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SYNOPSIS. I
Frederick Hardy, a fashionable Boston |
Society man, lost his wealth, was jilted
by a girl and sent by a friend to take
charge of an American Trading Company i
store In Russia. On his journey through
Japan he met Stapleton Neville, sup
posedly an Englishman. They agreed to
go together to Russia. Because of sus
picious circumstances they were several
times molested by the Japanese. Hardy ,
was arrested and found upon his person
were papers showing maps of Jap forts.
Hardy was proven guiltless. On a train
he met Aisome Sano, daughter of a Jap
merchant. In Neville's shoes Jap found
pictures of forls, proving him to he a
Russian spy Hardy departed for Rus
sia on a steamer, which was wrecked
shortly afterward. He was rescued by a
Russian steamer. On reaching Vladi
vostok he was well treated. He started
for Siberia, meeting Princess ltomiinovna
tn the train. Hardy boarded a vessel for
Amur. Hardy showed the princess his
expert neßs as a ritio shot. The steamer
was stranded The princess and her
maid were attacked by Chinese. Hardy
saved their lives The princess thanked
Ilardy for his heroism. Manchurlans
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.
Ktanka, a messenger sent for help, was
nailed to a cross 011 the shore. To put an
end to the awful torture Hardy himself
put Stanka out of his misery, taking his
own life In his hands. Forest tires men
aced the vessel. Hardy volunteered to
ko for help. Refused permission he
jumped overboard and started to swim
with the princess' distress message. Ro
manoff was angry at Hardy for his brave
efforts to rescue the princess. He wooed
her In his own savage way. He said
Hardy had made love openly to a Jap
anese girl. Help came and the princess
was rescued. Hardy journeyed 011 a raft.
Arriving at his destination he took
charge of the trading company's busi
ness. Hardy received a letter from a so
cial leader in Boston anil another from
Alsoim-. Hardy took lessons in Russian
of a Jew, thus connecting himself In a
way with that race.
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Mysterious Korean Boy.
This was the letter of the princess: j
Mv dear Mr. Hardy:
You have no doubt heard, long ere this,
of our rescue from the ill-fated Push
kin. Your own adventures on the river, ]
and your safe arrival in Stryetensk. are j
all known to me, through the kindness j
of the police. Believe me that I was dis
appointed to the verge of exasperation. 1
on learning that it was not through your
efforts that we were saved. Your hero- |
Ism loses nothing in my eyes from the j
fact, and you had already done enough j
to establish yourself In my estimation as 1
a very gallant and noble gentleman. I
hardly know how to thank one so mod- I
est and self-effacing as yourself for all
that you have done for me. 1 can only j
repeat that I owe my life to you, and j
that I am deeply and eternally grateful. •
If you are ever in Moscow, I shall ex- I
pect you to call on me at my house on
the Boulevard Prechistenka any one can 1
tell you where it is. I hope that your I
affairs will bring you here before very I
long, that we may talk over our extraor- j
dinary experiences together. In the j
meantime, you must think of me as your
very since and grateful friend,
ELIZA BETH A ROMANOVNA. I
Ilardy read this letter over half a ;
dozen times, and the oftener he read
it the more satisfaction it gave him. j
There was a certain delicacy in the !
expression of her gratitude, without !
any hint at reward other than the
■offer of her friendship, which be- j
tokened an entire appreciation of his ;
■character and understanding of his |
motives. He spent most of the day j
thumbing his English-Russian die- I
tionary and composing his reply, j
■which, being in a language in which j
he was as yet a novice, was somewhat j
stilted. This, in effect, is what he at j
last worked out:
Most Noble Lady:
I beg that you will no longer give a !
thought to the part which I played upon j
the Amur. To be of service to so charm- j
Ing and exalted a lady as yourself is a
happiness and distinction which calls for
no further reward. If I am. in addition,
to be honored by your friendship, my
recompense is far greater than my
desert. Verv cordially yours,
FREDERICK COURTLAND HARDY.
Baruch, when he came in the even
ing, cast a critical eye over the letter
and pronounced it excellent.
"Even as it is," he declared, "it
would be possible for the lady to un
derstand it, and she would not laugh.
?f%"««.T,o)elesß, there are two or three
little alterations to be made —you
would scarcely call them corrections."
"You are as polite as a Frenchman,
Mordecai. Your 'two or three little
alterations' have amounted to rewrit
ing the whole thing. Now we will ad
dress the envelope. I think you had
better do that, so as to get It exactly
right. It goes to her highness, the
Princess Elizabetha Romanovna, Pre
chistenka street, Moscow."
At the mention of this name,
Baruch's face grew livid, and his eyes
glowed with sudden hate.
"Romanovna!" he hissed, "of the
Romanoffs of Moscow? 1 have good
cause to hate and detest that name.
That accursed house was most violent
ir» the persecutions that resulted in
the expulsion of the Jews from Mos
cow. They used all their influence
to bring this about, because they cov
eted certain property owned by the
Hebrews, which the latter refused to
eell. A whole peaceful and industri
ous community was uprooted in a sin
gle night, driven from their homes
and their vocations, ordered to leave
with ''jeir wives and families, their
sick and their old, and to make shift
as best, they could, in the accursed
Pale. My father, the trusted and hon
ored Cashier of a bank, with a salary
cT 2,G00 a vear, n position to which he
had risen' through 20 years of faithful
service, was kicked out like a dog,
and told to go. You cannot realize
what suffering all this led to. My fa
ther, reduced to menial tasks to sup
port his family, died in six months of
grief. I have small love for the blood
of Romanoff. They are all insolent
tyrants and oppressors."
"My dear Mordecai," replied Hardy,
"believe me, your tale of wrong Alls
me with pity and Indignation, and I
do not wonder at the strength of your
feelings. I have small doubt that all
you say of the Romanoffs is true, with
one exception. You must except the
princess, who is a sweet and noble
lady, with as tender and as generous
a heart as ever beat in a woman's
breast."
The Jew made no reply, but quietly
directed the envelope, and shortly aft
er took his leave.
He had not been gone more than
ten minutes before H\rdy heard a tap
at the door of his loom, and called,
"Come in!!" In Russian. Vasill en
tered in great excitement.
"Is the Jew here?" he asked. His
manner was bold, and he did not re
move his hat.
"No," replied Ilardy. "Why, what's
the matter now? What do you want
with him?"
"The people want him," cried Vasili,
"the Christians. A Christian child has
disappeared, and they think the ac
JJm J®
"Is the Jew Here?" He Asked. His Manner Was Bold.
cursed Jews have sacrificed him. This
thing has gone on long enough." Vasili
was speaking Russian now. "Only last
spring a Christian young man was
found dead, murdered, and the police
could not find out who did It. They
laid it on the Jews. Who else could
have done it? Would a Christian
murder a Christian? Impossible!
Such things must stop. We are going
to tear down the Jewish houses and
the Jewish store. If we do not find
the child, we will kill every Jew in
Stryetensk. We will tear their chil
dren to pieces!"
With this, Vasili rushed from the
room. Hardy gazed for some mo
ments at the closed door through
which his clerk had Just disappeared.
"This is getting serious," he mut
tered at last, rising. "It may even
result in serious consequences to the
store."
Up to this moment he had not been
able to realize that human beings,
many of whom could read and write,
could be capable of such fanaticism,
or that credence in the medieval su
perstition of child-sacrifice could still
exist. The thought that he was alone
here in the midst of this irresponsible
population gave him uneasiness as to
| his own safety. He wondered how
generally the report was circulated
that he himself was a Jew, and tlio
suspicion crept through his mind that
perhaps Vasili was responsible for it.
Could it be possible that the Russian
cherished ambitions of being made
manager? Hardy looked at his pistol
| and determined, if it became neces
! sary, to defend himself. But as for
Karuch, would it be possible to do any
| thing for him? There were, he re
| membered, about a dozen Jewish fam
i ilies in town, whose residences were
i
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1910
clustered together in one quarter,
while the house in which Baruch dwelt
with his aged mother was at some dis
tance from these. Perhaps it would
be possible to reach Mordecai before
the Christians got there and warn him.
If necessary, he would offer the Jew
the shelter of the store. He seized
his hat and went out into the dimly
lighted street. He had gone only a
short distance when a boy stopped
him with a detaining hand. Hardy
looked down and his eyes fell on a
Korean youth. He knew instantly that
it was a Korean from the costume:
Baggy trousers, loose blouse and hat
of bamboo frame covered with hair
cloth.
"Ten thousand pardons, excellency,"
said the boy in imperfect Russian, "I
came to see if you could give me em
ployment. I have been in town only
two days, and must have work. I can
run errands or carry packages. I
shall be very useful to you—you don't
know how useful and industrious I
shall be! And I am intelligent, too,
very, very intelligent!"
The plea was so ingenuous, the
young voice so eager, that Hardy was
touched.
"I am In a great hurry now, my
boy," he said. "Be here when I come
back, and I will talk with you. We
could use an errand boy. I was think
ing of that very thing to-day!"
"But, excellency," persisted the hoy,
"perhaps I can be of use to you now.
You will see how intelligent I am!"
He spoke rapidly, and his Russian,
though bristling with errors, was eas
ily understood. "Hoping to get em
ployment of you and to become use
ful, I have made inquiries. The peo
ple here hate you, and they are thirst
ing for the blood of the Jews."
"You are a very bright boy," he
said at last. "I really believe you
could do this thing oetter than I. Run
then to the Jewish quarter and see
what is going on. Then hasten to the
house of Mordecai Baruch—do you
know where it is?"
"Yes, excellency. You passed there
this morning with him, and he
went in."
"Well! You have been shadowing
me. Tell Mordecai to bring his moth
er to iny store, if they are in real
danger, and I will try to protect them.
The Russians will hardly dare attack
American property. Then run back
to me as fast as you can."
"Yes, excellency."
The boy was gone, and Ilardy, after
watching his slender form as it flew
down the street until it disappeared
around the corner, turned and re-en
tered the store. Removing his coat
and hat, he sat down at his table, and
awaited tho boy's return. The more
he thought of this occurrence, the
stranger it seemod to him. Seldom
had he acted bo purely on Impulse as
in the present instance. But tho boy
had come up to him so suddenly, he
was so quick-witted and his proposi
| tion so sensible, that there was no re
sisting him. Ilardy had heard that
the Koreans were a bright race, natur
ally, but never before had he received
personal evidence of the fact. Ho now
concluded that they compared favor
ably in this respect with the preco
cious Japanese.
In less than half an hour the boy
was back. The housekeeper brought
him to the door of Hardy's living
room and admitted him. He had the
girlish cast of features that had made
it so difficult for Hardy to distinguish
between the Korean boys and girls in
Vladivostok. His hair was drawn up
Into a tight knot on top of his head,
and his face, save for a livid scar
across his right cheek and temple,
was positively beautiful.
"Well?" said Hardy.
"The worst is happening," said the
boy, quietly. "The wolves are howling
and have already smelled blood. They
are maddened by the scent of it. They
are demolishing the Jewish houses,
are stealing their valuables and burn
ing their furniture. A number of the
Jews are barricaded in the Jewish
store, and a great crowd is collected
in front, howling for blood. Mordecai
and his mother have disappeared."
"My God!" exclaimed Hardy. "I
must go immediately to the police."
"It will do no good," said the boy,
"the chief of the police has left town
and the police themselves are assist
ing In tho work of destruction. Your
own life, unless you use great dis
cretion, will be in danger. It is
rumored that you are a friend and as
sociate of Jews, perhaps a Jew your
self. I tore this from a wall."
He laid on a table a poster bearing
a crude wood-cut of the Saviour's
head, wearing the crown of thorns.
Beneath were the words:
"Death to those who murdered our
Lord!"
Hardy arose and paced the floor, his
hands in his pockets. From time to
time he stopped and listened, but all
was silence without.
"Had you not better fly while you
can?"
It was the voice of the boy, whose
"Hark!" He Whispered, "the Christla ns * After Mel"
presence he had for the moment for
gotten.
"Fly? No! I cams here to stay,
and whoever attempts to interfere
with me will find that he has caught
a Tartar and no Jew. What is your
name?"
"Wang, excellency."
"Wang what?"
"Just Wang."
"Well, Wang, you are a good boy,
and I shall find you a place to sleep.
I can make use of you. Hello, what's
that? Do you not hear something?"
They both listened.
"Yes, sir, 1 hear the feet of a man
running, as if for his life, and hoarse
shouts in the distance."
CHAPTER XXV.
"War, My Boy, War!"
Hardy ran through tho large prin
eipal room of the store, lighted by a
single kerosene lamp with reflector,
to the door. This he opened aud be
gan to shove up the iron shutter. He
had not raised it more than two feet
when Mordecai glided through be
neath it and slammed it down again.
He was chattering with fright. Even
by that dim light Hardy could see
that the Jew's face was the color of
veal and that his eyes were dilated
with horror.
"Save me! Save me!" he pleaded,
hoarsely, as he fumbled at the big key
with trembling fingers, vainly trying
to lock the door.
"Hark!" he whispered, "the Chris
tians are after me! Do you not hear
them howling like wolves? They will
tear me to pieces!"
And, indeed, at that moment the
sound of savage voices could be heard,
louder and louder as they came near
er, shrieking, barking, howling:
"Moschke! Moschke! The Jew! The
Jew!"
Mordecai sank to the floor and
threw his arms about Hardy's knees.
"Save me, save me! and I will be
your slave."
Hardy seized the man by his shoul
ders, shook him roughly and pulled
him to his feet.
"Get up, man,"he said, quietly,
"and pull yourself together. I will
do all I can for you. Wang, take
him away from the door —take him
back into the store. They may hear
him here."
"Yes! Yes!" chattered Mordecai, "I
will hide. Hide me, boy, hide me! I
have money, I will make you rich!"
There was a sudden crash, a loud
hammering on the iron shutter. Evi
dently the Russians had been whis
pering together, and this sign of mo
mentary hesitation gave Hardy reas
surance.
"What do you want?" he shouted
through the door.
"The Jew! The Jew!" came back
the response in a roar.
"Wait a moment!" he called back.
"I will come out and talk to you."
There was a garret, reached by a
ladder. A window faced the street
and from this he determined to par-
ley with the mob. He ran toward the
ladder, but was stopped by Wang,
who glided up to him.
"I have an idea," said the boy. "Are
there no priests' robes in the store?"
Hardy gazed at him for o moment,
and then sudden comprehension
seized' him.
"Good!" he cried, "good!"
Springing to a counter he jerked
down a long priest's robe and tnll hat.
Mordeeai was crouching between
bales of cloth. From these Hardy
dragged him forth.
"Here, a*.an," he commanded, "put
these on and go out by the back door
and walk hurriedly away! Walk all
night, then throw them away. You
will be safe as soon as you lire out of
Stryetensk. Come, come, man, hold
out your arms! There! It's your only
chance. Here, put on tbo hat and let
ine hang tills cross about your neck.
When you hear mo talking to (lie
mob, let him out of the bark door,
Wang. Co •••Ith the boy, i tell you,
man. The mob will be in here soon.
Good-by! and good luck!"
He seized the terrified man's hand,
which was cold and limp as the hand
of a dead man, and then scrambled up
the ladder. The uproar without had
commenced again, and the pounding
on the door waa being renewed.
He threw open the shutter of the
window and looked out. There were
at least 500 people in the crowd, many
of whom were carrying flaming
torches, which they held high above
their heads. All ages were repre
sented, from babes in the arms of
mothers to old men and bewhiskered
countrymen in blouses and high boots.
Hardy noticed several policemen ia
the throng, as well as two or three
priests.
"There he is!" shouted some one,
and the cry went up:
"The Jew! The Jew! Throw him
out to us. Lot us Into him!"
"What do you want of him?" asked
Hardy.
"We want to play with him!" came
the reply, followed by horrid, cruel
laughter.
"Friends," said Ilardy, "you must
be careful what you do here. This Is
not Jewish property. It belongs to an
American, a Christian Frederick
Emery, a good man, whom we all
know."
Hardy did not realize till that mo
ment bow much Russian he knew. He
felt that he could have talked Chinese
had it been necessary.
"We do not want to destroy the
property. We want the Jew, Mor
decai. Pitch him out to us."
"No," said a tall Russian, who
seemed to be a ringleader. "We do
not want to destroy the property, but
we will burn it to the ground if you
do not give up the Jew. The Jews
must die. They crucified our Saviour,
they sacrifice Christian children."
"But I assure you, good friends," ar
gued Hardy, "that Modecat had noth
ing to do with crucifying the Saviour.
That happened 2,000 years ago."
"He is making sport of us!" howled
the mob. "He is a Jew himself!"
"Tell us," sneered the tall man, "are
you a Jew?"
"I am not a Jew," replied Hardy,
firmly. "I am a Christian. There is
not a drop of Hebrew blood in my
veins."
"Then prove it to us. It has been
said that you are a Jew. If you are
a Christian, you will throw out the
Jew, that we may tear him in pieces,
that we may beat him to death. Act
quickly, for we must have the Jew!"
And again that awful cry went up.
"The Moschke! The Moschka! The
Jew! The Jew!"
Hardy felt a light touch on his arm,
and Wang whispered to him:
"He is gone, he has got away!"
"Friends," said Hardy in a calm,
clear voice, "I cannot meet your test.
There is no Jew here. I give you my
word that Mordecai is not here."
Vasili now stood out from the
others.
"Mr. Hardy," he said, "we saw him
run in this direction. We are sure
he was coming here. Where else
could he he seek protection, save In
the house of his companion and
friend?" This sneeringly.
"Do you doubt my word, sir?" asked
Hardy. "You had better help me In
j tliis trying situation, if you know on
i which side your bread is buttered.
| This is your opportunity to win Mr.
i Emery's favor."
"I do not doubt your word, sir, but
these people will be hard to con
; vlnce."
"I saw the Jew go into the store!"
shrieked a boy. "He crawled under
the iron door."
"He is lying to us," howled the
mob. "Heat in the door. Death to the
I Jew! to the Jew!"
Pandemonium now broke loose
again. Heavy rocks were hurled
, against the doors and windows, and
three or four stout Russians brought
up a log, to batter in the iron shut
ter.
"Oh, my dear master," pleaded the
| Korean boy, "fly while there is yet
time! They will kill you, they will
tear you in pieces! They ure mad
men !"
"I shall not fly." said Hardy. "They
may kill me, if they wish, but I will
teach them a lesson first."
At this moment a droshky drove up
through the throng, the" driver furi
ously lashing his horses, and stopped
i before the door.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
The Mean Thing!
Mrs. Poyndexter was just dropping
| off to Bleep, but her husband was
wakeful. "1 heard a story today," he
| began, "about —"
"Oh. don't bother me, Jason!" she
• murmured. "I'm sleepy."
"I was only going to say—"
I"l don't wan't to hear it!"
I "it's about—"
"Can't you lot ine goto sleep!"
"About Mrs. —"
"Mrs. who?" demanded his wife,
sitting straight up, wide-eyed and in
i terested.
"I've always noticed," said Mr.
I'oyndexter, yawning, "that the way
to get a woman's atfi-ntlon Is to tull.
her a story about some other woiu
( an."—-Youth's Companion.