Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 March 1903 — THE MYSTERY OF COUNT LANDRINOF. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE MYSTERY OF COUNT LANDRINOF.

BY FRED WHISHAW.

Under the on tv Democratic Administration this u.-ttt-raiion has experienced the »>.••_» ni»ni of furt; million dollars for the Panama on uni rights would have meant more business for the government piviMtes iu the printing of a fresh issue of bonds, hut Uncle Sam will hard over the money now with the nonchalance of a millionaire buying a celluloid collar button. If you are driving a team and chance to see a strip of green sod along a man’s sidewalk pull over and Jet the wheels of your wagon grind that self same strip into a hog-wallow. No matter if it does cause the learn an extra effort to pull out and back again to the center of the road—-no matter if the owner of the property lias spent lots of time and gone to some expense with that little stretch of green jward, in an effort to beautify his home and add to the appearance of the town—rip it up—churn it into rich, thick mud. You have certain inailenable rights and yon should exercise them. What business has the fool man to want lo beautify bis property anyway ? The Southern Democratic states man who says that the question of negro suffrage is “none of the North’s business’’ will have no trouble finding gelatinate Northerners who are ready to agree with him. The fact remains that there come from the South thirty congressmen and thirty votes in the electorial college based on the ballots of men to whom Southern Democratic leadership denies the rights of citizenship. The value of every vote in the Union is affected by this condition* of affairs. So long as Southern Democratic leadership, while denying the citizenship of the negro at the polls, affirms it in the person of congressmen and electors whose official existence is based upon negro suffrage, every sincere man will view with contempt all this hypocritical snivel about a “race problem” which the South “must settle for itself” by both Harming and denying the existence of negro citizenship in one breath The Indiana reorganizers hail the (flection of Senator Gorman to the Democratic caucus chairmanship of the senate as an evidence of the re enthronement of reason in Democratic council. And yet here is wbr.t ihe Indiana Democratic state nudfojtu said in 1894: * >Yu especially condemn a small coterie of senators who, masquerading as Democrats, by It:eats to defeat all tariff Icgis’.t.Au, have tern porasily prevented ihe Democratic gariy tlmam carrying out all its pledges to ifae people tor tariff reform as an nounced in ihe Democratic national platform of 1892 ” In the next plank of the platform these sectorial obstructionists were called --p, o' curled Democrats ’’ The leader < f ibis '‘srnaU co er e , f so.mudenounced by tne Indiana Dt-mortMcy ie*B than a decade ago w Sensor The evei%tß of nine yfarn h»«ve convinced AH?* Democratic friend* . hiu a “pretended Demo .rat” is better than the real thing.

CHAPTER XXIV. THE COUNT’S EXILE TO SIBERIA. “Do yon mean,” I said, “that you will be able to provide evidence that this man Andre is the convict Kornilof and not my father?” “Perhaps,” said the student, smiling conceitedly. “It is ridicnious,” I cried hotly, **to suppose that the police will refuse to accept the evidence of a man’s own wife and child and <(vill believe yours for the asking.” “It may be ridiculous, but the police never admit a blunder if they can make Hny one else suffer for it instead of themselves. As for my part in the business, you forget that I possess information of various kinds with regard to Andre, which might be useful and even important to them and might throw a light on this matter.” “I see,” I said. “But I shall be both surprised and disgusted if it prove to be as yon say, and the authorities refuse to believe our evidence. I shall leave you now and consult my friends. I believe yonr story as to father’s capture ; so you may consider yonr check safe. At the same time you are to remain where you are until other matters are settled. You have no objection to continue as my guest?” “So long as my safety is guaranteed I shall be charmed to remain,” said the student. “Does Andre enjoy the run of the bouse? He must not see me or know that lam here He would murder me, and your cause would be ruined.” “He shall not come here or know of your presence. I shall see that only trusted persons are aware that I have a —an acquaintance staying in the house. ” “Goodl See that the same wine is served to me, like the generous host you are, and plenty of it!” He shouted the last words at me as I left the room. “I shall have you watched, my fine fellow,” I said to myself as I hurried away to confide my great news to Percy and Borofsky, “for you are a pearl of great price.” And I may say in this place that from this time until—well, nntil certain things had happened! either Percy or Borofsky or I was constantly on duty in the passage outside the student’s room, both to see that he did not attempt to escape and to guard against surprises from without, Andre being a kind of bugbear that one must suspect and fear all times. I found Borofsky and Percy playing billiards. “Well?” cried the latter. “What luck ?” Both he and Borofsky laid down their cues and waited for me to speak. Now that I was here and my heart bursting with the news I had to tell them, I was unable to utter a single word. I suppose I dreaded being discouraged. I had formed lovely hopes so many times and on each occasion they had been dashed from me that I suppose I feared to be told by Borofsky that all this which my student had told me was mere buncombe; that he had taken me in, and there was not a word of truth in his story. “You’ll probably say it’s all a tissue of lies.” I blurted at length, with difficulty. “That’s extremely probable,” said Borofsky, who had been soured of late by his ill successes and was not in the best of humors. “At any rate, old man, we’ll consider it in its bearings,” said Percy. “Three heads are "better than one, though I admit yours is not such a bad one. Is it so very incredible?” “On the contrary, I don’t think it is so at all,’ I said, “but Bcrofsky may

with his detective order of mind, and I simply dread to be told there’s nothing in it—because”— “Well—because what?” said Borofsky. “I shall criticise. It is my duty. But I shall be only too glad to recognize a real clewl” “I think it is a real clew, and that I now know what became of my poor father, ” I said. ‘‘Yon see, the student couldn’t have known that we”— “Stop! You forget that we shotild like to hear the tale itself before listening to your comments on it,” laughed Borofsky. Then I told them ds clearly as I could, and without the circumlocution that my conceited student garnished the tale with, how father had been cruelly and wickedly entrapped and substituted for a wretch who was wanted by the police, and how the Dolice had fallen

into the ambush prepared for them, and bad in all probability deported father to Siberia, while Andre was left to live in luxury and freedom. I paused when I had finished the story Then, “Great Cmsarl” murmured Percy. Borofsky meditated in silence. “Well, Borofsky,” I said presently, keep me in suspense. I long to hear your opinion. Is the talo true or a tissue of lies?” “Stopl” said Borofsky. “Did yon toll the rascal anything of yonr journey to Erinofka and your finding of a clew there?” I reflected a moment. “No,” I said. “I don’t think I did. I’m sure I didn't.” “Ah I Then the tale is true, ” eaid Borofsky, “for it fits in with that which we know, unless, of course, he was sharp enough to put two and two together and build his tale on the rumors he may have heard of oar researches at Erinofka. His precious society, or brotherhood, or gang of thieves, or whatever yon like to call it, may have heard of our being on the scent there, even though it were not they who murdered the wretched little peasant who brought you information. ” “No, ” said Percy. ‘ ‘The Erinofka bit belongs all right; it is part of our affair. The little peasant told ns a true tale and suffered death for it. Who murdered him? Why, these infernal rascals; possibly the student himself. The story is consistent, Borofsky, from beginning to end. Boris has got bold of the right man at last. You were after him, I know, for weeks, and therefore the credit is yours as much as his; but Boris it was that nabbed him. Well done, Boris, old boy I You deserve your success. Gad, Borofsky I You wouldn't have gone in after the fellow into an ice hole I Come, would you now?” Borofsky, pleased with the compliment conveyed in the earlier the eentence, smiled acquiescence. “1 don’t think I would, ” he said. “I can’t swim. Yes, ”he continued, “the story sounds consistent enough, and it may b<_ that our little rascal has come over, body and soul, into the enemy’s camp. ” “And no wonder either! I should say,” said Percy, “since they starved him in the other, while we offer him food and raiment and shekels of gold and of silver. This student knows which side of his bread is well jammed!” “The thing is, could the police have been such utter idiots as this would prove them,” I said, “and, again, if they have blundered, will they acknowledge their blunder and allow poor father to come back?” “The police blunder often enough,” said Borofsky. ‘‘There would be nothing extraordinary in that. They would have drugged the count, of course—Andre & Co, I mean—so that he could not

pcoNN* bis Innocence when arrested; at anjrmte, not in a comprehensible manner. As for whether the police will admit their blander, that remains to be Been. We most interview the pristaf who arrested him. The student will tell yon which district the house lay in. ” “And if they simply langh in our faces, as my fellow says they probably will, what then?” * “Then, apparently, he has another card np bis sleeve,’ * said Borofsky. “and since he seems to be very prond of it and very anxious to produce it for a wage we may hope it is a trump.” “If it is the key that will unlock father's secret and bring him back to his own. I said, “mother will pay any amount for it and feed the little rascal like a fighting cock all bis life besides. ” “Nonsenee!” said Borofsky quite angrily. “She shall not pay him another penny. This time he shall swallow the pill which is net gilded. I shall take him in hand myself. You have done well. Count Boris, but not too wieelyl” “Let’s tackle the police first,” I said. “There’s no need to quarrel over the other matter yet awhile. I’ll just go back and find out from my man the address of the bouse in which my father had been placed in order to be arrested, according to the scheme of Andre and bin friends.” The student was in a bad humor, I found. I had forgotten to send npwine, he complained. “You shall have it presently,” I promised, and I bade him tell me at ooce the address I required. "Not till I have the wine!” said he. “You shall have it the instant you have told me,” I replied angrily. “Do you think I grudge you the wine? What is it to me if you besot yourself with two bottles or three?” “Not a word till I see the wine!” he replied obstinately. Had he known it, his pigheadednesa cost that student dear, for I then and there determined that his next secret, if required, should not be unlocked with a key of gold, as the first had been. Borofsky should squeeze it out of him. The little fool seemed to forget or ignore that we had the terror side of him, if we cared to attack him at a disadvantage. [TO BE CONTINUED.J

“ Nonsense!” said Borofsky. ”She shall not pay him another penny.”