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About Washington County news. (Forest Grove, Washington County, Or.) 1903-1911 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1904)
+ + * » » * * ■>' I' I* » » » -M -l-fr* * * » * ■»■ 4 4 4 » ♦ » ❖ * * r 4 ^ ' * 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 GRAUSTARK . . . By . . . GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON Copyright, tool, hy Herbert S. Stone <t> • Ì> * ì> * 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 * 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 CHAPTER 1.—Grenfall Lorry, a wealthy American Klobe trotter, stumbles into acquaintance with a charm ing foreign girl on the train from Denver to Washington. The pair is left behind when the flier stops for repairs in West Virginia. II.—Lorry wires ahead to hold the train. He and the unknown girl ride twenty miles at a tearing pace in a mountain coach. There is no love-making, but a near approach to it as the rolling stage tumbles the passengers about. III.—Lorry d" es with the foreign party, consisting of Miss Guggensl'cker. Uncle Caspar and Aunt Yvonne. They are natives of Graustark, a country Lorry had never heard of before. IV.—Lorry shows the foreigners the sights of Washington. They leave for New York to sail on the Kaiser Wilhelm. Miss Guggenslocker naively calls Lorry her “ ideal American” and invites him to come and see her at Edel weiss. V. Wildly infatuated. Lorry hurries to New York. The name Guggenslocker is not on the steamer list. He sees the steamer oft. Miss G. waves him a kiss from the deck. VI.—Lorry joins his old friend, Harry Anguish, an American artist, in Paris. Graustark and its capital, Edelweiss, are located by a guide book. The Americans get no trace of the Guggenslockers there. VII. Lorry sees his charmer driving in a carriage with a beautiful companion of her own sex. He gets a glance of recognition, but the carriage rolls on, leaving the mystery unsolved. Later he receives a note at his hotel slgnen Sophia Guggenslocker, inviting him to visit her next day. VIII. In the evening Lorry and Anguish ramble about the grounds of the castle where dwells the court of the Princess of Graustark. They overhear a plot to abducts the princess and resolve to capture the plotters red handed. IX.—Following the conspirators, Lorry finds himself in a room he heard them designate as that of the princess. X.—Lorry tells the princess of the plot. Mutual recognition; she is Miss Guggen slocker. Dannox, the guard, is in the abduction plot. He fells Lorry with a terrible blow. Anguish to the rescue. XI.—Lorry quartered in the castle. The prin cess visits him, but forbids all talk of love. XII.— Graustark is bankrupt and owes the neighboring prince dom of Axphain $30,000,000. The creditor demands cash or the cession of the richest districts of Graustark. XIII.—The Prince of Axphain offers to extend the loan if the princess will marry hi« son Lorenz. Prince Ga briel of Dawsbergen also bids for the princess's hand with offer of a loan. Yetlve tells Lorry that she belongs to her heople and will marry Lorenz. " m a t 's right. I had n 't thought of th at. I hope she tu rn s him down. Hut there's (Jabriel over yonder. See those th ree fellows in blue? The middle one is the prince.” N ear the door leading to the piazza stood several men, gray and blue. The man designated as G abriel w as in the center, talk in g gayly and som ew hat loudly, putting a t a cigarette betw een sentences. li e wns not tall, b u t he w as strongly and com pactly built. Ills h a ir and cropped beard w ere as black as coal, his eyes wide, black and lined. It w as a pleasure worn face, and Lorry shuddered as he thought of th e p rin cess in th e pow er of this evil looking w retch. They leisurely made their w ay to a spot n ear the talkers. There w as no m istaking th e voice. Prince G abriel and Michael w ere one and the sam e beyond nil doubt. Hut how to prove it to th e satisfaction of others? Skepticism would follow any attem p t to proclaim th e prince guilty because his voice sounded like th a t of th e chief conspirator. In a m a tte r whore whole nations w ere concerned the gravest Im portance would be attach e d to the accusation of n ruler. S atisfying them selves an to the Identity of th a t pe cu liar voice, the friends passed through to tlie piazza. “ W h a t's to be done?" asked Anguish, boiling over w ith excitem ent. “ We m ust go to Baron Dangloss, tell him of our positive discovery, and then consult Count lln ifo n t.” “ A nd h er royal highness, of course." “ Yes, I suppose so." said Lorry, fllck- iug th e ash es from his cigar w ith a finger th a t w as now steady. He was serv in g th e princess again. They h u rried to the to w er and were soon In th e presence of the fierce little ch ief of police. Lorry had spent many hours w ith I'an g lo ss of late, and they hud becom e friends. Ills grim old face blanched perceptibly ns he heart! the assertio n s o f th e young men. H e shook his head d espairingly. " i t may be as you say, gentlemen, b u t I am a fra id we can do nothing. To charge a prince w ith such a crime and on such evidence would be mad ness. I am of your belief, however. P rince G abriel is th e m an I have sus pected. Now I am convinced. Before we can do an y th in g in such a grave m a tte r it will be necessary to consult th e princess and her m inisters. In case we conclude to accuse the Prince of D aw sbergen it m ust lie a fte r careful and judicious thought. T here are many things to consider, gentlem en. For my part, I would be overjoyed to seize the villain and to serve him as we did his tools, b u t my hands are tied, you see. I would suggest th a t you go a t once to th e princess and Count Ilalfo n t, tell them of your suspicions"— “ Not suspicions, my Ibrd—facts,” in terru p ted Anguish. “Well, then, facts, and ascertain how they feel about tak in g up a proposition th a t may mean w ar. May I ask you to come a t once to me w ith th e ir answ er. It is possible th a t they will call for a consultation w ith th e m inisters, nobles and high officers. Still, I fe a r they will be unw illing to risk much on th e ra th er filmsy proof you can give. G abriel is pow erful, and we do uot seek a w ar w ith him. T here is an o th er foe for whom we are quietly w h ettin g our sw ords." T he significant rem ark caused both listeners to prick up th e ir ears. B ut he disappointed th e ir curiosity, and they, w ere left to sp ecu late as to whom th e o th er foe m ight be. Did he m ean th a t G rau stark w as secretly, sly ly. m aking ready to resist, tre a ty or no trea ty ? It required prolonged u rging on the p a rt of Anguish to persu ad e Lorry to accom pany him to the castle, but. when once determ ined to go before the prin cess w ith th e ir tale, he w as eager, im patient, to cross the distance th a t lay betw een the hotel and th e forbidden grounds. They w alked rapidly down C astle avenue and w ere soon a t the gates. The g u ard knew them , and they were adm itted w ithout a word. As they hurried through th e park they saw many stran g e men in gray, gaudy uniform s, and it occurred to Lorry th a t th eir visit, no m a tte r how g reat Its im portance, w as ill tim ed. Prince Lorenz w as holding th e cen ter of the s ta g e . Anguish, w ith .his custom ary im pul siveness. overruled L orry’s objections, and they proceeded tow ard the en trance. The guards of the princess sa luted profoundly, w hile th e minions of Lorenz start'd w ith ill bred w onder upon these tw o tall men from another world. It could be seen th a t the castle w as a stir witji excitem ent, subdued nml p reg n an t w ith thriving hopes and fears. The nobility of G rau stark wns there. The visitors of A xphain w ere be ing entertained. At the castle doors th e tw o men met th eir first obstacle, but they had an ticipated its presence. Tw o guards halted them perem ptorily. “W e m ust see her royal highness," said Anguish, b u t the men could not u nderstand him. They stoically stood th eir ground, shaking th eir heads. “ Let us find some one who can un derstan d us," advised Lorry, and in a few m om ents they presented them- selves before th e guards, accomonnied by a young noblem an w ith whom they had acquaintance. li e succeeded in a d vancing them to the reception hall in side th e doors and found for them a servant who w ould carry a m essage to the princess if it w ere possible to gain her presence. The noblem an doubted very much, how ever, if the m issive hastily w ritten by Lorry could find its way to her, ns she had never been so occupied as now. Lorry in his brief note prayed fo r a short audience for him self and Mr. A n guish, requesting th a t C ount Ila lfo n t be present. H e inform ed her th a t his mission w as of the m ost im perative n a ture and th a t it related to a discovery made concerning the prince w ho had tried to abduct her. In conclusion he w rote th a t Baron D angloss had re quired him to lay certain facts before her and th a t he had come w ith no in tention to annoy her. W hile they sa t in the w aitin g room they saw through th e g lass doors doz ens of richly a ttire d men and w om en in the hull beyond. They w ere conversing anim atedly, G ra u sta rk men an d worn- eu w ith dejected faces, A xphainians w ith ex u ltatio n glow ing in every glance. L orry’s h eart san k w ith in him. It seemed hours before the se rv a n t re turned to bid them follow him. Then his blood leaped m adly through veins th a t had been chilled and lifeless. H e w as to see h er again. T heir guide conducted them to a sm all anteroom , w here he le ft them . A few m om ents la te r th e door opened, and th e re sw ept quickly into th e room the Countess D agm ar, not th e princess. Ile r face w as d raw n w ith th e tro u b le an d sorrow she w as try in g so h ard to conceal. Both men w ere on th e ir feet in an in stan t, advancing to m eet her. "T he princess? Is she ill?” dem an d ed Lorry. “ Not ill. but mad, I fear," answ ered she, giving a hand to each. “ Mr. L or ry. she bids me say to you th a t she cannot see you. She appreciates th e im portance of your mission and th a n k s you for the in terest you have taken. Also she authorizes me to assure you th a t nothing can be done a t p resen t re garding the business on w hich you come." "She refuses to see us,” said he slow ly, his face w h iter th a n ever. "N ay; she begs th a t you will excuse her. H er highness is sorely w orn and distressed today, and, I fear, cannot en dure all th a t is happening. She is ap parently calm and composed, b u t I, who know her so well, can see the strain beneath.” “ Surely she m ust see th e urgency of quick action in this m a tte r of ours!” cried A nguish half angrily. “W e are not dogs to be kicked o u t of the castle. We have a right to be treated fa irly "— "W e cannot censure the princess. H arry ." said Lorry calm ly. “ W e have come because we would befriend her, and she sees fit to reject our good of fices. There is but one th in g left for us to do—dep art ns we cam e.” “ But I don’t like It a little bit," grow led the other. If you only knew, Mr. A nguish, you would not be so harsh and u n ju st,” re m onstrated the lady w arm ly. T urning to Lorry, she said, “ She asked me to hand you this, and to bid you retain it as a token of her undying esteem .” She handed him a sm all, exquisite j m iniature of the princess fram ed in gold Inlaid w ith rubies. H e took it dum bly in his fingers, but dared not look a t the p o rtrait it contained. W ith w hat m ight have seemed disrespect he dropped the treasu re into his coat pocket. “Tell her I shall alw ays retain it as a token of her esteem ,” he said. “ And now may I ask w hether she handed my note to her uncle, the count?” The countess blushed In a m ost un- i accountable m anner. "Not while I w as w ith her," she said, recovering the presence of mind she apparently had lost. "She destroyed it, I presum e.” said he, laughing b a ro u ij. “ I saw h er place it in her bosom sir and w ith th e rig h t hand.” cried the countess as if b etray in g a stnte secret " In h e r - You are telling me the tru th ?” cried he, his face lighting up “ Now, see here. Lorry, don’t begin to question th e countess’ word. I Won-t sta n d for that.*’ interposed Anguish good hum oredly. “ I should be m ore than base to say falsely th a t she had done anything so ab su rd ," said th e countess indignantly “ W here is she now ?” asked Lorry “ In her boudoir. The Prince Loren* is w ith h er—alone.” “ W h at!" he cried, jealousy darting Into his existence. H e had never known! Jealousy before. “T hey a re b etro th ed .” said she. W|th an effort. T h ere w as a dead silence broken by L o rry ’s deep groan as h« tu rn ed and w alked blindly to theoppo. site side o f th e room. He stopped in fro n t of a huge p ain tin g and stared a*, it, b u t did not see a line or a tint. “ You don’t m ean to say she has ms cepted?" h a lf w hispered Anguish. “ N othing less.” “T h an k God, you a ie only a count ess," he said tenderly. "W hy—w hy—w h a t difference can it m ake—I m ean, w hy do you say that?" she stam m ered, crim son to her hair. "B ecause you w on’t have to sell your self a t a sacrifice," he said foolishly. L orry cam e back to them a t this junc ture, o u tw ard ly calm and deliberate. "Tell us ab o u t it. pray. We had guessed as m uch." “O ut th e re a re his people—the wretch es!” site cried vindictively, her pretty face in a helpless frow n. “Today was th e day, yen know, on which he was to have his an sw er. H e cam e and knelt in th e audience cham ber. All Grau s ta rk had im plored her to refuse the h ated offer, b u t she bade him rise, and there, before us all, promised to be come his bride. “T he g re a te st sorrow G raustark has ever know n grow s out of th a t decision. She is d eterm in ed to save for us what her fa th e r’s folly lost. To do this she becom es th e b ride of a vil^ wretch, a m an w ho soils h er pure nature when he th in k s of her. Oh, we sought to dis suade her—w e begged, we entreated, b u t w ith o u t avail. She will not sacri fice one foot of G ra u sta rk to save her self. See th e triu m p h a n t smiles on th e ir faces—th e b ru tes!" She pointed m aliciously to th e chattering visitors in th e hall. “ A lready they think the castle theirs. T he union of Graustark and A xphain—ju s t w h at they most de sired, b u t w e could not m ake her see it so!” “ Is the day s e t? ” asked Lorry brave ly a fte r a m om ent’s silent inspection of the d a rk brow ed victors. "Yes, and th e re is to be no delay. T he m arriag e co n tra ct has already been signed. T he d a te is Nov. 20. the day on w hich w e are to account to Bolaroz for o u r w a r debt. The old prince's w edding g ift to Graustark is to be a docum ent favoring us with a ten y e a rs' extension," she said scorn fully. “And w here is she to live?” “ H ere, of course. She is Graustark s ruler, and here she insists on abiding. J u s t contem plate our court! Overrun w ith those A xphain dogs! Ah, she has w ounded G ra u s ta rk m ore than she has helped her." (Continued) A fine complexion and a good head of hair are always to be desired. Mademoiselle LaCourse can convince you that it pays to care for each in * sensible way. If you intend buying hardware you should call and see the most complete stock in the valley. It costs nothing» see for yourself. Goff Bros, are up-to- date merchants.