' J THE UNKNOWN |'
1 MR- KENTj
rJJu OKORGK a. DOBAN CXX. 1*1* COPY BIOT.
•"But Kent! Kent! Are you mad?"
demanded tbe king. "Time! Time Is
against us. You don’t know what is
happening! What do you think of
this?” he cried, thrusting a paper to- ,
wa; 1 the American.
IKcat Look it, said, "Have a seat,
.■your majestyand read. It was a
Lproclamation with all official seals
and form, calling upon the inhabi- :
tacts, and especially those employed
ju the manganese mines, to assemble
in the market place, at 11 o'clock of
that day, where communications of
the utmost importance to tlieir wel
l.ire and the welfare of the state
would be made. Kent read it slowly
•to himself, gave a wry twist to his
month, and looked at Ills visitor.
"I observe," he said, with quiet
meaning, "that it does not end quite
as royal decrees customarily do. It
does not boar the words 'Clod save
th.i King."
The king, who had been twisting
impatiently on his chair, exclaimed,
*No, it doesn't. 1 noted that point."
■'When did this appear?” the Amer
ican asked, recalling the hour when
the attack had been made on him.
“It was posted up by the chancel
lor’s orders between one and two
•o'clock this morning. The guard told
•me so.”
“The guard, then, was friendly?"
"Yes, and very much distressed. He
tap- logiifed to me. and said that he
could but obey his orders; that he
cjuld not understand. I called him
Inside and closed the door, and told
Jiim to tell me all he knew. Ho did.
lli says that Pro Varik has won over
seme ol' ti. ae adventurers he first
brought her and th it they have been
tnik.ng to ail the others in the guard
room."
“Did this man get any inkling of
i’rovarsk's in;tminus?"
“Yes. linou.-.h to cause hint and all
tbe others that are loyal lo be highly
alarmed. The :e pa .ted the word
around that thrv believed they could
X'fst serve th-* thr n • and you by
obeying up to a certain ; o,nt. They
■wish to know what to da."
“But Piovarsk’s intentions?" in
‘tirrupted Kent, bringing the kin;
lank U) the po nt.
'■‘Provargain ; to announce
this morn ng that iie n n ng con
cession has been turn d o, r him.
wrested tram • ou ip.l . hr ft I*. ' * n
«bchslf of the p :y!e h* an 1 he
■will promise that heron: the profits
-shall be shared by thos - w'-.n (!• the
work. After that he prep to In
tflanie the people lo demonstrate ir,
tierce and demand of me that u like
•course shall be pursu 'd with ul! other
aisle holdings, and that ihose which
ttxie state does not completely own
•fhall be returned to the original or
■ninority owners to be run hereafter
wlfivorat state interference. My guard
.gutiiured all this from stray talk
ewide by Provarsks henchmen, who.
already certain of success, are begin
ning to boast of the authority they
mre going to have."
(Kent's eyes glowed with interest.
'"That guard of yours," he declared,
“is d uo for a good commission after
this is over. 1 s cm to have over
looked him." He meditated for a mo
il ent, and then to the king s surprise,
ats if vastly relieved, leaned back in
ibis chair and laughed.
"Amateur work, after all!” he de
clared. Tm disappointed! Provarsk
bad rne guessing, last night. I thought
be was a much cleverer fighter than
.1 had believed him to be. He always
•toggles In tho dnd."
"I don't see Ihe .,,>ke!" exclaimed
tl king, but more hopefully.
' Why, it Is this, way," explained
J! "Plain as d,.y now. He poses
m- i rational ben factor, but no one
would fee able to tell, if he did actual
ly get possession of the mines, what
the profits are. He probably would
tllv.dj up s )me of the profits as long
as it served his purpose. And after
that-!" He snapped his fingers
<3crisively. "In the meantime he in
spires my being driven from Markon,
jar.d forces you to turn over every
thing that produces an income; also
to Jet government controlled private
industries revert to those private in
dividuals who own the outside stock.
That includes the Markyn mineral
springs in which lie has invested ev
•ry dollar he has In the, world, and
sii tie could borrow. It's so easy now
that It's scarcely Interesting!"
"But the peCpko don’t know t£at
you havo tin* - concession,” objected
tiie king. "They think* I still own the
javines for the state, and that the
jprtflds Jutve 'been turned to the re
demption of the state bonds; and they
sure confident that after the bonds are
redeemed I'm going Jo spend more
artaccy for the good of the state. The
wiRtftc; Provarsk exposes the whole
jlllair. they will lose confidence in me
mud my intentions.”
The A me ci n« r»<mrded the king’s
4X
18
"But, suppose you had never
granted the concession, and that you
did own the mines, free from every
thing?"
"As soon as your bonds have been
met, I’d give them the profits—all of
them! You certainty know that l do
care for my people and am unselfish!
I want to be Just what they have
thought me to be, Kent, the best king
that Marken ever had! I want to be
able to do again what I have done,
v alk out amongst them, and know
tl at they respect me as a king, and
Ike me as a man and a friend.”
He spoke impasslonedly, voicing the
hunger of his mind, confessing his
dream, while the American watched
him kindly as an leader brother might
watch the liarassments of a younger
one when about to tender sympathy
and assistance.
“All right!” he said, bluntly. '1
think we can fix that up. It may be
foolish on my part-—damned foolish!
Rut a man can’t pass tlirough this
world without being foolish once In a
while. I’m going to give you that
concession.”
The king's face expressed many
emotions, and among them solicitous
affection.
"Rut—but Rhodes?" he asked ex
citedly, “What will Rhodes think of
you?"
“I've got to take my chances of
squaring it with him. Most always
he does about as I want him to. I’ve
made a lot of money for John Rhodes,
or.e lime and another, and he knows
i . Resides, I am going to tell you
something. The last penny that Mar
ken owed John Rhodes, together with
two per cent. Interest, was paid him
more than a week ago. If, after all
that, he kicked, he’d bo more of a dog
than I ever suspected him of being."
The king, stupefied by the news
Hat he was free from debt, gasped,
but Kent disregarded him.
He got up and locked the door to
make certain that he would not bo
disturbed, walked briskly across the
r:om to a book case, and spoke with
the proud delight of an ingenious boy.
"Come here," ho said. "1 want to
show you something. Pretty clever, I
call it. My own idea. Ivan and I did
most of the work. Now look over
here. On this s de of the room, right
j und r the mantel—see this marble
i ornament? Well, it's nothing but a
! plain, common old American electric
) latch; the kind we have over home
i when we live on the top flat and want
| to open the ground floor door for a
I islier. Puslt on it!"
Tlie king, still speechless, did so.
There was a sharp click, and the
book case swung away from the wall,
exposing a modern safe behind it. The
1 ing’s eyes were wide with curiousity.
"That's the way she works." Kent
exclaimed, proudly. “Thought it out
myself, for emergencies. 1 haven't
kept any papers of importance in the
vault of my office for more than three
months. I’d give $100 to watch
Provarsk when he opens it with the
combination I gavo him last night.
It’s quite empty.”
He chuckled as he bent over and
twirled the knob, pulled the heavy
door open, brought out a drawer and
took from It a piece of paper that
the king recognized. He opened it
and glanced at it to make certain of
its identity, held it before the king to
show what it was and then deliber
ately tore it to shreds, which he threw
into the fireplace and lighted,
"There goes the concession," he
said, gazing at the flames. "The
manganese are yours, unmortgaged,
free from ail debt and all obligations."
He turned with a warm smile on
his face, and silenced the king, who
began remonstrating.
‘Til tend to my part of it," he said.
"It's up to you to do yours. Let me
handle the situation here. You must
rush back to your rooms, summon the
] heralds, get Into your state glory so
| „s to be more impressive than Solo
i mon, and hurry down to the market
; piace."
■ He consulted his watch.
"You've no time to lose. If I were
[ you I'd not let them know but that
you personally summoned them.
You'd better go now, and whatever
>j;u do, don't let Provarsk know
you’ve been here."
'He fairly shoved the king toward
Ihe door, hushing his protestations of
g.atitude with a gruff—"We can talk
about all that later. Not now! Not
now! Hurry!"
He carefully closed the safe and
swung the book case back into its
normal position, after which, for some
minutes, he stood scowling thought
fully out over the garden, as if for
mulating new plans, and then walked
slowly across to the door and opend
it.
“I'd like to speak to you," he said to
the guard. “Come Inside."
The man hesitated, looked up and
duuu the corridor and grinned. Kent
was secretly pleased and knew that
he was not mistaken In his surmise
that one who had always been ready
to betray for money would go so
again to the highest bidder. The man
entered and closed the door behind
him, with a look of cupidity In his
eyes.
"You are out for money!" Kent
said brusquely. ‘Tm going to make
it worth your while to go at once, get
my man Ivan and bring him here.
You can tell the sentry It’s Provarsk’s
ordea If you do that within the next
15 minutes, you get 5,000 francs in
gold and no one the wiser. Can you
do it?"
The man took another look Into the
corridor, seemed satisfied, and said:
“How will you pay me?”
“You know that I keep my word,
don’t you?” Kent retorted. “I tell
you I’ll pay you the minute Ivan is
in this room!”
The mercenary hesitated, scratched
his head and took the plunge. He j
ran on tiptoe down the hall. Kent
hatened to his secret safe, and took
therefrom soma rolls of coin and
waited. His bribe was effective, for
within the time Ivan appeared and
the guard took the bribe money with .
a chuckle and left them.
"Ivan,” Kent said in the soundless !
speech he employed when they were
alone, “I rather think that, within a
short time, Provarsk will be here and
our Interview may not be pleasant. Go
into my dressing room there and
loave the door ajar sufficiently to ob
serve what takes place. If he gets
pgly, I may need you.”
"I understand," said the giant, nod
ding his head. "And I shall be there
if needed. Is that all?"
"Yes,” replied Kent, "that’s all.
And, Ivan, be wary of him if you do
have to come out. I don't believe that
man likes you! ’Pon my word I don’t!
And if he could, he might try to hurt
you.”
Ivan's mouth opened into a wide
grin, aa he went to Kent's dressing
room and pulled the door carefully
shut, save for a tiny crack. Kent
paced restlessly about the room,
pausing once to admire, absently, as
lie had done 100 times before, the in
t-lcate carvings of a huge wooden
screen that formed a snug little cor
ner. Time was moving and he won
dered why Provarsk did not appear,
foi lie confidently expected him. Had
that astute gentleman discovered the
counter move that was being made
against him, and taken steps for its
circumvention? It did not seem pos
s.ble.
With brisk elation he heard a tap
on tlie door and when the sentry en
tered looked expectantly over his
shoulder, confident that Provarsk was
there.
"Her royal highness, the Princess
Eloise,” announced the sentry, and
the American was troubled as he
bade the man open the door for her,
and himself moved toward it.
Bhe entered hurriedly and closed
the door behind her. Her anxiety and
excitement were marked,
"Tell me.” she said, hastily advanc
ing, "what has taken place. Karl
had no time. He told me to come here
and ask you. Why is there a sen
try?”
"Princess Eloise." he said quietly, "I
am under arrest by Provarsk's or
ders; but your brother and I have
taken steps that will render him very
harmless.”
She looked at him with pronounced
consternation that was augmented
when he added. “Steps also that ren
der my remaining longer In Marken
unnecessary, so I shall soon be go
ing."
“In the midst ot such an emergen
cy?"
“I do not believe it will be an em
ergency very ldng," he said, gravely.
"And I do not believe that after to
day I shall be needed. Therefore I
expect to leave Marken within a few
days."
"But you .can’t!” she insisted,
desperately.
A slow change came over his face,
the change that his intimates in big
affairs would have called his "Poker
face," a face that would be wooden
regardless of whatever depression,
elation, craft or plan passed through
his mind.
“Nevertheless," he replied, quietly,
"1 am going!"
"Surely not!” she expostulated. “I
don't believe it It’s as if you were
beaten—were running away!”
“Perhaps It may look that way-.
now,” he said, watching to see the
effect of his words.
The princess' distress increased,
lier hands came together, and he saw
that her slender fingers had inter
locked as though by this grip to ob
tain strength for repression. He would
have given all that was his to have
and to have comforted, soothed, and
caught them in his own strong palms ’
reassured her, but he dared not. He
had schooled himself to the knowl
edge that from her viewpoint he was
but a capable money lender, possibly
a good friend, while she was that
product of nurturing and breeding, a
princess royal. His rebellion at this
condition brought out a trifle of that
controlled savagery that made him
strong.
"Why should I stay here any long
• ‘"'TV-tr* U .
er," he asked, "when all I came t*
do Is done? I have paid John Rhode*
every cent of his money. That wa*
my mission, was it not? That and
nothing more."
She lifted her head and regarded
him with astonishment. Hie Immobile
face bespoke no inwa d hesitation.
Nothing but calm purpose. He was
inscrutable. She sustained a con
flict of emotions, but all her respect
and liking, so slowly upbuilt, were
wounded by his words.
"I thought," she said hesitantly,
“that you had remained for some
thing more—than that. I thought
friendship, a liking for a great work,
a happiness in doing something worth
while, had been reasons."
He smiled but did not answer. She
interpreted his silence as an admis
sion that she had been mistaken In
her estimate of him, and that he had
been imbued with nothing but selfish
motives. She spoke regretfully, now,
and he saw that her reserve was
breaking; that, tried and distressed,
she was giving way.
“I thought we meant something to
you, my brother and I! And I tried
to be worthy of what I thought you
were. I believed you to be the great
est man I had ever known! Karl
would have done anything for you.
I would-”
She paused, twisted her fingers still
harder and then looked at him with
eyes like those of a hurt child, can
did, outspoken in humiliated confes
sion. “I would have given anything to
have you be my friend, as you have
been Karl’s." She paused, bit her
lip, then impetuously clenched her
hands and with sheer recklessness
added, “I would have given much
more—to have helped you—always. If
you had failed and been beaten, hon
orably fighting, I would have liked
to go to you, and put my hand in
yours, and walk with you in defeat!
I was sick of illusion—of sham royal
ty— of polite lies! I wanted your
esteem! Yours! all of it! And now,
I despise myself for it!"
She stopped, choked by her own
humiliation, and looked at him; but
his eyes were on the floor, his hands
hanging listlessly open, his heavy
shoulders and stalwart frame inert,
and passive, as if all she had con
fessed, and all her scorn, were not
capable of moving him. For a long
time she stood thus, quivering, while
hi stood dumbly before her. The
chirping of birds in the sunlit gardens
outside, the slow measured footsteps
of the sentry in the corridor without,
and that ominous, distant hum of
Marken itself came to them accentu
ated in volume by their own silence.
The echoes of her voice, like the ap
pealing sobs of disillusionment com
ing from a hurt heart, died away
like the last faint sounds of a re
quiem, like one astounded by some
overwhelming surprise, he lifted his
head and met her eyes. All the old
bravery was gone from them. Gone,
too, all the old mockery, the old readi
ness of response, the quick accepta
tion of overchanging chance. Some
thing in their great seriousness, if)
their very depths, made her catch her
breath. She saw that he was hum
bly, yet desperately, fighting to
speak; that words were being sought
and that none satisfied.
There was a clamorous, insolent
note added to that murmuring
diapason of sound that swept monot
onously through the room, the sound
of some one clanking his way through
*he outer corridor. It stormed his
ears like the call of a trumpet an
nouncing battle. It whirled him back
to his own sphere of action, where
men were to be met, where a fig.it,
the fight he knew as a veteran, vas
imminent. His hands shot forward
ami caught hers, and his big hodv be
came endowed with a suggestion of
Lent steel, alive, ready to spring lie
was the master again.
‘Listen!" he commanded ner, Ins
words crowding one upon the other.
"Go quickly behind that screen and
sit down! Hurry! Sit there and
hear what is said. Say nothing! My
honor in your eyes may d.epen I upon
it—and that—is more to me than ev
erything else in the world.”
He caught her by the shoulders in
his strong hands, whirled her be
wildered, across the few steps Inter
vening, thrust her into an easy . hair
behind the screen, and was out again
toward the door through which
Provarsk was entering and which he
locked behind him. She heard Keats
voice, cool, casual, greeting his sole
opponent.
“Well," it said. "I’ve been expecting
you. Did you open that vault yet?"
Provarsk laughed; but not with
mirth.
“Yes, I opened it. And found Just
what I rather expected. Nothing.”
(Continued next week.)
Didn't Mean It.
Prime the Toledo Blade.
The hoste* had trouble in getting Mr.
Harper to sing. After the song had
been given, she came up with a smiling
face to her guest and made this ambigu
ous remark:
“Now. Mr. Harper, you must never
tell me again that you cannot sing—I
know now!” _
A Gude Conceit O’Hersel'.
From the Boston Transcript.
Edith—Would you isanry a man whe
I was your inferior?
I Helen—If I uterty at ah.
mam
package HH
1 before the war 89
5^ a package
> during the war ■
now!
The Flavor Lasts ■■
So Does the Price!
Not Quite.
“So they had smuggled whisky on
1 that yachting party. This Is going the
limit.”
“Oh, no; that Is three miles out.”
Important to Mothers
Examine carefully every bottle of
OASTOItIA, that famous old remedy
Cor Infants and children, and see that It
Bears the
Signature of
In Use for Over 80 Years.
Children Cry for Fletcher’s Castoria
COUNTRY’S FIRST CORN MILL
Recent Discoveries Establish Its Site
at a Point on the St. Croix
River, Eastport, Me.
The site of what undoubtedly was
the first tidewater mill on the Ameri
can continent has b.een discovered at
Red Beach, Me., where Low’s brook
empties into the St. Croix river at a
point nearly opposite the southern end
of Dochet’s island, where De Monts
nnd his men settled in the year 1604,
three years before the settlement of
Jamestown. In excavating for a fish
pond near his summer home, R. S. Mc
Carter of Cambridge, Mass., unearthed
the unmistakable remains of an an
fclent dam of stone and timbers. Com
paring the site with the original map
pf the Island, authorities agreed that
(t must have been the site of the wa
er mill mentioned in the old records
fas employed by Sieur De Monts nnd
his men to grind their corn, being the
largest stream within an area of sev
fcral miles on either side of the river.
Making It Easy.
To facilitate the scheme for faking
the finger-prints of infants in Amer
ica, it is proposed to make the impres
sions In Jam.—The Passing Show
'(London).
You can always depend upon the sin
cerity of a dog when he wags his
j tail.
I The man who augurs bad luck Is
l the worst kind of a bore.
i --— ‘
WHERE TOMMY MADE A POINT
Remarkable That School Teacher Had
Never Noticed That Quite Sim
ple Truth Before.
Arithmetic, according to the average
small boy, was simply Invented in or
der to give teachers a good excuse for
punishing their unhappy pupils. And
^certainly little Tommy Smith found it
the unpleasant feature of his young
life.
“Now, Tommy Smith,” said the
school teacher one morning, during the
usual hour of torture, "what Is the
half of eight?”
“Which way, teacher?” asked the
youngster cautiously.
“Which way!” replied the aston
ished lady. “What do you mean?”
f “Well, on top or sideways, teach
er?” said Tommy.
“What difference does that make?"
“Why,” Tommy explained, with a
pitying air, “half of the top of eight
is nought, but half of It sideways is
three.”—London Answers.
Progress.
“Has Gladys Twobble abandoned
her plans to enter the movies?”
“Oh, yes, Gladys is now passing
through the second stage of soul de
velopment.”
“Ah 1”
“She’s thinking seriously of being
a slum worker or a missionary. In
another year she’ll bo about ready to
marry some likely young fellow who
is earning a decent living and settle
down to a normal existence in a bun
galow.”— Birmingham Age-Herald.
The Autocrat.
“Do you and your wife talk politics
at home.”
“Never,” replied Mr. Meekton. “We
have a perfectly good cook.”
“What has that to do with it?”
“We are afraid she might get into
the conversation and tell us both how
we’ll have to vote to keep her from
leaving.”
It never takes the boss long to dis
cover the clerk who thinks.
" ' ~
%
Tfie Blended Flavors
of wheat and malted barley, fully de
veloped by twenty hours baking make
Grape=Nuts *
The Ideal Cereal ! 1
Ideal not only from a taste standpoint ; 1
but because of easy digestibility, full
nourishing worth, economy and ease
of service.
At Grocers Everywhere_|
