., i : '-vc rLiTCKWttyTi a fj'i.j"'f x rJr-it"-"r5' T fflrvfl a " v -"J? v- ' - ; v.i " -Ji ' i(' J Jv VTi 4-i " t 4 I. -5, ' ' AfVI SW ?V' EVENING LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1017 i.'-'! ',. "Mr. Sturmer was but a tool in the hands of this artful, clever private secretary whom he had been persuaded, or rather compelled, to take. Manusscwif sch-M aniuloff had managed to get hold of him and to keep him securely bound to his own policy." (Copyright. 1017. Tubllo Lcdsrr Company. All tights retemd.) kttutin and His Aid, the Chief of the Secret Mice, n em. jl uw u m x nvir ocneme Ot Blackmail, Attacking the Director of One of Russia's GrcaFBanksHc Did Not Submit Meekly, as Others Had Done, but Went Directly to the Military Authorities tltto This Fatal Mistake of Having Overstepped ' .. ... t CJW.. ,'.. T7..'.. n .i.j-.i-. if the liimuB ui fct in iiimi jvriuimy or Immunity That the Sudden Ending of Ras putin's Career Is Directly Traced The Out raged Sensibilities of Respectable, Loyal Russians Could No Longer Be Held in Check CHAPTER VU (Continued) nllT the people who surrounded Rasputin and with whom ho was f V working wero not grateful for tho labor of lovo which Great iriUln and France had ussumed. They begun to complain of tho iwdled Interference of loreign elements with the details of tho SiwUn administration. Some went even so far as to say that J Jtosia wns becoming an English colony. All tho plunderers, nil a, thieves who had had their own way for so many months, percciv- Rfjtg that they would no longer have the opportunities which they had rVnJoyed before to add to their ill-gotten gains, tried by all means fc their power to discredit tho sovereign whoso firmness they had fcuid In their way. They joined all tho pro-Germans of whom, 'im1 there existed but too many in tho country, in an effort to Iris? about a peace, tho shame of which would have been quite in herent to them. The Smoldering Opposition to Rasputin It is not at all wonderful if those shameless adventurers started conspiracy for the success of which they required the moral !. Influence of Rasputin and the authority of his person. It was, after ' til, such an easy matter to say that in such and such a caso he had ,:leen acting in conformity with the imperial will. No one could dis- ffyrove the truth of the assertion, and in that way the Emperor was kjtudt responsible for all the unavownblo things which were going f on. He was supposed to have given his sanction to all these things jfitaply because it had pleased, not even Rasputin himself, but indi SftTidoals like Mr. Manussewitsch-Maniuloff, to declare that they had lleen done with his knowledge and approval. Can one feel surprised if in the presence of this artificial at Imosphere, and still more artificial position, an intenso feeling of disgust took hold of real patriot?, and made them contemplate seri iVsly the possibility of trying at least to unmask Rasputin and his J, crew and bring to the ears of the Tzar all the different rumors Vwhich were in circulation concerning tho "Prophet" and what was rping on around him? Men of experience and of weight seriously J ftonght how this could be done. They made no secret of the fact, fjsnfortunately for themselves as well as for tho success of their fjjplans. What was going on very soon came to the knowledge of Ma- irassewitch-Maniuloff and made him more frantic than he had ever been to overthrow what he called "foreign influences" in Russia. He applied himself with renewed energy to bring about, by fair means t'r fonl, the conclusion of a peace on which depended his whole future destiny. And he might perhaps havo succeeded if circum inces had not turned against him and put an end to his machina--ons, at least for a time. Mr. Sturmer was but a tool in the hands of this artful, clever t The grand palace of Tzarskoie Sclo, the Imperial home, alwa)s open to Rnsputln. private secretary whom ho had been persuaded, or rather compelled, to take. Manusscvvitscli-Muniuloflf had managed to get hold of him and to keep him securely bound to his own policy. He hnd been the man who had contrived to put him into the position of authority which ho enjoyed, and Mr. Sturmer, whatever may have been his other defects, had a grateful nature. Besides, Maniuloff amused him, and took an Immense amount of trouble off his hands. He could rely on his never doing anything stupid, even when ho did something very dishonest. Mr. Sturmer was absorbed in great political com binations and was looking toward a long term of offlcc. Ho felt absolutely safe in the situation which he occupied, where at any moment ho liked ho could speak with tho Tzar and explain to him what he thought to be most advantageous to the interests of his party, or tho events of tho day as they followed in quick succession. Alas for this security! An unexpected incident was to destroy it in the most ruthless manner. Rasputin, together with Mr. Maniu loff, went too far in the system of blackmailing which they had been practicing with such skill for so many long month. Tor oncj they found their master in the person of one of tho diicctors of a largo banking establishment in Petrograd, who, upon being threat ened with all kinds of unpleasantness unless he consented to pay a large sum of money, did not protest as others hud done before him in similar cases, but gave it immediately, first having taken the numbers of the banknotes which he had handed over to Mr. Maniu loff. He went with these numbers to the military authorities and lodged with them a formal complaint against the blackmailers. The result was as immediate as it was unexpected. The General Staff had been waiting a long time for just such an oppoitunity to pio cced against Rasputin and tho members of his crew. That very same night, in obedience to orders received from the military com mnnder of Petrograd, Mr. Manussewitsch-Maniuloff's house was searched from top to bottom, and ho himself conveyed to prison, without even having been allowed to acquaint his chief, Mr. Stui mcr, with what had happened to him. CHAPTER VIII rpHE arrest of the Primo Minister's private secretary produced, as one may well imagine, an immense sensation in Petrograd and intenso consternation among the friends of Rasputin. They were thus deprived of tho one stron nlhj capable of guiding their steps in tho best direction possiblo under the circumstances, and, moreover, of the ono who was possessed of information which no one else could possibly get at. Mr. Sturmer himself was more than dismayed at this step taken by the military authorities without consulting him and resented it as a personal affiont. Ho tried to interfere in the H .M X jHT I 1 Prince Felix Youssoupoff, one of the principal plotters against Rasputin, and his wife, the Princess Irene, one of Russia's most beautiful women. matter and went so far as, to demand as his light the liberation of Manussewitsch-Maniuloff. Hut his intencntion, instead of helping the person in whose favor it had been displayed, gave on the con trary the signal ior a seiics of attacks against Mr. Sturmer himself, attacks of which the most important was the speech made by Mr. Miliukoff In the Duma, where he publicly accused the Prime Minlatef of being in league with Gcrmnny and of working in favor of a sepa rate peace with that country. Immediate Effect of the Coup Of course, ,the remarks of tho leader of the opposition in the Chnmber were not allowed to be published, but so many persons had heard them and so many others had heard of them that the contenti of tho tuldrcsj of Mr. Miliukoff very soon became public property. No ono had ever cared for Mr. Sturmer, whose leanings had always been for autocracy. Whilo Governor of Twer he had distinguished himself by the zenl which ho displayed In putting down every mani festation of public opinion in his government. In addition he had been connected with various matters where bribery played a promi nent part, a fact which had not helped him to win-any popularity in the province which he ... J administered. His only merits lay in his ability to speak excellent French and in his having very pronounced English sympathies. Theso sjmpathics, however, by some kind of unexplainablc miracle, died out immediately after his assumption of office. He at once fell under tho influence of n certain party that clamored for the removal of foreigners from the administrative and political life of Russia. He was not clever, though he had a very high idea of his own intelligence and knowledge. Though he had never carried his knowledge beyond a thorough grasp of tho precedence that ought to be awarded to distinguished guests at a dinner party (which he had acquired while he was master of the ceremonies at the Imperial Court), yet he was convinced of his capacity to fill the most important offices of the Russian State. These he looked upon with the eyes of a farmer in the presence of his best milking cow. Ho was not n courtier, but a flatterer by nature, and an essentinlly accommodating one, too. There was no danger of his ever turning his back on persons who he had reasons to think wer in possession of the favor of personages in high places. And he had , n wonderful faculty for toadying wherever he expected that it might prove useful to his career. , For some years he had vegetated in a kind of semldisgrace and fretted over his inactivity. When he found himself able once more to make a display of his administrative talents he took himself and these talents quite seriously nnd imagined that perhaps he could become the savior of Russia, but surely a very rich man. Thi3 last idea had been suggested to him by Mr. Manussewitsch-Maniuloff, who in conversations with him had imbued Mr. Sturmer with the con viction that it would bo a proof of careless neglect on his part if he did not make the most of the many opportunities his important posi tion as Prime Minister put in his way, and did not assure the pros perity of his old age, wi en he had at his disposal all possible sources of information out of which he might make a profit. Mr. Sturmer was no saint, and the weaknesses of the flesh had always appealed to him. There is nothing wonderful in the fact that he listened with nttention, nnd even with satisfaction, to the;, confidences which wero poured into his car by his private secretary, of whose talents he had a mobt exalted opinion. When his Fidus Achates was arrested and thrown in to a more or les dark dungeon Mr. Sturmer was so dismayed that he allowed himself to be drawn into the mistake of identifying himself with the prisoner and claiming his liberty as a right. It is related that when tho object of his solicitude heard of the various steps undertaken by the Prime Minister on his behalf he gave vent to words of impatience at what he considered an imprudence likely to cost a good deal to the guilty ones. "Sturmer ought to have known that a man like mjsclf does not nllow himself to be arrested without having taken the, pre, caution to be able to impose on those who had ventured to do so the necessity of liberating him," he had exclaimed. (CONTI.VL'ni) MONDAY) m J IT V V w RAINBOW'S END By REX BEACH Author of "The Spoilers," "The Barrier," "Heart of the Sunset" A novel of love, hidden treasure and rebellion in beautiful, mys terious Cuba during the exciting days of the revolt against Spain. h, (Copyright. 1017. Harper Bros ) J CHAPTER VIII (Continued) rpHlS exactly suited tho elder woman, who knew something about the slutn- Mri of jouth. Neertheless, dawn was itlll a lone way off when, truo to hoi Promise. Rosa emerged fiom the hut with fan apology for having slept so long. JETangellna protested, though her eyes kere heavy and eho had been awning .prodigiously for hours. But for onco tJ flrl was nrm. "I can't sleep." sho Blared. "Why force me to lie staring lato the dark while you suffer?" Having frally prevailed in her determination, sho tea herself in the warm place Evan- Wlna had acated, and, curling her small fwt .under her, she settled herself, chin hand, to think of O'Reilly. It was ; tood time to think, for tho Junglo was rry sun and the night llko a elvet iWrtaln. I ... "(fTVe had better lcavo tho hoihes heie." Wncho Cueto hesitatingly addressed tho iwLblUr WhIch ho know t0 b0 CoIonel "a n Th Coloncl ot Volunteers was In !rM t'mper' wnat wlth tho long night and an error of Cueto's which had f2wveraWy le"Sthened the journey. jWnero is tho houso?" growled the of. $ ."Not-far. But tho path Is rocky and , horses' feet " fTGod, jes!" There was a creak ot waie leathers and a groan ns the Colonel mounted, "Now, my good Cueto." ho iad l trn' "0,l0tller yqur mistakes isie V Bhe you somethlns to remember CJ Damnation! What a night! As I1 as hell." ih1'"1" b8 daylight before we know fs"E I nervously. lith men j can see to deal to.. V M you ve rooIe me." A cun Pw brought his men out of their sad- ,. J" ot thelr number was detailed Ikht, V un"nais, wnue the rent fell BraU I n Cuet0 nl followed him up tho "' 1"b siargiow. CHAPTER IX MARAUDERS "8 eurnrlRo ruu. ,o..ii.. .... -j ---. nu9 VUOlljT VUWkVU, Ul ;:' VOIOne Cobo'ft TTlOn warn n.umnlM "i eortt of work. Rosa, crouching " Wr bench. h.irH rTnttiln mnnr nnth. "Mil out of the shadows beside her J-"1 rorms materialized. Her white " J'ke a dim phosphorescent glow in waters, betraVArl hr nmidncii nnrl her. at. j .... r wio CJVVUHU'U once, IWIGC j .. b. (,uu yvvi lie JIIVUU1 Mlivt ?n to struggle llko a cat. una. who had waked at the first roe, the marauders ,a they jywn the door. The hush of MB HM MMMftt-lMW THE STORY THUS FAR JOHNNIE O'REILLY, more commonly known as THE O'REILLY, has fallen in love with ROSA VARONA, one of the orphans of DON ESTEBAN VARONA, a wealthy slae owner and sugar planter of Cuba. Don Esteban had hoarded a ast fortune in precious stones, old Spanish coins and modern currency in a secret chamber at the bottom of a well. In building this well he was assisted by SEBASTIAN, a faithful slave, the only other person to share the secret. When Don Esteban'a first wife died he became the target for many match makers, who knew vaguely of his hidden fortune. DONA ISABEL sue cecded in becoming the second wife and immediately set about intriguing to learn of the fortune. Hoping to get information from Sebastian, she succeeds in having his daughter EVANGELINA sold. The slave, infuriated, murders his master and several others before he is shot Thus in a few minutes the only two persona who know the whereabouts of the fortune arc killed. Isabel tries vainly to get information from PANCHO CUETO, the manager of the plantations. Instead, he threatens to claim the estate as his because Don Esteban left no Heeds to the property. Thn niirht Isabel falls into the well and is drowned. The body is recovered by ESTEBAN, Rosa's brother and a spy for Colonel Lopez, the leader of the Cuban insurrec tionists. Poncho Cueto iinds a letter with information which Esteban had dropped end turns it over to the authorities. Rosa and Esteban then escape up the valley to the hut of Evangelina, their old nurse. O'Reilly, back in New York at the office of the firm which he repre sented in Cuba, anxiously awaits information from his sweetheart. His many letters do not bring a reply until months later, when Rosa tells him of the misfortunes that have befallen since he left Cuba. O'Reilly determines to rescue his beloved, and for that purpose calls upon Mr. Enriquez, head of tho Cuban junta in New York, who helps him to return to the tropic island. There O'Reilly, in common with other Americans, is suspected, nnd he attempts to fool his hotelkeeper by stating that he came to Cuba for his rheumatism. After conferring with a Dr. Alvnrado, O'Reilly moves on to Puerto Principe, nearer the scene of action, where he meets Leslie Branch, on American consumptive, trjing to get cured or killed. In the meantime, Esteban has been harassing Pancho Cueto by burning his sugar fields. The latter goes to Colonel Cobo, in charge of the Spanish troops, with the proposition that in return for exterminating Esteban and his guerillas the colonel can have Rosa. Esteban during the rest between raids shows Bosa n Spanish doubloon which he took from Isabel's clenched fist ns he raised her from the well, thus establishing the location of the treasure. When he and his band leave for an attack Rosa goes to sleep first while Evangelina keeps watch. Ing of feet upon the dirt floor of tho hut, the rickety, bark-covered walls bulged and creaked. Over all sounded tho shrieks of tho negrcss battling In tho pitch black interior like an animal in its lair. Then somo one set flro to tho thatch; the flames licked up the dead palmleaves to tho rldgo polo, and the surroundings leaped Into view. Rosa saw a swarthy, thickset man in tho uniform of a Colonel of Volunteers, and behind him Pancho Cuoto. Tearing the hand from her lips for a moment, she cried Cueto'a name, but he gavo no heed. Ho was straining his gazo upon the door of tho bohto In the imme diate expectation of seeing Esteban emerge. He clutched a revolver In his hand, but it was plain from the nerveless way in which ho held the weapon that he had llttlo stomach for the adventure. He was, In fact, mora inclined to run than to stand his giound. Rosa shrieked his name again; then sho heard tho ofllcer say: "Where is the young fellow? I hear hut UwMnueala oC that nnwmna $j : i "v -. 'c.vv.t'i ..." suddenly ceased, and with them tho sounds of combat. From the blazing bohio ran two armed men, brushing sparks from their clothing. A third followed, dragging Evangelina by ono naked arm. Tho black woman was inert; her scanty garments wero well-nigh ripped from her body; she lay huddled where tho soldier flung her. In Cobo's Arms Rosa felt herself swooning, und she knew nothing of what immediately fol. lowed. After a time sho felt herself shaken, und heard the colonel addressing her. "Come, come!" he was baying. "Why don't you answer me?" Ho dragged her farther from what was now a roaring furnace. "Whero is your precious brother und that black fellow?" Rosa could- only stare dully. "It seems we missed them," bald Cueto. "Moro of your bungling," Cobo broko out at him, wrathfully. '"God! I've a. mind to toss you Into that fire." Ho turned his attention once more to Rosa, urf.wUk Jerk UmU shook br Into fuller ------ . i ran. "Gone:" sho gasped "Gone!" Sho strug gled weakly toward Cueto, Imploring him, "Pancho don't ou know me"'" "Well, we've taught him n lesson" w.ild Cueto, gilnnliiR nppuhcnslely at v-otio.. "We've accomplished xomethlng. nnjhovv, ch?' Ho nodded at Rosa. 'She's all that I told jou. Look at her!' Coloncl Cobo took time to ncrutlnlzo his prisoner. He turned her about In tho light from tho turning dwelling; then ho agreed. Captured "Yes! Sho's a pretty little spy quite a prize, truly. Now then!" His thick lips spread; he spoke to her moro gently. "I want jou to tell mo ubout that brother of jours, eh? Cueto suld I would Und him here. HaJ Still frightened, I i-ee Well, I have a way with women; I daro toy you'll bo glad to tell me eveij thing by and by. Then, jccln thut his men Usked a scorching In tilth fec.irch of the hut and wero ahcady quarreling uver tho scanty plunder which it afforded, ho turned from Rosa to call them away. Profiting by his inattention, Rosa wrig gled out of his grasp and ran to Evun gellna, who lay face down In tho dirt, her limbs sprawled loosely. Sho flung her self upon tho prostrato body and cried tho Diiiqk woman's name, but sho could awaken no nsponse. The flist pink of dawn was now deep ening In tho cast, and as boon as it had grown light enough to beo to travel Col oncl Cobo prepaicd to leturn to Ills horses, Tho loof and walls of the bohio had fallen away to ashes. Its skeleton of poles and its few pieces of ciudo furni ture alono were smoldering when he called his men together und gavo tho word to go. "Come, my sweetheart." Ho addressed himself to tho girl. "Leave that carrion for the buzzards." Rosa looked up to find him leering at her. Sho brushed the tears from hct eyes, crjlng: "Go awa! In God's name haven't jou done harm enough?" "Oh, but you're going with me." Tho girl rose; her face was colorless; she was aqulver with Indignation. "Leavo me!" sho stormed. "What havo I dono to you? Don't" "Caramba! A temper. And you have Btrength, too, as I discovered. Mu&t I bind those pretty hands or" Colonel Cobo reached forth, laughing, and encircled her in 'his powerful arms. Rosa fought him us sho had fought at tho first moment of desperutlon, but ho lifted her easily unJ went striding across tho field behind his men. i hi m - ltfr W Mtmmm9imwmZ 7mY l Vk. X F flMT. .vEZW VH ,' "Come, come!" Coloncl Cobo was f Z I Jf . way, then he led his followers back to ward the hills. At sunset he reined in upon the crest of a ridge and looked be hind him Into the valley. The whole Uy was bluck with smoke as if a city wero In flames. Revenge Removing his wide Jlpl-Japa hat. the jounc man swept a mocking salutation to the east. , "So now, good Pancho Cuetu," he cried, "I leave ou tho compliments of these twins vou love so well." In the shelter of a ravine the party, tool? time to eat sapper, their first meal since leaving home, and It was nfter dark when they finished The negroes, who weie thoroughly tired, were for spending the night here, but llsteban. mow cau tious than they, would not have It so. Accordingly, the men remounted their wear hoises, though not without some i &" , "Come, come!" Coloncl Cobo was saying. "Why don't ou answer me?" He dragged Rosa further from what was now a roaring fur nace. "Where is jour precious brother?" J Ti Esteban'a party mado 'good tlmo over the hills and Into the Sm Juan, for Asen- W kaew Um mm7mlL MUaftemoo cane was thick and high; It was ready for the knife or fur the torch. Making a detour, tho Inccndluiles aprrouched It from tho east In order to hav o the trade winds ut their backs. They dismounted in the shelter of a wood Aid removed tho bags which they had carried on their Baddies. Iusldo these bugs were several snakes, tho largest perhaps light feet In length. To tho tail of each tho negroes fastened u leather thorg, urd then to each thong u length of telegraph-wire, tho end ot which hud Wen bent Into u lojp to hold a bundle of oil-socked waste. These preliminaries accomplished, they bore tho reptiles into the cane fields at wMely separated places and llghtea ,Um L'stebun, from his bnddle, saw the first wisps of smoke arise and grow ant; un wind Into long ribbons, reaching deep into the standing crop. Soon tongues ot flame appeared and the green tops of the cane began to shrivel and to wave as tho steady cast wind took c.'.'ect. Frorr the uearost conflagration a great snapping and crackling of Juicy stalks arose. The thin, dry strlpplngs with which the earth wus carpeted formed u vast tinder bed, und onco tho lire was stuted there was no checking It. Smoke billowed upward und was hurried westward before the breeze; in a dozen places the fields burst Into Hunt. l . . . iTA . y.. grumbling, and ict out. "A weary ride," Kstcban yawned blmll tileen for a week. Asens'.o agreed. ' That Cueto will be fu AS rlou." said he. "Some day, perhaps, he r& and I will meet face to face. Then I shall ify, 1.11, !.! .. jt.7 twit i.t.ii. n ' K.itclnn reined in bin horse. "LooUP t said he. "Yonder Is t light." ? ?,4 The other horsemen crowded close, f j ', ufnrlncr Ihrnutrh thn rinrltnesg. It W-JI if' very still in the woods; dawn was lew i!1 than half an hour away. ,' yyr "What is Evangelina tninKing aDour Asenslo muttered. , f V "But, see! It c owa brighter" Ther.i followed a moment or two during wttiela there was no sound except, the brealftMC of the horses and the cieak of leathers as the riders crane their : to see over the low treetop Uulov. to Then Esteban cried: ' v? "Hnmn! I'm afraid li'a our -rl Kear,r!p4 Mm. fcwcjimnMttj "& Ta w . fili yf . . . . n-i -Lirx. . :fe WrJM' flIWW. '" vr . ... 'Afx.vfiia :-'ii-r.,t.. 'wj . T t iwiw ,jk , - ji.
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