I
958
I BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK
3 By George Barr McCutcheon.
Author or "Graustark"
Copyright, 1 904, Dudd, Mead & Co.
i.yuisc uucu. in me seal, uu pensively
Btudied the face of the sleeping tjlrl
whose dark brown head was pillowed
against the corner cushions of the
coach. Her hat had been removed for
the sake of comfort. The dark lashes
fell like a soft curtaiu over her eyes,
obscuring the merry gray that had
overcome his apprehensions. Her
breathing was deep and regular and
peaceful. One little gloved hand rest
ed carelessly In her lap, the other upon
her breast near the delicate throat.
The heart of Ba:dos was troubled.
The picture he looked upon was en
trancing, uplifting: he rose from the
lowly state in which she had found
him to the position of admirer In se
cret to a princess, real or assumed. He
found himself again wondering If she
were really Yetive, and with that fear
In his heart he was envying Grenfall
Lorry, the lord and master of this ex
quisite creature, envying with all the
helplessness of one whose hope Is blast
ed at birth.
The note which had been surrepti
tiously passed to hlin in Ganlook lay
crumpled and forgotten inside his coat
pocket, where he had dropped it the
moment it had come into his posses
sion, supposing that the message con
tained information which had been for
gotten by Franz and was by no means
of a nature to demand Immediate at
tention. Had he read it at once his
suspicions would have been confirmed,
and it is barely possible that he would
have refused to enter the city.
Late in the afternoon the walls of
Edelweiss were sighted. For the first
time he looked upon the distant house
tops of the principal city of Graustark.
Up in the clouds, on the summit of the
mountain peak overlooking the city,
stood the famed monastery of St. Val
entine. Stretching up the gradual in
cline were the homes of citizens, access
ible only by footpaths and donkey
roads. Beverly was awake and Impa
tient to reach the Journey's end. He
had proved a most disappointing com
panion, polite, but with a baffling In
difference that Irritated her considera
bly. There was a set expression of de
fiance In his strong, clean cut face, the
look of a soldier advancing to meet a
powerful foe.
"I do hope he'll not always act this
way." she wit a complaining in her
thoughts, "lie was so charmingly im
pudent out in the hills, so dellclously
human. Now he Is li!;e n clam. Yetive
wi:i think I um Mich a fool if he doesn't
live up to the reputation, I've given
him!"
"Here are the gates," he said, half to
himself. "What is there in store for
ii;e beyond those walls?"
"Oh. I wish you wouldn't be so dis
mal!" she cried In despair. "It seems
Just like a funeral."
"A thousand apologies, your high
ness," he murmured, with a sudden
lightness of speech and manner.
"Henceforth I shall be a nost amiable
Jester to please you.
Beverly and the faithful Aunt Fanny
were driven to the castle, where the
former bade farewell to her new knight
until the following morning, when he
was to appear before her for personal
Instructions. Colonel Quinnox escorted
aim to the barracks of the guard, where
he was to share a room with young
Haddan, a corporal In the service.
"The wild, untamed gentleman from
the hills came without a word, I see,"
said Lorry, who had watched the ap-
proach. He and Yetive stood in the
window overlooking the grounds from
the princess' boudoir. Beverly had Just
entered and thrown herself upon a
divan.
"Yes; he's here," she said shortly.
"now long do you, with all your
cleverness, expect to hoodwink him
into the belief that you are the prln
cess?" asked Yetive, amused, but anx
ious.
"He's a great fool for being hood
winked at all," said Beverly, very
much at odds with lwr protege. "In
an hour from now ho will know the
truth and will be howling like a mad'
man for his freedom."
"Not so soon as that. Beverly," said
Lorry consolingly. "The guards and
officers hare their Instructions to keep
him In the dark as long as possible.'
"Well, I'm tired and mad and hun
gry and everything else that isn't com
patible. Let's talk about the war.
said Beverly, the suushine in her face
momentarily eclipsed by the dark
cloud of disappointment
Baldos was notified that duty would
be assigned to him In the-morning.
He went through the formalities which
bound him to the service for six
months, listening indifferently to the
words that foretold the fate of
traitor. It was not until his new uni
form and equipment came Into his
possession that he remembered the
note resting in his pocket. He drew It
out and began to read it with the
slight interest of one who has antici
pated the effect But not for long was
he to remain apathetic. The first few
lines brought a look of understanding
to his eyes; then he laughed the easy
laugh of one who has cast care anil
confidence to the winds. This is what
he read
6h U not th princess. W hav been
duped. Lul bight I learned th truth.
b J ilia Calhoun, an American, rota
with ht-r hiio EUelnvUs. it wi ha a trap
and may mci.11 uvMX Qi cn.c k hrr bold
ly before conuniiUr.g yoi.rsk'.
There came the natural Impulse to
make a dash for the outside world,
fighting his way through If necessary.
Looking back over the ground, lie won
hind For n moment her tongue was
hound. The kit em of the new
guard lyid looked into hers with a m-
fcui iu , ,)Pmtrate her
reCIUeSS lllUl i:ri.v ,
brain. That this scene was to be one
of the most interesting In the little
comedy was proved Dy me u,u
two eager young women were hidden
behind a heavy curtain In a corner of
the room. The Princess Yetive and
the Countess Dagmar were there to en
joy Beverly's first hour of authority,
and she was aw are of their presence.
Have they told you that you are w
C5 she asked, with a queer flutter In her
m t Somehow this tall fellow with
the broad shoulders was not the same
as th ragged goat hunter she had
known at first.
No your highness," he saiu eusuj.
"I have come ror lusirm.-iiuiio.
pleases me to know that I am to have
a place of honor and trust such as
this."
"General Marlanx has told me mat
Looking DaeK over me grouuu. u --- selected
dered how he could have been deceived a vacancy exists and I hate se ectea
at all by the unconventional American, you to fill it e compe at on will
. .. ,. u ha nrtenrierl to bv the proper ptisous,
in tne ciear iigui 01 n-uufiiaiiuu - - -mi-iined to
now saw how '...possible it was for and your duties win be exp 1. ined to
her to have been the princess. Every you by one of the officers, Ibis 1 after
net every word, every look, should uoon, I believe, you are to accompany
! 1 1 mJ 1,! 1 trJ, vAw flaw me on my visit to the fortress, which I
him with
voice that sue ioum-u
newer Interest. ,
"Why I really believe you want to
. .
very politely for an utter tne Tower. "Some
aress una
. . - tt
"The Insolent dog!" snariou aiar.anx, muuus couc,.ni,n R h
A . .... ..... i...i,. 1T&. fmnnl" 8 ""Uilon 11..
his self control ieiuiuu.H v , "
Peuoa that impois me7 JH
V" !.
go to America!" she - . be tttUght well and thoroughly, 'Slay I first axk what k
The eyes of Baldos had been furtive shall u t lg g edr ' Dangles. waa a Hp
... .i-m tn the curtain more tnan oulu uen . . , mftnn... . .. u '
urlng the last few mtante An oc way tot, gcu,ral
It IS (lllllo n,..
::r. '"wi ana
alonal movement 01 uie --
t t.i.. oftant nn il htnrno .
hangings attracteu m be bnr9U lth
ian7ZMis hun,..' Repleaded. The smile of the
TJSfrSw not. Besent- Iron' Couut was not at all reassuring.
In? si rang up In his breast and gave know ne will be sorry for what he
birth to a daring ui.. - lth u" UUMr' "r ' u ...u,
nlar as It was coniouuumB. am qullB BU1B uc
on- noiseless strides he reached the witL muHt agreeable bow In
, ...1' neverlv could intenose. .,1,.missloll to her appeal.
UOUl w- - hop t.lBl
She half started rrom uer ..Uo y0U wnni to see wlj
wide with uismay, u v i- - asi;ea quicuiy- 1 Dl"" "
eeueral." She was at tne uoor, mum
for t!
mile n
'0
sequence. What ,in .... . u 01 o ,
My curiosity U n:"Tvott
OUlet. Hi'varlv V-..
. . .j, iuu ft
know ni tl.n "
ulc 0j ,
ell, your hlglmp.. t
confess that the man 1-
we Be
have told him the truth. Every flaw
In her masquerading now presented It
self to him, and he was compelled to
laugh at his own simplicity. Caution,
after all, was the largest component
part of his makeup. The craftiness of
the hunted was deeply rooted In his
being. He saw a very serious side to
the adventure. Stretching himself upon
the cot In the corner of the room, he
gave himself over to plotting, plan
ning, thinking.
In the midst of his thoughts a sud
den light burst In upon him. His eyes
trleamed with a new fire, his heart
leaped with new animation, his blood
ran warm again. Leaping to his feet,
be ran to the window to reread the
note from old Franz. Then he settled
back and laughed with a
cleared the brain of a thousand vague
misgivings.
"She is Miss Calhoun, an American,
going to be a guest at the castle;" not
the princess, hut Miss Calhoun. Once
more the memory of the clear gray
eyes leaped Into life. Again he saw
her asleep in the coach on the road
from Ganlook. Again he recalled the
fervent throbs his guilty heart had
felt as he looked upon this fair crea
ture, at one time the supposed treasure
of another man. Now she was Miss
Calhoun, and her gray eyes, her en
trancing smile, her wondrous vivacity,
were not for one man alone. It was
marvelous what a change this sudden
realization wrought In the view ahead
of him. The whole situation seemed to
be transformed into something more
desirable than ever before. His face
cleared, his spirits leaped higher and
higher with the buoyancy of fresh re
lief, his confidence in himself crept
back Into existence. And all because
the fair deceiver, the slim girl with the
brave gray eyes who had drawn him
Into a net was not a princess!
Something told him that she had not
drawn him into his present position
with any desire to injure him or with
the slightest sense of malice. To her it
had been a merry Jest, a pleasant com
edv. Underneath all he saw the good
ness of her motive in taking mm rrom
the old life and putting him into his
Dresent position of trust. He had
helped her, and she was ready to help
him to the limit of her power. His
position in Edelweiss was clearly
enough defined. The more he thought
of It the more justifiable it seemed as
viewed from her point of observation,
How long she hoped to keep him In the
dark he could not tell. 'The outcome
would be entertaining, ner efforts to
deceive, If she kept them up, would be
amusing. Altogether he was ready,
with the leisure and joy of youth, to
await developments and to enjoy the
comedy from a point of view which
she could not at l&nce suspect,
Ills subtle effort to draw Haddan
Into a discussion of the princess and
ber household resu'.teJ unsatisfactorily,
The young guard was annoylngly un
responsive. He had his secret instruc
tlous and could not be inveigled Into
betraying himself. . Baldos went to
sleep that night with his mind con
fused by doubts. His talk with Had
dan had left him quite undecided as
to the value of old Franz's warning.
Either Franz was mistaken or Haddan
was a most skillful dissembler. It
struck him as utterly beyond the pale
of reason that the entire castle guard
should have been enlisted In the scheme
to deceive him. When sleep came he
was contenting himself with the
thought that morning doubtless would
give him clearer Insight to the situa
tion,
Both he and Beverly Calhoun were
Ignorant of the true conditions that at.
tached themselves to the new recruit
Baron Dangloss alone knew that Had'
dan was a trusted agent of the secret
service, with Instructions to shadow
the newcomer day and night Th
there was a mystery surrounding tie
character of Baldos, the goat hunter.
Dangloss did not question for an In
tant, and In spite of the Instructions
received at the outset he was using
all his skill to unravel It
Baldos was not summoned to the cas
tie till noon, nis serene Indifference to
th outcome of the visit was calculat
ed to deceive the friendly but watchful
Haddan. Dressed carefully In th
close fitting uniform of the royal guard.
taller than most of bis fellows, hand
somer by far than any, he was th
most noticeable figure In and about the
barracks. Haddan coached him In the
way he was to approach the princess,
Baldos listening with exaggerated in-
tentness and with deep regard for de
tail.
Beverly was In the small audience
room off the main reception hall when
be was ushered into her presence. The
servants and ladles in waiting disap
peared at a signal from her. She arose
to BTet him and be knlt n bias bar
me on my
am to Inspect."
"Very well, your highness," ue ie-
spectfully said. He was thinking 01
Miss Calhoun, an American girl, al
though he called her "your niguness.
"May I be permitted to ask for In
structions that can come only from
your highness?"
Certainly," she repneu. 11
1 .linn ol.a hnil
Ber was more tieiereuiuu iuuu
ever known it to be, but he threw a
bomb Into her fine composure with his
next remark. He addressed her m me
Graustark language:
Is it your desire that I shall contin
ue to address you in Engusti
Beverly's face turned a bit reu, anu
her eves wavered. By a wonderful er-
. . . . a . It ofoni.
fervor that fort sue retaineu uer wu -u..i.u.,
mering ever -so faintly wueu sue iuu
In English: '
I wish you would speak fcngnsu,
unwittingly giving answer to his ques
tion. "I shall insist upon that. Your
English Is too good to be spoiled."
Then he made a bold test, ins urst
having failed. He spoke once more in
the native tongue, this time softly and
earnestly.
As vou wish, your highness, but 1
think it is a most ridiculous practice,"
he said, and his heart lost none of lis
;ourage. Beverly looked at him almost
pathetically. She knew that behind
the curtain two young women were en-
Joying her discomfiture. Something
toid her that they were stifling their
mirth with dainty lace bordered handkerchiefs.
"That will do, sir," she managed to
say firmly. "It's very nice of you, but
after this pay your homage in English,"
she went on, taking ti long chance on
his remark. It must have been com
plimentary, she reasoned. As for Bal
dos, the faintest sign of a smile touched
his lips, and his eyes were twinkling as
he bent his head quickly. Franz was
right; she did not know a word of the
Graustark language,
"I have, entered the service for six
mouths, your highness," he said In Eug-
bth rand was ah-e'ady clutching the
rartata. He drew it aside relentlessly.
Two startled women stood exposed
..n. dvinir on their amazed
acls 'lh ir backs"were against the
r" ; ,i two hands clutching
Cioseu uuui, "- - ,i
handkerchiefs dropped from a most
significant altitude. One 0 them fi sh-
-.1 .. imnnrinna criaaue ui w
e aiid he Inew he was looking
' ' M i.niinlnru
upon the real princess 01 "'"-" "'
tt .11,1 io9i his composure. W un
cut a tremor he turned to the American
'r'- . .. . I.l nlnarlV rOOl-
Vvnr h 1 mess, ue --"
, ,! nnveS-
lr "I fear We uuve oi" ;
kJ - . ..-.nil., nn
droppers here. Is your com -
t nimiiiii onv. tnev ure uuuui" -
pair of curious ladies in waiting. Shall
I begin my service, your highness, by
escorting them to youuer .
Br
. H' H f ft t "-
CIIAi'lH-K Alll. ,,. ovn.lluHft nhl.lln? n
ERLY gaspeu. xue , exmiislte creature. To lounge on - " ' mhV
,.1 . a tno niw - - ... .1 . . 1 1 . . . 5
her divans, to loll in tne cuuirs, 10 ue comes uere a vagabond, but he r!
glide through her priceless rugs was taluly does not act like one. Hc,
B
stared blankly at the new
.rimi-d. Yetive flushed deeply,
bit her lip In hopeless chagrin
.i rimnnnrl her eves. A pretty turn,
indeed, the play had taken! Not a woid
was uttered for a full half minute; nor
did the guilty witnesses venture forth
retreat Baldos stood tall
n,i imnassive. holding the curtain
M m llrt.
aside. At last the shadow 01 a smue
.,f intn ti.o fnre of the ui'lncess, but
her tones were full or ueep uumunj
when she spoke.
We crave uermission to retire, your
highness," she said, and there was vir
tuous anneal in her eyes, "i pray 101
giveness for this Indiscretion and im
plore you to be lenient witn two mis
erable creatures who love you so well
that thev forget their dignity."
I am amazed and shocked, was an
that Beverly could say. "You may go,
hni- ivtnrn to me within an hour. I
will then hear what you have to say
Slowly, even humbly, the ruler of
Graustark and her cousin passed W.
neath the upraised arm of the new
guard. He opened a door on the oppo
site side of the room, and they went
tieut to be with the banished culprits.
"My business with Mr. Lorry can j
. .m. n cillrt ...mint irk
wait, ne ueguu, v. uu u c..... .v. v
be inviting, but which did not impress
her at all pleasantly.
Well, anyway, I'll tell him you're
here," she said, her hand on the door
knob. "AV111 you wait here f uooaDy.
And then she was racing off through
the long halls and up broad staircases
toward the boudoir of the princess.
There Is no telling how long the rallied
.mint remained in the anteroom, for
the excited Beverly forgot to tell Lor-
rv that he was there.
There were hair a dozen peopie 111
the room when Beverly entered eager
ly. She was panting with excitement.
. . 1 . 1 11..
Of all the rooms in tne grim oiu casuu
the boudoir of the princess was the
most famously attractive. It was real-
place
her divans, to loll
that he Is being hunted, tut I
one Into his confidence. For tliat t-1
cannot be blamed."
the acme of Indolent pleasure". Few
were they who enjoyed the privileges
of "little heaven." as Harry Anguish
had christened It on one memorame
nitrht long before the princess was
Mrs. Grenfall Lorry
"Now. how do you feel?" cried the
flushed American girl, pausing lu the
door to point an Impressive finger at original plotters. "Still, 1 have mut
. ...1.., ... I..!,... t.n.l In a I i.......tr.n.t....n 11- .. i
Uie princess, wuu nun .'- luvesugauuua uiuug inner nues. f
.... . . .lt.......nf. I ... . ... . ..... . .
huge chair, tne picture ui iuu "Anu wuo is uer cried Beveti'
anuovance,
"I shall never be able to look that
man In the face again." came dolefully
from Yetive's humbled lips. Dagmar
nil smiles and in the fittest or
"Have you any reason to tmJ
who he is?" asked Lorry. ,
"My Instructions were to retrf
from questioning him," complain
Dangloss, with a pathetic look at tli3
was
humors. She was the kind of culprit
who loves the punishment because or brother, our lamented friend
the crime.
'Wasn't It ridiculous, and wasn t it
Inst too lovely';" she cried.
1
'It was extremely theatrical, agreeu
Reverlv. seating herself 011 the arm or
Yetive's chair and throwing a warm
arm around her neck. "Have you all
heard about It?" she demanded naive-
.. .1 V. tUmiUE to IUB mucin, t"
out, to an appearance lUu.uuBu., '',., .,,, hll,i ,nmutol account of
fallen. The steady features of the "'J " "
.1.1 ti.Q crontir.il zf the performance.
ht i.i-i irt was tlmrnDlmr "You got ust what you deserved.
disgracefully.
who was Immensely
"Come here, Baldos," commanded
Beverly, a bit pale, but recovering her
wits with admirable promptness. "This
is a matter which I shall dispose of
privately. It Is to go no further, you
are to understand."
"Yes, your highness."
"You may go now. Colonel Quinnox
will explain everything," she said hur
riedly. She was eager to be rid of him.
As he turned away she observed a
faint but peculiar smile at the corner
of his mouth,
"Come here, sir!" she exclaimed hot
ly. He paused, his face as somber as
an owl's. "What do you mean by
laughing like that?" she demanded. He
said Lorry,
amused.
"I wonder what your august vaga
bond thinks of his princess and her
ladles In hiding?" mused Harry An-
culsh. The Count and Countess Uai-
font were smiling lu spite of the as-
Bniilt unon the dignity of the court
"I'd give anything to know what he
reallv thinks." said the real princess.
"Oh, Beverly, wasn't it awful? And
how he marched us out of that room!"
"I thought it was great," said Bev
cIt, hop cvp9 o-lowlne. "Wasn't It
niAnriM? And isn't he good look-
l'-'
Ine?"
rra la tranft lonktne. I Imagine. But
r um no iudeo. dear. It was utterly
caught the fierce note in her voice, but impossible for me to look at his face,"
lamented the princess.
Four highness, I fear we have spiel
and eavesdroppers here."
lisb. "You have honored me, and I
give my heart as well a3 my arm tc
your cause."
Beverly, breathing easier, was prop
erly Impressed by this promise of feal
ty. She was looking with pride upon
the figure of her stalwart protege.
"I hope you have destroyed that hor
rid black patch," she said.
"It has gone to keep company with
other devoted but deserted friends," he
said, a tinge of bitterness In his voice.
"The uniform Is vastly becoming,"
6he went on, realizing helplessly that
she was providing Intense amusement
for the unseen auditors.
"It shames the rags In which you
found me."
"I shall never forget them, Baldos,"
she said, with a strange earnestness In
her voice.
"May I presume to inquire after the
health of your good Aunt Fanny and,
although I did not see him, your Uncle
Sam?" he asked, with a face as straight
aud sincere as that of a judge. Bev
erly swallowed suddenly and checked
i laugh with some difficulty.
"Aunt Fanuy Is never ill. Some day
I shall tell you more of Uncle Sam. It
will interest you."
"Another question, If it please your
highness. Do you expeat to return to
America soon?"
This was the unexpected, but she met
It with admirable composure.
"It depends upon the time when
Prince Liantan resumes the throne In
Dawsbergeu," she said.
"Aud that day may never come,"
said be, such mocking regret In his
r- tan: - cneu oi -o-- .
"What are you going to do with us? ldcnJ bad been 8lmttered.
"Not if we are to believe tne we .
from the south. Here is another wt
plication, however. There is, aa p
know, Count Halfont, and perhaps,
of you, for that matter, a pretenta
the throne of Axphaln, the Mg
Prince Frederic. He is described ";
young, good looking, a scholar and tt
next thing to a pauper."
"Baldos a mere pretender! crieo,
Beverly in distress. "Neverr
"At any rate, he is not what be jj
tends to be," said the baron, t i ;
wise smile. w
"Then you think he may w --
...i" ookAfi Lorry, deeply
gave It the proper Interpretation.
"Laughing, your highness?" he said
In deep surprise. "You must be mis
taken. I am sure that I could not have
laughed in the presence of a princess."
"It must have been a a shadow,
then," she retracted, somewhat star
tled by his rejoinder. "Very well, then.
You are dismissed."
As he was about to open the door
through which he had entered the room
It swung wide and Count Marlanx
strode In. Baldos paused Irresolutely
and then proceeded on his way with
out paying the slightest attention to the
commander of the army. Marlanx
came to an amazed stop, and his face
flushed with resentment.
"Halt, sir!" he exclaimed harshly.
"Don't you know enough to salute me,
sir?"
Baldos turned Instantly, his figure
straightening like a flash. His eyes
met those of the Iron Count and did not
waver, although his face went white
with passion.
"Aud who are you, Blr?" he asked In
cold, steely tones. The count almost
reeled.
"Your superior officer! That should be
enough for you!" he half hissed, with
deadly levelness.
"Oh, then I see no reason whv I
should not salute you, sir," said Baldos,
with one of his rare smiles. He salut
ed his superor officer a shade too elab
orately and turned away. Marlanx'a
eyes glistened.
"Stop! Have I said you could go,
sir? I have a bit of advice to"
"My command to go comes from
your superior, sir," said Baldos, with
Irritating blandness.
"Ee patient general," cried Beverly,
In deep distress. "He does not know
any better. I will stand sponsor for
lim." And Baldos went away with
;ight step, his blood singing, his devll-uiay-enre
heart satisfied. The look in
her eyes was very sustaining. As he
left the castle he said aloud to him
self with an easy disregard of the con
sequences: "Well, it seems that I am to be asso
ciated with the devil as well as with
angels. Heavens! June is a glorious
mouth."
"Now, you promised you'd be nice to
him, Geueral Marlanx," cried Beverly
the Instant Baldos was out of tho
room. "He's new at this sort of thing
you know. and. besides, tou didn't ad- It was a long two miles to his office ia
eagerly.
"I don't know," was the nlsim;
Ing answer. "We are confronted bj I
queer set of circumstances. Doutft.'
you all know that young Prince Ds; '
tan Is flying from the wrath of hist
Gate;
He Is supposed to be In our hills it
a half starved body of followea fef
seems Impossible that he could hsj?;
reached our northern boundaries win J
out our outposts catchiug a gllma!:
him at some time. The trouble lu th;'.
his face Is unknown to most of a:,
among the others. I have been gdi
on the presumption that Baldos li i;
reality Prince Dantan, but last nlji
the belief received a severe shock."
"Yes?" came from several eager Hps j
"My men who are watching lt;
Dawsbergen frontier eaute in lis
night and reported that Dautan U
been seen by mountaineers 110 Itun
than Sunday, three days ago, TU-
mountalneers were In sympathy will;
blm and refused to tell whither In
went We only know that he was In
the southern part of Graustark to
days ago. Our new guard speaks mu! ;
languages, but he has never Deena
to use that of Dawsbergen. That Its :
In itself Is not surprising, for.ofil
things, he would avoid bis mow
tongue. Dantan Is part EngM!? ,
birth and wholly so by cultivation It
that he evidently finds a mate in
Baldos." S
"Ti. he reallv Isn't Prince Du-s
tan?" cried Beverly, as though a da-j
asked Dacmar penitently
"You are to spend the remainder or
your life In a dungeon, with Baldos as
euard." decided Miss Calhoun.
"Beverly, dear, that man is no ordi
nary person," said the princess quite
positively.
"Of course he isn't, ne's a tall, dark
mystery."
"I observed him as he crossed the ter
race this morning." said Lorry, "ne's
a striking sort of chap, and I'll bet my
head he's not what he claims to be."
"He claims to be a fugitive, you must
remember," said Beverly In his de
fense.
"I mean that he is no common male
factor, or whatever It may be. Who
and what do you suppose he Is? I con.
fess that I'm Interested in the fellow,
and he looks as though one might like
him without half trying. Why haven't
yoji dug up his past history, Beverly?
You are so keen about him."
"He positively refuses to let me dig,'
explained Beverly. "I tried, you know,
but he he well, he squelched me."
"Well, after all Is said and done, he
caught us peeping today, and I am
filled with shame," said the princess.
"It doesn't matter who he is, he must
certainly have a most unflattering opin
ion as to what we are."
"And he Is sure to know us sooner
or later," said the young countess, mo
mentarlly serious.
"Oh, if it ever comes to that I shall
be in a splendid position to explain It
all to him," said Beverly. "Don't you
see, I'll have to do lot of expluinlng
myself?"
"Baron Dangloss 1" announced the
guard of the upper hall, throwing open
the door for the doughty little chief of
police.
"Your highness sent for me?" asked
he, advancing after the formal saluta
tlon. The princess exhibited genuine
amazement.
"I did. Baron Dangloss, but you
must have come with the wings of an
eagle. It is really not more than three
minutes since I gave the order to Colo
nel Quinnox." The baron smiled mys
teriously, but volunteered no solution.
The truth Is, he was entering the cas-
Frederic?" asked Lorry, deeply
"I am inclined to think so althrf j
another complication has arisen.
it please your highness, I m
amazingly tangled state of iMt
mltted the baron, passing u -
over his brow.
"Do you mean that anothe fg
ous prince has come to U .
Yetive, her eyes sparkling with .
in the revelations.
"Early this morning a dlspaJ J
to me from the Grand Duke MldJ .
Bapp-Thorberg, a duchy to .
Europe, informing me that the
eldest son had fled from home. s
known to have come to tne i ,
possibly to Graustark."
"Great Scott!" exclaimed
-It never rains but It balls, .
hall to the princes three J
"We are the Mecca for runawyj
aity. it seems." said Count BJJ
-09 on with the story,
gloss," cried the princess. j
book." m8n It j
A description of the yd
companies the offer of a large ,
for information that may eafl ;;
return home for reconciliation.
here the baron paused dramatic."! ;
(TO BE CONTINPED.) f
C ? 00 iTwS'
an(Uhe t,,'
one year. In or
. .vi. literal on". J ,
tie doors as the messenger left them. Lfr.or this liberal on,
but he was much too fond of effect to Rb9Cription to the Obsebteb bu
poll a good situation by explanations. aid " to date. Subscribe no.
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