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GRAUSTARK
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. . . By . . .
G E O R G E B ARR M c C U T C H E O N
Copyright, 1001, by Herbert S. Stone
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CHAPTER 1.—G renfall L orry, a weal hy A m erican
globe trotter, stum bles Into acquaintance w ith a charm
ing foreign girl on the train from D enver to W ashington.
The pair is left behind when the flier stops for repairs in
W est V irginia. II.—Lorry wires ahead to hold the train .
H e and the unknown girl ride tw enty m iles a t a tea rin g
pace in a m ountain coach. T here is*no love-m aking,
but a near approach to it as the rcll-ng stage tum bles the
passengers about. III. Lorry dines w ith the foreign
party, consisting of Miss G uggenslocker, U ncle Caspar
and Aunt Yvonne. T hey are n atives of G raustark, a
country Lorry had never heard of before. IV. Lorry
shows the foreigners the sights of W ashington. T hey
leave for New York to sail on the K aiser W ilhelm .
Miss G uggenslocker naively calls L orry her
ideal
A m erican” and invites him to come and see her at E del
weiss. V. W ildly infatuated, L orry hu rries to New
York. The name G uggenslocker is not on the steam er
list. He sees the rteam er off. Miss G. w aves him a kiss
from the deck. V I.—L orry joins his old friend, H a rry
A nguish, an A m erican a rtist, in Paris. G raustark and
its capital, Edelweiss, are located by a guide book. The
A m ericans get no trace of the G uggenslockers th ere.
V II. L orry sees his charm er driv in g in a carriag e w ith
a beautiful com panion of her own sex. He gets a glance
of recognition, but the carriage rolls on, leaving the
m ystery unsolved. L ater he receives a note at his hotel
signen Sophia G uggenslocker, in viting him to visit her
next day. V III. In the evening L orry and A nguish
ramble about the grounds of the castle w here dwells the
court of the Princess of G raustark. T hey ov erh ear a
plot to abducts the princess and resolve to capture the
plotters red handed. I X .—Follow ing the conspirators.
L orry finds him self in a room he heard them designate
as that of the princess, X.—Lorry tells the princess of
the plot.
M utual r-co g n i'io n ; she is Miss G uggen
slocker. D annox, the guard, is in the abduction plot.
H e fells L orry w ith a terrible blow. A nguish to the
rtsc u e . X I.—L orry quartered In the castle. T he p rin
cess visits him , but forbids all talk of love. XII
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G raustark is b ankrupt and owes the nelghborin • p rin c e
dom of A xpha n $30,000,00'. T he credi or d< mands
cash or the cc.¿ion of the richest districts of G raustark.
X III.—T he P rince o f A xphaln offers to extend the lo n
if ihe princess w ill m arry hi- son L orenz. P rince o a -
briel of D a u sb -rg e n also bids fer the princess's hand
w ith offer of a loan. Yetlve tells L orry th at she belongs
to her heople and w ill m arry Lorenz.
So it w flH that the Princess of Grau
stark, erstwhile Miss Guggenslocker
was being dragged through the uiosl
unhappy affairs that ever beset a sov
erelgn. Within a month she was tc
sign awny two-thirds of her domain,
transforming multitudes of her beloved
and loving people into subjects of tilt
hated Axphain or to sell herself, body
and soul, to a loathsome bidder in the
guise of a suitor, and, with all this con
fronting her, she had come to the real
izntion of a truth so sad and distract
ing that it was breaking her tortured
heart. She was in love, but with 11c
royal prince! Of this, however, the
countess knew nothing, so Lorry had
one great secret to cherish alone.
"H as she chosen the course she will
pursue?” asked Lorry as the countess
concluded her story. His face was
turned away.
“ She canuot decide. We have wepl
together over this dreadful, this horri
ble thing. You do not know what it
means to all of us, Mr. Lorry. We
love her, and there is not one in our
land who would sacrifice her to save
this territory. As for Gabriel, Grau
stark would kill her before she should
go to him. Still slm cannot let herself
sacrifice those northern subjects when
by a single act she can save them. You
see, the princess has not forgotten
that her father brought this war upon
the people, and she feels It her duty tc
pay the penalty of his error, whatever
the cost.”
“ Is there no other to whom she can
turn—no other course?” asked Lorry.
“ There Is none who would assist us,
bankrupt as we are. There is a ques
tion I want to ask. Mr. Lorry. Please
look at me. Do not stare at the foun
tain all the time. Why have you come
to Edelweiss?" 8 he asked the ques
tion eo boldly that his startled embar
rassment was an unspoken confession.
He calmed himself and hesitated long
before answering, weighing his reply.
She sat close beside him, her clear
gray eyes reading him like a book.
"1 came to see a Miss Guggenslock
er,” he answered at last.
“ For what purpose? There must
have been an urgent cause to bring
you so far. You are not an American
banker?”
“ I had intended to ask her to be my
wife,” he said, knowing that secrecy
was useless and seeing a faint hope.
“ You did not find Miss Guggenslock
er?”
“ No; I have not found her."
“ And are you going home disappoint
ed, Mr. Lorry, because she is not
here?”
“ I leave the answer to your tender
Imagination.”
There was a long pause.
“ May I ask when you expect to leave
Graustark?” she asked somewhat tim
idly.
“ Why do you wish to know?” he
asked in turn.
“ Because I know how hopeless your
quest has been. You have found Miss
Guggenslocker, but she is held behind
a wall so strong and Impregnable that
you cannot reach her with the question
you came to ask. You have come to
that wall, and now you must turn back.
I have asked how soon?”
“ Not until your princess bids me take
up my load and go. You see, my lady.
I love to sit beneath the shadow of the
wall you describe. It will require a
royal edict to compel me to abandon
my position.”
“ Y’ou cannot expect the princess to
drive you from her country, you who
have done so much for her. You must
go, Mr. Lorry, without her bidding.”
“ I must?”
“ Yes, for your presence outside that
wall may make the imprisonment all
the more unendurable for the one your
love canuot reach. Do you understand
me?”
“ Has the one behind the wall in
structed you to say this to me?” he
asked miserably.
“ She bus not. I do not know her
heart, but 1 am a woman and have a
woman’s foresight. If you wish to be
kind and good to her. go.”
“ I cannot!” he exclaimed, his pent
'eelings bursting forth. “ I cannot go!”
“ Y’ou will not be so selfish and so
cruel as to Increase the horror of the
wreck that is sure to come.” she said.
Jrawing back.
“ You know, countess, of the life sav
ing crews who draw from the wrecks
of ships lives that were hopelessly lost.
There is to be a wreck here. Is there
to be a life saver? When the night is
darkest, the sea wildest, when hope is
gone, is not that the time when rescue
Is most previous? Tell me. you who
know all there Is of this approaching
disaster."
“ I cannot command you to leave
Edelweiss. 1 can only tell you that
you will have something to answer for
If you stay.” said the countess.
"Will you help me if I show to you
that I can reach the wreck and save
the one who clings to it despairingly?”
he asked, smiling, suddenly calm and
confident.
“ Willingly, for I love the one who Is
going down in the sea. I have spoken
to you seriously, though, and I trust
you will not misunderstand me. I like
you, and I like Mr. Anguish. You could
stay here forever so fur as I am con
“ And I am richer because of Vn„
cerned”
He thought long and Intently over uorunce,” he said softly, “j b ur
what she had said as he smoked his ci a picture that shall never | 1 ? ‘
gar on the great balcony that night, memory—never! Its beauty enthrei
lie saw in one moment the vast chasm enraptured. Then I saw the dram,
between the man and the princess; in the roses. All. your highness
tl.e next lie laughed at the puny space. crown Is not always a mask ”
“ The roses were-were of no con-
Down on the promenade he could see
the figures of men and women stroll- [ quence. she faltered
lug in the moonlight. To his ears came
"I have heard how you 8tand
tne occasional laugh of a man, the sil- tween two suitors and that w
retch?
very gurgle of a woman. The royal treaty. My heart has ached to tell -
miUtr ry band was playing in the stand how I pity you.”
near the edge of the great circle. There
“ It Is not pity I need, but coura.
were gayely, comfort, charm and secu Pity will not aid me in my duty m
rity about everything that came to his Lorry. It stands plainly * before ^
eyes and ears. Where wus she? He this duty, but I have not the cour-,
bad seen her in the afternoon and had 1 to take it up and place it about
my
talked with her, had walked with her. neck forever.”
Their conversation had been bright, but
“ Y’ou do not, cannot love this Lo
of the commonplace kind. She had renz?” he asked.
said nothing to indicate that she re
“ Love him!” she cried. “Aeh. I for.
membered the hour spent beside his get! Y’ ou do not know him. Yet
couch a day or so before; he had ut shall doubtless be his wife.” There
tered none of the words that struggled was an eternity of despair in that ion-
to rush from his lips—the questions, the steady voice.
pleadings, the vows. Where was she
“ You shall not! I swear you sball
now? Not In that gay crowd below, not!”
for lie had scanned every figure with
“ Oh, he is a prince! 1 must accept
the hawk's eye; closeted again, no
the
offer that means salvatiou to Grau
doubt, with her ministers, wearying
stark.
Why do you make it harder
her tired brain, her brave heart into
with torture which you think is kiud-
fatigue without rest.
ness? Listen to me. Next week I am
Her court still trembled with the ex to give my answer. He will be hero
citement of the daring attempt of the In this castle. My father brought this
abductors and their swift punishment. calamity upon Graustark; 1 must lift
Functionaries
flocked
to Edelweiss
„
,
. ..
. to 1 it from the people. What has my ban-
Inquire lift«- tile welfare of the prtn p|negs
Jo w,th
con», „nil liullgliatloi,
at he high- '
, „ ddeil a(ronKth
est pitch. There were theories inuu-
. , . .
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.
,
, , as to
. the
.. identity
. , ... of - the
.. „ arch . crushed him with the . real . . awaken
u.erable
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1
her
conspirator.
Iiaron ,,
Dangloss
was a 1 l l . of . helplessness.
. 1
. . . He stood
.. beshie urr'
,
,
,
IT
.
1
t™„„w
I
looking
up
at
the
cold
monastery,
sea completely. He cursed himself j ___ K________, __
and everybody else for the hasty and strangely conscious that she was gaz
ing toward the same dizzy height.
ill timed execution of the hirelings. It
“ It looks so peaceful up there,” she
was quite evident that the buzzing
said at last.
wonder and intense feeling of the peo
“ But so cold and cheerless.” lie add
ple had for the moment driven out all
ed
drearily.
was another louz
thought of the coming day of Judg-
,
, , There
,
meat and its bitter atonement for all
111 W^ C1 t'vo hearts communed
Graustark. Today the castle was full through tlio_ medium of that faraway
of Ihe nobility, drawn to its walls by sentinel. “They have not discovered a
the news that had startled them be clew to the chief abductor, have they?"
yond all expression. The police were he asked in an effort to return to his
at work, the military trembled with proper sphere.
“ Baron Dangloss believes lie has a
rage, the people clamored for the 'ap
clew—a
meager and unsatisfactory one.
prehension of. the man who had been
he
admits—and
today sent officers to
the instigator of this audacity. The
Ganlook
to
investigate
the actions of ¡1
general belief was that some brigand
strange
man
who
was
there
last week,
chief from the south had planned the
a
man
who
styled
himself
the
Count of
great theft for the purpose of securing
a fabulous ransom. Grenfall Lorry Arabazon and who claimed to be of Vi-
had an astonishing theory in his mind, *nua- Sou,e Austrians had been bunt-
and tlie more lie thought It over the lugs stags and bears in the north, how
ever, and it Is possihie he is one of
more firmly if was imbedded.
The warm, blue coils from the cigar :hem.” She spoke slowly, her eyes still
wafted away Into the night, carrying jent on the home of the monks,
with them a myriad of tangled thoughts
“ Your highness, I have a theory, ft
of her, of Axphain, of the abductor, !>o!<l anil perhaps a criminal theory, but
of himself, of everything. A light step fou will allow me to tell you why I aui
on the stone floor of the shadowy bal-| j-ossossed of it. 1 am aware that there
cony attracted his attention. He turn -1 u a I’rlnce Gabriel. It is my opinion
ed his head and saw the Princess Y'e- hat no Viennese is guilty, nor are the
ti\e. She was walking slowly toward brigands to be accused of this ninster-
the balustrade, not aware of his pres- jioce in crime. Have you thought how
once. There wns no covering for thej ’»ar a man may go to obtain his heart s
dark hair, no wrap about the white t'.esire?”
shoulders. She wore an exquisite gown
She looked at him instantly, her eyes ^
of white, shimmering with the reflec- t.’kle with growing
______
comprehension, the
tions f 10111 the moon tliut scaled the lolutlon to the mystery darting into her
mountain top. She stood at the balus- 1 find like a flash.
trade, her hands clasping a bouquet of
You mean” — she began, stopping as
red roses, her chin lifted, her eyes gaz If afraid to voice tlie suspicion.
ing toward the mountain’s crest, the
“ That Prince Gabriel is the man
prettiest picture lie had ever seen. The who lmuglit your guards and hired
strange dizziness of love overpowered Geddos and Ostrom to carry you to the
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on^ *1P rovel<‘d In the glory place where he could own you, whether
of the picture lie knew not. for it was you would or no.” said Lorrv.
ns if he looked from a dream. At last |
(c o n tin u ed )
he saw her look down upon the roses, i
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lilt them slowly and drop them over
A fine complexion and a good head
tlie rail. They fell to the ground be- of hair are always to be desired.
]o.Z ' , IIe t,hougï t he understood-the Mademoiselle LaCourse can convince
" Tlioj- wpre"iiot twenly^'feet apart He
advanced to her side, his hat in one
hand, his stick—the one that felled the
Viennese—trembling In the other.
“ I did not know you were here,” she
exclaimed in half frightened amaze
ment. "I left my ladies Inside.”
He was standing beside her, looking
down into the eyes.
y° U that ft W
sensible way.
t0 C“ '
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