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Show ALEL THAT By HERBERT QUICK - AND ELENA STEPANOFF MacMAHON COPYRIGHT V Th BOBBS-'MERRlLL CO. W.N.U. SERVICE I ; THE STORY Com m tana r Vllln.sk y's Soviet flciuud IrivudoH the home ot Krus-Hlri, Krus-Hlri, armtuciat a! Kazan. Vil-liiwky Vil-liiwky inmiliH the daughter, Mu-jla. Mu-jla. Cominla.sur ...oris In urged to conllMcate the hine. The family fro lift iM a of J iid kb K raa.ln, Mrs. K ro hh I n, Ilya, former ollleer, and Muaia, Vlnd Im Ir, f firmer o Hirer. In M u hIh's tin nee. M ra. K rasa in eipreaaPB fenr for her won't safety. safe-ty. Ilya recognizor In Vlllnakv a former dlMhoneat steward Mrs. Kraaaln conducts Vlllnaky In an Inspection of the home and contrives con-trives thai he shall not see Ilya The commissar brutally Insults Musla. Mrs. K rasa in 's thoughts are all of Ilya. Muaia reels herself her-self defenseless and wonders If ahe is to be a victim of the "nationalization "na-tionalization of women." CHAPTER VI Continued 10 "The revolution la to blame," said Bhe one day to the little princess. "CJ Iris nre not what they used to be. The restraints nre gone which used to hold young people In the proper course and make real people of them." In her henrt she .elt that It would be a relief to see Musla married. Even after the affectionate passage ot last night, the old feeling came over her that her daughter wns something of a burden. She would he much freer to move about, In war or peace, II Musla were disposed if In the traditional way. She was conscious or this feeling feel-ing when Vladimir had asked for Musla tlmt day. She i. lamed both of them for dllatorlness In which she was quite right. They were equally vaelllatory. "Chances to get well married," said she to the little old cousin, "do not come to any girl every day. One or two real matches In her whole life that's usually about all. Che rest of ihem are not worth while. The thing Is. to be clever, nnd not let the good chances go by. I'm sure Musla never thinks of this. Chances scarcely ever return I" She sighed bitterly. Her good chnnces, she reflected, had been allowed al-lowed to go by. In truth, however, she iad little to blame herself for. She had taken advantage of her only offer; but what natron of her age Is willing to confess so much, even to herself? She could think of several occasions In her life when she thought os she looked back upon events, lust a little more appreciation on her part of the good qualities of certain gentlemen gen-tlemen would have changed things fundamentally for herself. , Alone with Musla, Vladimir was quite a different person than when In the formidable presence of Mrs. Kras-sin Kras-sin ; for he sat or almost lay Id u comfortable armchair, his long tegs extended and wide apart, watching fllusla with the manner of amused superiority, the air of bon enfant which was characteristic ol him. and which In fact, was affected by most officers of his class. lie was a great friend of every one he met. The old ladles ot his circle, to whom he al ways paid court in his mocking way. and ?hom he teased by celling them of the enormities he wns about to commit, like Joining the Bolshevik!, were a unit In appraising him as one of the nicest, oiost open-hearted boys In the world. Perhaps Mrs. Krassin wns '.lie only one ol them who would hnve been glad to suggest some pos slhle changes In his behavior. "I am very sorry," said Musla. "that mother Is opposed to tlya's joining your organization." "What organization?" Inquired Vladimir, Vlad-imir, with a surprised air. "As If you did not know I I think It Is his duty positively I" In ense of a girl more than anyone else, the manner of saying things Is much more Important than the matter. Whatever Musla said was uttered In a soft voice which made one wish to henr more; with the soft voice went a pleasant. Ingratiating manner; and II she only said that It was a fine day. there was an air of suppressed enthusiasm en-thusiasm In her Intonation thnt would have been valuable to a pleader. It made Vladimir think of the difference between this little girl and her brother "Duty I" he scoffed layfully. "Where did you pick up that old ord?" "He's young and strong. He Is an officer. Who will fight for Itussia If he will not?" "liattlebralns like me. perhaps." "His friends are in danger. We do not know how great the danger. But neither do we know of the danger in lying lerdu as Ilya does. 1 should take the honorable course without trying try-ing to calculate the percentage of danger on the two shiest" There was something more than a habit of speech In her manner as she said this; her face glowed with en thuslasm. Vladimir 'ound his admira tlon stirring his heart a little more than usual. "I see you read Shakespeare," said he. picking up a volume. "Do you remember the line which goes 'Out ol this nettle, danger, we pluck this (lower, safety'? Well, for Ilya as well as for me, I think the hold course the wise one as well. As to the matter of honor, each must be his own Judge." "Mother Insists that It Is wiser, snfer, anil In all ways better," said Musla, "for hint to sit and wait until the storm blows over." "This storm did not blow up," replied re-plied Vladimir. "It was blown up. It will not blow over. II will have to be blown over." "How sententious you nre I" Musla wns laughing nt him now. But she tlared up in soft indignation again "1 think It is a shame to the family See how other mothers encourage their sons to light, nnd nre proud of theml' "Your mother Is a wise woman. Musla." "1 don't say anything at all to Ilya." went on Alusia. 'TSul when 1 think of and see these beasts of Bolshevikl " She stopped, blushing in a little confusion. con-fusion. Vladimir stared at her. surprised sur-prised at her strange embarrassment "I feel as If .ought to protest as strongly as 1 can. And then 1 think of Ilya's safety. He ought to know better himself. I wish I were Id his boots I" "I think," suggested Vladimir, "that your mother Is not really keeptug Ilya back. No one could stop him If he really wanted to to do what you would do 'If you were In his boots. 1 think, my dear, thnt he hns no taste for that sort of thing." To this Musla had no reply; and she sat for a long time looking off Into the distance. This pleased Vladimir, Vladi-mir, for this morning he was more thnn ,v:is usually the case Inclined to waive all discussion, to which she was rather prone, and to sit with her and look at her. Perhaps she felt this and was willing to give him the opportunity. oppor-tunity. His "my dear" was a little advance on his part ; though their relations rela-tions were based on a long-standing comradeship occasionally taking the form of light flirtation. Their feelings toward each other were of the sort likely to be developed between a pretty girl and a young man thrown constantly con-stantly together in the narrow circle of a provincial city ; but lately they both felt In them a warmei current approaching love. She rose and stood silhouetted against the black polish of the great piano. There was something Insubstantial Insub-stantial -nnd dreamy, be thought, about her eyes, about the delicacy of her hnnds and feet, something, in all the perils of the sltuntlon which surrounded sur-rounded all of them, very pathetic and appealing. . "So much the worse," said she Anally, Anal-ly, "If he has no taste for his duty I" Vladimir was too much engrossed in the study of the straw-colored wisps of her hair about her forehend. and her cheeks Hushed with high en thusinsm, to make any reply. "She Is the only girl for me I" He found himself saying this to himself; and then smiled at his own sentlnientalism. Was this a time for philandering? Why tonight, perhaps, he would be skulking through the country like a hunted woll toward the Cossack front, with the hounds ot Loris in full cry behind. Musia felt this cross-current ot feeling like a chill. Yet. he thought again why not take the sweet with the hitter? In another niuuth thev might both be dead or triumphant And Musia fell this counter-current tn his thoughts like a warm south breeze. "1 wish I were a man I" she exclaimed ex-claimed vehemently. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |