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Show I IThe Edge of Hazakb I L BY GEORGE HORTON Copyrighted, 1806, by Tk Bobb-Mrrill Companjr. vatlon or suffering could tk- the brave light of laughter from her eves. "I had hoped." said Hardy, sadly, "that you people would no longer regard me quite In the light of a foreigner. As far. ' at least, as the people on the boat are I concerned. I have tried to earn the right I to be counted one of you. If I have done anything to merit your own regard, per-' per-' sonally. I ask you. as an especial favor. : to prepare this dispatch for me and let ' me he off! I tell you again, that I ehalf 1 certainly go. with or without it If you 1 tefuse. I shall on the Instant .lump jnto the river, and start on my Journey." j ' I beg of you not to put it that way.'' , replied the Princess. "If vou put It In I that way. you know I rannoi refuse I hope the occasion mav arise some day I that will allow me in some wav to show 1 in a befitting manner my great and last-1 last-1 ing gratitude to you p.1,1 now ou are taking nn unfair advantage. You are seeking to place me undei still greater obligations to you." "I ask for no gratitude tepiled Hardv. "I am simply seeking a favor, an accommodation accom-modation from you I am begging vou to write a few lines for me Does your Highness High-ness sti'l refuse Well. then, good-bve. and God be with vou' If we do not meet aealn. I bee you son eMn .s to think of in" as one who. who good-hve' He laid one hand on the ra'l. but she extended her arm and detained him. "Stav. she whlspeied. "I will write the dispatch for vou She went to her cabin and Hardv made his few hurried preparations for departure, depart-ure, which consisted simply In swallowing a few mouthfu s "f zakouska. in Ailing bis flask with vodka, and in slipping into l is po ket a fla- bottle, empty but MghMv corked When he returned to the deck he found the prim ess waring fi Mm. with the dispatch ready. Hardv wound It into a light cylinder and poked n into the bottle, which he corked and put into his pocket "Thank you." he said simply to ihe Prlnr ess She extended her hand, and he took t. holding It. bu' afraid to look into her eves It was an honest band lhai held his own In a s'mng. warm pressure. "I shall pray for your safet she murmured, "all the time till I see hi hear from vou again." He raised the hand to his l'ps. then climbed lightly over the rail and d'opped Into the rver The wa'er readied r-ar'.v to his armpits at this p'a e He ,!d ivi look hack, but throwing himself , .n 1 is face, swam with easy s'rokes. the wift current sweeping him rnpldlv dowtwa: I Soon his knees touched the S"ft sand aud he was able to walk for some d'.stam e He had no' gone far ere he . ame ..n a stranded and abandoned raft. and he rolled a piece of timher from This whi i: . he guided to the deep 1 iirret;' He was glad to lie down again ind fl 'at upon this bit of woo, 'e fir.g the wa'er 1 o ei h's I body, for he was orr ir.g ' a nartow.-i par of the stream and the alt was (.To He 1 oTitiru.e i 1 CHAPTER XXIII. A Perilous Mission. During all this time the forest fires re increasing In intensity and Fpread-n Fpread-n with gTeat rapidity. The trees were filled with a fog of smoke, that, drifting Over and across the river. legan to oh-c-urj the prospect. The vagrant and "ejjerted moon, a gamboge patch In an sh-gray ekv. looked sadly down through the acrid mist. Vividly red and narrow lanes of flame ran Elgzag to the waters edge, like treama ot Are Monster designs were worked out on the hillsides in fire not. bly an immense heart, and. in places where the vegetation was sparse, the lope were ppotte.i with tinv Jets of flame. From time to time mighty pines, either already dead, or else dried in the intense heat. flared he.: yen ward like great torches. The wind increased, ho! as a aimoon. and. as the afternoon wore away, sporadic burning patches began 10 appear ap-pear on the other, or Manchurlan. bank of the river The cruciflx. with the dead Cossack upon It. was blof ed out In smoke and it was a comfort to know that those gray clouds concealed in their bosom no hide-o'js hide-o'js burden of suffering There was a continuous flight of birds across the stream, whirring partridges, ouzel, plover, plo-ver, and once a bear lumbered past the v boat, at which it blinked with FmarMnir 1 eye, curious but unafraid. ) The heat on the boat, there m the mld- die of the stream, was becoming most un-I un-I comfortable, and the fear arose that it J might, when the forests should be blazing I on both aides of the river, grow so great I as to be unbearable, a flaming ember. ' passing high overhead, revealed the manner man-ner tn which the flames were being car ried across to the Chinese side. A Mil there caught Are in a dozen places, that appeared, on such large canvas, like little red patches, which burned In Isolation Iso-lation for a while, but were soon wiped Out In one continuous sheet of flame The sound of falling trees . ould be plainly heard. At noon the smoke was a fleece and she sun was like a mbop. a hron-.c -orange moon impossible pasted on a leaden, fullginlous sky. The fires spread op the Manchuria:! aide with amazing rapidity, they be anie a general conflagration k' mid-afternoon the heat on the JJ-Wkln was almost intolerable anl the 0 jrmfort caused to the eyes from the sidkdftlng smoke was great, vet there was no lorvger any fear that those on bor.rd would suffocate or. perish from the Intensity In-tensity of the heat. Matters were undoubtedly un-doubtedly at their worst, and it was possible pos-sible to live, to breathe. On' there In the middle of the river there was no danger of the boat itself catching fire, and the wind. which was lomlng straight down the stream brought coolness cool-ness and life with it from the wide Siberian Si-berian plains. And now a wonderful thing happened: a vast cloud of butterflies of endless variety va-riety floated, drifted, fluttered by in the wan haze. Butterflies big and little, and of all imaginable im-aginable graceful shapes were there, linv yellow butterflies and giant yellow oto. butterflies black or purple as el. -. bu'-terflies bu'-terflies striped like the tiger, rayed like brilliant fans, eyed like Argus, o; spofed like ocelots. For an hour they drifted. fl)ted and flitted by. as tlougli a '. the endless varieties of flowers In Siueri i And Manchuria were perishing Its lire and their souls were taking flig:.'. The sun was u las' I'her entire '. rb-fpurwl. rb-fpurwl. or els.- looked sadly and di"il'. down on the s ene. a terra c . dwk. Mat and thin And wh'ie t"e r-i' lerrties I were golnif b . the p-i". i o- maw I feet was neard 111 the sr. vr, and 1 a pack of wolves, the ...lot of -he smok" . I emerged from 'he g:iv h.iz- a-.d 'r"'!f I , paM the pu.'hkif.. fwir ha ks ar '.H, their btishv tai's bet wee- their g. S cue did not fi''ii so :nii- h glai. ' ' , I, . 1 ,,. !m' ..:.er. witp. urvit.g ! ! ai.d red eve-, '.oked up ..: '.1 I.,. i. i ; not stop 1:1 f eir outs- Wi.ec, v i cane to .l.-.p wa'e- ir.ee Oun :iei . e'e fear e-t- . .nd wam. 'ig' ' .ork Thos. ..-I f .- Pushkin k- w i ,en nufl 1 on.- tc. - gr..wi: g . ildness of f.e tf Who... a. r- .- j It 1 .levas'at ion guamel fl.to.jgn ' ' . b.izc wiiiie 'he ci-l.' pit '' ' I fl,,:e. up b'f :i'c! there. . ...1 t- .--en ill great dis'.i:!. s .s Hardv s'o-l w.c :'.g ' " - ' , if nigh', t '".e I'nn.o'. .in ..p t" ' ":i I a.-.d said ! "We hae -.nt'iire " fca' !"" inese. I fa::- . T'.c e,,,s .h:,- f . awav. Tney n. .s- u. k we ... .- .l--a.i "It is ii..' pro.'...;. f t :'" H''t'd'- , "but 1 fear 'la' " wi" be - " -inch. for- WO .-!-;! '- 00.. io lake ' ; ''JfHPj -he milr.if sf.' o.) he ow sa'd ' flft't nces. ."e a ' ' L- r 1 r --Hsng wifti ' ' " ' " ' I : p -1e for a boa- of ai: .w !' !- g. ' down i " ' 1 ' .::' .lis::.. . e b.t. The General o.-k-l ':. :-. u heir 11 urn "" '' u ' ' ' "' ' " ' " ' '.' ' carrv a disr.a'. :i to ' 1 sf !"!. 1 :' 1 ashamed I" say " 1 1 - t: ponded Tic .. . d- ' "e.i 1 nreadful fa'e of r - -' - ' "I will go' . i H f !' " - ' f , 1 o i.i n e i:. 1 " h ' ' 1 re middle of f.e -,.-- ' 1 . I'll- 1M-1 the fires, elf ei w a : ; e - w "t ' o ' ' -flown the swift . uuen- V e toe, . or extend more than a " . : . he river, a distance pa-.ei .o . and men I will tak- t.-. - ' .j am a foreigner and. ' .p'ur-t. s . not he in great d.-a-: . .. Lu-.an It is not a dlfTb i:!- under . ; 1 am hUre I shall Bet ti.roum But It Is no; right '' .. . Ho this for us." sne ob.ie ' ! v :. fi" c.nlv foreigner hi b..ar.. M -. wouXl " ' fT u ' raslng like i. k ' "" Si" 1 had hoped ...a' .'.., earn tould vo.unt.-er b, ' be does .. . H; will he disgra. ed aiid uls . : f-?wv f-?wv fr-m hl. If reel ,.- .. will attemp' ii bu- 1. . ' ei swim. e ' ould : ai' . H" -. 8 Tswlm like a ns' . in-.s-.-i ' .- lean "cPfl I '" ' 1 1 ran There is t.. -1-r " " ,'.. The liar, 1 um.ii.. .-.v. ",' " " , retreaf-d Inland, aou a ' " ' IVv through them r. 'tH'k . ;.' HtinkR weni me .... . u - . . risht in his ..uts-rH)s ..uts-rH)s enthusinsi.i was ho rrlneess smiled "A bra o man. s' . am." .ner even when n . i.---' .Will von please al. r,r a dispatch f". n.. I e n- l,a 1 I K Hoes I. cnns-i'. I - o I s'ari down r-f. rkir with'...' i' ..t.d trv f. nu.k- rrrn a' rCrVue this course, thai 1 am mfle m ..). I . , rnWlv. I ask oc as .. fay-, to represent rep-resent the matte, to f,e ..emu ,, f"i Vow Is the time to go, 1 e added e..ge. V "Mr we shall s..n 1 r "i f l and besides, when the !,res subside n.. Mai.-rhurlane Mai.-rhurlane will return." The PrlncebS left him wlthoip a word butAeturn-d ten minutes later, smillm: sadK nd shaking hr head 'i.""as I thought. ' she said ' T..-r-nV j refuses. He savs it would be an itftif disgrace ' ,h'' Russian arms If a foreigner hould undertake ilus thing, lie making one more arpeal to the men He Is railing them sheep. .Japanese, pol- 'he' voire "f the old soldier . .... LI b-fceard b-fceard at the other end of the i...at. n..w sorrowful, now navage He la, now railing them wom-n and tere the prinress smiled again, aud Hai r potlced thi no amount of danger, prl- |