Show we wine have changed all that hat by herbert quick and elena mac mahon copyright by the bobbs merrill co service THE STORY commissar ky a 8 sov et e quad squad invades the home of kiis bin sin aristocrat at kazan ahe 1 he family consists of 0 judge kras krus tin sin mrs krassin ilya former officer ard musia vladimir for or meroff mer officer leef Is musia s flance mrs hire krassin expressed fear ear for or her son a safety ilya recognizes in Vill a former dishonest steward musia wonders if it she Is to be a victim of the national of women to vlad mir musia criticizes her brother ilyas acceptance of the situa tion she knows vlad mir la is a member of an organization work ing tor for the downfall of tl e bol vladimir kills a bolsby vik soldier and Is arrested A raiding party searches the kras sin borne home ilya Is taken ariso prisoner ner CHAPTER VIII 14 A strange and valuable piece of goods As the days parsed with still hidden in the black cavern of bol she mrs krassin felt despair roll ing over her in great waves actual waves came upon tier her in s arges which began in her breast and swelled until the very ends of her fingers tin aled with the misery of it and she would start up with clenel ed hands like one in n the extremity of despera derpera tion rising to meet some grisly foe in a battle to the very death once she forgot tl it at she was not alone and summoning sasi a the maid mald asked for her cloak she looked em barr assed when musia asked if she were going out and putting the cloak on went into the grounds and wan dered about a thing which she never dever did she I 1 about mourning that she could not have ilya with her in stead of musia ilya st e deceived herself into saying would find some way of I 1 berating musia if their places were reversed but musia could do bothin nothing noll iab I 1 she thought of what she herself would do tashe if she could to save her SOD son from danger if only ilya hid had corn com bitted murder so that she could take the crime upon herself if she could only submit to home great bull to save him if she could have her limbs torn off for him if only tie tte were simple savages who would b ba satisfied with torturing some one and she could go to the stake or be dragged by wild horses for I 1 im jesus she thought was crucified for the world but how glad would sl e be to go to the cross tor for one little fair haired boy boyl I 1 nest next day as mrs drassin walked about the ro in she stopped beside musia who was read ng n a book of plays and looked down attentively for a long time at the blond head so prettily and studiously bent over her book musia was as sweeter and more attractive than ever she thought and there were poets and other writers who spoke of the great power of beauty I 1 it was beauty which one time launched a thousand ships and fired the topless towers of ilium but what could her daughters swe sweetness etnes s and beauty do in this time of awful need deed A feeling of antagonism stirred in her 1 eart at this helplessness when anyone ought to be able to do something musia on her part looked up with her pitying smile and thought bow much her mother hid had aged a ed her iler purplish mottled cheeks sagged more than ever ener and the skin of her throat hung bung lo 10 se over the lace there was in decast n q th usand tormenting fears in mrs airs krassin s face she was seeing a vision of ilya led out to be shot against son e blank wall her mind usually clear and well bala balanced ned within its li ns worked heavily at this one terrible thought she stood for a long time st san lying musia as if she were some strange and valuable piece of goods then her eyes looked looted past the girl into vacancy sl SI e seemed in a dreim dream but in hit that dream her will decided a conflict with in itself and when she returned to a consciousness of her surroundings she had deat declied led something huh tins it its far she bad had confronted only vaguely the plan she hid had ado adol ted in this hilf half trance now looked so simple so ous hit that she became impatient Impi tient to put it into execution at once hut but wl wt en she spoke of it to her daggi ter she be chose her words carefully and arched musia closely as it if f r the first time she was afraid the girl would ref ise to assent to her mott getiers er s wish I 1 think said sl e very anif dessive ly hit that I 1 hae hale come to a reas wit mile le an important and i 1 deige n 1 e longer loner we leave leale ilya in prison the worse it Is sure to be the rol are wl leal I 1 chev hen net get ne net 1 commanders every little while hile TH tits I 1 Is a man who can see our point of view at least from what the col cot onel ays mys of him the next to follow may be a macmin IN he e must act im imedla tely and energetically these were the w words ads ol 01 the mrs airs krassin of old but her manner mannet wa new to musia I 1 perhaps for the harst time in mrs airs Kras krassin sins s life ste sl e vas appealing h she at pr ii WI musia as if to embrace her half halt corn inan ling hall begging for approval of her plan res u mother said if you can think of anything we vie can do I 1 think dear it would be good if you would go with me to see this bol slit viat commissar of course mother ll ex claimed A usia usla touched touch cd by her moth era ers meek and plead ng mole of ad dressing her I 1 will III go with you any wl ere you needa t ask me in thai that ay way am I 1 not still your little girl giell impulsively ale sl e threw throw both arms about ha mothers neck and find kissed her affectionately mrs krassin gent ly but quickly disengaged herself from musia s grasp she rhe went to an old mah ganv gany secretary opened it and fr rin a secret comparan en took out a latti n I t ox she laid the small casket in NJ isia isla q lap the I 1 no remainder of our le ievers she said musia lo 10 ked up at I 1 er or ingle for sl st e un hersto I 1 her in her ther and divined the cause of I 1 er or embar ras she thought 1 ahe I he jewels mrs krassin went on ire gre kinavs handed d wn to the daughters are you willirm to ransom elva with then why mamma darlin exclaimed AT usla h w tan in you asu ask I 1 lie e will tive ove up evelyth rg f r eventt ing rel cited mrs airs krassin I 1 era thing all aliola mi sia again I 1 e must take 11 is c us mrs krasen swed with fac tion she opened the avely b x an opal and di imond i necklace said she letting tl it e sl s len tell lid tiling thing fill fall to its full length it Is very preci us here are fire severn several diamond rings see it is en et al I 1 bro ch achl I 1 and this and this and all valuable and we still haie tale s me money in gold not much hut but it auy may help av will ill not those dos rither rather have these things than the blood of my li it docent boy you know said alusa mus a lowering her voice and bleaking king lightly and hurriedly as it to in licate to her mother that she did not cire care a fig for the jewels I 1 have still in in mv room several little pieces of jewelry oh no intern sed mrs krassin rass ln as if the girls girl s generosity pained her 11 e don I 1 need tt ti em I 1 keep tl em I 1 she took the jewels one by one from the box and stared at them as ns if try ing to fix her thoughts on tl it em with a bit of suede which she found in tl it e bottom of the casket she rubbed some of the stones then examined exun ined them as they lay in her hand then forgot w blat I 1 at she was coins and looked at the jewelry with her thoughts afir afar off yes said she at list last loris Is the best person for us to see we shall have to go doln into the rail way yards where I 1 e lives in his car tomorrow morning I 1 it link ink he receives in the morning loris has mote more power than any of them I 1 teel feel sure of it rei rel lied led musia musts and from what Is said raid I 1 e Is in re in tell igent than tl it e rest I 1 am glad it ts Is not that beast V ilinska I 1 mrs krassin now bat with puckered brows frowning pondering when ausla of Vill as a beast her mother shot a iu qu ck glanca at her this wa the beares musia hid had ever come to any mention to her in ther of any subject connected with sex but probably after all she d d not know wl blat at Vill bad meint meant probably withstand not ng her expression it was a random shot drawn from her by her repulsion to the man mail the matter passed from the ott er woman 4 mind at such a time it was of no consequence anyhow there was something she wished to siv say musia she rhe felt a sudden sud len revulsion against that visit to the bolshevik commissars irs head quarters it was immoss ble to tell musia why impossible to give up the visit hyp might pen pien new he be ing out to stand before the wall sl SI e resumed the busy air of acerb a pera n going over detail cf U not much im 1 por tince and while hile I 1 tl ink of it she re mark marked d casually don t tell ancone nere ere i going she Is afraid om out friends will stop us thought musia mother afraid of such a aing of all people in it tie e world poor mother 1 of course they would stop us if they but all the same it mist be done no mammy she said I 1 won wont t say a word TO BE f |