P"*33- ~ _^
The Princess Dehra
BY JOHN EEED SCOTT.
Copy»1*i*. i»». by John Ketx] Scott
' —= i' -JT— __ , J
When they hail gone, Lotzen
dismissed every one with u nod,
and sitting down drew Made
line Spencer on his knee.
‘‘You're my good angel,” he
said; “you came >at the psy
chological moment; another in
stant and I would have sent
them all to the devil.”
She slipped her arm around
his neck, and kissed him lightly
on the cheek.
“And then the sunrise,” she
whispered, with a shudder.
lie caught her to him.
“And even Paris is better than
that, my duchess!” he cried;
“Paris or anywhere, with you.”
. . . Presently lie laughed. “I
should like to see Dehra’s face
when she opens that book,” he
said.
Madeline Spencer sprang up,
pointing to the clock.
“We are wasting time,” she
exclaimed. “Don’t yon see that
we must go to Dornlitz this very
night—that, now, tomorrow will
be too late.”
You re right! he said; and,
with wrinkled brow and half
closed eyes, sat, thinking—
then: “We may not use a spe
cial train, for we must go dis
guised; hut the express for the
south posse* Porgia at 4
o’clock; we will take it; if it’s
on time we shall be in Dornlitz
at 7 in the evening, which will
allow us an hour to get to the
summer palace—after 8 o’clock
not even 1 would be admitted, in
the absence of the regent. Should
we be delayed, as is very likely,
we can go out early the follow
ing morning. The American
won’t know we Jeft here, and
will not he in any haste to re
turn—and even if lie is, it’s not
probable he will leave before
late tomorrow night, which will
bring him to the capital about
noon—long after wo have been
in the library and got the book.”
He strode to the door and shout
ed into the corridor for Durant.
. . “Captain,” said he, “have
the fastest pair a»d strongest
carriage before the door at once.
Madame and I are off instantly
for the capital; but see that no
one in the castle knows it; close
the gates, and let none depart.
In half an hour, send four of
your trustiest men to cut the
telephone line, in various places,
between Porgia and Dalbery
castle; keep it cut all day, and
prevent, in every way possible,
any messages reaching the cas
tle. If the regent, or the Amer
ican archduke, leave by train be
fore tomorrow night, wire me
immediately. Do you under
stand T—then away. . . . Como
along, duchess, only 10 minutes
to dress!”
With a laugh he swung her
up in his arms and bore her to
the doorway, snatched a kiss,
and left her.
T CHAPTER XXII.
, ——————
The Book In the Cloth,
As is usually the ease when a
man retires before his accus
tomed hour, the archduke’s slum
ber was capricious and broken,
finally ending in complete wake
fulness and an intense mental ac
tivity that defied sleep. At
length he switched on the read
ing lamp beside his bed and
looked at Iws watch. It was only
8 o’clock. With an exclamation
of disgust he got. up and dressed,
and went down to the library.
The draft of Lotzen castle was
not as distinct in his mind as it
should be; he would have anoth
er careful look at it and then,
alone on the ramparts, with plen
ty of room to w'alk and think, he
would work out the plan of cam
paign for the morrow. •
He had put the plan and Jes
sac's keys together in the desk,
the top drawer oa the right.—
They were not there—nor in the
next—they were not in any of
next—they were no tin any of
them. He searched again, and
carefully . . . they were gone*
He went to the far corner where
Major Meux had got the port
folio; its place was empty. He
frowned in puzzled irritation;
who would have presumed to
meddle with them? Moore, pos
sibly, to study the draft, but he
would not have taken the keys;
they would be wanted only
when
“God! might be!” he c.-ied
aloud, “might it be!”
His mind flashed back through
the day : Debra’s solicitude that
he should not go tonight—bor
row Bernheim—early to bed-—a
dezen other trifles now most in
dicative. With a curse a* his
ov
stupidity, he ran to Moore’s
quarters—empty—the bed un
touched; then to Beraheim’s—
the same there; to De Coursey’s
-—to Marsov’s—both the same.
He burst unannounced into the
ante-chamber of the princess’
apartments, bringing a shriek
from each to the sleepy maids.
, Your mistress—is she here?”
he demanded.
“Her highness retired hours
ago, sir,” one of them replied
tremblingly, fright still upon
her.
“But is she there now?—Send
Marie here instantly.”
The French girl came,
wrapped in a long chamber robe.
“Is your mistress asleep?” h«
asked.
“Yes, Monsieur le Prince,
hours ago.”
He reached over and flung
back her robe.
“Then why are you still
dressed and waiting up for her?
Don’t lie to me, girl; where is
her highness?”
“Monsieur doubts me?”
The archduke made an angry
gesture.
Uo to her—say I must speak
with her at once.”
He pushed her asid*1 and went
on into the next room. She
sprang after, and caught his
hand.
“Your highness!!’ she cried,
“you would not!—you would
not!”
He seized her by the arm.
“You little fool! the truth—the
truth—if your mistress isn’t
here, she is in awful peril—may
he dead.” He shook her alinos*
fiercely. “The truth, I say, the
truth!”
With a cry the girl sank to the
floor.
“Peril!—death!” she echoed.
“She but went for a ride, sir;
I do not understand-”
The archduke was gone; he re
quired no further information.
A quarter of an hour later,
with 30 of the garrison at his
back—all that could be provided
with horses—he set out for Lot
zen castle; leaving it for Court
ney, whose official position de
nied him the privilege of going
along, to telephone the com
mandant at Porgia for troops.
“She went to save me, Dick,”
he said; “now 1 will save her or
-good-bye,” and the two men
had gripped hands hard, then the
archduke rode away.
At first, his anger had been hot
against Moore , and Bernheim,
but now that sober second
thought was come, he knew that
they were not to blame, that the
regent herself had ordered them
to the service and to silence. And
presently his hope rose at the
thought of Ihe one’s skilful
sword and sure revolver, and the
other’s steady head and calm
revolver, and the other’s steady
head and calm discretion; to
gether, with De Coursey and
Marsov, there might be a chance
that the princess would come out
alive. But the hope grew sud
denly very .slender, as he reached
the valley road and saw the great
light of Lotzen eastle shining far
away, and remembered his own
sensations as he had stood under
it that afternoon, and who its
master was and what.
1 ney had been obliged to go
slowly dow the steep and wind
ing avenue, now he swung into
a gallop and the six score hoofs
went thundering through the
valley, leaving the startled in
habitants staring, and wondering
at the strange doings of all who
came from the south. But them
the archduke never saw’—nor
anything, indeed, save the track
before him and the light ahead,
riding with hands low on the sad
dle, face set and stern; implac
able and relentless as the first
Dalberg himself, the day he res
cued his lady from that same
Castle of Lotzen and hung its
baron quarters from the gats
to we,?.
Only once did the archduke
pause; at the I)reer, a moment to
breathe the horses and let them
wet their throats. In the dark
ness he did not see a bunch of
horsemeu round the turn in front
ami trot slowly toward him, nor
could he hear them for the
thrashing of his own horses in
the water. The first he knew of
them was Colonel Moore’s per
emptory hail:
“What force is that yonder?”
With a shout that rang far into
the night, Armand sent his mare
bounding through the stream.
“The princess? the princess?”
he cried, “is she safe?”
I
And her own Voice answered,
joyful and triumphant.
^‘I’m here, Armand, I’m here.”
What need to tell what he said,
as reining in close he drew her
over to him! The words were a
bit incoherent, may be, but Debra
understood; and presently she
put her arms around his neck
and kissed him.
“Come, sire,” she said, “let
us go on—and when we get to
the castle, your majesty shall
have again the book of laws.”
“The book! you cannot mean
you’ve been in Lotzen castle?”
She laughed her merry little
laugh. “And out again—and the
book with us, from under our
dear cousin’s very eyes.”
“You brave girl!—you foolish
child !—you wonder among wom
en!” he marvelled.
She put out her hand, and
took his; and so they rode hack
through the valley and up the
avenue to the Castle, ami as they
went she told him the story of
the night.
“But better than the book,
sweetheart,” she ended, as they
drew up before the entrance, “it
saves you for Valeria and for me;
bad you been there, helpless un
der his guns, not all the troops
in the kingdom would have held
Lotzen's hand.”
And better than all else, he
said, as he'swung her down, “is
your own dear self.”
“Nonsense,” she replied, “I’m
but a woman—you are the Dal
berg and a king. . . . Colonel
Moore, bring youx package to
the library, and summon all our
friends.”
When they had come, the prin
cess took the bundle, still
wrapped in its black cloth, and
handed it to Armand.
“Sire,” said she, “the laws of
the Dalbergs—found this night
Jin Lotzen castle.”
Without a word he bent and
kissed her hand,—then, laying
the package on the desk, he cut
the strings and removed the
cloth, exposing the big leather
covered, brass-bound volume.
“Read the decree, sire!” she
oxclaimed.
He opened the book—stopped
—turned a page—then slowly
closed it.
“Suppose we wait, your high
ness, until the royal council is
present,” he said.
But something in his voice
alarmed her—she sprang for
ward, pushed aside his restrain
ing arm, and seized the book. One
glance inside—an exclamation of
bewildered incredulity; another
glance—and the book dropped to
the floor.
“False!” she cried!” and
flung herself across the desk in
an hysteria of tears.
Instantly Courtney turned and
quitted the room, and the rest
after him, leaving her and the
archduke alone together.
It was evening when the prin
cess appeared again. She came
just as the clock was striking
9, and taking the American am
bassador’s arm, led the way in
to dinner, which here was en
famille, and without any cere
mony of the court.
“Toll me, Mr. Courtney, that I
don’t look quite so foolish as I
feel,” she laughed.
He let his eyes linger on her
—this lovely woman who was a
nation’s toast—the imperially
poised head, with the glorious,
1 gleaming hair, aud the haughty,
high-bred face that, when she
willed, could be so sweet and
tender; the sleuder, rounded fig
ure iu its soft, white gown of
clinging silk—he shook his gray
head.
It you feel as you look, he
answered, “you are not of this
world, but of paradise.’1"
”0-h, monsieur! and Lady
Helen just across the table.”
He fingered his imperial a
moment, then leaned close.
“Helen is angel, too,” he
said.
“You mean—t” she ex
claimed.
He smiled. “Yes, I mean—on
our ride this afternoon—-but
don’t tell it, now.”
She took his hand low under
the board.
“I’m so glad,” she said;
“Helen’s dear—and so are you.”
Then she gave a little laugh.
‘ ‘ This seems to have been a rath
er busy afternoon for eupid.”
1 ‘ Another t—Mile. d ’Essolde
and Moore?”
She nodded. “Yes, but not a
word of it, either—not even to
Helen,” quizzically.
“No, not even to Helen,” he
said with well affected gravity,
his lips twitching the while.
A footman entered and passed
a note to Colonel Bernheim, but
the princess’ eyes had caught the
pink of the envelope and she
knew it was a wire, and of ex
ceeding importance to be brought
there now—and it was for the
archduke; if it were fur her,
Moore would have got it. Chat
ting gayly with Courtney, she
yet watched Bernheim, as he
read the message, holding it
down, out of sight.
It seemed to be very brief, for
almost instantly he glanced at
the archduke — hesitated—then
sent it to him.
“What is it, Armand?” she
said, as he took it. “ What has
Lotzen done now?”
“Wrhy Lotzen?'-he laughed,
spreading the sheet on the doth
before them.
It was dated Dornlitz:—
“The duke arrived here at
8:30 this evening on the express
from the north. He was in dis
guise.
“Epping.”
“I don't understand,” said
she. v
“Neither do I,” he answered;
“That’s the trouble with our
cousin, he is always doing queer
things.”
“But he was at Lotzen castle
this morning.”
“And is in Dornlitz now;—”
he shoved the wire across to
Courtney.—“Dick, what do you
make of this—what’s doing
now?”
Courtney read it, then stared
thoughtfully into his^wine glass,
twirling it slowly the while* the
amber bubbles streaming up
ward.
I make enough of it, he
said, “to urge that you hurry
back to the capital. The false
book was intended primarily to
lure you here, where you could
be killed more easily, but its pur
pose also was to get you away
from Dornlitz. The first failed,
because her highness,' forced
Lotzen’s hand so quickly he wras
unprepared; the second, how
ever, has won,—he has eluded
you. I have always insisted that
he hasn’t the book, but now I
am persuaded that he knows
where it is, and has gone for
it.”
“Let us go, Armand!” the
princess exlaimgd “let us go in
stantly.”
He put his hand on her arm.
“We will go* dear,” he said
—“see—” and turning over the
sheet, he wrote:—
“Epping,
“Dornlitz.
“Keep him under surveillance.
We leave tonight; reach Dorn
litz by 10 a. m. Armand.”
“Yes”, said the princess, “and
add that he is to call the royal
council for half after 10 at the
summer palace.—I’m going to
give Lotzen a chance to explaip
a few things.”
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Canopy of Swords.
When the train had crossed
the lorg and the towers of Dorn
litz shone far off to the front,
the following morning, the prin
cess sent for the archduke.
“Armand,” said she, “I have
been thinking—much of the
night, indeed—and I am per
suaded that this day will see the
end of our quest; don’t smile;
wait, wait until the day has
passed. Lotzen knows where the
book is—he hasn’t it—he never
has had it—he would not have
needed a counterfeit if he had;
besides, do you fancy he would
have left it behind when he went
to Lotzenia—or that he would
have come back here if he had
it with him? If he knows now
where the book is, he has known
all along—then why hasn’t he
got it? Because it’s been im
practicable, no adequate oppor
tunity. Where is the opportuni- >
ty now that he hasn’t had be
fore?—the summer palace—with
the household gone, he can spend
a day in it without explanation
or interruption—and the king’s
suite is vacant. There Adolph
hid the laws—and Lotzen knows
where—and they are what he
has gone for; that is why he left
hia castle night before last, with
in an hour after me; he realized
the false book would send us
back to Dornl-itz and that he
must go instantly if he would
be there first. Oh, it’s all plain
now—to me at least. ’ ’
The Archduke went over and
stood beside her, stroking her
fair hair softly with his finger
tips.
“Sweetheart,” said he, “there
is much force in what you say,
and you will also remember that
Elsie d’Essolde saw Lotzen come
from the library the day you
charged him with killing Adolph
and stealing the book. Yet the
answer to it all is, that the entire
palace has been searched and
vainly—and the king’s suite torn
almost into bits. Hence, under
the facts, your theory seems un
availing.”
She looked up at him with a
half disappointed smile, but with
an insistent shake of the head.
iTo Be Continued Next Week!)
SAFEGUARDS.
DEMAND OF
U. S. ENVOY
Grew in Brief Statement An
nounces American Position
at Opening Lausanne Meet
—Concessions Discussed.
Universal Service.
Special Cable Dispatch.
Lausanne, April 23.—The new sit
ting of the Near East peace confer
ence was formally opened, but with
out ceremony, Monday with Sit
Horace Rumbold, of Great Britain, it)
the presiding officer's chair.
The American representative, Jo
seph C. Grew, envov to Switzerland,
presented a note wl}ich declared:
“We are here for the same purpose
and in the same capacity as before
the adjournment. We are participat
ing, not on the footing of belligrenti
nor as a party to the treaty of peace
under negotiation, but none the less
in a fully representative capacity
with full competence to speak on be
half of the government of the United
States in the ensuing deliberations.
Demands Safeguards.
“We wish to see safe guarded the
legitimate national interests of the
United States on principles of im
partial opportunity for all nations
and humanitarian considerations
upon which our views have already
been expressed. If new issues arise I
will make a further statement.”
A number of committees were ap
pointed.
CHESTER GRANT TO FORE.
London, April 23.—Despite the ef
forts of all concerned to keep the
discussion of the Chester concessions
off the program of the Lausanne
conference it is “already clear that
until the difficulty caused by their
acceptance of the Angora assembly
is settled, nothing else is to be dis
cussed here to rival them in inter
est,” says Percival Landon in his
cables to the Daily Telegraph.
After reviewing the history of the
granting of the original concessions
and telling how Baron Marishchall
put his foot down on them because
they menaced the rights of the then
proposed German controlled Bagdad
railway, Landon declares the con
cessions were renewed by the An
gora assembly a few weeks ago by
the Turks in order to draw the
United States Into the Near East im
broglio.
States British View.
Landon points out that the conces
sion is a repetition of those of 1908,
but adds:
"Britain will refuse to listen to the
proposed Mosul-Suliemanlch line, or
concessions granted in territory over
which Britain holds mandate. The
concessionaire undertakes to con
struct 3,900 kilometers of obligatory
and 1,0?5 kilometers of optional lines
and has to exploit all the minerals
within 20 kilometers of the line, in
cluding the famous Argana copper
deposits.
“The syndicate undertakes to open
a technical school and has paidi 50,
000 Turkish pounds as earnest money.
The agricultural corrcesslons include
the right to sell machinery.
“The Turks are proposing other
concessions which would call for the
restoration of devastated districts,
large irrigation projects and the es
tablishment of schools.
Says Concessions Important.
“We must not dismiss the Chester
concessions as merely fantastic, as
certain quarters are inclined to do.
The concession bids fair to color any
new concessions at Lausanne more
than the subject of oil did the earlier
negotiations.”
The Daily Chronicle comment on
the Lausanne conference says that
Turkey by Its concessions to France
in 1914 secured Its immediate endo by
enmeshing the Greeks. Since then
they have been looking around for
newer and richer friends in America.
But the quarrel is not Britain’s, tt is
declared.
2 AVIATORS
ARE KILLED
Washington D. C., April 23. A. P.
—Ensign Gordon Gunthear, of the
naval reserves, and Chief Machinist
Mate W. Hill, of the regular navy,
were killed today when the seaplane
In which they were cruising above
Hampton Hoads crashed into the
bay.
Gunther's home was in Cambridge
Mass., and Hill was from Ocean View,
Va.,
MADISON SCOUTS WIN CUP.
Norfolk, Neb., April 23 (Special).
—Madison's scout troop won the
silver loving cup in the district boy
scouts' rally which just closed here.
Neligh scouts took second place.
Camp Sheldon was featured in talks
by scout trooi leaders.
BRYAN COMMENDED ON
COW TUBERCULAR STAND
Lincoln, Neb., April 23 (Special.)—
Gov. Bryan, Monday, received a let
ter from Henry Williams, a dairyman
of Norfolk, Neb., in ^hich the writer
commends the attitude of the gover
nor in his opposition to the bovine
tuberculosis eradication bill.
Mr. Williams says the tuberculosis
testing machinery of the state has
proved a hardship to him, causing a
personal loss of ,‘12,500, besides put
ting him out of the dairy business.
%
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Hope Leads Onward.
Fear of evil may keep men from
going backward, but only hope of
something better carries them on.—
Tames Freeman Clarke.
Odd Bicth Becords.
In Fiji and fcamrti it is common
practice to tattoo on the hand of a
mother the dates of her children’s
births.
CASTOR IA
For Infants and Children
In Use For Over 30 Years
Always hears
., the
Signature of
