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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (March 22, 1923)
The Princess Dehra BY JOHN REED SCOTT. Capyrlcbt. IMS, by John Kmm) Soott But this took time; and now iligeler'a voice rang from the gardou. “Make for the side gafa*— “I’ll look to the rear one!” he oried; gad almost immediately they heard him aud his men be tween them and their exit. 1 The archduke stopped. L. “Tlmre »g no need to tire our feelvesby’running,” he said; “we shall have to fight for it, so we may as well save our wind.— Gentlemen,”—turning to De Goursey and Marsov—“tonight you are honored above most men >—you wijl draw swords for the ^regent under her very eye—ha hold I” lie luted the hat irora the princess’ head, and the light of a aearhy street lamp, that shone lbove the walls, fell full on the toils of high piled hair, and the fair face below it. Both men cried out in aston ishment, and, kneeling, kissed her hand. Then they pressed on, finding almost immediately the path by which they had entered. Meanwhile, the commotion in the garden near the palace hard increased, and now the Duke of Lotzen’s stern voice out sharply into the night, from oue of his windows. “What the devil is all this noised’’ he demanded. “Thieves, your highness,” Rome oue answered from below— “five of them in madame’s apart ments—they escaped into the garden.” The duke made no reply, at least which they could hear; and the princess laughed. “He’s off for madame,” Rhe said; “and we are thieves—rath er clever of Bigler to have us killed first and recognized lat er.” * “He didn’t see you,” said Ar rneml; “he recognized me, and thinks this is the chance he missed at the De Saure house.” A moment later they came into the wide driveway, and face to face with the count and a bunch of a dozen men. He gave a shout that rang through the garden. “Seize them!” he cried; “kill any that resist!” knowing very well that it would recpiire the killing of them all. He, himself, drew his revolver and stepped to one side—a safer place than in the fighting line, and one where lie could get a surer shot at the archduke, if it were necessary. But even 12 men hesitate to close with five, whose swords are ready ; and in the instant’s pause, Dehra, flinging off her hat, sprang between Bigler and the archduke, and covered the for mer with her pistol. “God in heaven! the prin- . cess!” he cried, and stared at her. "Will you play with treason, my lord countT" she asked. "Drop that revolver!—drop it, I say!—and you men, stand aside !—into line, so 1—return swords!—now, by the left flank, march!—fall in behind, count, if you please—march!" With a laugh and a shrug he obeyed. “The regent commands," he 1 said.—“Attention! salute!" and with hands to visors the column went by; while Dehra, fingers at forehead in acknowledgment, watched it pass and go down the drive toward the palace. Then she turned, and put out her hand to the archduke. “I’m tired, dear," she said, “very tired-Captain De Coursey, will you brin^ the car -riage to the gate" CHAPTER XVIII. On to Lotzenia. "It is a most amazing situa tion,” said the ambassador—as he and the archduke sat in the latter’s headquarters, the follow ing morning—"and one guess is about as likely to be right as another. It’s difficult to believe Spencer honest, and yet she seemed to play straight last night. She is of the sort who fiercely resent a blow and go to any length to repay it.. And you think Bigeljr’s interruption was not prearranged T ’ ’ "It impressed me that way,” said Armand. "In fact, I’d say 1 am sure of it, if 1 had any but Lotzen or Spencer to deal with.” "And you saw enough of the book to be satisfied it is the laws?” "To satisfy myself, yes—if that fool, Bigler, had waited a little longer, I would have known 24 beyond a doubt.” “And, as it is, you can’t be absolutely certain?” ‘‘No; at least, not certain enough to make an open issue ef it with Lotzen.” Courtney shook his head de cisively. “It is a great misfortune you were not able to make sure,” he said; “for I’m persuaded it was not the book. As Itold hey high ness that day at luncheon, if the duke ever did have it, he has de stroyed it to get rid of Fred erick ’s decree; and if there were no decree, then he would have produced it instantly as estab lishing his right to the crown.” “If that be true—and I grant the logic is not easy to avoid— what was it I saw? I would have sworn it was the book; it resem bled it in every particular.” Courtney’s fingers went up to his gray imperial, and for a long while he smoked his cigaret and stared thoughtfully at the ceil ing “It is a fine mess,” he said, at length; “Spencer mixes it ao abominably. What really brought her to Dornlitz?—how long has she been here ?—did the duke strike her—if there is a plot back of it, why should she have be$n selected to do the open work with you, of all people?— why, if Lotzen have the book, doesn’t he destroy it?—why does he want you to see it in his very hands?—W'hy, if he haven’t the book, does he want to convince you that he has?— .... If it’s a plot, then its object was either the one you suggest: to tempt you to violent measures against him to recover the book, and so to discredit you with the nobles when it’s not found; or —and this may be the more like ly—to inveigle you into a death trap by using the book as a lure.” “Either of which,” observed the archduke, “would explain his preservation of the book.” “Or sentiment,” Courtney laughed. “Her highness thinks the duke would never destroy the laws of his house.” “1 fancy she wouldn’t be quite so stroug on that now,” Armand observed. “I wish you Irad seen her last night; she was magni ficent, simply magnificent;— Richard, she is the T)a!berg of us all!—it ’s she, not I, nor Lotzen, who ought to wear the sapphire crown.” Courtney nodded in hearty ac quiescence. “And as she may not, it is for you,” he said, gravely, “to make her a queen by wearing it your self—and, as I believe I’ve ad monished once or twice hereto fore, to do that you must keep alive—dead archdukes are good only to bury.” “I’m very much alive,” the other laughed, “more alive than I’ve been since I shed cadet gray.” “The lord kuows it is u*t from lack of effort on your part to get killed; you’ve tempted death in every dare-deviltry yon could find—and this T)e Saur? house affair is the limit—though last night was about as idiotic. The princess has more discretion in an eye-lash than you have in your whole head—but for her, you would be surrounded now * by tapers and incense—what fresh atrocity against common pru dence will you perpetrate next, I wonder!” The archduke pushed the de canter across. “Take another drink, old man,” he grinned, “you must be dry, with such a warm bunch of ideas jostling one another for exit—I'll promise to be as dis creet hereafter as a debutante. I admit the De Saure business ap pears foolish now, but then, at that hour of night, in dai-kness, rain and storm, would you, or any other man, have denied a woman’s call for help? I couldn't.” “Nor anything else that prom ises adventure,” said Courtney. “If Lotzen doesn’t make an end of you-” he shrugged his shoulders and lit another cigaret. . . . “I’ve sworn a dozen re solves to quit advising you; and then, every time 1 see you, you’ve gone and done some other fool ish thing, and I blow off—if you will forgive me this time, and may be a few more times, I’ll not do it again.” “My dear Dick,” said the arcluluke, “the one thing I’llynot forgive is for you not to «U it again. You're the only man in all this land who would speak out his mind to ra«; and do you think it isn’t welcome—to hare something of the old life occa sionally I” For a while both men smoked in silence, the marshal thought fully, the ambassador waitSpy; and in the midst of it Colonel Bernheim entered with a letter for the archduke, which, he ex plained, he had just received, en closed in another envelope ad dressed to himself and marked “Immediate.” Armand glanced at Courtney for permission, got it, and read the letter: “A “We ate leaving Dornlitz be fore daybreak by special train, ostensibly for Paris, really for Lotzen castle. The duke guesses instantly why you were in my apartments, and what you saw. We had a fearful scene, and he struck me again—the cur! It is the B.; he admitted it, in his rage —and he has it with him. I am a prisoner now, and compelled to accompany him because I know too much, he says. I'm not ask ing you for rescue, I can manage him in a few days; but if you want the B. you will know now where to get it. I owe you this, for the fiasco last night, due to that fool, B-, though I don't advise you to follow; Lotzen cas tle isn’t Ferida palace, and I can’t aid you there; and besides, and intends to kill you at the now, he is bent on your death, first opportunity. I will find some way to have this mailed, sending it to Colonel Bernheim so it will reach you promptly and not be delayed by official rou tine. •'3a.m.” “M. S.M Without a word, the archduke passed the letter over to Court ney; and without a word Court ney took it, road it twice, and passed it back; and fell to blow ing smoke rings through each other. “Well,” said Armand pres ently, “when you’re satisfied with the rings, and it seems to me they couldn’t be bettered, I shall be glad to have your opin ion of the letter.” The other shook his head, and went on with the rings. “What is the uset” he an swered. “You are going to Lot zenia.” “I’m sorely tempted, I admit —but I don’t know— Courtney flung his cigaret at the fireplace, and got up. “Then, if you don’t know, I’ll tell you what I think—throw that damn letter into the fire and stay right here in Dornlitz; if you let it lure you to Lotzenia, you are an unmitigated fool.” “But the book!—and Spencer only confirms what my own eyes told me.” “Lies, lies, rotten lies!” said Courtney. “He hasn’t the book —it's all a plant—you escaped last night because Bigler blun dered in, and because the regent was with you—but in that wild land of the north, you will last about a day, or less. Why don’t, you forget the miserable book, for, a while, and get to work on your vote in the house of noblest —there is where you will likely have to fight it out any way, even if Frederick did make your deeree. Play politics a bit, and you will have Lotzen back in Dornlitz on the jump—and the book with him, too, if he has it.” The archduke went over and put his hand on Courtney’s shoul der. “Dick,” he said, “it’s some thing worth living for to have known a man like you, and to have had him for a friend and companion; and if 1 don’t*follow your advice you will understand it is because 1 can’t. You have called me headstrong; I grant it, ifr’s bred in the bone I think; and ‘I’m not of those who can ait, and wait, and play politics. I shall find the laws of the Dahlbergs, somewhere, somehow, long be fore the year is over; and if nec essary I’m going to kill Lotzen in the finding—or be killed—” he broke off with a laugh and a shrug. “Positively, old man, I’m ashamed of myself; I seem to have become a braggart and a swash-buckler.” ‘ W ho is the braggart and swash-buckler, my dear mar shal t” asked the princess, en tering suddenly, with Lady Hel en Radnor, Mile. d’Essolde and Colonel Moore, “not Mr. Court ney I hope.” “Unfortunately, no, your high ness,” said Armaud. “Candor ! compels me to admit that I was characterizing myeslf.” She pointed her crop at the decanter, and nodded question inglv to the ambassador. “No,” said he, “no; it’s only a sudden rush of remorse for deeds past and to come.” “To comet” said she, and looked at tba archduke inquir inpy. For answer he handed h*r Madeline Spencer’s letter. She glanced at the signature, smiled, and with a word of ex cuse, she carried it over to a window; and Annand, chatting with Lady Helen, watched her curiously as she read and re-read it; and then she looked up quickly, and gave him the glance of summons. “Have you shown it to Mr. Courtney?” she asked. “Did he say what he thought of it?” “He did—and at some length, and also what he thought of «ae. —Briefly, it was to the effect that the letter is a snare, and that I’m several kinds of a fool if I let it lure me to Lotzenia.” The princess tapped her cre\ softly against her boot, and con sidered. “Of course,” said she, in mo mentary interruption of her thought, “know what you think —you think you’re going—but I don’t know-” and the tap ping of the crop began afresh. . ■ • - Presently a soft light came into her eyes, and she flashed him the adorable smile. “Are you willing to wait the year for our wedding, dear?” she asked. He bent down over her, as though looking at something in the letter. • You know I’m not, sweet heart” he said, “that’s why I want to find the laws—to make you queen the sooner.” “Your queenT” “Mine—yes, either here in Valeria, or over the seas in old Hugo’s land—as the book de cides for Lotzen or for me,.” “And do you honestly think, Ar mand, that he has the bookT” “What do you think!” he asked. “Women don’t think—they have only intuition, and mine says that he has.” “Then I shall go this night—” “And I with you.” “Then I won’t go.” “Nonsense, dear—why not.!” Dalberg castle is always ready, and I shall take the household or part of it. I most assuredly would not let you go alone, to be butchered by our dear and lov ing cousin.” He knew it was useless to pro test. “Well, come along, little wom an,” he said; “and may be, to gether, we can devise a way for me to get the book out of Lotzen castle.” She turned upon him, full faced and emphatic. “But I’ll not go, nor shall you,” she declared, “unless you promise you won’t do anything without consulting me. I’m go ing because, you need some on to curb your recklessness; and I have no mind to see you throw your life away just because you won’t take a dare.” The archduke gave her cheek a surreptitious pinch. “I promise,” he laughed; “you'ne something of a Dalberg dare-devil yourself when the fev er is on—and you’re the finest little comrade and commander God ever made.” Again she gave him the smile— and they went back to the others. “Mr. Courtney,” said she, at once, “we are about to spend a short while at Dalberg castle, go ing tonight by special train, with a few members of the house hold; it will be a great pleasure to Armand and me to have you with us.” “I am honored,” said the am bassador, with a grave bow; “I shall be glad to go.” “Even if you do disapprove,” said she lightly—“but, what would you, monsieur! I don’t want to imprison Armand, so the best thing I can do is to go along and try to take care of him; and that’s where you can help me.” “And that, your highness, is precisely the reason I’in going,” he answered;—“Warwick will stick to his work to the end.” “The end!’’ she exclaimed, with sharp seriousness. In the great Cathedral yon der,” he answered.—And the prineess, thinking only of the coronation, smiled and glanced with proud faith at the arch duke. But to the latter the real in ference went home, and sharply. ‘‘The crypt, you mean!” he muttered aside. And Courtney nodded curtly. ‘‘The crvpt I mean,” he said. ‘‘Even Warwick and Margaret of Anjou together could not save the silly Henry.” But the old, lean-faced prime minister did not deal in infer ences when—having come at the regent’s summons, from his of fice in the administration wing of the same building—he was ad vised of the matter, and that he was to assume charge of the gov ernment during her absence. (To Be Confirmed Next Week!) “Lots for Your Money Brands” Should Not Tempt You—Use CALUMET the Economy BAKING POWDER That's What Millions ol Housewives Do BEST BY TEST —They know that Good Baking Powder can’t be sold for less— that “more for the mon ey” means bake-day fail ures, waste of time and money—that Calumet means economy. The sales of Calumet are over 150% greater than that of any other bak ing powder. THE WORLD'S GREATEST BAKING POWDER UNIQUE STRAND OF PEARLS Ixample of Indian Patience Which It Is Acknowledged Would Be Hard to Duplicate. A strand of pearls worth $10,000 un earthed from a mound in Ross county, O., is being held in the Archeological museum at the State university. The necklace was unearthed by an expedi tion headed by the director of the Ohio Historical society, studying the work of ancient peoples in southern Ohio. About 1,000 years ago an Indian pa tiently gathered together 180 pearls. They were unpolished, hut of the finest quality. He succeeded, after untiring effort, in wearing a tLry hole in each one in order to strinjf them to bang about his neck. A part of the string was found still holding some of the pearls together and they have all been restrung in exactly the same position hey formerly occupied. The gems .'ere ail extracted from fresh-water Mussels. The natives so prized jewel ry and beautiful ornaments that they made some good imitation pearls. How such small holes were bored in so neat a way is a matter of much conjecture. The director believes they may have been worn through by the use of sand. The Indian may have used a stick of unusually small diameter and worked the sand through. A Wise Bride. The young husband had tnken his wife to get her a : ew spring hat. The clerk, remembering her extravagance before married days, began to show her very expensive hats, much more than the girl could afford to pay. One especially was a beautiful royal purple and orchid bonnet. The bride adored it, but knew it was much more than she could afford to pay. S| she bravely refused to try it. But still the clerk persisted. “Well,” at last the bride capitulated and her eyes were full of longing, “I'll try it on, but I'll tell you right now that I hope I look like the devil in it.” Fifty-Fifty. "In regard to hugging, many girlj struggle.” “Never mind. Others snug* gle.”—Louisville Courier-Journal. “Last Chance'for Virgin Farms THINK of what you could produce on a farm of virgin fertility, without the burden of high-acreage cost. Think of what 20-to-40 bushel wheat would mean to you under these conditions, and of dairying and stock raising on cheap pasture 1 and. Land pays for itself in a few crops—no artificial fertilizer—no heavy investment. You have envied the fanner who got his start when land was cheap. Here’s your chance, perhaps your last chance, for the same brand of prosperity. Western Canada— Your Opportunity! Western Canada is the farmer's land of oppor tunity. Thousands of settler* who started not many years ago with little or nothing, are today the owners of fine farms, with comfortable homes and barns, thoro’bred stock, dairy herds —all the marks of prosperity. Yet land is not dear—only $15 to $20 an acre for rich, virgin, prai rie convenient to railways. Land is not dear in Western Canada—yet—because there is so much of it. But many settlers are expected in 1923, and now is your opportunity, before the best farms are taken. Get started. Taxes are re duced, not raised, on land brought under culti vation. On farm buildings, improvements, machinery, personal effects, automobile, etc., there is no tax at all. Canada wants workers— it wants ks land farmed —and the farmers, through their municipal couacils, have practical control of all local taxation. 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