| Show UNTO DEATH the list of our party bound upon a jour ney of pleasure had joined us at cannes and in the fashion of all idle sightseers v v ho know each other intimately were laughing laug hind and jesting merrily together suddenly as we passed Tax carascon tarascon Ta rascon some one announced that it was here tho the assassinations had bad taken place and began to speak of the mysterious insatiable murderer who from time to wits time in tho the past few years had bad harassed the life of the traveler every ono one had bad sti suggestions ge eions to make and advice to give until at last the women of the party cerii acro in a state of hysterical nervousness that bade fair to end in it a retreat every shadow that crossed the paries panes to their excited imaginations i was as a robber demanding life or gold nonsense said the doctor a celebrated specialist in pulmonary disorders and the ono one who vrho had bad boon been the latest to tall fall into ranks stop talking of the frightful give mo die a chance and I 1 will relate to you ii a history the end of which was the ause cause of 0 my delay in joining you it itis is not only exciting thrilling an adventure on antho alio railroad in other ether words but sad enough to bring tears from the eyes of the boldest physicians are brought in contact ha be continued musingly with almost daily tragedies arid and dramas yet if it were riot not that my client died recently the one Y w horn bout this mysterious and affecting story etory concerns con cerS 1 I should be compelled to still seal real my illy lips and with the air of fi a professional raconteur the doctor settled himself comfortably upon the cushions and began she sh was a russian this marie maria baranow a frando daine damkot of tho the czar inas suite and a woman of the tha most ethereal and exquisite beauty and you know how beautiful the russian women are with their delicately chiseled nostrils their scarlet lips and alluring eyes neither blue nor gray they are cold perhaps but nevertheless wonderfully attractive in their tranquil grace gr co to a frenchman the ph aicia u of me lie court also her own physician from the days of her childhood seem seeing her menaced by a malady of the chest had bad insisted that she should quit russia forever and permanently reside in the south of france but mine baranow biad obstinately refused it was only at the beginning of last autumn that finding the ca case G hopeless the doctors appealed to the husband who ordered his wife to leave at once for mentone hopeless of everything she obeyed and took the train alone for france the people ot of her suite going in ill another compartment leaning in it me corner carriage sorrowfully contemplating the passing country feeling bet heiselt self isolated if not abandoned in the hour of her sore affliction childless motherless and with a husband whose prof legacies liga cies were open secrets w n hoso hose love was dead and who bad thrust her to the tha ends of the world to die as ho be would have sent bent a valet to tho the ward of the hospital truly her lot ot was a sad one ilat at every station is where here the train slackened speed her servant ivan an old domestic blindly devoted to the service of his mastres inis tres and ready to give up his bis life tt if she demanded it came to inquire if there was aught be could do tor for her comfort the hours rolled on night came at last but nervous and excited by the rapidity with which they were traveling the contesse com coni tesse found herself unable to sleep to td read or to do anything lik is tact fact but nurse the wretchedness growing to in her ber heart suddenly she remembered that she had forgot to count the money which her husband bad given her in french gold at the moment of her ber departure sho she would do it now and opening her little she die emptied upon her ber knees a wave ol of shining metal in order to arrange it all at once a current of hir air blew upon her forehead and as she lifted her head bead sho she saw that the door was opening distracted with aith terror tho the commesso com coni tesso had only time enough to throw a shawl across the gold in lier her lap as tho the figure of a man appeared at the opening bareheaded panting tor for breath clad only in evening dress and with blood streaming from troma a gash in ill the hand swinging himself into the carrinne car rinse ringe arid and re closing the door as he be entered this frightful apparition seated himself opposite his terror stricken neighbor and began to arap wrap his bis handkerchief about his bleeding land hand lie ile had seen her thought the comte contesse com tesse undoubtedly this rn mini 1 had bad seen been her ber emptying tho the gold into her lap and had come to rob perhaps to kellher kill kil lher her he was watching her now intently breathlessly ready to bound upon her at the slightest movement Ma SI adamo damo 1 said he at lost last in a deep and musical voice you tremble b but I 1 ll 11 t have no fear I 1 am not here to trouble you but the contesso com tesso tesse did not respond she was incapable of it absolutely incapable of even opening her lips and her heart beat in her ears like thunder 1 I am riot not a malefactor lo ho wept on oni 1 I shall do bothi nothing fig to harm you on the contrary but mine lime bajanows Bara strength was IV s gone her teeth chattered in her head her knees convulsively knocked together and the gold which she had entirely forgotten rolled in all directions the man astonished bent to pick it up but the tha misunderstood and with a cry of affright darted to the ilia door to fling herself upon the track her neighbor caught her in time lime however arid and forced her listen tome madame ma damel 11 he cried listen to me I 1 entreat I 1 avi am not a malefactor as you seem to suppose I 1 am only nu all unfortunate gentleman a lost loftt nay more a dead man it if I 1 fail nil to pass the frontier 1 I have no need of your money and stooped to secure it tor for you all 1 ask of 0 you is ald aid aid to cross the boundaries ot of this terrible land I 1 cannot tell you more not now at least jn an aa hour 0 e shall bo be at the last russian station it if you do riot not assist me ma I 1 am lost in tho the meantime I 1 swear to you tb tbt pt I 1 have neither robbed iduas nor done anything else patillo pati lilo with boiler I 1 1 may tell ell yo vo i lint but at as presen present tito no more I 1 and going down upon ilia his knees hives again lia he began to gather u I 1 the money entlich hall hail esac beneath the 1 lie ru and benches and when the big bag was full asnin again laid it ic upon the lap of its owner and si ci leutty cleudy 1 esuf fled I 1 ih da beat they I no more neit tier tho one hor b bo 0 other and by degrees composure returned to tho the countess and li h equally motionless erect it in liis his corner pale ns as death and evidently I 1 y suffel it ing the wound round in his baud band sat rat io idaa a ii digwo tiro of 0 stone levei llie less it was impossible for mine baranow Ba to avo avoid id seeing ta alint int bo be was astery very hairl some richly dressed a gentleman as lie had bad said in iii tho the hood of ZO SO or 35 years of ege ahe train running through the darkness threw to the night its piercing calls relaxing its speed ti ft om oin time to time only to resume it more ore quickly suddenly it slackened its pace and drow drew into a station st and ivan appeared is as usual sual a to receive orders once more the coni tesso regarded her strange companion then addressed herself to her servitor ivan l said she chein ehein in it 11 derided decided voice you axe are going to return immediately to the comte it at st petersburg Sto me ma no nc questions but do roy my biddi bidding ngn 66 4 ind and I 1 am to go c at micol ep mid eaid tle IL old man mail humbly yes at once I 1 wish you oi to remain la in russia there is dagold gold for your journey but bat before you start leave with me your bonnet and mantle bewildered but trained to the sudden v nill ill the irresistible ca prices of the mistress the servant obeyed arid and withdrew but with tears in b his is eyes out of the station into the night again agai u tile the contesse com tesse handed banded tile the garments to her bar companion with a brief direction to don them quickly 46 they are yours she said as she gave them to him for henceforth you are my domestic ivan I 1 attach but one condition to what I 1 am doing for you you roust must never address me a word here or hereafter riot not a word if you please either to thank or explain before long they stopped again and this time it was at the frontier mme ame baranow extended to the officials her traveling papers pointed to the figure at the end of tho the compartment and with a brief it is ivar ivan chose v hose passport you have the ordeal was over during the m whole hole of that night ll ry rod rods thus tete fc tete mute mote sleepless and impassible when they arrived at the first german station the gen gentleman Cleman dec descended ended 11 pardon me madame inada mc said lie he ifor for breaking my promise but I 1 have deprived you of your servant its right that I 1 replace him have you need of bothin nothing F 11 nothing Ho thing said the contesse com coni tesse coldly save the services of my temme femme de ch chambre ambie send bend her to mo me and be disappeared nevertheless as she left the carriage leaning kaning upon tile the arm ot of her tire woman and approached pro ached the buffet she perceived him re a oln in duo time they arrived at mentone one ona day continued the doctor applying himself to a fresh cheroot as I 1 sat in in my office engaged eng aged with a lot ot of patients the servant entered eliu red to announce the visit ot of a ft a comte aldeis do B a L russian of 0 course as the mob of consonants alone would tell you and shortly afterward a gentleman stood before me doctor said he coming at once to the point of lis his visit 1 I have to ask you tor for news of mine Baro condition I 1 am though she does not nor know m me a compatriot aud and a friend of her bet husbands will she recovery reco recover no 1 I answered Ws its impossible she is ia slowly dying I 1 and will she return no more to st pe burgr no I 1 said baid again unless in her coffin As suddenly as if I 1 had stuck struck him my visitor wheeled about and staggering like a drunken roan man passed from the apartment if I 1 had known that he would feel it so I 1 should scarcely have been so frank but I 1 did not know it and consequently bad given him the truth that same evening while making my usual visit to my beautiful patient I 1 told her bet of te occurrence and tho the emotion excited by her condition 1 do you know muir I 1 said fancying that perhaps I 1 had bad riot not been told all the truth 1 know I homshe him she repeated no and yes and then touched by the incident the file related to me the ad adventure I 1 have given 3 01 here this roan man she added in coric conclusion lusion ot lot whose name even iwas I 1 was ignorant until you told me 1110 follows mo me like my shadow 1 I e encounter n liim him v heraver I 1 go lie he looks at mo me a strange and patient wistfulness but lie be neither approaches approach ei nor attempts attempt a to speak tonie to me viola cried the coin countesse tesse rising and going to the open window he be is below now I 1 he was seated upon a bench in the promenade his eyes lifted and fixed upon the th hotel from that timo time on said the doctor gravely 1 I assisted at a strange and sorrowful thing the voiceless yet ardent love ot of these two widely separated beings for they loved each other arid and I 1 knew it well As for alexis be seemed to understand that I 1 hall divined his bleret bearer and whilo while never yielding to a word that the purest might riot not have bava listened to be came to see me daily only to ask it if there was hope of her improvement and still lie ho had never to her nor offered to approach her bet although as the end drew near arid and they encountered each other as they frequently did I 1 in her drives about the city she greeted lini him always N ith a grave avi enert beet smile that she was resigned I 1 knew and happy I 1 believed happy simply to feel herself the abandoned one guarded by an affection that even exaggerated its devotion was pure and beautiful beau tifa nevertheless faithful to her exalted obstinacy she steadily refused to allow me to tabling bi ing him to her or to permit him to speak to her 11 no she cried in answer to my illy persistent entreaties 1 I will not yield would you sen see mo me spoil and deprave this wonderful and ideal friendship friendships 1 no we must remain as strangers the one to tile tho other determined as she was to hold to tho the absurd promise he be had given ler her on oil tile tho night the be aided him to cross the frontier did absolutely nothing to induce her to change her decision but perhaps he be did riot not know as I 1 did how low often during taboo weary hours of pain and feebleness vi hile waiting for death to jelense her marle marie baranov dragged herself from her couch to the window simply to assure herself that thai lie he was there As I 1 went from the house on the morning she died I 1 found him waiting nt at the door pale distracted and mad with grief 11 1 I must sea soo her ho be pleaded 11 1 I must see her tor for a moment butwilla but with wiLli you I 1 to the last even he was faithful to what ho he believed to be her wishes ile he also added the doctor softly died yesterday etwas it was that which detained me of what did you ask of a disease tor for which medicine is useless arid and that strange appearance upon the tha railway cried ono one of the party do you know nothing of that nothing answered the physician and nothing of alesii himself beyond what all the world knew that he ha was war a political refuges refugee condemned for ona one of those thosa trifling offenses cs io for r vi aich russia is famous I 1 believe however as marie baranow believed herself that he had risked not only life but liberty to follow her in her exile but chanze change the subject added the doctor gently the ladies are in tears translated from tho the french jye J yel C waggoner for new york mercury |
