| Show w A 1906 SYNOPSIS frederick hardy a fashionable boston society clety man lost his wealth was jilted bo by a girl and sent ent by it friend to take charge of an american trading company tore store in Itu esla on ills his journey through japs tapan n it he a me met I 1 sa stapleton neville supposedly loosed an Ln lashman they agreed to KO together to the r to Itus u sla because ot of tius sus ic circumstances cr u t n ces they th ey were several everal s limes ro molested tiled by the japanese haray birdy was waa arrested and found upon hla his person were papers showing maps of 0 jap forts hardy was proven guiltless on a train ile h met alseme sano daughter of 0 it a jap merchant nt in Nevil nevilles lelm shoes jap found coures 1 of forts proving him to be a ra u aftan spy apy hardy departed tor for rua 81 la a on a steamer which was waa wrecked shortly afterward he was rescued by russian Ilu aslan steamer on rea reaching hing vladivostok lie he was well trea treated ted lie he started tor for siberia meeting princess Itoman ovna on the train hardy boarded a vessel tor for amur hardy showed the princess hla his eap exp as a rifle shot the the ate steamer 1 mer was w as stranded tho the princess and an d her beald ir aid were attacked b by chinese chine irardy hardy daved laved their lives the princes thanked hardy for lils hla heroism manchurians Manchur Manchu tann rians sired upon the craft hardy slow slaw their chief burning arrows were hurled upon the Push kins decks an attempt wits was made to board the vessel ve biel the attacking chinese were repulsed It omanoff sneered at hardys solicitude for or the princess fitzanka bt rika it a messenger sent bent for help was nailed to a cross on the shore to put an end to the awful torture hardy put stanka out of ills his misery ml ti ery taking his 1114 own life in III his him lianda hands dorest lore Bt tires fires menaced ilie vessel hardy volunteered to go o for help refused permission lie he lum 0 ped overboard and started to bilm with ith the princess distress message romanoff was waa angry at hardy blardy for hla his brave effar efforts I 1 a to rescue the princess ile ho wooed ahe hr r I 1 in n his own sav savage age way lie he said hardy ardy had mode made love openly to it a japanese girl help vaine came and the prin cers was rescued hardy journeyed on a raft arriving at his destination lie took chargo charge of the trading companas comp anys business tardy hardy received a letter front from a social leader in boston and another from alseme hardy tool took lessons in Ittis of a jew thus conn connecting eting himself in a way with that mot race hardy received a letter from the lie princess thanking thank lne him for his bravery hardys teacher was in ill aangier of death lie he employed wang as it a servant hardy went to tn moscow where lie was invited to call upon the princess jie ha started for the palace home of prin cess Itoman ovna hardy aroused unaccountable fount ablo Jett jealousy lousy of tits tila korean bo boy earl b by announcing that lie ho wits was going to call on the princess lie he enraged engaged a cabman who above blin III in to it a large house on oil a doorly poorly lighted street after entering the house ouse tardy hardy discovered that it was waa a resort of who supposed he wits was huhn come coma to tell or of it a powerful explosive Ios lve lie hart had discovered the real hulln arrived abl denounced hardy as an all impostor 0 B ter nihilisms nihilists lists determined determine to kill hardy tr rily in III order to protect themselves liIn ding an unloaded unload pil revolver tit in tits his overcoat pocket lie ho pointed it at hullan bomb which lay on tho the table rod and swore 0 to o blow them all up together it if they touched hini him 11 holding the nihilists nihilisms lists at liay bay hardy started to leave the room when the police were heard at the outer loor door laulin threw his bomb killing sv s v eral policemen the antl nihilisms nihilists i lists lied fled anil and ila ruch the jew appeared and led hardy to tin the cellar baruch conducted hardy through an underground passage to another house li olise from which lie boldly hold y emerged and returned n to lils lila cotol tardy hardy visited tho the princess contributed to tho the fund for the relief of the victims of the tha nihilisms nihilists lists ile he gave more than It omanoff ind tho the latter entering the room openly insulted him It llo manolt omanoff struck lardy hardy who MITI him to a duel the Rus elsin accept etl preparations for lie he duel were mude made i CHAPTER continued romanoff was handsome as a god brave masterful impetuous ot of high birth the sort of roan man it seemed to hardy to to a woman like tho princess prince sg and I 1 ho laughed bitterly am a merchant hero here in her autocratic and aristocratic russia a merchant who owes her sufferance of me to the fact that I 1 can shoot straight no ho said nothing that night to wang of tile impending duel but the boy deemed aware that some danger threatened his master or that the latter at was gravely troubled about something although told several times kindly to go to bed lie he returned return od as aa often anil and hovered about hardy ill indeed wang responded to hardys mood with that delicacy of under standing seen a its master or a woman for the man mail ehe loves well wang said hardy at last you may sit alt up all night if you choose but 1 I for one am going to get some sleep good night and lie he retired to his own room he began to undress slowly and standing for long minutes motionless in the middle of the poor floor or dropping into a chair in deep thought as aa though lie he were confronted by some weighty problem that ile he could not solve ile he turned off the light at lust last and crept into bed but he was destined to be again disturbed by wing wang who ha tapped timidly at the T that hat boy boi is becoming amil sance he be muttered there Is such a thing as too much devotion well wang lie shouted sharply if you please called wang hero here Is a note for you hardy arose went to tho door and an took a letter from the boys hand walt alt lie ho till I 1 see it 11 there Is an answer 1 ile ho tore open the envelope and read chiy I 1 hn have just 1 icci tuat the duel la is to take place in the morning anil that pi pistols fire are the deap rs r c arn on you know that I 1 rave gave my consent to this deplorable plo rable affair because you n asked me in terms that left me no choice I 1 am going pov now to beg something ot of you it la is that you spare my headstrong hend and violent cousins life lie ho wronged you outrageously I 1 know nod in the name ot of the It Homan omanoff oft far martilly tilly I 1 humbly ICK beg your par ion don for that wrong but should you kill bim himond and your wonderful skill places hla his lire life entirely in your hands 1 I feet feel that his blood to Is on oil my head will you not grant aa a distracted womans comans prayer and spare his life wound him it if you will but oh alt do not kill himl hy by granting this oili request yott will place under still deeper obligations one who already owes you niora more tann she sha can ever hope bope to repay ELIZA BETITA As he read hardy turned pale to the pus HUB pe he tore tora the note in small bits and dropped thorn them into a waste paper basket Is there any answer dear master called the voice of wang through the door no replied hardy there la Is no answer CHAPTER the duel frederick courtland hardy slept poorly that night the typical hero of romance when about to fight a duel at break of day goes to bed and sleeps more soundly than ever before in his life this deep slumber proves his iron nerve more incontestably than any amount of swashbuckling swash buckling bravado or any number of great oaths could do but we are not dealing with a typical hero of romance hardy as ho he tossed about for hours on tho the bed felt genuine disgust at himself that lie was unable to go to sleep ile he experienced no fear and lie he had a feeling that it was irregular for a gentleman to lie awake under such circumstances about midnight it occurred to him that it might be a good thing to make inake Z oo 00 e he wrote with a lead pencil for wang his will such a document already existed but lie h now arose and putting ou oil dressing gown gov n ond ind slippers went out ont into the office fighting the gas gaa he wrote as follows moscow january 7 1934 1914 of sound mind and in po posio 4 s islon s lon its a t ill nil all my n faculties I 1 write this ia ft e col od jelt to t illy will all now nov in the keeping of 0 adrew mackey esl nt at law luciw baillon Bo ilLon I 1 hereby lieal mill and ami boque nth till ill dinv inv y beatly money depositor deposit od in the russo kit 1 ivsky bank hilik tit nt m 1 tun 0 t 1 I 1 1 ting to soni ething over ro roU libles blea t to 0 i my n y faithful wry anni and T heartily lier commend thin the said wang to the alio favorable notte notice of nt derick emery president of ow american Anier liin in sl berla the lioy boy Is faithful ho li oneat test and pc PCs ases it degree of busness utility ability quite as ton shing in ono one so young COURTLAND HARDY this he folded and put in an envelope on oil which lie he wrote with a lead pencil for wang tossing the envelope on a tit anlo ble in his sleeping lie ho went back to bed and tit lit last sue suc ceedee in getting betting to sleep ile he was awakened by pounding upon hla his door and IC get et up my lily friend get ill p I 1 we shall bo be lato foe the rendezvous hardy flardy dressed hurriedly and went out to his second who was walling waiting in ill the office the lieutenants sledge bledso and beautiful team of glib reds was waiting at the curb jump in pray he said and lets be olt off and we talk ot of happening there la Is nothing going to happen except that you will shoot a great rascal and bully through the heart hear and we shall como come back to a hearty breakfast having done a good mornings work with very little waste haste of time had now fixed on ro ma manofla heart as aa thia tha moat pleasing receptacle for hardys bullet the cac hinan cracked hla his loi whip and the high strung nervous steeds gave a great bound and went scurrying through tho the early streets of the muscovite capital in halt an hour they had reached their destination a thick wood on the banks banka of the hardys other second was already on the spot with a surgeon a fat little man wrapped thick in furs who walked briskly to and fro in the snow carrying a case of instruments you are in good time gentlemen cried Gort chakov consulting hla his watch there are still ten mi minutes I 1 it I 1 te a to spare 1 I think I 1 hear sleigh bells now said tho the surgeon 1 I hope it is ilo anoff rn roan oft so that I 1 can get back to my warm bed what the devil people want to come out in such weather as this Is more inore than I 1 can understand let them shoot each other and be damned if they want to but not at this hour and in such weather we shall try to be expeditious said hardy cheerfully and in the meantime I 1 beg pardon for my share in the inconvenience to which we are putting you youre right about the sleigh bells liere here are our friends now through a vista between the leafless trees a sledge could be seen approach ing drawn by three horses running like mud mad the driver rose to hla his feet and settled back on the seat bringing them to a i rearing earing pawing sudden halt the details were soon boon arranged and the ground measured off hardy did not pay tiny any attention to these preliminaries limin aries but walked briskly backward and forward to keep ills his feet warm glancing occasionally at romanoff who stood leaning against a tree hla his lianda hand in his ulster pockets an all insolent careless smile on his handsome face lie ile certainly was a splendid specimen of manhood thought the american and it if lie he felt the least tremor of fear tw lie knew how to disguise it did it seem at all unlikely that a high highbred bred aristocratic woman the daughter of a hundred warriors should have fallen in love with it a man like that it la Is time now my friend said Gort chakov coming coining up to hardy 1 I must trouble trout e you to remove your coat hut but you will not catch cold for it will only take you a minute ini nute upon lipon my word I 1 admire your nerve you ought to have been a russian you will shoot him blin tit at the word three hardy removed his ulster and faced lila his opponent A long dueling pistol of excellent make and perfect precision was waa placed in his hand are you ready gentlemen asked Nou kolnik 1 I will count three slowly you wil raise your weapons and take aim when I 1 continence commence and will fire at the word three As aa these thesa words hords were being uttered utter eil hardy fixed his eyeglasses eye glasses more nor firmly on his bis nose tho the while he ii examined e the distance dla tanca and the person of his antagonist with a cool practiced glance Kou kolnik began Ode ent the two weapons were raised and pointed deahl it could not be seen that the hand of 0 either man trembled in the slightest tra I 1 two shots r rang ing out almost bikul simultaneously neither man fell hell and fur furies leal cried Roi romanoff throwing his pistol to the earth 1 I have missed him this weapon Is utterly worthless I 1 demand another shot very well replied hardy quietly but if we shoot again I 1 shoot to kill I 1 beg that you will inform hla his highness of nf my intentions nt at the same time conveying to him the assurance of my most distinguished consideration you have missed whispered gort chakov th petulantly why did you do this youre as cool this minute as I 1 am are you sure you have not wounded him my principal demands another shot said Kau kolnik advancing lie ile presents his compliments to mr hardy and suggests that he has not done justice to his great reputation for skill perhaps he will get better control of his nerves now that lie he has escaped danger once and hta his hand will not tremble as much as it evidently has done this time tell the prince for me that it we shoot again I 1 shall do myself the honor tir of lodging a ball exactly midway between his eyes started for the prince with the message ile he had not traversed over half the distance I 1 ahen when hardy said op f 1 I am faint lieutenant let me lean on you for a moment my god you are wounded cried Gort chakov putting his arm about the americans waist and indeed a dark stain rapidly spreading dyed his waistcoat and shirt shirtfront front 1 11 I 1 I am slightly wounded gasped hardy and fainted away the matter there with our asked romanoff romano ll 11 in a voice that made no attempt to conceal a sneer ile he seems to be slightly weary I 1 thought I 1 must have lilt him how flow Is it surgeon have I 1 done his business for him ile he Is seriously wounded I 1 fear replied the surgeon burgeon got hla his coit coat about him here lift him into the sledge let me get gat in with you now mow drive r like mad drive I 1 bayl CHAPTER the gold cuff sutton button by the surgeons orders drove directly to a hospital where hardy was laid upon a bed and his wound lo 10 na examined and dressed the frinces jr princes inces bullet had passed through the gesh beneath the shoulder making a clean perforation a painful but not a dangerous danger oua wound hardy re in n the sledge and to gurt cort dikova Ai kova demand v by he had bad shot so ito badly made no reply other than the best intentioned bullets some times go astray I 1 turn him over to you lieutenant I 1 have not deprived you 0 of f th the e pleasure of killing him yourself his coat and shirt were cut away from his chest at the hospital and a young grub of an intern assisted the surgeon in washing the wound and passing a silk handkerchief through it an operation that caused the patient to bite his nether lip till it bled |
