Pittston Gazette

              « * . E»t Mb) iHllril 1850. I VOL. XVII, No. 44. ) Oldest Newspaper in the Wyoming Valley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1897. A Weekly Local and Family Journal. - . »CD j»«*r Year \ in Advance. Maurice Hammond aud Philip Danvers were the names registered on their passports, and while they are hastening toward St. Petersburg, enthusiastic aud delighted at the prospect of soon seeing this frozen capital of the uorth, we will take the opportunity of briefly acquainting the reader with the circumstances necessary to an understanding of the strange and startling drauia upon which the curtain is even now rising. away Pacific coast. CHAPTER III. ARRESTED. "His excellency your uncle wishes you to start for Moscow at 4 o'clock in the morning," he said to Maurice when the boys had returned to the library. "Do you prefer to retire early or shall I escort you to the Italian opera?" darmes mounted on the box. your movement*, ana uy nis inscructioo you were arrested on the train. I should have told you nothing, but I wished to offer you this chance of benefiting yourselves." had journeyed, with many delays, along the vast exile route. Hour after hour the train rushed through the gloomy snow clad country, stopping at intervals at huge barnlike stations, and at last, late on the following evening, they knew that the end of the journey was near. The door was flung open to admit thorn and closed with a sharp click. One day Maurice Hammond and Philip Danvers spent amid the grandeur and magnificence of St. Petersburg a day h«i vivid in contrast to the darkness and p-'iom that followed that it will ever remain undimmed in their meino- Passing through the great fair city of Nijni Novgorod, the populous tewns of Kazan and Perm, they crossed the dreary range of the Ural mountains, passed the boundary line between Russia and Siberia, and now, broken by hardship and suffering, still ignorant of their destination, they had reached Tiumen, 1,700 miles from St Petersburg.They had a glimpse of the train as it moved slowly forward again, with its curious passengers swarming at the windows, and then the carriage rumbled noisily through the deserted outskirts of the city, surrounded by a cordon of mounted Cossacks. "Send for Vladimir Saradoff!" cried Maurice excitedly. "This is all a terrible mistake, I assure you. My uncle can help us." "I don't care anything about the opera for my part," said Maurice, "but I should like very much to see the city by night. What do you Ray, Phil?" "I wonder what sort of a reception this aristocratic uncle of yours will give me, Maurice?" said Phil Danvers as he pulled a cap over bis curly black hair and unfolded his big fur trimmed coat preparatory to putting it on. "Don't you think it was a rather cheeky performance to invite a guest on your own responsibility?" ries. In a huge Russian sleigh, drawn by three powerful horses, they drove the length of the vast Nevskoi Prospekt—a boulevard more than 100 feet broad and three miles long. The buildings were huge, massive and imposing; the frozen roadway was filled with sleighs of e% ery description, from the peasant's humble box on runners to the magnificent turnouts of the iiobility. The sidewalks were thronged with foot passengers, merchants, porters, civil servants, officers in long cloaks, ladies in Parisian toilets, priests in flowing black gowns The officer laughed disdainfully. "His excellency Vladimir Saradoff is in St Petersburg, and, as for this Ivan you speak of, no such person reached the Moscow station this evening. You reject my offer. I wash my bands of you." "Splendid," rejoined his friend. Twenty years before Frederick Hammond, a young American, an attache of tbe United States legation at St. Petersburg, met and fell in love with Anna Sura doff, a young Russian girl of wealth and position. Ivan shrugged his shoulders, gave an order to a servant who answered the bell, and in ten minutes the sleigh was again at the door. In faraway St. Petersburg Vladimir Sarudoff, with a smile on his lips, is whirling a fair partner over the waxen floors of the French legation to the bewitching strains of the Grenadiers' band. The past seems almost a dream. Hope has fled long ago, and they have learned to suffer in silence, thankful at least that they have not been separated from each other. They drove for miles through the dimly lighted streets, finally passing out on the frozen Neva and speeding far down toward the gulf of Finland on the smooth crust. (orrniCHt- 8t Tut wooifau. publishing Co.\ "Don't talk nonsense, Phil," replied bis companion. "He will be only too glad to receive a friend of mine. He had plenty of notice. I wrote to him from London, and then you know wo telegraphed him from Berlin yesterday Thousands of versts to the eastward the heartbroken Russian exiles are sleeping their sad sleep on frozen Siberian wastes. Refusing to hear another word, he hastened from the room, and the guard in the corridor banged the heavy door. Up to this moment neither of the boys had even suspected the truth. It remained for Maurice to make that startling discovery, and as the realization of his uncle's treachery forced itself upon him—dimly at first, but speedily strengthened by added proofs —he saw what stared him in the face. With a cry of despair he threw himself on the bed, and when, at Phil's entreaties, he sat up his face was pitiful hi its hopelessness. Such marriages are uncommon, but when Frederick Hammond returned to New York be took with biiu a Russian bride. CHAPTER L A REMARKABLE INTERVIEW. Colonel Hoffman threw himself into bin chair and boried bis faoe in his hands. It was November in Paris. The proverbial gloominess, however, was entirely lacking in the estimation of Colonel Hercules Hoffman as be looked down on the gay and crowded boulevard from his apartment in the Hotel Bristol. "Yes,"continued the Russian, in the same catting tones, "I bold in my bands your reputation, which I am told stands high in your American city. I can consign yon to a felon's cell." Anna Saradoff's only relative was her brother Vladimir, who, having other views for his sister, conceived a most inteuse hatred of this scheming American, as he chose to call him. As they were returning through one of the spacious streets leading into the Nevskoi Prospekt a man in fur coat and Russia is the land of extremes. morning." CHAPTER IV. OFF FOR SIBERIA "Petersburg!" shouts the smartly uniformed conductor, and in an instant all is hustle and commotion as the train rolls into the vast station. and briuiless hats, while over the horizon rose gilded and painted domes and countless Greek crosses. ft* CT1 % A gendarme had accompanied them into the carriage, and when Maurice attempted to speak he harshly enjoined silenoe. He paused impressively and then added: "Bnt I have concluded to take no action. Your secret is safe with me." He never forgave his sister and professed from that time to regard her as one dead. Presently the great street merged into the Court quay, a marvelous highway of rose granite, bordered on the one side by the palaces of the nobility, 011 the other by the frozen waters of the Maurice draws a long breath as he hurries from the car. 3 Colonel Hoffman was a New Yorker, a man of wealth, position and prominence, and in spite of the seductive attractions of the French capital be was congratulating himself on the completion of the business that had taken him abroad and the prospects of a speedy retnrn home. The boys felt bat little alarm or uneasiness. They were familiar with the strict system of espionage that prevails in Russia and naturally supposed that something was wrong with their passports.Colonel Hoffman rose to his feet in surprise. Mrs. Hammond in tnrn, well content with ber husband's love, cut off all connection with her native land. Her Russian property was couverted into American securities, and without a shadow of regret for the brilliance and magnificence she bad voluntarily abandoned she entered upon the quieter occupations of ber new life. This is his mother's native city—the lovely, delicate woman whom he remem bered so faintly. m tr "Do yon mean it?" he cried. "Can it be possible?" "We are lost, Phil," he said. "We shall never see America again. What fools we were ever to venture on Russian soil! I see it all—the perfidy of the man who calls himself my uncle. He never came to Moscow at all. That was Vladimir Saradoff we saw in St. Petersburg. Ivan was his accomplice, and together they formed this conspiracy.A tall man in heavy cloak and astrakhan cap suddenly confronts him. I van, sitting like a statue on the front seat, points out from time to time places of note—the Winter palace, where the cair lives ill regal state; the adjoining hermitage and the palaces of the grand dukes. Neva. "Be seated," added the Bassian, and the colonel obeyed. *'M. Hammond?" he says inquiringly in plain English. n That it was a very remarkable proceeding for the police to stop a train on the outskirts of Moscow never occurred to them. In Paris Colonel Hoffman was an atom, a mite; in New York bo was— somebody. For a moment or two Vladimir Saradoff surveyed his victim with an inscrutable expression. Maurice nC Is his head, not knowing whether to hold out his hand or not When be spoke again, bis voice was unnaturally harsh. Five years later she died, leaving the one child, Maurice, at that time 4 years of age. The next word reassures him, Now he inclines his haud across the He turned from the window and stJoiled softlv across the room. "The carriage waits," says the man, with a servile bow, and taking the boys' luggagi he motions them to follow him through the crowd. frozen Neva, Thus, in happy ignoranoe of their fate, worried only on Ivan's account, who they feared was ignorant of what bad happened, they rode on into the city, turning in and oat through dark, gloomy streets, antil a somber stone building was reached, feebly lighted by a bunch of gas jets over the portal. A faint smile hovered on his features as a huge mirror brought him face to fare with bis own reflection. "I will spare you," be said—"on one condition. In what light does young Hammond regard me—bis unole?" "The fortress," he says briefly, and with thrilling interest the bors gaze on the bastions and towers of that noted citadel where unhappy prisoners languish in their bombproof cells. Six years later Frederick Hammond followed bis wife, but in the meantime, imbittered by ber loss, he taught bis son to detest his Russian uncle, whose cruel treatment bad probably hastened his sister's death. "Ivan stole our cards, oar passports, every means of identification we had, and substituted false passports and the other things whioh were fonnd in oar bags. We are lost." Kot the slightest attention teas paid to their entreaties. In their character of political prisoners they have been treated with some slight consideration, to distinguish them from the coarser class of criminals, but all attempts to obtain audience with any officials, in hope of convincing them of the fearful mistake that has been made, have been fruitless. "Unfavorably, I am sorry to say," stammered the colonel, with an effort. "You must be aware"— A huge sleigh is waiting. The boys and their strange guide occupy the spacious seat and pull the rugs closely What ho Baw was a tall, liuely formed man. with a pleasing face, brcomiugly adorned with a light mustaclie and English Ride whiskers. The officer halted before the wondering Fur hours they drove through the streets, crossing and recrosaiog tho seven canals which appear in every direc- biijjx. "Yes," interrupted the Russian; "of course be believes that I treated his mother cruelly. His father taught him that There was a time when I would gladly have given 100,000 rubles to lay my bands on Frederick Hammond. From the day that Anna Saradoff left Russia with that vile, scheming American she ceased to be a sister of mine." around them cap emerged from the portal of a brilliantly lighted mansion. The rays from a lamppost close by showed Maurice a strangely familiar face. They were hurried across the sidewalk, through a gloomy hall, and ushered into a small apartment, where two severe looking men were writing at tables. A couple of windows, crossed by heavy iron bars, seemed to open on the Btreet. "But how can such a thing be?" exclaimed Phil in bewilderment. "Our innocence must be discovered. You can prove your relationship to Vladimir Saradoff." As the colonel turned again to the window a sharp rat-tat-tat echoed on the panels of the door, and a servant entered, with a card on a silver salver. Frederick Hammond had few intimate friends. To one of these, Colonel Hercules Hoffman, he intrusted the care of bis son and bis bou's fortune. The driver perched in front seizes the lilies, and presently they are gliding through the streets of St. Petersburg. tion A light fall of snow is coming down, and in the lamplight the houses, the people and the vehicles are seen as through a yellow fog. Turning back late in the afternoon, they entered through a massive archway the palace square. "Is not that my uncle," he exclaimed, "that man with the heavy coat?" Colonel Hoffman was at that time a man of honesty and integrity, bonest because as yet be bad not been tempted. That temptation came later in the form of tbe malachite box of jewels, and bow Colonel Hoffman resisted a base temptation we have already seen. "Yon know little about Russia," replied Maurice. "We are absolutely helpless, Phil. No one will listen to us or believe us. We shall not be permitted to write letters, and on the strength of that evidence we shall be condemned without a shadow of a trial. Vladimir Saradoff will cover up his tracks too well. For myself it matters little, but you, Phil—your father and mother, your sisters"— Here Maurice broke' down completely. Vladimir Saradoff's triumph is complete. The net is woven tightly about bis victims, and there is no escape from the living death to which he has consigned them. "A gentleman for monsieur; be waits below." A burst of music reached the boys' ears, and a scene of splendor opened befoie them. Ivan Tauibor turned quickly in the direction Maurice indicated, but the man had already vanished in the shad- Colonel Hoffman raised tbe card with bis thumb and forefinger and carelessly read the inscription, " Vladimir Saradoff, Nevskoi Prot-pekt, St, Petersburg." In the center of the room was a square pen surrounded by a railing, and as the boys entered this two gendarmes followed them in and began to search their clothing. With eyes flashing be waved bis hand, studded with diamonds, before the colonel'*countenance. Then his anger suddenlx passed off, and bia face assumed a crafty expression. it seems a cln-erlefis reception to the two young travelers. Not a word is spoken during the half hour's ride. The grim visaged man with the astrakhan cap between them. From the center of the square towered the shaft of red granite, the Alexander column, and at its bass the baud of the Imperial guard was playing airs fi«ini Offenbach. Mounted Cossacks were keeping back the iinpetuoas crowd. "His excellency is in Moscow," he said. "There may have been a resemblance, nothing more." ows. "Come on; they are going now," ,eaid Maurice, and as he spoke a commotion was visible among the exiles, and the commanding officer shouted: "Forward, now! Get on boardl" In groups of twos and threes the wretched prisoners filed down the platform past the armed guards, who stood 20 feet apart, and crossed the floating wharf to the barge. A dusky pallor passfd swiftly over bia ruddy features, and tbe card trembled in bis fingers. Maurice Hammond can be described in a few words. No part of their persons was neglected. Their handkerchiefs, pocketbooks, cardcases and watches were removed and placed on a large table, where their traveling bags were already lying. "M. Hoffman," be said abruptly, "do you know I have taken a fancy to that young nephew of mine? I did not forgive my sister, it is true, but I still think of ber tenderly, and perhaps this boy resembles ber. At all events, I He had inherited tbe ardent temperament of his mother, his father's intellect and good looks. Maurioe was readily satisfied with this explanation, hut an hour later, as he tossed sleeplessly on his bed, he wondered vaguely whether that could have been Vladimir Saradoff or not. "Show tbe gentleman up," he said briefly and then muttered under bis breath: "VladimirSaraduff of all men. What ill wind brings him here today:" At length the sleigh halts before a huge palatial building. Their guide leads them up a broad flight of stC ps, massive doors are flung open, n-vealing a soft light within, and they are ushered into a spacious apartment. Maurice has barely time to observe the rich furniture, the tapestries, the paintings and the rugs, when a tall, line lookiug gentleman in evening dress comes quickly forward. "There has been a review," said Ivan. "The troops are returning." At 19 he was tall, athletic, blond haired and ruddy cheeked. His life bad been passed at preparatory schools and colleges, while in the vacations be usually traveled, for Colonel Hoffman was unmarried, and, moreover, a coolness, fostered probably by instinct, existed between guardian and ward. He signaled to the driver, and as the sleigh drew up before the imposing facade of the admiralty the head of the line, a squad of the Imperial guard, reached the archway. Close behind at a sharp trot came the Asiatic troops— The gendarmes retired to a bench on the other side of the room, the officials at the table ceased writing, and presently the officer who had boarded the train entered by a private door and sat down at a large desk facing the boys. Phil bravely tried to comfort him, and presently he became more composed. Warned by approaching footsteps, be hastily comjiosed his features. The features were very like those of his uncle, he felt sure. They discussed their situation from every conceivable point of view, bat not a ray of light could be discovered. A moment later the door was thrown open, and Vladimir Saradoff appeared in person. Puzzling over this and various other incidents of his brief visit, he fell asleep. This vessel was about 100 feet long. At each extremity was built a deckhouse painted yellow, and the space between these was roofed over with timber and faced with heavy wire screens. In these pens the prisoners were placed. It was really so hopeless that Maurice, who possessed a fair knowledge of the Russian police system, dared not hold out any encouragement to his companion.The Russian was a typical representative of bis race. Ueorgians, Persians, Circassians and Mongols, armed with lauoes and steel maces, clad in long coats of mail. Tho boys were awakened early, and after a hasty breakfast, eaten by the light of huge bronze lamps, Ivan announced that the sleigh was waiting to convey them to the station. At bis request the boys banded him their passports.He took their passporte from his pocket, and glancing over them spoke a few words in Russian to the two assistants, who at once began to write. Huge of stature, yet graceful in every movement, bis patrician bearing and aristocratic features awoke Colonel Hoffman's deepest admiration. His hair was coal black, and his mustache and beard were trimmed and pointed in French fashion. When Colonel Hoffman returned from that trip abroad, Maurice was traveling in the west with hia intimate friend and college chum, Philip Danvers. "My dear nephew," he exclaims as be takes him by the hand. "Yes, your mother's face, her very features. But how did you endure the long journey? You must be terribly fatigued." Beneath the deck were dark, gloomy boles, with tiers of narrow bunks, where they were to sleep. Then followed compact bodies of infantry, Finland chasseais and the giants of the Paul regiment with massive copper hats, marching sharply to avoid the hordes of cavalry who -,v«re crowding at their heels, rid hussars, grena diers, lancers and swarms of Cossacks on their shaggy ponies. The most puzzling thing to him was his uncle's motive for such a crime. A gendarme stood by his side, banding him the various articles from time to time, which he subjected to a minute examination. The money and watches were laid to one side, and then he opened the cardcases. For several months Colonel Hoffman was the most wretched man in New York. He was ignorant of the terms of bis mother's will, or his quiok wits would have divined the truth. The boys sat down on the bare floor in one corner of the pen and watched for an hour or two the strange scone that was taking place before them. He extends a warm welcome to Phil, and presently Maurice concludes that he was utterly mistaken in Ins previous estimation of Vladimir tfaradutT. He refused to accept any money for the railway tickets. That diplomatic interview at the Hotel Uristol, which has been described word for word, possessed a sinister meaning that he oould not fail to interpret.On reflection, however, he remembered what a fierce hatred Vladimir Saradoff bad always borne his father, and allowing for the transfer of this enmity from father to son the solution of the mystery became more clear. A huge cloak, richly trimmed with fur, was thrown loosely over bis shoulders, and he held a cap of the same material in bis hand. He glanced sharply at the colonel under his gold eyeglass. "His excellency your uncle has given me instructions,'' he said quietly. ' Distress yourself about nothing." The prisoners, crowding up against the screen, were carrying on a brisk business with the peddlers and peasant women who bad come on board the barge with bread, cakes, salted cucumbers, strings of dried mushrooms and fish pies. They dined informally in a large apartment that was a marvel of luxury with its gilded decorations, and then Vladimir Saradoff led the way back to the library. They hastened ou toward their quarters, and as the last Cossack ambled through the arch a battery of artillery charged into the square from the other extremity. Maurice, who saw all that was going on, was amazed to see that they were empty. Cards, letters and various memoranda that they had possessed were missing. St Petersburg was silent as the grave when they drove away from Vladimir Saradoff'a mansion. "Colonel Hoffman of New York, I believe," he said in perfect English, and then the two gentlemen shook hands. He never dared admit to himself that his suspicions were correct, but constantly before his mental vision hung that clause in the forgiving Anna Hammond's will. "In case my son Maurice die unmarried, the estate shall revert to my brother, Vladimir Saradoff of St Petersburg." "What do yon suppose they will do with ns?" asked Phil. As the more central parts of tho city were reached some activity was noticed, and at the railway station all was hurry and excitement. But a still greater surprise was in store for him. "My dear Maurice," ho began abruptly, "an unfortunate thing has happened. Urgent business demands my presence in Moscow. I aui compelled to forego the pleasure of showing you our city in person. I shall start by an early train and will be absent two or three days. What I would suggest to you is this: Remain here tomorrow and look around St. Petersburg under Ivan's guidance. Ivan Tauibor is my trusted servant who met you at the train tonight. He has uhvavs accompanied mo and speaks good English. Then ou the following day be will escort you to Moscow, and there I shall devote myself to your pleasure. There is much to be seen at Moscow." Maurice watched tho approaching group with eager interest. They clattered past the Alexander column, the fiery black chargers curveting and prancing to the music of the baud, and as they drew near the arcii an officer, superbly uniformed and mounted, galloped into the square almost beside the sleigh where the boys sat. The officer opened the traveling bags and turned the contents upon the desk. The answer was already trembling on Maurice's lips, but he checked himself. "He will know the truth soon enough," he thought, so be replied evasively, "I don't know, Phil—perhaps a long confinement in some Russian fortress. " * ~^W The chaffing and buying kept ap briskly until a little past noon. The Russian tossed aside his coat and cap and took the chair that bis host handed him. "Sit down!" commanded the RutHan. would like to see bim. I would have him visit me. Now this is what 70a most do: Qive bim to understand that I am uot tbe savif:e be baa beeu taught to believe me. Tell him that yon have Been me, that I spoke tenderly of bis mother, of bia father, that I am lonely amid tbe grandeur of my Russian bome, and that 1 want him, for his mother's sake, to come to St. Petersburg. Do you understand?" "It is 14 hours to Moscow," said Ivan. "You will want sleeping apartments. Stay here while I get the tickets."He placed aside the various toilet implements, clothes, brushes, collars and other articles of apparel, until there rain ained before him a oollectiou of strange objects that neither Maurice nor Phil had ever seen before. Then a steamer backed up to the vessel, with a great blowing of whistles, and in a few moments the convict barge was speeding through the black current of the river on its lon« voyage to Tomsk. It was evident that Captain Sasba, the commandant of the Moscow prison, had received special instructions concerning the two boys. They were guarded more closely, it is true, than the common prisoners, but as yet they had not suffered the indignity of being chained, and they were supplied with reasonably good food. Colonel Hoffman seated himself opposite, and then ensued a brief, embarrassing silence. Tbe first ain ofttimea paves a smooth pathway for the second. In the brief period that he was gone Maurioe found time to examine the card given him the day before by the Russiau officer. He read it aloud, "Colonel Alexis Jaroslav, St. Petersburg." An attentive observer would have promptly concluded that tbe interview about to take place would be no friendly one. What was the welfare of his wifrd 00nipared to his own interests, his fortune, his position, bis reputation? The hours of that night seemed interminable. Sleep was out of the question, and the first gray glimmer of dawn that crept into the dreary cell through a narrow aperture, high upon the wall, fonnd the two boys wearily pacing the floor. The horse slipped 011 tho smooth trodden snow and plunged heavily to the ground, bearing his rider with him and pinning him firmly from the waist downward directly in the track of the rumbling cannons; These comprised a bunch of what resembled handbills printed in strange characters, half a dozen letters sealed and addressed and two or three books bound in yellow paper covers, the titles of which was unable to read. ForgettCg all prudence, he sprang to his feet. "This is a mistake," he exclaimed. "Those are not our things. Send for my uncle, Vladimir Saradoff. Ho can explain this"— The Busman's features were stern, and hia eyes were fixed on tbe American with an intensity of gaze that made Colonel Hoffman ill at ease. In January Maurice Hammond came east with his friend and himself proposed a six months' continental tour. "I'll put that away safely," bo said to his companion. "I may meet the colonel some day after our return from Moscow." Tbe two boys having finished college, what was more natural than that they should wish to see the world? He shuffled to and fro in his chair, glanced from one part of tbe room to the other, and at last in desperation drew out a cigar and, lighting it, began to smoke furiously. Vladimir Saradoff leaned forward on his chair and stared coolly in tbe face of tbe American. One loud t ry burst from tho startled spectators, and the artillery hone*, scared at the uproar, bore madly down on the helpleau officer, lost to all re- A fairly good breakfast was presently brought, which they barely tasted, and then appeared a gendarme officer and four men, who led the boys away. Little did Maurice think under what oircumstances ho and Colonel Jaroslav would next meet Moreover, although they did not kDow it themselves, they were being transported across Siberia with a rapidity that is seldom granted to Russian exiles. Instead of marching hundreds of miles on foot, they had journeyed entirely by rail and by water. With their fellow passengers they bad little or nothing to do. They were all low grade convicts—thieves, murderers, bandits—a fact which Maurice was not slow to recognize. Colonel Hoffman gladly acquiesced. With infinite finesse he pictured Uncle Vladimir as sorrowful, repentant, anxioos to see bis nephew for his sister's sake. Colonel Hoffman breathed hard and fast. The boys expressed themselves as delighted with this arrangement. h.raiiit. He had barely time to roplace the card in tho inner pocket of his vest when Ivan came hurrying back with the tickets, and in 20 minutes they were rattling over the frozen land toward the distant city of Moscow. Maurice begged for a brief interview with the commanding officer, hoping to convince bim of tbe truth, but the guards refused to listen and hurried them into the street, where a close carriage was waiting, hemmed about by mounted Cossacks. A faint smile flitted across Vladimir Saradoff's features. "Yes," said he, "I understand." And tbe double meaning of bis reply was obvious to tbe Russian. Their eyes met, each conscious that the innermost secret of bis soul stood revealed to the gaze of the other. "Meanwhile," continued their host, "you will find everything here arranged for your comfort Ivan will see that Maurice took in the situation at a glanei—the frightened people on the sidewalks, the mounted Cossacks before the sleigh, who seemed petritied with horror, and the rapidly advancing artillery.Before he could say more two gendarmes jerked him back on his chair, a forcible manner of enjoining silence which Maurice was not slow to understand."Pardon my intrusion," he said abruptly. "By mere chance I became aware of your presence in Paris and have thus spared myself the fatigue of a voyage across the Atlantic. I presume I am uot mistaken. You are the guardian of my—my nephew, Maurice Hammond, the son of my dead sister?" He cabled to St Petersburg. Three weeks later a letter came to Maurice Hammond, a warm invitation to visit the Russian capital before the approach of summer made it unpleasant.Tbe sleeping apartments were quite as comfortable as those 011 American railways, aiid tbe boys slept undisturbed uutil long past noon. Then they took tbeir places by the window, eager to see tbe country they were traveling through. The landscape was flat and monotonous, relieved at long intervals by straggling villages and occasional lonely dwellings. Thus the afternoon wore on, and tbe short day came to an end. The officer inspected these strange objects with a grave countenance. He continued dictating to tbe assistants. -Ktio wrote as rapidly as tneir bands oould travel over tbe paper. "Suppose I refuse?" remarked the oolonel finally. He sprang to the ground, and in three leaps reached the luckless officer's side. Grasping him under the arms, be pulled with all his might, once, twice, and as tbe jxirtly form yielded he sprang back with his burden from under the very hoofs of the snortiug horses and sunk down on the trampled snow. The heavy cannon passed within an inch of his feet, and then, with a sickening crunch, tho wheels rolled over the fall- Through the gray mist they had a hasty vision of countless domes and spires of marvelous colors and fantastio shapes. "Do so at your peril," said the other. "I will pursue you to the very limits of the law. I will hunt you to a felon's celL " The tempting prospects that the let ter held out proved irresistible. \\ \ th 1  j Hi In the past two months the boys had picked up a slight smattering of the Russian language and were now able to understand tbe commands of tbe soldiers and officers. Tbe two boys sailed from New York late in February and, contenting themselves with a brief stay in London and Paris, traveled by easy stages across the oontineut It was evident that the situation had now assumed a serious phase. The boys still believed that an error had been made somewhere. Mot a glimmer of the trnth entered their minds. Unable to speak a word of Russian, they were in a bad plight How coald they acquaint Vladimir Saradoff with their predicament? Maurice had fairly resolved to make another effort to speak when the officer signaled to the gendarmes, and the boys were led into another apartment furnished with a rude bed, two chairs and a small table. The heavy door was locked, and they were alone. Then the heavy curtains cut off the view, and the carriage rolled away. It stopped before a huge brick building, and tbe boys passed quickly through the gloomy portals. The gendarme offi oer preceded them with a stamped document in his band, which be delivered to a big, black bearded man in blue uniform, who came forward to receive him. Colonel Hoffman inclined his bead. "Where is the boy now?" asked tbe Russian. "Yes, I am." A period of silence followed. Colonel Hoffman row and walked to the window. Tbe Russian drew a cigarette case his pocket and began io smoke, confioent of his victory. Day after day the barge moved slowly on its course, first up the sluggish current of the river Tobol and then down the more impetuous waters of the Ob. "Traveling in the western states of America with a college mate." " When does be come of age?" "In a little more than two years. He will be 19 in December." Vladimir Saradoff leaued forward in bis cbair. Vladimir Saradoff, at tbe time this story opens, had reached the age of 45 rears. eii steed. Shortly after dark Ivan gave the boys their passports, which they placed in their pockets without examining. Fearful indeed must have been tbe oolonel's emotions as be stood looking The last member of an old and renowned Russian family, his brilliant birth, his political influence, and above all the favor of the czar, gave him a prestige at cCiurt and in St. Petersburg society that was surpassed by few. His education, acquired partly at home, partly in German universities, was lacking in nothing, and he possessed a fluent knowledge of English language and customs, the result of a diplomatic term of service at tbe Russian legation at London. In disposition be was crafty and revengeful. Eager hands lifted them to their feet, mid a shouting mob surged around on all sides. For hours at a time the boys gazed wearily on tbe ever changing landscape, the forest clad hills and mountains, the pretty villages with their golden spires, and the waving fields of grain, for Such was Siberian scenery at this season of tbe yea.. This vast continent is not always the barren, snow clad desert that many believe it to be perpetually. A few words passed between them, and then the boys were led away to a small, whitewashed cell, furnished with a single bed and a chair. A grated door opened on a laige corridor, which was constantly patrolled by armed sentries. vacantly down on the crowded boulevard. Bis crime had found him out. "I have bad them properly stamped," he exclaimed. "Thus you will have no delay at Moscow." "By my sister's will," he said slowly, "all her property was left to her husband, in trust for their only child Maurice. In case tbe boy died unmarried tbe whole of tbe property reverted to me. Am 1 rigbt?" Two alternatives confronted bim, each equally terrible at first contemplation.The officer, who was apparently uninjured, tore loose from tlie Cossacks, who were brushing his uniform, ami seizing Maurice in his arms implanted a kiss fairJy upon his lips, talking volubly all the while in Russian. He was a noble looking man, with a light wavy beard and mustache. X, M' "How near are we to the city?" ask- ed Maurice. On the one side was long imprisonment, with loss of fortune, position, reputation, everything. "Half aii hour's ride," wa* the reply, niid after piling the boys' baggage on a seat m front, of them Ivan entered a rear car. They were now in the great forwarding prison of Moscow, and tbe commandant, Captain Sasha, had just received the official documents that sealed their fate. Russian justice knows no delay. "This is dreadful," exclaimed Phil, throwing himself on the bed. "I wish we had never seen Russia.'' Among their fellow prisoners the boys had made one acquaintance, a middle aged Russian, who appeared to be of a higher class than his associates, though he possessed a cast of features by no means prepossessing. He had scraped acquaintance with Maurice by addressing bim in French, a language which the lad happened to have acquired at college, and in bis delight at finding some one from whom be could obtain information Maurice gladly overlooked all other considerations. "Yes, precisely right." On the other was absolute immunity from punishment, a continued enjoyment of biB ill gotten wealth without fear of detection, but to secure these benefits bo must consent to be tbe passive actor in a crime so dreadful that be dared not frame it in words, for Vladimir Saradoff's demand admitted no misconstruction. "Now," continued the Russian in soft tones, "on tbe death of Frederick Hammond ten years ago you were appointed guardian of tbe boy. May [ ask what is the extent of the property intrusted to your care?" "I can't speak Russiau," Anally stammered in despair. Maurice "It is difficult to believe that we are really approaching Moscow," said Maurice. "I feel quite reconciled already to leaving St. Petersburg." "Keep up your spirits," replied Maurice. "All will come right. My uncle will disoover where we are before the night is over." He seized paper and pen and begun to write. "Ha!" cried the officer joyously. "You are English. I speak your language too. That was a noble deed. These base cowards here were too alarmed to move. To whom do I owe my life?" And he thrust u card into Maurice's hands. During their two days' confinement here the boys attempted in vain to open communications with the commandant. His sister's marriage bad been a severe shock to his pride. nothing is neglected. And now I observe that you are weary and in need of rest. Pardon my thoughtlessness." "I've b(«n thinking about Napoleon and the terrible retreat of his army all the afternoon," said Phil. "I wonder if any traces still remain of the great fire?" Unable to sleep, the boys discussed their strange situation for an hour or more, expecting every moment to learn that Vladimir Saradoff had arrived. He was absent in the Caucasus at the time it occurred. When be returned, she had already left Russia, and the vengeance which he meditated on the daring American was beyond his reach. The events of the past 20 years—the death of his sister and her husband and tbe fortune left to their child—had only added fuel to tho flame of his wrath. Not tbe slightest attention was paid to their entreaties, and no one came near the cell except the guards. Behind the curling cigar smoke Colonel Hoffman paled visibly. He rang for a servant, and the boys were speedily ushered to another floor, where luxurious bedrooms, not unlike apartments they had seen at home, awaited them. The Russian watched him closely. "In rough figures," he said, with assumed carelessness, '' the estate would possibly amount to $300,000." Ten minutes passed in silence, and then Colonel Hoffman moved back to his chair. This wan their belief when at last the prison door was opened to admit the officer who had conducted the examination. But no such glad tidings awaited them. On the third day their clothes were stripped off, and they were given, in place of them, coarse linen shirts and tronsers, long gray overcoats with yellow, diamond shaped patches sewed between the shoulders, and visorless caps of the same material. At that moment a bareheaded man, wearing the garb of one of the palace servants, pushed forward and momentarily attracted the officer's attention. Suddenly the train slowed np and then stopped abruptly with a little jerk. Every spark of color had fled from his face, and in ita stead was only an ashen pallor. Vladimir Saradoff, alone in his library, paced the floor with an ill concealed expression of triumph on his features. Looking out of the window, the boys saw a stretch of trodden snow, and the feeble glow from a couple of lampposts shone on a little group of gendarme omcera, with white caps ornamented with crimson cockades, and half a dozen mounted Cossacks in the background, with their dull green uniforms. The Russian's name was Grodno, and he very freely confessed to Manrice tbafc his offense was smuggling contraband goods over the Russian border. " Vtry good," replied Vladimir Saradoff. "Your memory is uot bud. I have hero," be continued, palling a small notebook from his inner pocket, "a oopy of the inventory which yon filed an guardian. The estate consist* of negotiable bonds and stocks to the amount of $210,000, in Russian money 400,000 rabies. On the same instant a pair of strong arms were thrown about Maurice, and he was forcibly dragged through the crowd and lifted into the sleigh. The Russian seated himself on a chair and sharply surveyed his prisoners before he spoke. "I am at your mercy," he groaned. "I must consent to yonr infamous proposition. You still refuse to allow me to make restitution?" Today he bated Maurice Hammond as implacably as be had hated Frederick Hammond 20 years before. Attired in these cparse garments, tbey were conveyed in the dusk of the evening to the railway station, in company with a dozen other poor wretches, and placed in a huge, dreary car with narrow, grated windows and rough board seats. If be expected a like return of confidence, be was disappointed, for Maurice was clever enough to see that it would be unwise to make a confidant of such a man. Instead he allowed himself to pose as a political prisoner. However, in regard to that matter of which be was most anxious, he conld learn nothing. Grodno, disappointed perhaps to find that bis friend was neither a cutthroat nor a robber, disclaimed all knowledge of what was usually done with "politicals," as he rather scornfully termed them. The Russian possessed another friend At last, seating himself at a large ebony desk, he seized paper and pen and began to write rapidly. The first letter completed, he sealed and stamped it with colored wax and addressed it to "Count Paul Brosky, Minister of the Interior." Then he drew a card from his pocket which Maurice recognized as the one given to him by the man he had saved from death. Let us add one more fact Ivan Tambor—for it was he—shouted to the drivei, and before Maurice could recover breath to speak the sleigh had passed out of the square, and the horses were galloping swiftly through the crowded street "Absolutely," replied Vladimir Saradoff. "You know my terms. You know also what yoa are expected to da You will have no difficulty. Suggest to the lad that be take a continental tour before settling down. Let him start early in the spring and see that be comes to St Petersburg. You have my address. Keep me posted by cablegram. I will attend to the rest Vladimir Uaradoff had been all his life addicted to that especially Russian vice, gaining. "Why, this is not Moscow," exclaimed Maurice. "There are 110 houses in sight. Why have we stopped, and what is going on?" "Now, M. Hoffman," be added with • sadden change of voioe, "what did yoa do with I be malachite box of jew•1st""I speak your language," he said in badly accented English. "I may be able to mitigate your lot, if you are sensible. This card was found in yonr possession. We have reason to believe that u conspiracy exists against his highness Colonel Jaroslav. Your own case is hopeless. Any information you may give will help yourselves and will be used in secret." He was supposed to be wealthy. He owned a palace on the Nevskoi Prospekt, a country seat in the north. He at once resumed his writing, and on finishing a second letter, half an hour later, he sealed that in the same manner and addressed it to "Captain Sashu, Commandant of the Forwarding Prison, Moscow." As the train rattled off into the night Maurice turned to the burly Cossack at his side. Maurice turned to the Kussian. "What did you do that for?" he exclaimed indignantly. The other passengers in the car, half a doze,n in number, flocked curiously to the window. At that instant the door was thrown open, and a grave, stern faced man in heavy military cloak and cap strode in, followed by half a dozen gendarmes who carried drawn swords. Had a bombshell exploded in the apartment that instant it could not have produced a more startling effect apon Colonel Hoffman. His expenses were enormous, but his income was reported to be fabulous. The troth was not even suspected. Slowly, but surely, Vladimir Saradoff's wealth had been slipping away over the gaming tables. A crisis was at hand. He realised that he must acquire a large sum of money or lose all that he held most dear—bis prestige at court, bis position in society and his ancestral heritage. He concentrated his thoughts on two objects, the attainment of a long deferred vengeance and the acquisition of the badly needed wealth. "Where are we going?" he asked imploringly. "Won't you tell us?" The Russiau understood the gestures, if not the worda Ivan Tambor stared him full in the eyes, with an expression on his face that made Maurice shiver. "I intended sailing for America next week, but I saw your name in Ualignani, and thus spared myself tbe trouble. And now, M. Hoffman, I shall bid you 'an revoir.' It pleases me to have made your acquaintance. We shall meet again, and should you ever oome to St Petersburg yoa may be sure of a hearty welcome. " He pulled a bellcord, and Ivan Tambor speedily entered the room. Vladimir Saradoff handed him the letters. Trembling in every limb, be sank back in his chair. "It was necessary," he said briefly. "We should have been arrested. Private sleighs are not allowed in the square during a review." "Siberia," he replied gruffly, and the senteuce of their doom fell like a deathknell on the boys' ears. The pa-ssengers, divining only too well the causo of this interruption, withdrew in fear to their seats. The officer looked inquiringly at the boys, who were quite at a loss to know what to make of this strango speech. Continued on naise four. Tbe Russian looked on calmly. "Sit still," be added sharply as the colonel made a feeble effort to rise, "and don't attempt to deny yoar guilt It is useless. I am in possession of all tbe facts. I knew of the existence of those jewels and of my sister's intention to leave them to her son. I prooared a copy of your inventory on tbe death of Frederick Hammond. Tbe jewels were not included. Tbe rest was simple. Ten years ago yon wi# a man of moderate circumstances. Today, enriched by those stolen jewels, you are a man of wealth and renown. Relying on the fact that tbe boy knew nothing of tbem. you hoped to escape detection. " Colonel Hoffman rose and staggered to the table. "Deliver this one immediately," he said, designating the letter first, written. "Let the other go by the early mail. You understand everything, Ivan?" The officer halted before the wonder ing boys. "I don't understand you, "said Maurice. "I only know that a great mistake has been made, and with your permission I will try to explain." CHAPTER V. in tDo Glolto for  £ f RHEUMATISM J lt" ■ NEURALGIA and similar Complaints, I Ml and prepared under ttie etri11tr- i.t . ik GERMAN MEDICAL LAWS.^ by eminent pbysiciaua'^fl^B *t |a) dr. richter's (&m - p?" ANCHOR "*3fl fPAIN EXPELLERM , ■ World renowned! Remarkably successful! 1 all HOnlrgcnnlne with Trade Mark " Anchor.'•■ rce ■f'- 4d- BlchterACo.,215IVarlSt., \etr York. ■ 3a I 31 HIGHEST AWARDS. ♦he ■ 13 Branch Htmses. Own Gl&s-."orks. ■ v A: .DOe Endorw-d & rC" ' , mS Fairer & Pwk. ;MD Luzerne Avenue. W8 It. (', Glirk. all Noi-rl }' H Houek. 4 North Main Br Pitttston. Ph. in  *6 RICHTW8 I I •«ANCHOR" ftTOMACHAL W for I 1 A Stench fompj,!,,! I "I don't believe what he says," whispered Phil when the Russi: n't back was turned. "I mistrust that man. Maurice. You should have seen how savage ho looked when you dragged that officer out of danger. I wonder who he was?" THE BURNING BARGE. On the bank of the river Tnra, front of the gloomy palisades of i "Passports," he demanded sternly, and as they were handed to him he glanced them over briefly and thrust them into his pocket. Smiling pleasantly, tbe Russian flung bis coat over bis arm and picked up bis cap. "Yes, your excellency," replied the Russian. ' 'Nothing shall be forgotten." And saluting his master he left the apartment. The officer nodded, and straightway Maurice related everything that had happened to them from the moment they left Berlin, dwelling especially on his relationship to Vladimir SaradofT. great forwarding prison of Tinun At the vast frontier station of Wirballen, which they reached at midnight cold and hungry, the boys obtained tbeir first view of Russian life. Passports and baggage were overhauled, and then they were turned into tbe dreary waiting room with many other passengers.He nodded to the gendarmes behind him, who instantly seized the pile of baggage, and then he clapjDed Maurice and Phil on the shoulder in a manner that was unmistakable. tbere were grouped one morning . in the month of May a band of Rus&k exiles 400 or 500 in number. Slightly touching tbe colonel's cold, irresponsive hand, be bowed low in tbe doorway and was gone. "I have his card," whispered Maurice, "but I don't intend to risk taking itoutliere. Ivan don't know I have it." Overhead, in the soft, luxurious beds, the two boys slept calmly, little dreaming of their host's perfidy, unconscious of the fatal import of those two letters that were even now speeding to their respective destinations. A cordon of soldiers hemmed then on all sides, and close by a railed pi form zigzagged down tbe steep bank the water's edge, where lay a long, iv vessel with black hull and yellow deck work, a convict barge waiting to ~ As he proceeded in his narration the Russian's face expressed a strange mixture of incredulity and anger. It was evident that he did not believe one word that Maurice Mas saying. Ten days later tbe New York papers announced that Colonel Hercules Hoffman, tbe well known broker and financier, had returned from a short trip abroad. Little did Manrioe imagine when he acted on that resolve what au important bearing that deed was destined to have upon future events. "What do you want?" cried Maurice in bewilderment. "Is anything wrong with our passports? Where is Ivan? He con explain this blunder." There was little time for scrutiny or observation. In Russia deeds are possible that no other country on the globe would tolerate.The short winter day was nearly over wften they reached Vladimir Saradoff's mansion, and the dim, coppery sun was slanting on the gilded domes and crosses of the imperial city. "Stop," he exclaimed impatiently. "I have listened to enough lies. Yon refuse my offer. You will repent it when too late. You deny, then, that yoa are the Englishmen, Cummings and Burton, named in the passports; that you are the agents of the revolutionists in London; that you were bound to Moscow with nihilistic placards and books and letters addressed to dangerous and suspected persons. Our government is always alert. The minister of the interior had accurate knowledge of oeive its cargo. Tbe Russian train rattled into the station, and almost before they knew it tbeir pussports, properly stamped, had been pressed into tbeir hands, and the train was rattling noisily on into the night. But Ivan was nowhere to be seen. As the boys hesitated the officer gave an emphatic command in Russian, and instantly the gendarmes closed in on them and dragged them roughly from the car. Their baggage hud already preceded them. The wretched convicts represents sorts of types and contrasts—fit mountaineers from Circassia and Du ghestan, suubnrued Tartars from "Spare met" he whispered. "Spare met I will make resritntion, I will"— CHAPTER II. ACBOBS THE FRONTIER. On a certain March morning of the year following tbe events related in tbe preceding chapter two young Americans left tbe office of the Russian consul general at Berlin, and an boar later were speeding as fast as steam could carry tbem toward the distant frontier of tbe Russian empire. With his wealth, his standing at court, his influence with high officials, what could not Vladimir Saradoff accomplish if he willed? "Sit down," commanded the Russian. "I know all, even where tbe ■tones were disposed of, aud what became of tbe malachite box. Tbey were oid family jewels, and they netted yoa the sum of nearly 200,000 rubles. I posmtam all the wnnf« of vntir onilt " lower Volga, Turks from the Crime Dinner was served in solitary state, a fitting accompaniment to the magnificence which the boys had just witnessed. with their scarlet fezzes, and Je' from Podolia. Tbey were speeding over Russian soil now. Before tbem stretched the dominions of tbe czar, an empire that reached thousands and thousands of miles across Siberian wastes and deserts to tbe far- In the dark days of Ivan the Terrible no viler deed was ever conceived than this aristocratic Russian so coolly perpetrated that night. Reaching the ground, they had a brief view of a lonely, deserted street, two long rows of glimmering lampposts that dwindled to a point, and a r ' C"-**4"oq irifH Waiters attired in European full dress supplied them with curious Russian dishes, and all the while Ivan Tambor stood motion less in a corner of the room. A little apart from the rest stood t' youthful figures with haggard faces whom we "flud it difficult to recogi. Maurice Hammond and Philip Danven Partly by rail, partly by water, they