Show we have changed all that by herbert quick and elena mac a CM mahon ahon J copyright by y th the bobbs merrill 11 co J service CHAPTER XIII continued 23 the colonel was downcast anil and gloomy lie he made several attempts to SAY cay ething to mrs MM krossin but MS HS it if in elf defense she interrupted and am led the conversation isalt on lines more cheerful than she hoped to hear from one looking so depressed tier her son was innocent nut not even tin file viki til would do such a thins thing as to pull in ish him and even lie hie bolshevik werf were susceptible to influence the cip colonel lonel whispered to the primes primers vibo nho grew pale as site she looked at tier her infatuated cousin N 1 I dalre received certain information about 11 ilia a said lie at ai last in it a voice which should haie hae warned Ms 11 s kras sin bin the look olson ills 1114 case fry ery seriously I 1 dot am irald the file bcd Is not noi certain to be as favorable as you seem to think A ush settled over the company coi plinny the princess knew tile the rest understood lie may be sentenced the colonel went on 0 to o a severe punishment to 10 many years in prison 1 I tin do not think so said mrs kraa sin nirh jib tier her must most superior smile 1 I 1 may confide in yu y u that thai I 1 have the best of reasons fur for thinking that thai this 0 1 oris Is not nol so blood we have been accustomed accas lomed to believe and flint he Is interesting himself in ilyas case it so and I 1 do not think I 1 misjudge the situation that would seem tile the decisive tailor fator there was deep pity in the colonel E s face as he gazed upon her during this speech and when aheu she had ended he looked about lit at the others as it if for fir aid in discharging ills his unpleasant task 1 I 1 am sorry to have to say sold said he at last that his intervention even if he Is acting as you believe Is not certain cert alti to he be successful the sailors have charge of the prisoners prist ners and they are ravening beatts beasts mrs hirs hand went to her heart and she turned deadly pale but she persisted 1 I 1 am positive said she that 11 will come out right 1 I 1 in im positive sold said tile the colonel with immense gravity that thai ilya is sentenced to death mrs hirs krassin started to her feet fee the paroo mounted up op from under her jabot and formed deep spots in her heeks beeks her hand performed its old gesture of perplexity hut but clinging fit 1 desperation to her sole hope she made ni ine her ber last protest 1 I 1 haie bae reasons she hall half whis through lips for bellev ing na in success suc ceis then as she felt the hopelessness she bhe saw in the faces around slie site of at acrel an exclamation of 0 which they spoke clooke afterward with wonder wo rider where a that musia lusla P 1 my dear salt said tier lier old cousin it topping to her side and putting her arm about mrs krastins Kras sins hillst the thing for us to do Is to pray to in good god 1 the miserable mother understood at list I 1 all tier her prayers all tier her oil all tier her vigils all her bids for dishonor were in vain rain who so sa tier lier then will ever forget ferket her ll r whole fue grew p urple and then pale with a pallor like that ot of deuth with a gesture terrible in Us its tragedy she lifted her hands art and shrieked 51 mi cd C 0 d I 1 lie is IB dead P then she toppled down dribin like a tower fi liling in an earth quake and fell dr wing down the lit tie princess with her and lay like a 8 corpse it was the princess who told cosla it was wag thought best not to take the news to judge krasin heen an i shock they had bid been advised might be fatal faint to him A great wave of and compunction swept over when she saw her mother so trag tragic ic wits was her bet condition though mrs hirs krassin hal had reco recovered ered her senses she lay in tier hei bed with no more expiry expression rion on her face than a mah ali liht ht display ausla fil tisla stepped softly to the bed and stooped over it it mammy 1 site she whispered slowly Sl otly ns as if with great difficulty mrs krosbin turned her eyes on lir hot daughter find and held them there for 9 moment as if to make sure that she had recognized her the rhe small reil red dish eyes were bloodshot and heavy and filurin thought that her bet had bad not realized alto ho it wai waal who alin had spoken to her but the face flushed and tile the eyes nar narrowed romed with hate its your fault 1 she gasped you murdered himl him you might hoe saver saved him birn I 1 I 1 will never forget or for or alve miserable 1 I CHAPTER XIV aba decision of the fates the families of tile the were not allowed to receive their bodies but the chanting of requiems to lo tile the bolh brals lo in memory of the dead was permitted by the bolshevik units found herself thic the sole bole cepro senta tentative tive of the lie krassin family to attend these observances for her mother was as shii confined to her bed the girl listened to the lofty music the sad benins inns site she looked at the priests priest to ID their black velvet and silver robes fixed tier lier eyes on the little block altar of uio the requiem rn in the midst or of the church nith fill its forest of war wai candles file cruel crucifix fil looked into the ebes of elie durk dark paintings a of the saints tin n tile wulla anti and fell only a dumb wonder that thai the file lles of those these innocent people for whom nhom tile the world might ahne held happiness should have been apen taken find and her own on wrecked life pre preserved sered and all this in a world ruled by mi hit all powerful and just god she had find gone gione through off all this before tile priests announced tile the requiems of nf tin late of god cod ilya and vladimir vladlmir oil and en e n then site she listened almost indifferently other mourners cried several women calmed though ausla fel fell I 1 a I 1 eating sensation of shame at her on impassivity in the midst of grief arief site she could not join in them though she in a remote way that she understood the feelings from which they came she felt that all the time site she was it thinking th inkin of herself the vire tit ot ill lei life tile the perils to which site she BH jaa eseo eli oseo in tills this new and savage smiely iphy tier her bitter briefs quite aside ais idof aiom the I 1 ho deaths of ilya and vladimir site she tried to nai fir her mind on ilya hya and tier her began tn san to dwell on her old happy days with alth him tile the pre prevents Rents hp he aured to send tier her their all A 1 I arn am positive tive she said that all will come out right little secrets these things brought elie to tier her eyes these and the thought in all the world now there was no one who atio ca cared tor her es ilya had dome slie site could not think of her mother tying lying stricken cLen at home instead of beug betas here at tile the chanting of the requiem ni the thought was too hitter bitter ste she dwelt on the memory of njadl mir ith his budding budill ng love for tier her her tender feelings toward him and site she found herself drai drawing ting pictures of life with vladimir in tits his house in petro betro grad of the luxury of going to halla balls th theaters enters and operas with him film of if their greni great estates of the children growing up about thern all in safety safely that was the thing filing lost safety ilow how desolate it 11 made her to feel that there were no more estates no more of that large liberal old life but only people gone one wild and mad who hunted the aristocrats like alad beasts anil she musia was as so young and bad so long to livel live she spent her time at home in a corner of tier her room thinking brood ing in the sound of guns came to tier her ears in dull distant for days before tier her boubin the princess princes told her that there was fighting ali lilliar lilli iR about KH kaan that flint the wounded were carried in truck loads through the streets and that tile lie epidemic of typhus wa growing worse every day we thou thought glit the day before yesterday suld said the princess in ID her gossipy way ns as if speaking about a party or a play that the were going to be brhen out but colonel Ho Ilo says that the whites have had to full fall back one can scarcely hear the firing bring today but their end will come all we have to do Is to wait ITO TO ISM BB CONTINUED |