The Argosy — page 123: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a eS”: le Pee ad BY RIGHT OF SWORD. 315 ‘First, I will tell you the news,’’ I said, after a pause ; and I told her about the arrest of Devinsky. ‘These people strike swiftly and secretly, Alexis,’’ she said thought- fully. ‘‘ They frighten me. Their power isalmost limitless. How hard they will hit, and how far the blow will reach, if they ever find we are fooling them !’’ She sighed. ‘‘The frontier is their limit, and we must pass it.’’ ‘‘T have been out today to make the preparations for flight. I suppose I must go?’’ She smiled a sad little note of interrogation at me. ‘‘ And if so, the sooner the better. I have a disguise and shall start tonight. My diffi- culty will be, of course, at the frontier; but I am going to stop short of that by one station, and then as a peasant girl try to get over on foot. It will take a little longer, but it is the only chance.”’ ‘‘No, I have good news for you so far as that is concerned. Madame Tueski will get you a permit in some name or other, and then you can cross in the train. Far better.’’ | ‘‘ Vou have seen her, then, today ?’’ A shadow of her old feelings crossed Olga’s face as she asked this. ‘‘Ves, I have seen her, and she is eager now that you shall get out of the country.’’ She was very quick witted and read my meaning instantly from my words and tone. “Tell me everything. There is more bad news yet to be told. Has she guessed Ah, I always feared that woman.’ ‘Tell me, Olga, ought I to have any special mark on either of my arms. Any birth mark, or anything of that sort ?’’ She went white instantly. ‘‘T had forgotten. That wretched woman’s initials were tattooed in small letters just there’’—she put her finger on the place. ‘‘I saw it once, and Alexis was wild with me. Has she seen your arm bare?’’ ‘My wound,’’ I said, in explanation. ‘Oh, dear, through me again—through me again !’’ cried the girl, in dis- tress. I took herin my arms to soothe her, and tried to make her understand that after all it was really a good thing that had happened and not a bad one, inasmuch as the woman’s jealousy was urging her to help in getting Olga away. I told her everything frankly. But this was not all a clear course, as may be imagined. Olga loved me very dearly, and trusted me, I believe, as implicitly asany woman could trust the man she loved. But she wasa woman and not a goddess; and she could not bring herself to like the necessity which took her out of the country and left me behind in the clutches of sucha woman as Paula Tueski. She was a very reasonable little soul, however, as well as a brave one ; and before I left her I had talked her into a condition of compulsory resignation. I did not attempt to disguise from myself, though I did from Olga, the fact that her flight after my conversation with the princess would certainly tend to bring suspicion upon me if it should be discovered. _ Any secret step at sucha juncture would do that. I thought I had better see the prince a? Eomicbooks A a me cid ae is aw (E(0) . «ae