as yet
insecure, that the succession in the Russian em-
ire been disturbed ere that day, and that
he dread shadow of assumination‘was ready as
of yore behind the throne, to darken the festi-
vities that surround a coronation.

He knew that his grandfather Paul, had been
strangled in the ve room in w 'ch his father,
Alexander, had di so suddenly, and he knew
that rumor connected the name of his dead fa-
ther with the murder of his dead grandfather.

The saying that the Government of Russia is
H a despotism limited by assassination ” recurred
to his mind and he remembered the many dark
tragedies that had marked the annals of his
famfly from the days of Czar Peter down to his
own reign.

He knew that, so to speak, he held the crown
under the suflerance of his brother Constantine,
the idol of the army, who had but to give the
si al for revolt to succeed.

e knew that, were his brother to marry be-
fore himself and have an heir the temptation
to revolt would be made tenfold stronger, and
be ground his teeth as be reflected the crafty
old Prince Dembinski probably knew this as
well as himself, and was playing his cards ac-

Wei-a-
g that he had the Princes Natalie safe
in prison, and willing to bring his brother to
some do to t, he had sent him by
the  06023:, if: ’flgorganati ’ “max-rings“ n
conssn n e s c

signified the prince would abandon all claims u;

c.

He fancied that this consent, coming at a time
when Constantine would be keenly anxious for
Natalie’s safety, would bring the proud lover to
sue for co and consentto an ng to save
his dar from the horrors of Siberia.

Now, be reflected, all the advantage he might
have gain such a 'tion was neutral-
ized y the one fact that Natalie was not a

risoner. Constantine might take an advan-
he leased of the consent, andif chose
tocom ta little deceit, mug; secure. a legal
sh g githdthe printcen in usaw itse‘lAfl i5
owin e ocumen concealing Part
 as  “W, m a m. ..
ys co 0 DW
after that devil of a swordmaster,” muttered
the em ror, “and neither has returned. I
feared t at he would not succeed, yet I let him
go. That Iron Wrist should have been my man
at first. He is worth a thousand others for des-
perate service. ”

Even as he spoke, he saw a cloud of dust
coming rapi up the road in front of the -
aco, ma carr ago dashed tothc g..te. l'u of‘

 

 

‘have it?”

, mess of Cro

 

Iron Wrist.

I9'

 

g _ -_

anxiet , he cau ht up an opera lass to ascer- l
tain w 0 were t e new-comers, t e distance to v
the gate being too great for his unassisted u
Vlslon.

He stamped his foot with an exclamation of I
joyful surprise. There was St
and stern as ever, while beside
flwure of the swordmaster.

he emperor could hardly restrain his joy
Within the bounds of eti uette, as he waited for
the comin 1' of the two. 8 fumed and fretted
over the clay made at the gate by the officer
of the guard, who hesitated to admit the minis-
ter of police in the dusty dress he then wore,
a i had much ado to restrain himself from
' ..hin out bareheaded into the garden to cut
short t e colloquy.

Only the know edge that such a course would
show his anxiety too plainly, prevented him
from doin so, and he forced himself to wait 
tiently til the minister had surmounted he
abstacles of etiquette and was ushered into the
tabinet, followed by Olaf.

As soon as the servant had retired, Nicholas
turned to Iron Wrist with a countenance full of
scorn and anger. He thought that Strogonofl'
had beaten the swordmaster in some way; and
with the caprice of a tyrant, whose word is law,
letermined to visit his former anxiety on Olaf’s
iead.

“ So, sir,” he exclaimed, “ I see that with all
your prowess th‘evEOlice minister has taken you,
single-handed. ere are the dispatches I gave
you?

He asked in a shafi angry tone, but Olaf re-
plied, with impertur ble seremtX: .

“The dispatches were dehvore by me to his
highness as your majesty ordered. After I had
executed your majest ’s commands, Count
Btrogonoif showed me t e order from our ma-
lest to arrest me. Of course I surren ered. I
un here.” 0

The czar listened with lowering brow, and
then turned on the chief of police With a savage

marl. .

“You said you would bring back those (113—
aatches. Where are they, su'rah?”

But Strogonofl' was equally imperturbable.

“Here, Sll‘e.”

He handed the dispatch to the emperor, who
looked at it, eagerly, and then exclaimed:

“ It has been 0 ned. Who did it?”

“ His impefiafehighness, the Grand Duke
Constantine.”

“ What! my brother opened this, and yet you

onoif, erect
im was the

 

“ His h' hness gave it back to me, sire."
“Wherleg, then is his highness, now?” asked
the em ror, with an uneasy sense that all was
not rig t.
ghoodm rt f h f mthe for
e ee re 0 a eavy n ro -
p nsgdt shook the wfiiudows of the pal-
)ce as the czar spoke, and Olaf Iron Wrist took
he liberty of replying:
“He was entering Postavly when we were
I alf—wav to Psakoff, sire; but, jud ng from the
"\lutes, he must now be in sight 0 this city.’
mill Boomll ml
Three more guns announced that Olaf was
*ght, and the cur turned pale. Constantine
“is back again. ’

CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE ORDER OF ARREST.

Comm Romano”, “the mad duke,”
its his enemies called him, “ the'good duke,” as
the soldiers fondly christened him, was indeed
hack in St. Petersburg, and even as the czar
looked forth from the Windows he could see the
|0n train of dust that announced the approach
01 t ecarria e.

In truth, nstantine, whose open and gene-
'Ous nature had always abhorred the restraints
0f intrigue and secrecy, had taken a vigorous
resolution when surprised b the Infiparitions of
Dlaf and étro onofl.’ at G no. e found that
be had m culated the were of the empe-
ror’s agents to disconcert his scheme of a secret
marriage with Natalie Dembinski, and determ-
‘ned tocome back and face the worst for the
lake of love.

As the emperor saw the a proachi dust pan;
the ates of the Summer alace, an go on to
the ridge that spanned the river and led to

Vassili Ostrof, he was still more surprised and
alarmed. His face turned deadly pale as he
Saw the carriages trot rapid] over the bridge

and actually file openly into 9 hated Dembin-
ski Palace in broad day.
With the o ra-glass one could now plainly

see five or six arge openings in the stone
walls, and the lately lonely and deserte‘d‘y ens
were full of littering spearsand scarlet kets.
as the Red oseacks of the grand duke’s escort
pranced about.

The chief of police looked out with the czar,
and he, too, turned pale. He knew that the im-
Berial order forbidding the association of the

embinskis with any member of the Romanoff
family had been in existence for some time, and
here was the grand duke openly disobeying it.

“Please your majesty, may I go see to
this?” he muttered in a low tone. “ f it is life

inst life, my men will do their duty.”

. clar‘seyos met his in a glance of startled

 

 

inquiry, but the minister said nothing more, and
the czar ejaculated:

“ Do what is best. I trust you.” .

Strogonofl! left the room, and Olaf _Iron Wrist
remained alone with the czar who did not seem
to observe him so deep were  meditations, as
helpaced to and fro, frowning. _ .

resently the Dane, who was becoming a lit-
tle embarrassed by his position, coughed slight-
] . Nicholas started, and seemed to realize for
the first time that he was not alone.

Then an idea entered the emperor's head, and
he approached the swordmaster with an air of
the most winning softness.

“Ah, my brave Iron Wrist it is then. Thou
hast obeyed my orders to the etter. Such men
are worth their weight in gold in these times.”

Olaf said nothing, but bowed low. Being by
no means a fool, he realized that the emperor
was, for unknown reasons, very much afraid of
something or some one, and wished to secure his
services as a guardian or a cut.

“ Thou knowest, count, t at my brother loves
me not, and plots against my throne,” continued
the czar.

Olaf interrupted him without ceremony.

“ Your majest is mistaken. I have heard
his highness say that he loves to be grand duke
in a province where he has no ei1uals, rather
than to be one sovereign amid the ’ngs of Eu-

ro .”

BeBut he is surrounded by a family of cursed
intriguing Poles who wish to set him a net
me, laf. That scheming woman, the Princess
N atalie, wishes to be c and would stir up
a rebelhon, could she do so safely.” ‘

Olaf was silent. He had learned enough of
court manners to know that it is not rudent to
contradict an absolute monarch too 0 ten.

“ My faithful Olaf,” pursued Nicholas, “I
have made thee colonel and swordmaster-gene—
ral from a nameless stran r. Thou wilt serve
me flaglfiilgly.  not so ’ esty ”

“ ' 0 an ng to serve your maj .

Nicholas looked at him steadily for a mo-
ment.

“ Go and arrest my brother.”

Olaf started slightly, but made no further
sign of emotion as e in ui :

‘ After arresting his ighness what shall I
do, sire?”

“Bring him here,” answered the czar, over-
joyed at meeting no more resistance.

‘ And supposing that his highness calls on his
suite to protect him from arrest, what shall I
do, sire?’

The question was put in a matter-of—course
way, but alarmed the czar, especially when Olaf
continued:

“The soldiers will not follow me to arrest
him. ” To make the attempt is to excite a mu-

tin .

‘yThen you must see that he does not remain
in the palace of the Dembinski letters alive,”
said the czar in a low tone. “ on are to kill

him if he , then come back and re rt to
me. If you succeed in arresting him I w ll give
you a post worth five times as much as on are
getting now; if you kill him on shall sent
safel from Russia with a undrcd thousand
roub es in your pocket.”

The swordmaster bowed low.

majesty, for havo eaten his b ; but
romise to him here or die in the at-

m t. I have t e honor to wish your majesty

-morning.”

Then he backed out of the presence went
down-stairs, and saw Nicolai the Cossack, who
had followed him all the way from Grodno on
the box of the tarantass, sitting there as stolid
as ever beside the police driver.

The Cossack saluted when he saw his oflcer,
and Olaf said to him:

“Drive me over to Vassili Ostrof at once.
Where has the Count Strogonofl gone?”

“The count rode away on horseback, your
nobility.”

“ Then drive where I told you.”

He flung himself down in the corner of the
tarantass, thinking over all sorts of plans to
save his friend the grand duke from the danger
which menaced him, and when at last the taran-
tass rolled into the Dembinski garden he start-
ed with surprise. He had forgotten where he

“ I cannot promise to kill hisrelfihness, 1your
can
b

was.

All the former mystery of this famous gar.
den had vanished, for the stone doors stood wide
own on their'heavy Iron pivots, and one coma

inly see the beautiful workmanshi of the
53an which had made so much mys ry
sible. The doors were built into solid m;
frames with rough masonwork, the egfes being
rounded off and smoothed in polish we,
so that the chinks were im rceptible w on the
door was closed, the rest 0 the wall being built
in the same fashion all the way round.

But the Dane had but little time or thought
for these things. He had a dutyto perform,
and he was one of those men whom no as r
deters. He drove up to the open door of be

where the sentries saluted him thinking

Wu one of the household, and

at once
stalked up to the d saloon.
I He had not far a go to find Constantine, as
he had expected.

 

There, in the midst of the saloon, with .Na-
talie at his side and surrounded b the mem-
bers of the Dembinski family, the grand
duke, looking anng and excited, for he had;
been in dis ute wit the old prince as to the,

rudence 0 his return, and was fast working:

imself into a. passion.

To him, thus excited, the appearance of the-
swordmaster was the signal for a burst of
an r, as he cried:

‘ So, my brave Iron Wrist, you could not.
Brotect your charge from the police it seems,

ut must leave her to the nuns of Wilnal By
in faith all of my followers are laying me
f se. ore is Draukovitch, m chlef aidecde-
camp, in correspondence with trogonoff, and
vou have gone over to my brother’s service.
What next ’

The swordmaster advanced and bowed re-
spectfully.

“I was the bearer ofamessage from his ma~
jesty to your imperial highness, and exceeded
my duty in order to place the honorable lady
in safety. Your imperial highness found her
safe I believe.”

“Indeed, your highness, the gentleman did as
much as any ten common men could have
done,” urged Natalie, in coaxing tones. “ He
at least should not be blamed.”

Constantine’s brow cleared, for the gentle
voice of Natalie had power over him in his
wildest moods.

“Well, what do you want?” he asked, more
placably.

“I am sent to request the attendance of your
imperial highness before his majesty the czar,
at once.”

“ And suppose I refuse to come?”

“Then your imperial higgness will compel me
to blow in brains out fore the honorable

lad ,"was he uietrepl .
e d d e started, and looked earnestly

at O . The swordmaster had one hand in his
breast, and gazed with perfect calmnea at his
late tron.

“ ill our highness come?” he asked once
more, an be half drew his hand forth.

Constantine turned e for the first time in
his life, and raised bot hands deprecatingly.

“ No, no; all the thrones in the world are not
worth the life of my king of swordsmen. I
will come: I will come. But mark me, Olaf, if
there be treachery—”

“There can be no treachery while I M'
there,” said Olaf in a grave tone. “ If it comes
toaquestionof 0 against life, it will not be-
that of your highness that will be lost. I an-
swer for that.” __

CHAPTER XXIX.‘
Lin: AGAINST um.

81'. PEWBURG was all in a ferment at the
sight of Constantine returned; and the news
that he had gone to the Dembinski palace spread
with lightn' rapidity.

Of course t e fact that his hi hness had been

'gonanin ' e witht eladywhowas
famed as the “Pear of Poland ” was matter of
scandal all through the city, and had been dur»
ing the late czar‘s life. Princes cannot have se—

cre .

But the Rumian nobilit
ver associated the idea 0?,
with the matter.

“_His highness amuses himself. None of our
business,” was their usual comment.

The return of the grand duke to St. Peters-
bur , and the o n sojourn of himself and sum
in t e Dembins i palace, changed all this. Peo-
ple could not ignore the matter mmnger. It
was clear that an explosion was at d.

As for the soldiers of the Guards, they were
all in a ferment. The sound of the imperial sa—
lute had warned them of the coming of the
czar’s brother, and they began to gather in
knots on the (Earade ground, thicker and thicker.
before the o cers were aware of t was com-
ing, amid every appearance of a full~fledged
mutiny.

In the meantime the Grand Duke Constan-
tine, taking the Princess Natalie on his arm, said
to Iron Wrist:

I follow.”

“ Lead on, sir.

They entered a carriage together. and togeth-
er proceeded to the Summer Palace, while
Prince Dembinski and his son Ivan, seeing that
the storm had burst and that there was no shel-
ter for them save under Constantine’s wing, fol-
lowed in the next carriage and dismounted at
3hr; steps at the same moment as the grand

u e.

Short as was the interval since Olaf had left
the palace, he found that the active Strogonoil'
had improved it. The whole of the palace

ds was full of the dark-green uniforms of

e police. armed with carbines and swords, the
only force on which the minister could de-

pend. .
Strofionofl himSelf, dark and menacing, stood
near t e foot of the grand , and ad-
dressed Olaf as he :
“His majest is in the throne-room. Take
your risonerst ere.”

“Olmave no prisoners,” was the curtanswer,

noble-like, had ne—-
honorable marriage

as on.
Ccustantine heard the remark, but said neth-q
H

l

 
 

:80

Iron "Wrist.

 

 

 

ltig, and then into the heart of his enemies stalk-
vd the czar’s brother, as roud as Lucifer.

The princess by his si e seemed as com
in if she had been at home, but the other m-
liinskis, father and son, were decidedly ill at
ease.

The had good reason to be, for Strogonofl
gave Z silent signal which the knew insured
hem a close watch as long as y were in the
palace and a probable arrest if they tried to

i cave it.

The whole part (1 up the grand stair-
case, the suite an s of the grand duke re-
maining outsidein the en. Then into the
throne-room the passe , to find it full of lice,
ranged against t e walls like statues, w lo the
emperor sat on his throne, surrounded by the
hi . civil oflicers of state.

Tot one soldier’s uniform was in the room,

nave those of Olaf, Constantine, and the czar

\ii riself.

i'he ud duke and his part walked to the
'0( t o the throne, where sat e emperor; and
ill bowed.

Nicholas never noticed them but sat lookin
m rnly over their heads till Strogonotf’s bars
«a ‘ce said:

‘Your majesty, the prisoners.”

' ‘Who dares call me a prisoner?” asked Con-
itiintine, in a loud tone. “Sire, my brother I
is: on if you mean to tolerate insolence like
ibis me?’

The emperor looked round at him, and gave
Ill ected, start.

“ hatl Has your highness tired of Warsaw
ul ready?” he asked.

“I have not been to Warsaw, and you know
It,” was' the bold reply. “ I have come back to
demand an explanation of the insolent inter-
ference of this minister of police in my private
ul fairs.”

I'he any-{tones of his voice rung throu h the
room, whic at once became intensely st' , and
ivory one except Olaf turned pale, for they saw
that the crisis had come.

Then Constantine looked around him with the
ierce stare of an angry Romanofl, and
ihouted:

“You do bri chairs at once. Do you see
that the la y stan 8? Quick!”

There was an instant roRer of chairs, into
,one of which Natalie mbinski sunk, quite
overcome. ‘

As for the czar, he hardly knew what to Say
since his brother had taken the initiative, and
; Constantine- continued:

I “ How is it that, your majesty has seen fit to
allow this oflicious ‘Strogonoi! to dog mgeplath
to Warsaw and arrest my swordmaster, 'des
shooting my Circassian, Tekli Agai” ‘

“ Has he dene so?” asked Nicholas, frigidly.

“ He has.”

“ Then, if he acted under orders, he was
right,” answered the czar, firmly. “ How is
it, ’ he continued “that on, whom I ordered

in Warsaw a week since, ave left your t?”

His tone was stern and cold, but tine
lid not quail.

“Because I found I was being treated unjust-
" ” he replied.

Nicholas frowned.

“The way to secure justice is by res tful

eimgnstrance, not by disobedience a trea-
I ‘1].
“ That may be, when positions are different,”
p was the equally stern r ly. “Your ma esty
knows that I love a beautiful and amiable dy,
Ind that I am not one to be thwarted.”

“ I know that certain designing Poles wish to
match the throne from under me before my
time,” suddenly shouted the czar, in tones of
concentrated , “and that while I am czar
it shall not be one. Arrest the Dembinskis,
Etrogonofl.”

In a moment there was a rush and a scufile,
smid which Prince Dembinski and his son were
hustled if to the middle of the room and sur-
lounded police.

Constaii ine, erroneously thinking that im-
lnediate treachery to himself was intended,
irew his sword and cut down a police officer
who stood iicar Natalie, shouting:

“Touch 0. hair of her head and I will raze
this pplace to the ground and hang every man
here.’

Then there was a hush, for there was no going
back from those hold words. '

The emperor shook all over on his throne and
mnk back, exclaiminfiii

“ Do not hurt the y. My brother, no one
wishes to hurt her.”

a ‘ Constantine glared round the room lik a wild
animal, for the “mad d ” was fully roused.
Every one quailed before that glance except
two men. I
One of these was Iron Wrist, who stood with
folded arms between the czar and his brother,
watching both keenly: ’the other was Count
Strogonofl.
Great beads of sweat stood out on the face of
the minister of police, but his eye was clear and
‘calm, and the expression of his face was that of
intense watchfuluess and anxiet rather than
furll‘. He had too much at stake ‘ve up the
in'ht while there was a chance, an presented
um. angular spectacle of a man, naturally a
/

w

 

physical coward, nei'ved into coolness and
courage b the desperation of his ition. For
Stro one knew well the power w 'ch Constan-
tine eld in reserve to use if he liked.

The grand duke, seeing all avoid his glance,
turned again to the em ror.

“Now, sire, my.brot er, I have but one de-
mand to make. Consent at once to my mar-
riage with this lad and I will go to Warsaw.”

‘ You know we] that I cannot,” was the low
reply; “My own life would not be worth a

a

d .

2‘, If your majestIy still holds to the consent
sent me in Grodno will agree to the terms and
renounce the succession,” continued Constan-

e.

Strogonoff, who was standing behind him,
facing the czar, made a silent but earnest sig-
nal to the latter to refuse, and Nicholas braced
himself up, saying:

“What do you mean? I sent no consent to
any one. I will never consent to your mar-
riage with a Pole.”

Constantine stared at his brother, while the
hot blood mounted to his brow.

“ You sent me no consent?”

“ None. ”

“The Swordmaster Olaf brought it.”

“ He brought nothing of the sort. Produce it

if you can.”
‘ I gave it back to Strogo—

I have it not.
noif.”

“ Exactly. Whatever it was I have recalled
it, since youyhave seen fit to rebel against my
lawful authority. I have determined to be
Our of Russia or nothing. You are under ar-
rest. Give 11 our sword.”

All the w ' e that Nicholas was ing
Strogonofl was signaling the police, w 0 were
ed 'ng nearer.

.hen the speech was ended strong hands
suddenly seized the grand duke who found
himspr covered by the muzzles of four or five

pisto s.

Then Nicholas arose in his seat andseemed to
swell with indignation, the more so that Con-
stantine remained quite passive and did not of-
fer to struggle.

At last he seemed to have his brother in his
power, and all the fears that he had hidden
united tomake him cruel and relentless.

“So on would dictate terms to me!” he
cried. ‘ Yeuforfiit when youplaced our head
in the lion’s den t at he had teeth an claws to
bite and rend. You shall never see Warsaw,
now.

“ Crack I Crack I Crack I”

Outside the window on the still summer air,
came the sound of rifle-shots, succeeded by a
hoarse buzz, amid which could be heard occa-
sional loud cries.

The czar started, and Stro not! hurried to
the window to look out, w ile Constantine
smiled proudly.

“You thought I was defenseless,” he said.
“ Listen to that, and touch a hair of in head.”

Back came Strogonoif to the car an said, in
a low tone:

“Thesoldiersareu . It is life against life.
If he dies in a fit, t ey will have no leader.
Give the word, sire, and I will takethe responsi-

ty.

bl,l'll‘he minister of police was ghastl pale and
his eyes were starin wildly, but he ooked de-
termined. As for icholas, his constitutional
timidity reasserted itself and his teeth chattered
as he faltered:

“It cannot be he] . Do it.”
All this while 0 Iron Wrist had stood im-
gssivell‘y by the side of the czar, not offering

s

Now he saw that the time for action was

Str noif’s men tightened their hold on the
and uke, while the minister drew cittva hand-
erchief and a small vial. Olaf saw the plot in
a moment. They were to smother the grand
duke and swear he died in a. fit.
He said nothing till Strogonoi‘f had emptied
the contents of the vial into the handkerchief,
and then he suddenly shouted, at the top of his
powerful voice: .
“ Halt, there! If it is life against life, I play
the game. ”
Strogonoif looked up and beheld him with a
small pistol cocked beside the cvar’s head, his
lieft hand pressed firmly on the empero\ r’s shoul-

er.
“ Do not rise, your majesty,” he said, in a
sharp whisper. ‘ Life against life is a des
rate game. The first dead ‘ves the second a
crown, and I have eaten the read of his high-
ness. It is time for a compromise. ”
Nicholas looked up in wonder.

“ Would you murder me?”

“Instantly; and my tron will be the car
and grateful to me or saving him. er
Strogonoff out of the room, sire, or I pull the

trigger.”

‘ trogonoff, nick, oi” gasped Nicholas, for
there was some g n the cold blue eyes of
thetswordmastrr that told him he was in ear-
nes .

- come.

8 oil uttered a groan and recoiled.
“Al lest!” he exclaimed, as be rushed from

 

the room.

Meantime the buzz outside was increasing,
and the lice in the room he n to tremble.
They con (1 hear the tram lingo feet and shout-
ing that told of the rapi approach of a crowd
of excited soldiers. Involuntai-il the let go
the Grand Duke Constantine and th t e Dem-
binskis. Olaf noted the movement, and took
advantage of it.

“ ey are coming!” he cried, sternly. “If
they find you here, t ere will be trouble. Leave
your risoners and retire.”

I ntly the lice be an to stream out of
the room, and t e swor aster replacin his
pistol, left the czar and went to the rand gal e

“Quick your highness,” he Sai , in a low
tone. “ owis the time fora compromise be—
fore the soldiers arrive. Then it will be too
late to avert a crime. He will consent to any-
thing.”

Then Olaf retired, while Constantine, going
up to the quaking czar, said, in a low vOice:

“Come, do on consent? Iwant none of your
thrones, coup ed with a dowdy German princess
for a Wife. I love Natalie and I will have her.
I give up the succession. be you consent?”

As he spoke they heard a loud clamor in the
hall below, and Nicholas, white with fear, stam-
mered:
“Yes, yes, I consent.”

“Give me thed tch, then ” was the prom t

l . “ I cannot rust my life on your wo .”
ith a nervous motion the czar roduced
once more the dis tch over which t ere had
been so much trcu 1e, and just at that moment
the door flew open, and into the room bursta
crowd of excited officers, with drawn swords.

At the si ht of the little group by the throne
thfi hal in amazement.

ere was the emperor on his chair, with his
brother standing by him placing a package of
papers in ‘ breast. ear the throne on an-
other chair, sat a ladyof singular grace and
beauty, behind whom stood two entlemen who
were recognized as Prince Dem inski and his
son Ivan.
As for Olaf the swordmaster he was some dis-
tance cil’, facin the door and, as the excited

grou entered, e raised both hands as if in
won er, crying:

“How now, entlemen, what means this dis-
turbance? Hisghlghness and the czar are busy.
Retire!”

Olaf was rfectly cool amid tumults.

He pl Constantine before the czar on ur-

pose, to let the presumed insur ents know hat
9

was a partisan of the grand uke.
There was confusion at the door, and a voice

cried:

“ Is the grand duke in arrest or not?”

Goinstantine heard the words and came for-
war . .

“In arrest! Who said so? I am asfree as
air. His mamhas just consented to m mar—
riage with t e ncess Natalie Dembins , the
Pearl of Poland, and the wedding will be cele-
brated to-morrow.”

There was a pause of amazement, and then
another voice cried:

“We heard you were in (1 er.”

“ Never so safe,” was the rep y. “ Come, gen-
tlemen, I thank you for the interest you have
shown in me though it was unne . I in-
vite you all to attend at St. Isaac’s cat edral at
noon to-morrow. His majesty has promised to
attend.”

All this while the emperor satstill in his chair
gnawing his mustache to conceal his mortiflca-
tion bu not daring to interfere. He knew that
the Russian soldier, so docile and obedient at or-
dina times, has rare fits of mntin , which are
terrib while they last and he h seen them
before. He knew that he was safe so long as his
brother did not encourage the revolt, and that
once the marriage was accomplished and the
act renouncing the succession signed. all danger
of disturbance would be over. Stil it was a
bitter mortiflcation to him to feel that is crown

7 hung on the will of another, even if his brother.

He rose up
loud voice:
“ Retire, all. The czar wishes to be alone with
his brother. The marriage will take place at St.
Isaac’s to-morrow.”
Than Constantine waved his hand and the sol-
diers retired at once. ‘
The grand duke had triumphed.

CHAPTER XXX.
CONCLUSION.

Tn Dembinski Palace was lighted up the
next evening With great brilliancy, and St.
Petersburg was all ab ze with lanterns and fire-
works, while the bells of all the churches were
chimin merril for the marriage of the Grand
gukfii onstant cand the Princess Natalie Dem-

ns .

The ceremony had been duly solemnized, the

rince at the same time making his declaration

fore the Patriarch of Moscow that he had
abandoned, for himself and his heirsf all claim
ophthe throne of Russia in favor 0 his next
0 in. .

Thus eve thin was peaceably settled, and
Nicholas fel the his crown was thenceforth
secure. All the idolatry which the army, and

as Constantine spoke, and said, in a
I

 

 

especially the guards, had lavished on Constan-

 

 

.

l

l
.
i
l
l
.
l
,

 

r~._._ ...v... ,, ... .

 

 , Iron. Wrist 

 

m

tine was not proof against what they called his
“lack of spirit” in givin up all claim to the
throne for the sake of 3. Ole. They crowded
curiously to see the wedding, but there was no
more danger of their running any risk to place
Constantine on the throne and give themselves
a. Polish czarina. They hated the Poles too much
to do any such thing.

“Ah, my lord,” said Natalie that evenin as
they entered the portals of the Dembinski a1-
ace, “I was not worth so much sacrifice. The
time”will come you may regret it when too
ate.

“ Sweetheart,” he answered, folding her in
his arms, “when you have lived amon us Ro-
manofl's a few more years, you will fln that all
the jewels in the crown of Russia are not worth
one true woman’s love. Now, I am first in War-
saw, but were my brother to die to-day and I
be made czar against my will i might pine in
vain for thy love. The czar’s duty must rule
and mtllle him wed some fat German rincess
of a good Protestant family, as ugly an Slupid
'as most German princesses. N ow I am free,
then I should be a slave.”

“ I cannot argue against you,” she answered,
smiling, “ for am too happy. But, oh,.my
lord, where would both of us ave been tonight
had it not been for Olaf Svenson?" _

“ I in prison, you on the road to Siberia. But
where is our Olaf ?”

He looked round and saw the swordmaster
at a little distance among the stafl’ omcers.
Olaf advanced at the prince’s beck. _

“ Tell me, Sir Swordmaster- neral,” said
Constantine with a smile, “ how Is It that I see
thee here? i should rather have looked for thee
at the Summer Palace.”

“I am no longer swordmaster-general,” an-
swered the Dane, quietly.

Constantine started.
“ Why not?”
“ Because I am Danish, and Danes are pm-
7,
“ What do you mean?” .
“ I was compelled, in orderto save your high-
ness, to resign situation, which I did

In
cooking a pistol. I am now an ap licant to to -
low your ' hness to Warsaw an thence for a

ss rt to erica.”
paz‘ 0 America? Wh there?” asked Constan-
tine, feeling that the Rue was right in thinlI-
ing, as he implied, that his absence from Russia
would be good policy. “Why not stay With
me at Warsaw? .

“Because it would soon be whispered about
that your friend and swordmaster had threat-
ened the emperor’s life, and got 01! soot tree.
That would not do, highness.”

“ Then why not go to France, Germany, any-
where? Why go to America, that country of
barbarians?”

“It is just because I have heard that they
fight in a new fashion over there, highnem, and
I wish to try what it is like. I hope your high-
ness will not refuse me. ”

“ Since it must be so,” said the grand duke,
with a sig , “ you shall not empty-handed.
When we get to Warsaw I w i see that you are
provided with funds fit to do credit to you all
over Eur , for, but for you, I should not to-
da be t grand husband of the Pearl of

 

Po and, wo all the jewels in the Crown of
Masonry.”
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97 TEE OUTLAw BROTEEEs. By J. T. Marshall. to.
98 ROBIN HOOD. ByProf. Stewart Glldersleeve.. EC.
99 TEE TIGER or TAos. By George W. Browne. be.
100 DEAnwoon DICK IN LEAnmeE. By Edward
IOI‘IrWhfiilsr . . . . . . .. N .Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..bc
ACK KAVAY IN n on Brace-
bridgeHemvng.....   hr
102 DICK DEAD- YE. Bg Col. Prentiss Ingraham. 5r.
103 THE LION or TEE EA. By Col. Bella Sara 50..
104 DEADwoon Dick’s DEVICE. Ed. L. Wheeler 50,
105 OLD RUnE, TEE HUNTER. B apt. H. Holmes 5v.
Enos-TY, THE GUIDE. y T. C. Harbaugh. 5‘.
107 ONE-EYED SIM. By J. L. Bowen . . . . . . . . .. 50.
108 DARING DAYY. By Harry St. George. . . ..  5c.
109 DEAnwoon DICK As DETECTIVE. By Edward
LWheoler.. .. ..  50.
110 {as BLACK STEED or THE PRAIRIEs. By James 50

. Bowen . . . . . . .. .  ,
111 THE SEA-DEVIL. Col. Prentiss Ingraham. 51‘.
112 THE MAD HmnsgyBy Burton Saxe ,  5r.
113 JACK HOYLE. By Edward L. Wheeler.. . . 5c.

Antwimteeeerywsek.

Beadle’l Half-Dime Library is for silo by
all Newsdealers. five cents per copy, or sent by mail
on receipt of six cents each. BEADLE & ADAlLd
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The Sunnyside library. _.

 

 

 

1 Boom ByThomasMoore . . . . . . . . ,. 1
SDON UAI. ByLordmon...  .. 
aPAaAnIsnLou. J  ......... .. 10c.
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6 UNDINK, OE TEE WATER-SPIRIT. Fro
German of Friederlch De La Matte  101:.
For sale by all newsdeale or sent. postage
3: receipt of twelve cenrtg’ for single Emmi
uble number! twenty-tour cents.
ADAMS, VIQI‘OB & 00., Publishers,
fl William street, N. Y.

 

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Speakers. 4

Run”: AND ADAMS have now on their lists the fol-
bwing highly desirable and attractive text-books,

repared expnu-isly) for schools, families, etc. Each
volume contains 1 large gages, printed from clear,
open ty )0, comprisinv t e ‘at collection of Dia-
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and otherwise.) The Dime Speakers for he season
If 1879—1191 far as now issued—embrace twenty-one
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American Speaker. 12. Exhibition Speaker.
National Speaker. 13. School Speaker.

3. Patriotic Speaker. 14. Ludicrous Speaker.

1.. Comic Speaker. 15. Komikal Speaker.

.5. Eiocutionist. 16. Youtl"s S'waker.

I. Humorous Speaker. "4‘. Elotlluent S weaker.

7. Standard Speaker. 18. Hal Colum la Speak-

8. Stump Speaker. er.

I Juvenil Speaker. 19. Serio-Comic Speaker.

10. Spread-Eagle Speaker 1‘9. Select S maker.
11. Dune Debater 21. Funny peaker.
£2. Jolly Speaker.

These books are re ilcte With choice pieces for the.
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The Dime Dialogues. each Volume 100 p‘lg’, cm-
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Dialogues No. Four. Dialogues No. Sixteen.
Dialogues No. Five. Dialogues No. Seventeen.
Dialogues No. Six. Dialogues No. Elghu-en
Dialogues N 9. Seven. Dialogues No. Nineteen.
Dialogues No. Eight. Dialogues No. Twenty.
Bialogues No. Nine. Dialogues N o. 'l‘wonty-one.

lalogues No. Ten. Dialogues No. Twenty-two.
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15 to 25 Dialogues and Dramas in each book.

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Book of Etiquette. Lovers‘ Casket.

Book of Verses. Bail-room Companion.
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Book of Croquet. Yachting and Rowing.
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Manuals for Housewives.

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presented complete and authentic bio hles
! man of the men who have added luste‘i'uttgJ the

ab c by their lives and deeds. The series em-

I.—-Goorgc Washington.
il~Johu Paul Jones.

VII. —David Crockett.
VIII.—Israel Putnam.

ill-Mad AnthonyWayne Iii—Kit Carson.

(V.—-Ethan Allen. Xc—Tocimiseh

V.—Marquis do Lafay- XI.—$brauh.i;m Lincoln.
. .— on .

ette.
VI.-—-Dan1e1 Boone.

The mm publications! 501- sale by altl 
Ir lent. on reoei e 1'
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Incomparable-in Merit.
Unapproachable in Price.

[3." Be. very careful not to confound these books
with those of olher publishers, sold at the same

rice. The vast success of the Dime Novels called
nto existence “ ’l'on Cont Novels,“ which the ublic
is somctinu-s drccivcd in buying as Dime ovels.
T 0 only Dime Novels are those published by 13mm
AND Anus. whose copyright trade-mark and signet
the word “ Dime ” Novel is. Ask always for Bnanuc’s
Dime Novels, and you will then get what you wish.
The following comprises a complete list as far as

published. Numbers omitted are out of print

2. The Privateer‘sCruise 293. The. Tonkawa Spy.

3. Myra. 294. The Rival Rovers.

11. The Slave Sculptor. 298. The Hussar Ca tain.
.0. The Backwoods Bride 299. Mossfoot, the rave.
11. Prisoner LaVintresse 801. Mustang Sam.

14. Emerald Necklace. 808. Glass Eye.

16. Uncle Ezekiel. 810. F0 horn Phil.

17. Mad 9 Wilde. 812. ch Darlin .

22. The id of Esopus. 313. TheRed Bro horhood
:53. Winifred Winthrop. 314. Rival Lieutenants.
%. The Trail Hunters. 316. Hurricane Bill.

25. The Peon Prince. 317. Tippy, the Texan.
30. Put. Poml’ret‘s Ward. 322. Old rizzl '

343. The Dashing Dn-

31. Double Hero.

32. Irona. goons.

:13. Maum Guinea. No. 321. Will-o‘-the‘Wisp.

34. Ruth M crie. 3‘35. Dashing Dick.

35. East and est. 326. Old Crossfire.

3G. The Riflcmen of the I: . Ben Bramble.
Miami. 329. The Brigand Captain

38. The Wrong Man. 329. Old tratc .

39. The Land Claim. 330. Gra Hair, he Chief.

Union's Dan hter.200 331.
The King’s n. 332. The Rival Huntcis.
Agnes Falkland. 333. The Texan Scout.

\\ reel: of the Albion. 334. Zebra Zack.

. Tim Bumble‘s Charge 3'15. The Masked Messen-

The Prairie Tim-rs.

The Two Guards. ger.

Hates and Loves. 336. Morgan, the Pirate.
Myrtle. 3.37. The Bo S )V.
Ahmo's Plot. 33h". ’i‘ahle, he railer.

Jo Daviess‘ Client. 1919.
Lau hing Eyes. 840. Tim, the Trailer.
The nknown. 341. Red Ax.

The Indian Princess. 842. Ste] the S y.

Ra rsoi Mohawk, 843. The hite £venger.
The reckor’s Prize. 814. The Indian King.

The Boy Chief.

The Bri antine. 845. The Long Trail.
Black ollow. 346. Kirk the Guide.
The Indian can. 847. The hantom Trail.
The Moose

$£383833$33$33$55$§3

unter. 848. The fipachc Guide.

The Silver Bugle. 349. The ad Miner.

guindaro. 850. Keen Eye, the Ranger
he Seminole Chief. 951. Blue Belt, Guido.

q
q

E§5§§§§ssssssss.

The Fl itives. .3312. On the Frail.

On the eep. 353. The Specter S y.
Captain Mo ly. 854. Old Bald H .
Cast Away. 355. Red Knife. Chic-f.
The Creole Sisters. 356. Sib Cone, Trapper.
Little Moccasin. 357. The Bear Hunter.
Ruth Harland. 358. Bashnt Bill. S y.

Maid of Wyoming. 859. The White C of.
Hearts Forever. .' Cortlna, Scourge.
Guilty or Not Gml‘y 361. The Squaw Spy.

Sim lo Phil. 862. Scout of ’76.
The iddcn Home 868. S nish Jack.
Battlepato 364 asked Spy.

Nod sun-11' 365. Kirke, Ren ode.

115. The Sonso Libertv 366. Dingle, the utlaw.
116. Port at Last. 867. The Green Ranger.
117. The Mohegan Mslhen 868. Montbars, Scourge.
118. The Water Wait. 869. Metamora.

119. The Five Cham ions. 870. Thompath, Trailer.
121. Vailed Bencfac ress. 871. Foul-weather Jack.
23. The Missing Bride. 1172 The Black Rider.
12A. Sumter‘s Scouts. 878. The Helpless Hand.
125. The Hunted Life. 374. The Lake Rangers.
17:7. Bald Eagle. 875. Alone on the ains.
161:1. The Gulch Miners. 376. Phantom Horseman.
1:39. lilackcyes. 377. Winona.

132. Old Honesty. 878. Silent Shot,S or.

135. The Cherokee Chief. 879. The Phantom hip.
139. The Border Foes.  The Red Rider.
142. ngc Sagamore t" 891. The Grizzl Hunters.

0. 392. The Mad 1) r.

154. Rob Ruskin. 383. The Specter ipper.
159. Snowbird. 5194. The Red 00 ow.
165. The Unseen Hand. 885. The Hunchgack. .
176. The Trader S y. 886. The; Black Wizard.
297. The Butl'nlo'lrapp‘r. 387. The Mad Horseman
215. The White Ilcrm t. .888. Thel’rlvateer‘sBride
219. The Scioto Scouts. 399. The Jaguar

The Mohave Captive. 390. Shadow Jack.

The Forest Princess. 891. Eagle Plume.

The Mute Chief. . J. The Ocean Outlaw.

The Prairie Queen. 399. Md Slayer

The Forest Spec . 391. The Phantom Foe.
Old Zip. 396

. The Blue Anchor.

 

234.
227.
228.
Q12.
234.
239. .
94-1. Gray . 896. Red-Skin’s Piage-
243. The Blac Princess. 39?. The Moon py.
244. Keetsea. 898. The Rover-
916. The White Apache. 399. Red-Belt, tho Tum
250. The Border Renegade rora.
256. Antew Abe. 400. The Two “Plus.
358. The ite Brave. 401. The Ice Fiend.
m The BorderHuntneu 402. The P111!
9114. Mountain Kate. 468. The First Trail.
1189. Ruby Roland. 404. Sheet-Anchor Tom.
28:. The Lone Chief. «105. 01a Avon-dumb.
g. The YoungS y. 1‘03. Kline

. The Balloon ts. . 11 PW.
M Black ohn. 408. nodal)“;

 

409 The Fire-Eater.

. The
. The

. Blackhawk.

. The Lost Ship.

. Black Arrow.

. WhiteSe nt.

. The Lost aptain.

. The Twin Trailers.

. Death‘s-head Ran—

ger.
. Captain of Captains.

Warrior Princess.

The Blue Band.

uaw Chief.
ing Scout.

423. Sonora Ben.

nvaliug in effect e popular chrome.
1. Hawke e Harry. 73. The Skeleton Scout
2. Dead Shot. 74. Little Rifle.
4. Blue Dick. '15. The Wood Witch.
5. Nat Wolfe. 7% Old R11fl',the Trapgm
6. The White Tracker 1 . The Scarlet Shou e11
7. The Outlaw‘s Wife. 78. The Border Riflennu/
g. The Tall Trapper. 7‘9. Outlaw Jack.
. Lightning Jo. 80. Tiger Tail, the Semi
10. The Island Pirate. no]
11. The Boy Ranger. 81. Death Dealer, thv
12. Bess, theTra per. Shawnee Scourge.
13. The French py. 82. Kenton, the er.
14. Long Shot. 83. The Specter orw
15. Gunmaker of Border. man.
18. Red Hand. 84. The Three Trapfira
17. Ben theTra r. 85. Kaleolah, the 1th
18. Wiki Raven, Kg... eon.
19. The S ter Chie . 86. The Hunter Hex-ct lot
20. The ar-Killer. 87. Phil Hunter, the Dr
21. Wild Nat. Sla er. ‘
22. Indian .10, the Guide. 88. The ndian Scout
23. Old Kent, the Ranger. 89. The Girl Ave or.
24. The One~Eyed Trap- 90. TheRed Herm tea.
per. 91. Star-Face, the Slay"
25. Godbold, the Spy. 92. The Antelope Boy.
26. The Black Ship. 98. The Phantom Hunt”
27. Single Eye. ' 94. Tom Pintle the Pi)‘
28. Indian J m. 96. The Red Wizard.
29. The Scout. 96. The Rival Trapper!
30. Eagle. Eye. 97. The uaw Spy.
3,1. The Mystic Canoe. 98. Dusky ick. .
32. The Golden Harpoon. 99. Colonel Crockett.
33. The Scalp King. 100. Old Bear Paw.
34. Old Lute. 101. law.
35. Rainbolt, the Ranger. 102. Wild Rube.
36. The Boy Pioneer. 108. The Indian Hunt!
87. Carson, the Guide. 104. Eagl
38. The Heart-Eater. 105. Nick me.
89. Wetzol, the Scout. 106. The 11 Spy.
40. The Huge Hunter. ; 107. Job Dean.
41. Wild Nat. the Trapper 1w. The Wood K1?
42. L nx-ca . 109. The Scalped nut
43. T e Wh to Outlaw. 110 Nick the Scout.
44. The Dog Trailer. 111 The Texas er.
45. The Elk King).i 112 The Crossed "I
46. Adrian, the lot. 113. Tiger Heart,T1-achs
47. The. Man-hunter. 114. The Masked Avenp'
49. Mo. casin Bill. | 115. The Pearl Pirates.
50. The Wolf Queen. 116. Black Panther.
51. Tom Hawk. he Trail- l 117. Abdiel, the Avengm
er. 118. Cato theCree 1-
52. in“ Mad (him. 119. No- ended
53. The Black Wolf. ‘ no Mad Trail Hunter
54. Arkansas Jack. i121. Black Nick.
5?). Blackbeard. ‘2‘). Kit Bird
56. The River Rifles. 1:21. The S r Rido~
57. Hunter Ham. 124. Giant ete.
58. Cloudwood. 195. The Girl Ca
59. The Texas Hawks. 121. Yankee Ep
60. Merciless Mat. 127. Silve ur.
51. Mad Anthony’sSoouts 1m uatter Dick.
52. The LuckiessTra per 129. T Child Spy
3842 Re SSS??? ' i3? Red Pl
0 per. . ume.
65. Wolf- . 132. Clyde, the Trailer
06. Ratt ck. 188. The Lost Cache.
97. Sh e. 134. The Cannibal 0111:.
08. Iron- and. 185. Karlibo.
ill. The Yellow Hunter. 136. Scarlet Moccasin
70. The Phantom Rider. 187. Kimmg.
71. Delaware Tom. 188. we of m
72. Silver Rifle. ountain.
SONG BOOKS.
Ram's Dnu Sosa Boo Nos. 1 to
the onl polar collection 00;”!ng an. to v

410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418.
419.
4‘1)
421
423
424
425
4%
427
428

. The Sea Ki .

. Mountain Gi

. Death Trailer.

. The t Crested Ser-

pen .
. Arkansas Kit.
. The Corsair Prince.

429.

431.
481
433.
434.

 

“Beadle & Adams" Standard Dime Publications

Ethan Allen‘s Bill»

430. Little Thunderbolt

The Falcon Raven.
Honest Hand,

The Stone Chief.
The Gold Demon.

. Eutawan, the SW
. Masked Guide.

. The Conspirators
. Swiitwin .

. Caribou 'p.

. The Privateer;

. The Black S 

. The Doomc( unit
443. Barden, the Ram’
. The Gray Scalp.

. The Peddler Spy.

. The W'hite Canoe
. E h Peters.

e Two Hunters

: The Traitor S .
mph»

Others

 

THE ILLUMINATED DIME
I’OCIiE'I‘ N O V'EIEI
Comprising the best works only of the most popuh

living writers in the field of American romance
Each issue a com lete novel, with illuminated oovo'

 

 

 

 

IISOELLANEOU'S D noon
mutant.

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BEABLE’S HALF-DIME LIBRARY.

livery one of them “Live” Storiee by “ Live” Authore. Each number
a Complete Novel, at the extraordinary price or a HALF-DIM].

1 Deadwood Dick, TB: PRINCE or m
ROAD. By Edward L. Wheeler.
2 Yellowetone Jack; or, THE TRAPPEE
orm ENCHANTED GROUND. By J. E. Bad er, Jr.
3 Kansas Kinuflg; or, THE RED IGHT
Hum. B alo Bill (Hon. Wm. F. Cody).
The Wil -Horee Hunters. By Capt.
Mayne Reid and Ca t. Frederick Whittaker.
5 Vagabond J oe; BE YOUNG WANDER-
mo JEw. By 011 Coomee.
6 Bill Biddon, Tra er; or LIFE :11
rue Noa'ruwm. By guard S. 
7 The P ' Yankee; or, THE 0cm
OUTCAST. y COL Prentiss Ingraham.
8 Seth dance; or, TEE Cam or m
Faoma. By Edward 8. Ellie.
9 The Adventuree of Baron Mun-
chaueen.
lo Nat Todd; or, Tm: FATE or ran:
SIOUX Came. By Edward 8. Ellie.
l The Two Detectives; or, TH]
' Foam OI'ABOWERY Gnu. A.W. Aiken.
l2 Gulliver's T‘ravele“. Bébgloyfige ‘40
Lilli ut, anda oyage n .
13 The Bomb Spy. 135' 011 5331283.
author of “ Vagabond Joe." etc.
14 Aladdin; 01, THE WONDEBJ'UL
LAN?

The Sea-Cat- or THE WrrOB or
 Dunn. By Cain. Frederick Whittaker.

biueon Crusoe. His Life and
16 R‘S’urpriein Adventures, 27 illustrations.)
oy, The oy Bucca-

1 7 Ralph _
neer. By Col. Prentlss Ingraham.

1 8 Sindbad the Sailor. His seven voy-

ni’. the gm" gig’ligl an
The n oxn : ,
l 9 or m walman Bgfiuifak; BIL Dm
Th Dou e re or

20 W20!) Dxcx'e DEWByELWheeler,

21 Frontier Angel. A Romance of
Kentucky Raugers‘ Life. By E. 8. Ellis.

22 The Sea Serpent: or THE BOY
Romeo! CBUBOE.

23 Nick 0’ the N ht; or, TEE Boy
8r! or ‘76. By '1‘. . Harbeugh.

24 Dianiond Dirk; or, Tue Murray

. ormquowe'roxe. ByCoLingraham.

25 The Boy Gauguin: or, TEE Puure s
Denounce. y Roger Star-buck.

26 Cloven Hoof, the Demon. By
Edward L. Wh

eeler.
2 Antelope Abe, the Boy Guide.
on Doome-
2 B 0 Ben; or. Dnmwoon DIG!
nt Dream

29 ms. Dumb 1:313:11): 360“
means.
30 Roaring Ralph

t. F. Whittaker.
ckwggg, THE
W Rm B Harry eorge.
31 Heen-KnifeflT'n yPRINOE or m
Pam By Oil Coomee.
h B rder Rumm-
 BngYlogg’Bnag-Sugr. E. LWheeler.’

 The Ocean Bloodhound; or TEE

Pmm orm 0mm B.W. eroe.

34 3:3» Sol; or qux WBIFFLES’
Bar B". By Capt. 3.1!. 0. Adams.

3 Wild Ivan, THE BOY CLAUDE DUVAL;
By Edward L.Wheeler.

36 The Boy Clown; or, THE QUEEN or
m Anne. Frank 8. Finn.

3 7 The Hidden § or, THE erru
HUB-rm or-rne ADMIDAOII. Harbaugh.

3 8 Ned Whyclgo, THE BOY Scour. By
Tame

39 Death-Pace. the Detective. By
Ed verd L. Wheeler.

Y
40 “whee; mam “mg

41 Laeeo Jack. THE YOUNG Murrum-
In. 01] Coomee.
P to Miner; or, Dean-
42 T5201) B13: Bo?“ By Ed. LWheelee.
43 Dick ar , the Pony Expreee
Rider. Ba F. Whittaker.

TEE N
44 2W3} filing St. G2:
45 Old Avalanche, o All
uihilator. By Edward LWheeler.

46 Glaee Eye. the Great Shot of the
Welt. By Capt. J. F. C. Adams.

N h e Nat; 0 Tan: Former
47 W... ..  .2 .
48 Black John. the Bo -Agent.
By Joe. E. Badger, Jr.
49 Omaha Oil: or, meoon D101: n!
Duane. By Edward L. Wheeler.

ByOoLJuanLewm -

50 Burt Bunker, TEE Tame. A
Taleot the No weet. ByQELamlle.

5 1 The Bo R ea; or, THE Unman-
eaotnrn in. By Archie 0. Iron.

52 The White Buflalo. A Tale of
Stran e Adventure. CharleeE. Lucile.

53 Jim B udloe. Jr., Tm BOY anx;
or THROUGH re m DEATH. E. LWheeier.

54 Ned Hazel, THE BOY Tmrrnn; or,
me Penn-ox Punter-.85. By J. F. C. Adame.

5 5 Deadly-Eye, THE UNKNOWN 80001;
By Buflalq Bill.

56 Nick Whifllee’ Pet; or IE m
VALLEY or Dum. Capt. J.  C. Adame.

5 7 Deadwood Dick’s Eagles; or,
THE PARDS or FLOOD BAD. E. Wheeler.

5 8 The Border King; or, THE SECRET
FOE. By 011 Coomee.

59 Old Hickory, or, PANDY Emma’s

. Sam. By St. George.

6 The White In ' ; or, TEE SCOUT
or m Ymowamn. ByJ. F. C.Adame.

61 Buckhorn Bill; or, THE RED RIFLE
Tux. By Edward L. Wheeler.

62 The Shadow Ship; or, THE Rwu.
Ummmm. By Co.Prentiee Ingraham.

63 The Red Brotherhood; or, THE
TWELVE Among. By W. J. Hamilton.

64 Dandg Jack; or, THE OUTLAW or
m amen Tun. By T. C. Harbaugh.

6 Hurricane Bill; or, MUSTANG San
AND rue “Pun.” By Joe. E. Badger. Jr.

6 Single Hand; or, A LIFE FOR a LIFE.
By W. J. Hamilton.

67' Patent-Leather Joe: or, OLD Rar-
rusnm ma CHARMER. By P. S.Warne.

68 The Border Robin Hood; or, Tn
PRAIRIE Rom By Buffalo Bill.

69 Gold Rifle; or, THE BOY DETECTIVE
or m Bucx RANCH. By E. L. Wheeler.

70 Old Zip’e Cabin; or, THE GREEN-
noau at m Woone. By J. F. C. Adams.

7 Delaware Dick; THE YOUNG RAN-

Rueea. By W. J. Hamilton.
73 Deadwood Dick on Deck. By
Edward L. Wheeler.
, TEE YOUNG

 H‘Wk-eyo By on Coomee.

7 5 The Boy Duelist; or, THE CRUISE
> 7 or m n Wow. By 001. P. Ingraham.

Abe Colt, the Crow-Killer. By
Albert W. Aiken.
7 7 Corduroy Charlie; or, THE LAST
AM or Dunwoou Dxcx. By E. LWheeler.
7 8 Blue Dick; or, THE YELLOW Camp’s
Vuamce. By Captain Mayne Reid.
79 SolG er,THE Gum Tmrna. By
Albert . Aiken.
80 Rosebud Rob; or, NUGGE'r NED, run
Knon'r or m Gown. By E. L. Wheeler.

81 WfiJm THE TERROR or run
. Captain J. F. C. Adams.

82 Bit Barefoot, TEE WOOD-HAWK; or,
0m Powell-Flor. By T. C. Herbaugh.

8 30110. the Boy ; or, THE

Ham or m Gown Hoax. Oil Coomee.

84 Idfil. the Girl Miner; or ROBEBUD

n on Him. By Edward L Wheeler.

85 Buck Buckrani; on, BEes, THE FE-

nu Tum ByCath.F.C.Adama

86 Dan ‘Rock, 'I‘HE-MAN-rnou-TEX.
. Al. v G. Waldo Browne.

8 7 TheLand Pirates; 035nm LEAGUE
or Dawn’s Ieuxn. By Capt. Mayne Reid.

8 8 Photo ph Phil ; on, ROBEBUD
. Ron's on. By Ed. L. Wheeler.

8 Island Jim: 0R,TF{E PET or run

' Fun“. By euthorot “Jack Hex-hm."

90 The Dread Rider; on, HE Tam
Bum. By George W. Browne.

91 The Ca tain of the Club. By

Breech Hemyng. (Jack' Harhway.)

92 Canada Chet: or, 01.1) Anacomu

men-rue Bm’e Cm. ByE. Lwheem-

The” Boy Miners; 01', Tan Excnmn
93 lean!!! By Edward S. Ellie.

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95 The Rival Revere. By Lieutenant
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98 Wag-5‘9, To? Duncan By
97 The Outlaw Brother-e; or, Tn)
Camormfimn ByJ.J.MarehelL

98 Robin Hood. TEE 017mm Em
By Prof. Stewart Glider-sleeve.

99 Twudmhof Taoe. By George

100  mm-

1 0 1 Jack Hathaway in New York.
By Braeebndge Hemyng.

 Dick Dead-E e, THE BOY SHUG'
our. By Col. ntiu lngrahem.

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1  1:93. By Jamee 1.013033.
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1  The Mad Hunter; or, Tn Can

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1 1 3 Jmngglm 50...“...6 87-w-
1 1  Black Schooner. BY Roan

Sumner.

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1 1 7 Gilt-Edge}: Thur Greer-DI.

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1 1 9 “Wm”;  lam?-

120 TheBranded Hand;or,’l‘nn m.
or Manny. By Frank Damon.

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122 Pg: 0.131.. B... a...

123 Kip‘gChax-By  TBEer-HUI-

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 The Young Privateer: on, Tue
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 Deadwood Dick’e Double. A
Wheeler Story or Wild-Cat City. By Edwu'd L

 Detective Dick; or, TE: Hm
nlmee. Bygharleeliorrie.
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BEADLE’S

  

 

 

LIBRARY. .

 

 

 

32 Large Three-Colunm Pages.

1. A Hard Crowd ; 0R, GENTLEMAN
BAH’s SIsT-ER. By Philip S. Warne.

2. The Dare-Devil; OR, THE WINGED
WITCH or THE SEA. By Col. Prentiss Ingraham.

3. Kit Carson, J r., THE CRACK SHOT or
THE WEST. By Buckskin Sam.

4. The Kidnapper; OR, THE GREAT
SHANGHAI or THE NORTHWEST. By Philip S. Warne.

5. The Fire-Fiends; OR, HERCULES, THE
lUNCHEACK. By A. P. Morris.

6. Wildcat Bob, THE Boss BRUISER. ;

pa, THE BORDER BLOODHOUan. By Edward L. Whee-
er. author of “ Deadwood Dick." “ Double Daggers."

7. Death-Notch, THE DESTROYER; OR,
(HE SPIRIT LAKE AVENGERs. By 011 Coomes.

8. The Headles Horseman. A strange
tory of Texas. By Capt. Mayne Reid.

9. Handy Andy. By Samuel Lover.

10. Vidoc% THE FRENCH POLICE SPY.
Written by himse .

1 1. Midshipman Easy. By Capt. Mar-
lyat.

12. The Death-Shot; OR, TRACKED To
DEATH. By Capt. Mayne Reid.

18. Pathawa ;OR, NICK WHIFFLES, THE

OLD TRAPPER or THE ORTHWES'I‘. By Dr. J. H. Rob-
lnson.

14. Thag‘endanegea, THE SCOURGE ;
on, THE WAR- GLE or THE MOHAWKs. By Ned Bunt-
lne. author of “ The White Wizard.“

15. The Tiger-Slayer; 0R, EAGLE-
HEAD To THE RESCUE. By Gustave Aimard.

16. TheWhiteWizard; OR, THE GREAT
PROPHET or THE SEEINOLES. By Ned Buntline.

17. Nightshade, THE ROBBER PRINCE
or HOUNSLOW HEATH. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

18. The Sea Bandit; OR, THE QUEEN
or THE ISLE. By Ned Buntline.

'19. Red Cedar, THE PRAIRIE OUTLAW.
By Gustave Aimard.

20. The Bandit at Bay; OR, THE PI-
RATES or THE PRAIRIEs. By Gustave Aimard.

21. The Trapper’s Da hter; OR,
THE OUTLAW’s FATE. By Gustave A mard.

22. Whitelaw; OB, NATTIE on THE LAKE
SHORE. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

23. The Red Warrior: 0R, STELLA
DEDOEHE’B COEANCHE LOVER. By Ned Buntline.

24. Prairie Flower. By Gustave Ai-
mard, author of “TigerSlayer.” etc.

25. The Gold-Guide; 0R, STEEL ARM,
m REGULATOR. By Francis Johnson.

26. The Death-Track; OR, THE OUT-
uws or THE MOUNTAIN. By mums Johnson.

27. The Sinner-Detective; OR, THE
mans on NEW ORK. By Abert W. Aiken.

28. Three-Fingered Jack. THE ROAD-
GENT or THE ROCKIEs; on, THE BOKMINER OF HARD
UCK. By Joseph E. Badger, Jr.

29. Tiger Dick, THE FARO KING; or,
[HE CAsHIER’s Cm By Philip S. Warne.

80. Gospel Geor ; or, anr FRED,
THE OsTLAW. By Josep E. Badger, Jr.

81. The New York ‘Sh ;’ OR, THE
FLAIR or meo. By Albert W.‘ iken.

82. B’hoys of Yale; OR, THE SCRAPEs
u- A HARD Sm or COLLEGIANH. By John D. Vase.

88. Overland Kit. By Albert W.
Aiken.

84. Rocky Mountain Rob.
oertW Aiken.

35. Kentuck. the Sport. By Albert
W. Aiken.

86. Injun Dick. By Albert W. Aiken.
87. Hirl. the Hunchback; OR, THE
SWORDHAKER or THE SANTEE. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

88. Velvet Hand; OR, THE IRON GRIP or
INJ'UNDICK. By Albert W. Aiken.

89. The Russian S ; on, THE BROTH-
ns or THE STARRT Caoss. By

40. The
In: harm or was

BY A1-

Hdred ' Pardsg’ OR,

erlck Whittaker. _

 

A By Jon. E Badger. Jr.-

 

 

 

..i\\\\‘ \‘

 

‘ KIT CARsON, m—No. 8.

41. Gold Dan; OR, THE WHITE SAVAGE
on THE GREAT SALT LAKE. By Albert W. Aiken.

42. The California Detective; OR,
THE WrrCHEs or NEW YORK. By Albert W. Aiken.

43. Dakota Dan, THE RECKLEss RANGER;
or, THE BEE-HUNTERs‘ EXCURSION. By 011 Coomes. ;

44. Old Dan Rackback, THE GREAT
EKTARHrNATOR; or, THE TRIANGLE‘s LAsT TRAIL
By 011 Coomes.

45. Old Bull’s Eye, THE LIGHTNING
SHOT or THE PLArNs. By Joseph E. Badger, JR.

46. Bowie-Knife Ben, THE LITTLE
HUNTER or THE NOE-WEST. By Cl! Coomes.

47. Pacific Pete, THE PRINCE OF THE
REVOLVER. By Jos. E. Badger. Jr. -

48. Idaho Tom, THE YOUNG OUTLAW
or SILVERLAND. By 011 Coomes.

49. The Wolf Demon; or, THE QUEEN or
THE KANAWHA. By Albert W. Aiken.

50. Jack Rabbit. THE PRAIRIE SPORT;
or, THE CHILDREN or THE LLANO EsTAOADo. By Joe.
E. Badger. Jr.

51. Red Rob. THE BOY ROAD-AGENT.
By 011 Coomes.

52. Death Trailer, THE CHIEF or

SCOUTS' or Life and Low in a Frontier Fort. By
. Cody, (Buflalo 3111.)

Hon. Wm.

 

_ Tat

Each Number Complete.

1

 

   

min—No. 11.

 

KIDSHIPIAN

 

Price 1 0 cm

58. Silver Sam; or, THE MYSTEB‘ A
Deadwoon CITY. By Col. Delle Sara.

54. Always on Hand; or, THE Spoil-Tn .
SPORT or THE FOOT HILLS. B Philip S.Wul.
author Of “A Hard Crowd,” “Pa nt Leather .lov

55. The Scalp Hunters. AROHANmW
THE PLAINs. By Capt. Mayne Reid.

56. The Indian Maze a; or, In
MAD MAN or THE PLAINS. By figert W. Afiifl

57. The Silent Hunter; or, THE Sow!
HALL MYSTERY. By Percy B. St. John.

58. Silver Knife; or. WICHJFFE, Tn
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RANGER. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

59. The Man From Texas; or, Tl.
OUTLAW or ARKANsAs. By Albert W. Aiken.

60. Wide Awake; or, THE IDIOT as
THE BLACK HILLs. By Frank Dumont.

61. Ca Seawaxf.‘ THE PRIVATE...
By Ned Bun line.

62. Loyal Heart; or, TH]: TRAPPED! It
ARKANSAS. By Gustave Aimard.

63. The Winged Whale. By Alb-I
Aiken.

W.
64. Double-S ht, the Death Shot

By Joseph E. Badger, r.

65. The Red Rajah; or, THE Sooner:
or THE INDIEs. By Captain Frederick Whittaker.

66. The Specter Barque. A T“
or THE PACIFIC. By Captain Mayne Reid.

67. The Boy Jockey; or, Ham”
VERsvs CROOKEDNEss. By Joseph E. Badger. ,1”

68. The Fighting Tra per'; or, K"
CAEsON TO THE RESCUE. By Cap . J. F. C. Adams.

69. The Irish Ca tain; A TALE a;
FONTENOY. By Captain F erick Whittaker.

70. Hydrabad, THE STRANGLEH; or
ALETHE, THE CHILD 01; THE CORD. By Dr. J. K,
Robinson.

71. Captain Cool-Blade. or, THE MAN
SHARK or THE MIssIssIrrI. By Joe. E. Badger,Jr;

72. The Phantom Hand. A STORY OI
NEW YORK HEARTHs AND HOMES. By Albert I.
Aiken.

73. The Knight of the Red Cm...
or, THE MAGICIAN or GRANADA. A Tale of the 0‘
hambra. By Dr. J. H. Robinson.

74. Captain ofthe Rifles. A Regalia
or THE MExICAN VALLEY. By Captain Mayne

75. Gentleman George, or, P
PRIsON, STAGE AND STREET. By Albert W. e;

76. The Queen’s Musketeer. o.
THIssE, THE PRINCESS PALHIsT. By George Albeit]

77. The Fresh of Frisco. or, T3.
HEIREss or BUENAVENTURA. By Albert W. A1“

78. The Mysterious Spy; or, GOLDEI
FEATHER, THE BUCCANEER‘s DAUGHTER. By A. N
Grainger.

79. Joe Phenix, THE POLICE SPY. YA
Albert W. Aiken.

80. A Man of Nerve; or, CALIB...‘
THE DWARF. By Philip S. Warne.

81. The Human Tiger; or, A Hm.»
or FIRE. By Albert W. Aiken.

82. Iron Wrist. the Swordmastu.
By Col. Thomas H. Monstery.

83. Gold Bullet B1Sfiort: or, THE KNIGHw
or THE OVERLAND. By alo Bill.

84. Hunted Down; or, THE Wm“
WITCH. ByAlbertW. Aiken.

85. The Cretan Rover; or, ZULEIKM.
m BEAUTInL By Col. Prentice In am.

January 1, th

86. The Big Hunter ; or, THE QUE”
or THE Woons. By the author of “ Silent Hunter. "
Ready January 28th

87. The Scarlet Ca tain; or, T!!!
Parsons OETHETOWER. By 1. Delle Sara.
Ready February Nb.

.4 new issue every two wake.

Beadle’s Dime Library is for sale by u
Newsdealers. ten cents per copy, or sent by mail .-
receipt of twelve cents each. BEADLE & ADAI“.
Publishers. 98 William Street. New York.

.._

/