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Show SYNOPSIS. Frederick Hardy, a fashionable Boston oclety man, lost his wealth, was Jilted girl and sent by a friend to take charge of an American Trading Company tore In Russia. On his Journey through Japan he met Stapleton Neville, sup-to posedly an Englishman. They agreed o together to Russia. Because of suspicious circumstances they were several times molested by the Japanese. Hardy was arrested and found upon his person showing maps of Jap forts. jrere papers was proven guiltless. On a train Hardy be met Alsome Sano, daughter of a Jap merchant. In Neville's shoes Jap found a of pictures forts, proving him to be Russian spy. Haray departed for Ruswrecked on a was sia steamer, which by shortly afterward. He was rescued Russian steamer. On reaching Vladivostok he was well treated. He started for Siberia, Princess Romanovna on the train.meeting Hardy boarded a vessel for Amur. Hardy showed the princess his oxpertnesB as a rifle shot. The steamer was stranded. The princess and her maid were attacked by Chinese. Hardy saved their lives. The pnncess thanked Hardy for his heroism. Manchurians fired upon the craft. Hardy slew their chief. Burning arrows were hurled upon the Pushkin's decks. An attempt was made to board the vessel. The attacking Chinese were repulsed. Romanoff sneered at Hardy's solicitude for the princess. Btanka a messenger, sent for help, was nailed to a cross on the shore. To put an end to the awful torture Hardy himself his put Stanka out of his misery, takingmenown life In his hands. Forest fires aced the vessel. Hardy volunteered to for help. Refused permission he umped overboard and started to swim with the princess distress message. Romanoff was angry at Hardy for his brave offorts to rescue the princess. He wooed her In his own savage way. He said Hardy had made love openly to a Japanese girl. Help came and the princess was rescued. Hardy Journeyed on a raft. took Arriving at his destination he busiof the trading companys charge ness. Hardy received a letter from a social leader In Boston and another from Alsome. Hardy took lessons in Russian of a Jew, thus connecting himself In a way with that race. Hardy received a letter from the princess, thanking him In for hla bravery. Hardy's teacher was as of death. He employed Wang danger a servant Hardy went to Moscow, where he was inited to call upon the princess. He started for the palace home of Princess Romanovna. Hardy aroused unaccountable Jealousy of hla Korean boy by was going to call on he that announcing He who the pnncess. engaged a to him .drove large house on a poorly house. the After street. entering lighted discovered that It was a resort of Hardy who nihilists supposed lie was Felix Hu-licome to tell them of a powerful exdiscovered. The real Hulln had he plosive arrived and denounced Hardy as an The nihilists determined to kill themselves. protect In Hardy In order to revolver his overFinding an unloaded Hulln's it at he coat pocket, pointed bomb, which lay on the table, and swore if they to blow them all up together touched him. Holding the nihilists at room bay. Hardy started to leave the outer when the police were heard at the 'door. Hulln threw his bomb, killing several policemen, the nihilists fled and Baruch the Jew, suddenly appeared and led Hardy to the cellar. Baruch conducted Hardy through an underground passage to another house, from which he boldly his hotel. Hardy emerged and returned to visited the princess, contributed to the fund for the relief of the victims of the nihilists. He gave more than Romanoff The latter, entering the room, had. openly Insulted him. Romanoff struck Hardy, who challenged him to a duel. The Russian aocepted. Preparations for the duel were made. bits and dropped them Into a waste steeds gave a great bound and went scurrying through the early streets paper basket. Is there any answer, dear master?" of the Muscovite capital. In half an called the voice of Wang through the hour they had reached their destinadoor. tion, a thick wood on the banks of the "No, replied Hardy, there la no Moskva. Hardys other second was answer. already on the spot with a surgeon, a fat little man, wrapped thick In furs, who walked briskly to and fro In the CHAPTER XXXVI. snow, carrying a case of instruments. You are in good time, gentlemen, The Duel. his BYederlck Courtland Hardy slept cried Gortchakov, consulting poorly that night. The typical hero watch, there are still ten minutes to of romance, when about to fight a duel spare. I think I hear sleigh bells now, at break of day goes to bed and sleeps I hope It is Romore soundly than ever before In his said the surgeon. life. This deep slumber proves his manoff, so that I can get back to my Iron nerve more Incontestably than warm bed. What the devil people any amount of swash buckling brava- want to come out in such weather as do or any number of great oaths could this, Is more than I can understand. do. But we are not dealing with a Let them shoot each other and be damned, if they want to, but not at typical hero of romance. Hardy, as he tossed about for hours this hour and in such weather." We shall try to be expeditious," on the bed, felt genuine disgust at himself that he was unable to go to said Hardy, cheerfully, and. In the sleep. He experienced no fear, and he meantime, I beg pardon for my share had a feeling that it was Irregular for in the inconvenience to which we are a gentleman to lie awake under such putting you. You're right about the circumstances. sleigh bells. Here are our friends About midnight it occurred to him now. that It might be a good thing to make Through a vista between the leafless n, CHAPTER XXXV. Continued. Romanoff was handsome as a god, brave, masterful, impetuous, of high birth; the sort of man, It seemed to Hardy, to appeal to a woman like the princess. "And I, he laughed, bitterly, am merchant here in ' her autocratic and aristocratic Russia a merchant who owes her sufferance of me to the fact that I can shoot straight! He said nothing that night to Wang of the Impending duel, but the boy seemed aware that some danger threatened his master, or that the latter was gravely troubled about something. Although told several times, kindly, to go to bed, he returned as often, and hovered about Hardy. Indeed, Wang responded to Hardy's moods with that delicacy of understanding sometimes seen in a dog for its master, or a woman for the man she loves. Well, Wang, said Hardy at last, "you may sit up all night If you choose, but I, for one, am going to get some sleep. Good night! and he retired to his own room. He began to undress slowly and absentmindedly, standing for long minutes motionless in the middle of the floor, or dropping into a chair, in deep thought, as though he were confronted by some weighty problem that he could not solve. He turned off the light at last and crept Into bed, but he was destined to be again disturbed by Wang, who tapped timidly at the door. That hoy is becoming a nuisance! be muttered; there is such a thing as too much devotion. Well, Wang! he shouted, sharply. "If you please, called Wang, here Is a note for you. Hardy arose, went to the door and took a letter from the boys hand. Wait, he commanded, till I see If there is an answer." He tore open the envelope and read; My Friend: I have Just learned that the duel Is to take place in the morning, and that pistols are the weapons chosen. You know that I gave my consent to this deplorable affair because you asked me In terms that left me no choice. I am going now to beg something of you; It Is that you spare my headstrong and violent cousin's life. He wronged you outrageously, I know, and in the name of the Romanoff family, I humbly beg your pardon for that wrong, but should you kill him and your wonderful skill places his life entirely in your hands I should feel that his blood is on my head. Will you not grant a distracted woman's prayer and spare his life Wound him. If you will, but, oh. do not kill him! By granting this request, you will place under still lee per obligations sne who already owes ou more tl an she can ever hope to re-- " FLIZABETHA ROMANOVNA ay. As he read. Hardy turned pale to u t arm the note in smtll the line The two weapons were raised and badly, made no reply other than: bullets some"The pointed. Dvah ! times go astray. I turn him over to ' It could not be seen that the hand you, lieutenant, I have not deprived of either man trembled in the slight- you of the pleasure of killing him est. yourself." "Tra! His coat and shirt were cut away Two shots rang out, almost simul- from his chest at the hospital, and a taneously. young grub of an Intern assisted the Neither man fell. surgeon In washing the wound and Hell and furies! cried Romanoff, passlDg a silk handkerchief through I it an operation that caused the pathrowing his pistol to the earth. have missed him. This weapon is ut- tient to bite bis nether lip till It bled, terly worthless. I demand another but did not draw a groan from him. shot. You will be all right In about a Very well," replied Hardy, quietly; month, said the surgeon, on taking but if we shoot again, I shall shoot his leave, but I beg you, if you think to kill. I beg that you will inform his of fighting again, either to postpone highness of my intentions, at the same your little affair till the spring time conveying to him the assurance breezes begin to blow, or dont call of my most distinguished considera- on me to assist you. I shall have chiltion. blains as a result of your foolishness, You have missed, whispered Gort- that may cause me more suffering chakov, petulantly. Why did you do than your nasty little puncture. this? Youre as cool this minute as I Gortchakov departed In a surly am. Are you sure you have not humor, evidently disgruntled because Ills principal had failed to remove the wounded him? demands another lieutenant's chief rival, as he supMy principal shot," said Koukolnik, advancing. He posed, to another sphere, where they presents his compliments to Mr. neither marry nor are given In marHardy, and suggests that he has not riage. done justice to his great reputation Hardy was left alone with a largefor skill. Perhaps he will get better boned, florid nurse of peasant type, control of his nerves, now that he has and the young grub of an intern, who escaped danger once, and his hand was disposed to be lnqulsitve as to the will not tremble as much as It evident- cause of the wound. He rid himself of the Intern by prely has done this time. Tell the prince for me that, If we tending that he desired to sleep, and shoot again, I shall do myself the hon- thqn sent the nurse to telephone for or of lodging a ball exactly midway Wang. The boy arrived about noon. between his eyes. What has happened, my dear mas' Koukolnik started for the prince with the message. He had not trav- ter? he sobbed, sinking on his knees ersed over half the distance when beside the cot, and taking one of Hardy's hands in both his own. Are Hardy said: Have you been atI am faint, lieutenant. Let me lean you wounded? tacked? Have you met with an acci on you for a moment. My God, you are wounded! cried dent? Tell me, I beg of you! You do Gortchakov, putting his arm about the not know how I have suffered with Americans waist; and. Indeed, a dark fear and anxiety, as I felt that you stain, rapidly spreading, dyed his were about to encounter some terrible waistcoat and shlrtfront danger. And you left me this this " I I am slightly wounded, gasped producing the will and tearing it into bits, to increase my anxiety. Did Hardy, and fainted away. Whats the matter there with our you think that money could have com- - flushed with hls own countenance shame. He struck you! cried the Korean. "I could spit on hls corpse. I could spurn It with my foot! I have no doubt you could, thereby displaying your devotion to my unworthy self. Your plan is impracticable, however, for the simple reason that there is no corpse. Romanoff Is alive and well at the present m ment and Is no doubt gloating over my discomfiture. He Is not even wounded? asked the boy. Not even wounded. But why did you not kill him when you had the opportunity? It surely would not have been difficult to hit that great hulk of flesh. Is It then safe to strike an American gentleman in the face? N ot always. My reasons for not killing him are too complicated for s boy to understand. They Involve a lady's sanction of a duel, and then her subsequent nullifying of that sanction. They involve. In general, a lady's request, which can hardly be overlooked when she is, In reality, the cause of the hatred which made the meeting necessary. Do you follow me, Wang? I I think I do," replied the boy, You spared him because wearily. the princess asked you to. You have been magnanimous, whatever the cost to yourself, and given the princess her admirer, for whom, In hls moment of extreme peril, she found that she cared more than she had supposed. And now you are done with the whole Romanoff family!" Hardy forgot hls pain for the moment and started at the boy is wonderment. If you were not a boy," he said at last, sinking back on the pillow, "1 should think you were a woman. Your Intuition In such matters is positively marvelous. And now I mustn't talk too much, for It makes this shoulder ache like a bad tooth. I must get well, and we must go back to and the atore. But there Is one little thing that I want you to do for me. Go to the place where the duel was fought this morning. I shall describe the location exactly to you. Romanoff stood near a large oak tree, whose trunk divides about six feet from the ground into two trunks equal in size. Look about there and see if you can And In the snow a gold It Is there, and, ahlnlng against the white, should be easily found. Bring It to me as quickly as possible. Wang left without another word. Not long after the boy's departure the nurse brought In a bouquet of priceless orchids, which she arraaged In a vase and set on a table near hls open-mouthe- d Stry-etens- k cuff-butto- bed. An Isvoschlk brought them, Here Is explained to Hardy. sha the note that came with them. She handed him a tiny billet-dou- x and raised one of the shades. Holding the note in his teeth, he opened the envelope with hls good hand, and read: My Friend: I do not know what your feelings are toward my unhappy salt. I had no Idea that this deplorable affair He Wrote with a Lead his will. Such a document already existed, but he now arose and, putting and slippers, went on dressing-gowout Into the office. Lighting the gas, he wrote as follows: Moscow, January 7, 1904. Being of sound mind and In possession of all my faculties. I write this as a codicil to my will, now- - in the keeping of Andrew Mackey, Esq., attorney at law, Boston. I hereby will and bequeath all my ready money, deposited In the bank at Strygtensk, and amounting to something over 6,000 roubles, to my faithful secretary, Wang, and I heartily commend the said Wang to the favorable notice of Frederick Emery, president of the American Trading Company In Siberia. The boy Is faithful, honest, and possesses a degree of business ability n Russo-Kltais- quite astonishing in one so young. FREDERICK COURTLAND HARDY. This he folded and put in an envelope on which he wrote with a lead Tossing the enpencil, For Wang. velope on a table in his sleeping room, he went back to bed, and at last succeeded In getting to sleep. He was awakened by Gortchakov pounding upon his door and shouting: Get up, my friend, get up! We shall be late for the rendezvous! Hardy dressed hurriedly and went out to his second, who was waiting in the office. The lieutenant's sledge and beautiful team pf thoroughbreds was waiting at the curb. Jump In, pray, he said, and lets be off. And we mustn't talk of anything's happening. There Is nothing going to happen except that you will shoot a great rascal and bully through the heart, and we shall come back to a hearty breakfast, having done a good morning's work with very little waste of time." Gortchakov hid now fixed on Romanoffs heart as the most pleasing receptacle for Hardys bullet The coachman cracked his lorg nervous vhlp and the high-strun- Pencil, would end as It has. Will you allow tns to mine In person and express my regret, and do whatever lies In my power to alleviate your sufferings? Thank God you are not killed! EUZABETHA ROMANOVNA ' Tell the man that there is no an- For Wang. trees a sledge could be seen approaching, drawn by three horses, running like mad. The driver rose to his feet and settled back on the seat, bringing them to a rearing, pawing, sudden halt. The details were soon arranged and the ground measured off. Hardy did not pay any attention to these preliminaries, but walked briskly backward and forward to keep his feet warm, glancing occasionally at Romanoff, who stood leaning against a tree, his hands in his ulster pockets, an insolent, careless smile on his handsome face. He certainly was a of manhood, splendid specimen thought the American, and if he felt the least tremor of fear, he knew how to disguise It. Did it seem at all unlikely that a high bred, aristocratic woman, the daughter of a hundred warriors, should have fallen in love with a man like that? It Is time now, my friend, said I Gortchakov, coming up to Hardy. must trouble you to remove your coat. But you will not catch cold, for it will Upon my only take you a minute. word, I admire your nerve. You ought to have been a Russian. You a ill shoot him at the word three! Hardy removed his ulster and faced his opponent. A long dueling pistol of excellent make and perfect precision was placed in his band. asked "Are you ready, gentlemen? Koukolnik. I will count three, slowly. You will raise your weapons and take aim when I commence, and will fire at the word three. As these words were being uttered, s more Hardy fixed his firmly on his nose, the while he ex- amined the distance and the person of his antagonist with a cool, practiced glance. Koukolnik began. Odeen! swer at present, said Hardy to the nurse. Wang was gone two hours. Wherii he arrived be came straight to Hardy's couch and handed him a small gold object, with a bit of linen hanging to it. Here It is, he said; it Is stamped with the crest of the Romanoff family. I thought you had lost one of your own cuff buttons. Bring paper and envelopes, Hardy requested of the nurse, and then leave us alone for a few minutes. The woman complied. "Now take my indelible pen from my waistcoat pocket and write. Wang sat down at the table and looked Inquiringly at hls master. I Am Faint, Lieutenant, Let Me Lean on You." man? asked Romanoff, in a voice that made no attempt to conceal a sneer. "He seems to be slightly weary. I thought I must have hit him. How is It, surgeon? Have I done his business for him? He is seriously wounded, I fear, Get his coat replied the surgeon. about him. Here, lift him into the sledge. Let me get In with you. Now, drive like mad; drive, I say! CHAPTER XXXVII. I ' The Gold Cuff Button. By the surgeons orders, Gortchakov drove directly to a hospital, where Hardy was laid upon a bed and his wound examined and dressed. The princes bullet had passed through the flesh beneath the shoulder, ma- king a clean perforation a painful hut not a dangerous wound. Hardy revived in the sledge, and to demand why he had shot Gort-cnakoi- s u pensated me for your loss? Oh, it was cruel of you cruel!" said There! kindly, Hardy, Get touched by the boy's concern. up and sit in that chair. Bring It here by the side of the bed, and I'll tell you all about it. I, an American, Frederick Courtland Hardy of Boston, Mass., have fought a duel, and, I suspect, about a woman! A a woman? stammered Wang, turning suddenly pale. As nearly as I can find out. I was calling on the Princess Romanovna, paying her my respects, when In came her cousin, the Prince Rcyna-wnffjtnd insulted me so grossly that I deemed it my duty to demand satisfaction of hls him. I strongly suspect that highness antipathy to me Is rooted chiefly In the fact that I, on one occasion, saved the life of his fair cousin. He struck me in the face, Wang. Am the American said these words . Your highness,- - dictated Hardy, I hope that you will not give yousaif the slightest uneasiness on my account My wound Is a verr trifling matter, from which I shall soon recover. I am greatly honored by your kind offer to call and see me, but I must deny myself tha pleasure ot receiving you. I can not allow you to compromise your exalted position by thus yielding to the dictates of your good heart. Will you allow me to add that I feel I have already trespassed too far on your good nature and am quite unwilling to continue the As you have frequently admired my skill with the pistol, I am Inclosing a little trophy of the same, hls highness cuff button, which I hope will convince you that I have not disappointed your expectations. Will you kindly hand It to him with my compliments? Wishing you all happiness In the years to come, I remain "Your humble servant, FREDERICK COURTLAND HARDY. Wang laughed a queer, hard little oi mingled exultation and hate, without waiting for any further directions from his master, he put the cuff button in the envelope with the note, sealed it and directed It to the Princess Romanovna. You will take that to the princess nalace, directed Hardy, and give it nto her highness' own hands. lagh (TO BE OOKTIKUKD.) |