■ ■ ■' — *■ ■■ ■■■
II The Princ
BY JOHN £
Copyright, 1908, by
"Look, Elise!” she said, "look
at those saddle cloths yonder."
The archduke followed her
motiou, arid understood. It was
arnost infernally unfortunate
contretemps, but it would have
to be met, and at once.
3k "The regent is on the porch,”
he said. "1 do not care for her
to know of this meeting nor its
purport, until after tonight.
Madame, will you please be good
enough tp conceal yourself; the
door is the only exit, and it is
impossible now—I will try to
prevent her highness entering
here, but 1 may fail; I likely
shall. Come, Moore," and he
hurried out.
But Madeline Spencer only
laughed, and, winding the veil
into place, went and stood by the
chimney—hero was a very God
given opportunity, and assured
ly she had no notion to let it pass
unused.
And the landlord, slumbering
in the hall, had been tardily
aroused by the cheering, and
coming forth, still half asleep, he
met the princess just at the/en
trance.
"Scartraan," she said sharply,
"where are his highness and
Colonel Moore?"
The landlord awoke with a
suddenness that was painful, and
which left him staring at her in
silly eyed speechlossness.
wnai aits you, main »uo
demanded—“tell the archdoke
I’m here—we shall be in the
large room.”
This brought back a bit of h’s
• senses, and he bowed to the
ground, hoping to get back more
of them before be need come up.
“I will find bis royal highness
at once,” be said; “I did not
know he was here—I’ve beer,
asleep—but if your majesty—
your regency—your highness, t
mean, will permit—the large
room is occupied, I will-”
At that moment, Arinand and
Moore came out.
“Ho it would seem,” the prin
cess remarked dryly,
“Don't blame the poor fellow,
Dehra,” the archduke laughed;
“he did the best he could, doubt
less, and at my order. We are
here on the business I spoke of
this morning—it’s finished now,
and we will ride back with you,
if we may,”
m Dehra held out her hand, and
gave him the smile she knew he
loved.
“Of course you may,” she said,
“and gladly; but first 1 want
a cup of tea—Seartman, the ket
tle instantly!”—and before Ar
maud could detain her, she was
past him and into the room.
As she crossed the threshold,
she caught the faint perfume
that a woman always carries, and
which often times is so individ
ualized, as to betray her identity
instantly. It. was a peculiar odor
—the blended fragrance of many
flowers—and she recognized that
she had known if before; but
what was it doing in this room,
now!—it was too fresh to be
many minutes old.
“Armand,” she said, “what
woman has been here!” glanc
ing laughingly around.—“And is.
here still!” and 'pointed with her
crop to the veiled figure in the
shadow near the chimney.
The archduke ground back an
oath, arid stepping forward
bowed to Madeline Spencer.
|> “Madame,” said he, “wfll you
do the governor of Dornlitx the
favor to excuse him, and to ac
cept. his thanks for your servicet
Colonel Moore, Ynadame's horse.”
“ Je vous remercie, Mom.four le
Prince,” sfcf murmured, taking
Moore’s arm, and moving with
sinuous grace toward the door,
llut as she passed the princess
recent, who had stcD»ed*aside to
give her way, the veil slipped
from her faee, ami the two wom
en looked into each other's eyes
-—the one with a smile of mock
ing impertinence, the other with
a calmly ignoring stare, and
showing, by not so much as the
quiver of a muscle, her anger and
surprise.
And when they had gone, the
princess turned her gaze upon the
archduke, the blue eyes ominous
in their steadiness; and as he
would have spoken, she repelled
him with an imperious gesture,
and gave him her back.
“Come, Elise!” she said, and
letf the room.
In thfe courtyard. Colonel
Moore had just swung Mrs. Sp?n
cer to saddle, ami was fixing her
skirt. Debra paused in the entry
until the black horse had passed
the gate; then she went leisurely
down the steps, waved Moore to
Ulli d’fissolde, and let the
less Dehra
EED SCOTT.
John Rend Scott
2?- "
groom put her up.
Asknowledging Moore’s fare
well salute, with her crop, hut no
smile, and with never a glance to
ward the window, behind whose
curtain she must have known the
archduke would surely be, she
rode away—the lancers again
cheerrbg her devotedly as she
passed.
CHAPTER XVI.
A Too Convincing Argument.
Colonel Moore went slowly up
the steps and into the room,
through the half open door of,
which he saw the archduke
•tending, with chin on breast
and back to l'.he fireplace. He
looked up, as tlS.e adjutant paused
at the threshold, and podded for
him to come te.
“Ordinarily it would be prop
er now for »s to h^ve a good,
stiff drink, may be several of
them,” he Remarked, “but the
only kind tltet fits this situation,
so far as I’m concerned, is
straight whisky, and I don't be
lieve this cursed phice can sup
ply it.”
“Quite right; it can’t,” said
Moore; “I tried the other day
—won’t anything pise do?”
“No—nothing else; and it’s
just as well I cjui’t get the
whisky; I may need a clear head
tonight."
You are not going, sir!
Arrnfind nodded. “Going? of
course I’m going—why not? and
I only hope I’ll get a chance at
my sweet cousin, We promised
only lo look—to raise no distur
bance*—and on Spencer’s account
it is right enough that we should
do nothing to betray her; but
if Lotzen get ir. the way, colonel,
we are not obligated to avoid
him.”
“Why should your highness
walk deliberately into the tiger's
lair—when another ean go'quite
as well, Mid without danger?”
Moore protected.
The ardidukc took a cigaret
and tosse-d the case across to the
adjutant.
“fb*e»;jse I’m really hunting
the tiger,” he laughed; “and
t like excitement in good com
pany—though I fear it will be
a very tame affair.”
The other shook his head dubi
ously. “It’s not right, sir, for
your to expose yourself so unnec
essarily—let me go in com
mand.'’
“Ncnsense, Ralph, you’re get
tirg ir Bornheim’s clasu; quit it.
What I wish you would tell me
in whether Spencer dnjpped her
veil Intentionally or by acci
dent.”
“It seemed so accidental it
must have been intentional,” said
Moore.
“If I were sure of it, that
would eaneel a trifl* more of my
obligation.”
“Her highness \rill know—”
the colonel began, and stopped
abafhed at his blunder.
“And so will Mademoiselle
d’Easolde,” said Armand. “I
may have to <depnul on you for
information.” »
“Then your highness will like
ly have to ge£ it, yourself,”
MoOre laughed, “We’re not
spooking either, it seems; she let
me put her up, because the regent
rent me to he*, but—I’m chilly
yet. Did you ever notice, sir,
how disconcerting it is to think
you’re talking to a woman, and
then find it’s a mistake and that
really you’re talking only to
yourself?”
The archduke smiled. “Yes,”
said he, “I’ve noticed it; and we
may have a rather, frigid atmos
phere for a few moments this
evening until I ean explain—we
are to dine with her highness and
mademoiselle.”
II you don t mufti, sir, 1 11
violate propriety and let you ar
rive first; your explanation will
do for both—and besides, I
fancy such things are best done
a deux.
“You fancy!—you innocent
lrishman-afraid-o^ - a - woman!”
He drew on his gloves. “Come
along—put on a brave front and
I'll take you home. Five minutes
talk will set matters right.”
“If you’re not talking to your
self,” Moore observed.
The landlord was awaiting
them in distress and trepidation
almost pitiful. Such ill luck had
not befallen the inn in all its
years of busy life. The regent
and the governor! It was the
end of "his favor—the end of the
Twisted Pines. Tomorrow—may
be today—would come the police,
and the nails would go into the
doors, and boards across the win
dow's, and the big gates, that had
always swung open, at daybreak,
would swing no more, and in dis-'
grace and shame he and his
would be turned out, with the
curt admonition to seek a harbor
in another land.
He almost dropped as the arch
duke ’s hand fell on his shoulder.
“Scartman," said he kindly,
yet incisively, “doubtless your
mind is much too occupied to re
member everything that happens
here—but let me suggest that it
would be well even to make a
special effort to forget what has
occurred this afternoon. I have
known such forgetfulness to
merit special reward."
The landlord looked up in be
wildered joy:
“But her highness, sir—she
will not-”
“Tush, man," Armand inter
rupted, “I’ll answer for the re
gent.”
i he old man began to cry, and
through his tears he groped for
the archduke’s hand and kissed
the gauntlet.fervently.
“God bless your highness!” he
said—and was still repeating it
when the latter passed the gate.
The archduke rode slowly
along the line of lancers, scruti
nizing every man as he went;
then motioned the officers to
him.
“Messieurs,” he said, “my
compliments on your troop.—
Captain Hertz, you may return
to barracks.”
Hertz saluted, faced his men
and.raised his SAvord. And Ar
mand, galloping down the road,
turned in saddle and Avith his cap
answered the wild cheer they
sent after him.
“Purkitz,” said the captain,
before giving the order to break
into column, “noAV is your oppor
tunity to prove you can actually
knoAv something and not tell it.”
“And your also, O wiser than
serpents,” the lieutenant
laughed, “to prove you actually
do knoAv something that you
tell.”
But the archduke had not
deemed it necessary to caution
either of them; here, even the
dullest witted soldier in the
army would have the sense to
hold his tongue.
Where the road for the sum
mer palace took off at the old
forge, the colonel left him, and
Armand Avent on to the capital.
He ro<fe these last feAV miles at a
sIoav jog, and thoughtfully. It
was well enough to treat the mat
ter lightly to Moore, but, none
the less, it troubled him. Dehra’s
conduct had been so extraordi
nary for her—Avho had refused to
credit, for an instant, Madeline
Spencer’s claim to be his Avife,
though actually supported by a
marriage certificate—.-that he was
puzzled and all sorts of doubts
midyears harassed him. It sug
gested some untoward influence;
Avhat he could not imagine, nor
when it had come; but, even
then, everything would be very
easy to explain, if she would give
him the opportunity, and not, in
the natural perversity of a wom
an, refuse to see him, and so make
herself miserable, altogether
needlessly. He had yet to learn
that sometimes it is Avell to let a
woman inadvertently discipline
herself; it is more effective than
if the man does it; and usually
saves him a vast amount of re
crimination. Then, too, he did
not want Dehra to knoAv of this
intended night visit to the Perida,
where the natural prospect Avas
duplicity and murder, and only
Madeline Spencer’s Avorthless
Avord to guarantee its safety. As*
it Avas not, if he explained at all,
it would have to be doAvn to the
minutest detail, and he could
foresee Avhat the "regent would
have to say about any such adven
ture on his part. Yet if the Perida
party went he must lead it—and
the Ferida party was going.
So when he reached the Epsau,
he was almost hoping to find a
inessage from the princess that he
was not expected for dinner.
Hut it was not there, nor had it
come when he started for the pal
ace, though he waited until the
very last moment.
He found Moore pacing the
corridor, on watch for him, but
with nothing to clear up the sit
uation.
“And I’ve spent most of the
time since I got back,’’ he ended,
“in prancing up and down here,
trying to get a glimpse of made
moiselle, or some one, who might
give me an ingling of the tem
perature inside—all on your ac
count, sir, of course; I’m getting
used to this freezing and thaw
ing process.’’
“Very good, colonel, then we
will go right in, and you can be
thawing while I am explaining—
come along, man, come along,”
and taking him by the arm they
went on down the corridor, and
entered the princess' small re
ception room nextiher boudoir.
Announce us,” said the" arch
duke to the footman, ‘ ‘ but say to
her highness that 1 would like *
few minutes private speech with
here—and to Mademoiselle d’Es
solde say that Colonel Moore has
a message from me and awaits
here here.I leave that
message to your Irish wit,” he
remarked when the servant had
gone.
But the man was very slow in
returning! and presently Moore
laughed.
“It’s getting chilly,” he ob
served—“notice it?”
The boudoir room swung open
and Mile. d’Essolde came in.
“Can’t say I do,” said the
archduge aside, as he acknowl
edged her curtsy; “looks very
charming to me.”
She gave the archduke a smile,
Moore a look of indifferent greet
ing, and then Armand another
smile.
“My mistress receives, your
highness,” she said, holding back
the door; and quite ignoring
Moore’s effort, as he sprang for
ward to relieve her.
Under the chandelier, where
60 candles fluttered their mel
low light about her, the regent
of Valeria was standing; but her
eyes were on the red rose she w’as
slowly pulling apart, nor did she
lift them when Armand entered.
Having come in a little way,
siowly and with purposeful de
liberation, he stopped, and lean
ing on his sword tarried to her to
speak; and willing that she
should not, for a while, that so,
he might have this picture long
enough to see it ever after—this
white-robed, fair headed daugh
ter of t^e Dalbergs, waiting to
pass judgment on her betrothed.
The last petal fell; she plucked
another rose—a white one—from
her corsage, and looked up.
“You may speak, sir,” she
said, in voice an impersonal
monotone.
The archduke bowed.
“I have nothing to say,” he
replied.
She raised her ^ye-brows in
polite surprise.
“I thought you had requested
10 minutes private speech with
me.’ ’ '
“I did,” said Armand, “but I
withdraw the request; explana
tions are vain, when one has
been already judged, and judged
unheard.”
“One who is taken red-handed
can have no explanation that ex
plains,” said she.
Then, of a sudden, out flashed
| the adorable smile, and sha
laughed, and flung him the white
rose.
“There, dear, ^ she said,
“there, is your pardon—now,
come,’ and she held out both
hands; “come and forgive me for
this afternoon.”
And when he had forgiven
her, she put him in a chair and
perched herself on the arm be
side him.
“Tell me, Armand,” she said,
“are we never to be free of that
awful woman?—where did she
come from?—how did she happen
to be at the inn?”
“And how did I happen to be
with her there, you want to
know,” he laughed.
She nodded. “That more than
all—yet I didn’t ask it.”
He took out the anonymous
letter, which he had remembered
to get from Courtney; and when
she had read it, he tore it into
bits.
“Will you have the explana
tion that explains now or during
dinner?” he asked.
She sprang up.
“I forgot I was hungry*!
Come we will get Elise and
Moore—that girl is a rare co
quette; she makes my poor adju
tant’s life very miserable.”
it. looks like it! Siiid Ar
j maud opening the door just as
Moore caught Mile. d’Essolde
,and kissed her, despite her
struggles.
“1 warned you, my lady,” he
was saying, “you would tempt
me too far some day . . . will
you iforgive me now, or shall I
do it all over again?”
The princess laughed. Moore’s
arms dropped and he sprang
back, while Mile. d’Essolde,
flaming with embarrassment and
[anger, buried her face in her
hands.
“Forgive him until after din
ner Elise,” said Dehra; “you
can retract then, and resume the
situation, if you wish.”
j x“0 wise and beneficent
ruler!” said Moore, bowing to
the ground, “I agree to the com
promise.”
<To be Continued Next Week.)
----
| Gold coins are again being minted In
I Hussta. many from sacred articles of the
I church confiscated by the soviet govern
! ment.
St. Petersburg. Fla., is entertaining
more tourists this winter than at the
l»eak of any previous season. There
are 80.000 visitors.
"Cat feed for two. $90.50” was an ex
emption claimed by a fish market
owner at Terre Haute. Ind., In his In
come tax report.
CHriio PlANiTY IVIULM rifeS
YELLOW PERIL.
VASTLY encouraging to those who
have contributed to the support
of foreign missions in China is
the report brought from that
field by Dr. J. F. Peat, district sup
erintendent ef the Chunk King dis
trict for the Methodist Episcopal
church. Dr. Peat is in Sioux City
In the interest or a memorial church
and school near Chung King for the
late Bishop Lewis.
"Christianity is making rapid
gains in China now,” says Dr. Peat.
“The seven missions of the Chung
King district In 1921 reported a gain
of 9,151. When one considers that
the work of all the Christian mis
sionaries in China for the first 63
years after they were admitted
showed only 9,000 converts, the pro
gress is easily realized.”
According to the best available
figures about one-eighth of 1 per
cent, of the present Chinese popular
tlon is Christian, Dr. Peat says. Then
he calls attention to two startling
facts.
First, in a recent nation wide vot
ing contest to determine the 12
Chinese who, in the popular mind,
rank highest in the republic, six of
the 12 selected in a voluminous and
representative balloting came from
the one-eighth of 1 per cent, at
Christians.
Second, with a national average of
literacy of about 2 per cent, a care
ful survey of the Christian Chinese
In the Chung King district showed
that fully 85 per cenL of them are
able to read any part of the Chinese
new testament, taught almost en
tirely by native Christian mission
workers.
“I never greatly feared the Yellow
Peril,” says Dr. Peat. “But any
menace there might be there cannot
be met so easily in any other way as
by extension of the work the Christ
ian churches are doing.”
Which more than ever makes
Christianity and civilization seem
synonymous terms.
In Case an Auto Bumps You.
From the Omaha Bee.
An old engineer lay dying in the
switch shanty, where he had been car
ried after being struck by the locomo
tive. "What hit me?” he gasped. “It
was the big 94S,” answered one of the
attendants. “Thank God,” replied the
dying man, “I didn't want to be killed
by a dinky switch engine," and he went
out happy.
None of us care to be knocked down
by a 10-ton truck, or by a $10,000 im
ported motor, but if we had to make a
choice, it would be one of those rather
than a flivver.
Alaska Not “Wild and Woolly.”
Sherman Rogers, in the Outlook.
So far as social conditions are con
cerned throughout Alaska, they are not
different from those in any other part
of the country where the stars and
stripes float.
The homes I visited were furnished as
well as t*-ose in the states; in fact, on
an average, I think ^better. Probably it
might be well to explain why: There is
no poverty in Alaska; begging is un
heard of and unnecessary. While it is
true that there is no ostentatious dis
play of wealth, neither do you meet with
the pitiable cases of poverty that we so
Often meet with in metropolitan cities
fn the states.
The citizens of the territory are well
dressed, well mannered, extremely well
read, and so far as hospitality is con
cerned they have few equals.
In fact, to make a long story short,
from a standpoint of schools, social con
ditions, stores, hotels and modern eco
nomic life, any part of Alaska, from
Ketchikan to Fairbanks will come up to
par with any like distance in the states.
I don’t want to overlook another very
Interesting feature of Alaskan life: In
ratio to population I make the careruiiy
studied statement that there is no part
of the world where as many magazines
are read. There are large news stores in
every Alaskan town and city. Maga
zines are piled high on all news stands
as soon as the boat arrives, and boats
arrived twice a week while I was in the
territory.
Everyone reads these publications
from cover to cover, and I have never
spent four months among better In
formed people than I did this summer
jn Alaska. I could engage In conversa
tion with anyone fro mthe mayor of a
town to a prospector 40 miles from a
railway, and they could put up an Intel
ligent argument on any question con
cerning the public welfare that was re
ceiving attention in American publica
tions.
The territory has excellent news
papers, every town of more than 500
population navlng a dally newspaper
■with Associated Press service.
My general impression of the people
of Alaska i3 that they are delightfully
big hearted, extremely frank, and en
gagingly courteous. They have their
petty quarrels artiong themselves, quite
true; but let an outsider mix in. and
they Immediately stand shoulder to
shoulder. All in all, they are that same
wonderfully hospitable type that were
«o numerous in the west, 20 years ago.
Sacred relics, with a document which
declares them to be fragments of the
true cross, signed and sealed by Sigis
mundus. Cardinal of Vienna, in 1750,
have been discovered by the Anderson
Galleries, in New York, in a silver cross
Included In a collection of antiques re
cenely consigned to them from Austria
by Gregory Mycander, a Swedish col
lector in Austria. Mr. Mycander has
been notified of the discovery and the
cross has been withdrawn from the sale.
The silver cross is 93 inches high, ana
in taking it apart it was discovered that
the base is hollow. In the space was
found a Latin manuscript with the
Cardinal’s seal and signature.
♦
4- TWO BETTER THAN Of*«. ♦
♦ - ♦
4- "Two are better than one; be- 4
4 cause thev have a good reward 4
4 for their labor. FFor if they fall, 4
4- the one will lift up his fellow: 4
4 but woe to him that is alone 4
4 when he faileth; for he hath not 4
4 another to lift him up. And if ;►
4 one prevail against him, two 4
4 shall withstand him, and a 4
•4 threefold chord is not quickly 4
4 broken.”—Ecclesiastes. +
4 ♦
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Truth in Ejaculation.
The lumberjack was directed to pro
ceed from camp to the nearest town
and arrange for certain supplies. This
entailed a long tramp through a for
est composed of hemlock. For miles
and miles lie trudged through a never
ending growth of hemlock. At night
he Camped. The hemlock was hard to
cut, and when it was cut it made a
poor fire. Hemlock roots tripped him
and boughs of lieihlock scratched his
face.
So when lie finally emerged it was
not inappropriate that he remarked:
“Gosh all hemlock!”
FOR OVER 40 YEARS
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Wolves Revered by Indians.
Wolves, up to recent times, were
never killed by Indians, ns, accord
ing to their belief, the spirits of the
Jeparted inhabited the bodies of the
Solves. When they came too close to
the camp the Indians would throw a
firebrand or rock at them, and would
use a rifle only if the dogs were at
tacked or a child was in danger. If
the wolf was killed, the rifle was con
sidered useless afterward and throw*
away.
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