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G RAUSTA RK
. . . By . . .
GEORGE
BARR
C o p yrig h t, 1901 , b y H e rb e rt S . S to n e
M cCUTCHEON
■
passed th e docum ents to D angloss, nor
did he hear th e unhappy sigh th a t
cam e from th e la tte r’s lips. A nguish,
fiery a n d im pulsive, w us not to be su b
dued.
" Is th e re no w’a rra n t for my a rre s t? ”
he dem nnded.
“T here is not. You are a t lib erty to
go, sir.” responded Quinnox.
“ I’d like to know w hy th e re Isn’t! I
am ju s t as gu ilty us L orry.”
"T he duke charges th e crim e to b u t
one of you. B aron D angloss, w ill you
read the w a rra n t? ”
The old chief read th e decree of th e
princess slow ly and im pressively. It
w as as follow s:
conditions tn a t w ere txmna to ion*
th em selv es upon th e land. The dead
m a n ’s fa th e r w ould demand the life of
his m u rd erer. I f not Lorry, who?
In th e privacy of her room the strict
en princess collapsed from the effeeti
* 'Ì - Ì - * + Ì > * * * * + * * * * " i~ Ì ‘+ ’i‘ + *< ’ ,l,'i'* * + + + + + * ,Ì 'i "i ‘'i“ t"i " i ,+ ‘t ‘,t‘ * ‘t'+ + + ,t''i“ i“ i,’i‘*
Jacot. duke o f M izrox. before his God
and
on his life, sw ea rs th a t G renfall L orry
"No.” responded one of th e guards
CHAPTER 1.—Grenfall Lorry, a wealthy American
globe trotter, stumbles into acquaintance with a charm “T here w as nothing to be found in the did foully, m a liciou sly and d esig n ed ly sla y
Lorenz, prince o f A xphain, on the 20th
ing foreign girl on the train from Denver to Washington.
The pair is left behind when the flier s ops for repairs in bowls and ja r s except soapy w ater, day of October, in th e year o f our Lord
West Virginia. II.—Lorry wires ahead to hold the train. There is not a blood stain in the room, ISth-. and In the c ity of E d elw eiss, G rau
He and the unknown girl ride twenty miles at a tearing
stark .
It is therefore m y decree th a t
pace In a mountain coach. There is no love-making, captain."
G renfall Lorry be declared m urderer o f
but a near approach to it as the rolling stage tumbles the
“T h a t sh ak es yo u r theory a little, Lorenz, prince of A xp h ain , u n til he be
passengers about. III.—Lorry dines with the foreign
party, consisting of Miss Guggenslocker, Uncle Caspar eh?" cried Anguish trium phantly. “ E x proved innocent, in w hich Instance h is a c
cuser, Jacot. du k e o f M izrox, sh all forfeit
and Aunt Yvonne. They are natives of Graustark, a
country Lorry had never heard of before. IV.—Lorry am ine Mr. L orry’s hands and see ii his life, according to the law o f th is land
shows the foreigners the sights of Washington. They th ere is blood upon them ."
Lorry’s providing pen alty for fa lse w itn ess, and
leave for New York to sail on the Kaiser Wilhelm. hands w ere w hite and uncontam lnated. by w hich he h im self h as sw orn to abide
Miss Guggenslocker naively calls Lorry her “ ideal
fa ith fu lly .
American" and invites him to come and see her at Edel D angloss wore a pucker on his brow.
Signed.
Y E T IV E .
weiss. V. Wildly infatuated, Lorry hurries to New
— - r
York. The name Guggenslocker is not on the steamer
list. He sees the steamer off. 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
signen 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.—Fo lowing 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
rtscue. 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.
C H A P T E R XVII.
IN THE TOWER,
H E tw o captives who wore not
prisoners w ere so dazed by the
unexpected ev en ts of the m orn
ing th a t they did not realize the
v a st seriousness of th e situation for
hours. Then it daw ned upon them th a t
ap p earan ces w ere really ag ain st them
and th a t they w ere alone in a land fa r
beyond the reach of help from home.
One circum stance puzzled them w ith
its dam ning m ystery: How cam e the
blood stain s upon th e doorknob? Dan-
gloss courteously discussed this strange
an d u n fo rtu n ate featu re w ith them , b u t
w ith ill concealed skepticism . It w as
ev id en t th a t bis m ind w as clear in re
g ard to th e w hole affair.
A nguish w as of the opinion th a t the
real m u rd erer had stained th e knob in
ten tio n ally , aim ing to c a st suspicion on
th e m an who had been challenged. The
nssnssin had an object in leaving those
convicting linger m arks w here they
would do th e m ost dam age, lie eith er
desired th e a rre s t and death of th e
A m erican or hoped th a t his own guilt
m ight escape a tten tio n through the
m isleading evidence. Lorry held, from
Ids deductions, tfm t th e crim e had been
com m itted by a fan atic who loved ids
sovereign too devotedly to see her w ed
ded to I/orenz. Then why should In»
w antonly cast g u ilt upon th e man who
had been her protector, objected Dan-
gloss.
The polic© guards cam e in from the
hotel ab o u t 10 o’clock, bearing mnrke
of an ugly conflict w ith the Axplinlnl-
ans. They reported th a t the avengers
had been quelled for th e tim e being,
h u t th a t a d eputation had alread y
sta rte d for the castle to lay the m a tter
before th e princess.
Officers had
searched th e rooms of th e A m ericans
fo r blood stain s, but had found no sign
of them .
“ Did you find bloody w ater In w hich
hands had been w ashed?" asked An
guish.
T
Shortly a fte rw a rd a crowd of Ax-
phaiu men cam e to th e prison gates
and dem anded th e person of G renfall
Lorry, d ep artin g a fte r an ugly show of
rage. C urious Edelw eiss citizens stood
afa r off, w atchiug th e walls and w in
dows eagerly.
"This m ay cost Edelw eiss a g reat
deal of trouble, gentlem en, but there is
more happiness here th is m orning than
the city has know n in months. Every-
liody believes you killed him, Mr. Lor
ry, b u t they all love you for the deed,”
said Dangloss, retu rn in g a t noon from
a visit to th e hotel and a ride thoiugh
the streets. “The prince’s friends have
been a t th e castle since 9 o’clock, and I
am of th e opinion th a t they are having
a hard tim e w ith the high priestess.”
“God bless her!” cried K&rry.
“The tow n is crazy w ith excitem ent.
Messengers have been sent to old
Prince Bolaroz to inform him of the
m urder and to urge him to hasten
hither, w here he may fully enjoy the
vengeance th a t is to be w orked upon
his son’s slayer. I have not seen a
wilder tim e in Edelweiss since the
close of the siege, fifteen years ago.
By my soul, you are in a bad box, sir.
They are lurking in every p a rt of town
to kill you if you attem p t to leave the
tow er before the princess signs an or
der to restrain you legally. Your life
outside these walls'Nvould not be w orth
a snap of the fingers."
C aptain Quinnox of the princess’
bodyguard, accompanied by a half doz
en of his men, rode up to the prison
ga*es about 2 o’clock and w as prom pt
ly adm itted. The young captain was
in sore distress.
“Tlie Duke of Mizrox has sworn th a t
you are tin* m urderer, Mr. Lorry, and
stak es his life.” sakl he after greetings.
“ H er highness has ju s t placed in my
hands an order for your a rre st as the
assassin of Prince Lorenz.”
Lorry turned ns pale ns death. “You
—you don’t m ean to say th a t she has
signed a w arran t—th a t she believes
me g u ilty !” lie cried, aghast.
“She has signed the w arrant, but
very m uch ag ain st her inclination.
Count lla lfo n t inform ed me th a t she
pleaded and argued w ith the duke for
hours, seeking to av ert the act which
is bound to give pain to all of us. H e
w as ob d u rate and threatened to carry
com plaint to Bolaroz, who would in
stan tly dem and satisfaction. As the
duke is w illing to die if you are proved
Innocent, th ere w as no other course left
for h er than to d ictate and sign this
royal decree. C aptain Dangloss. I am
in structed to give you these papers.
One is th e w a rra n t for Mr. L orry’s a r
rest. th e o th er orders you to assum e
charge' of him an d to place him in con
finem ent u n til th e day of trial.”
W hile Quinnox w as m aking this sta te
m ent th e accused stood w ith bowed
head and throbless heart. H e did not
see th e cap tain ’s hand trem ble ns he
T h ere w as silence for som e m om ents,
broken by th e d reary tones of th e ac
cused.
“ W h at chance have I to prove my in
nocence?" he asked hopelessly.
She ran k back w ith a moan, faintini],
“T he sam e opportunity th a t he has
to prove your guilt. T he duke m ust, of th e ordeal. H er poor brain had
according to o u r law', prove you guilty striv e n in vnin to invent means b;
beyond all doubt.” spoke th e young w hich she m ig h t save the man she
loved. She had surrendered to the in
captain.
ev
itab le because there was Justice in
"W hen am I to be tried ?”
th
e
claim s o f th e inexorable duke and
“ H ere is my order from th e princess,”
his
vindictive
friends. She signed the
said Dangloss. glancing over th e o th er
decree
as
if
in
a dream, n nightmare,
paper. " It say s th a t I am to coniine
w
ith
trem
b
lin
g
hand
and broken heart
you securely and to produce you before
H
is
d
e
a
th
w
a
rra
n
t!
And yet, like all
the trib u n al on th e 20th day of Octo
others,
she
believed
him
guilty-guilti
ber.”
fo
r
h
er
sake!
"A week! T h a t is a long tim e,” said
Mizrox an d his friends departed ini
Lorry. "M ay I have perm ission to see
the sig n atu re affixed to those p ap ers?” trium ph, revenge w ritten on every face!
D angloss handed them to him. H e S he w alked blindly, numbly, to ben
glanced a t the nam e he loved, w ritten room, assisted by her uncle, the count]
by the hand he had kissed, now signing W ithout observing her aunt or tb
aw ay his life, perhaps. A m ist cam e C ountess D agm ar, she staggered to thi
over his eyes, and a stran g e joy filled w indow an d looked below. The At
his soul. The hand th a t signed the p h ain ian s w ere crossing the parndi
nam e had trem bled in doing so—had ground ju b ila n tly . Then came theclat
trem bled pitifully. T he h eart had not tor of a horse’s hoof, and Captain Quii
guided the fingers. “ I am your prison nox, w ith th e fa ta l papers in bis posl
er. C aptain Dangloss. Do w ith me as session, galloped down the avenue. Slit
clutched the cu rta in s distractedly and
you will." lie said simply.
“ 1 regret th a t I am obliged to place leaning fa r forw ard, cried from tin
you in a cell. sir. and under guard. Be open w indow :
“Q uinnox! Quinnox! Come back!
lieve me. I am sorry this happened. 1
forbid—I
forbid! Destroy those pa|
am your friend,” said th e old m an
pers.
Q
uinnox!”
gloomily.
B ut Q uinnox heard not the pitifnl
"And I!” cried Quinnox.
w
ail.
Seeing him disappear down thi
“ But w h at is to become of me?” cried
avenue,
she th rew her hands to bel
poor Anguish, half in tears. "I w on’t
head
an
d
san k back with a moan. faiut|
leave you, Gren. I t’s an in fern al out
lng. C ount H alfo n t caught her in
rage!”
“Be cool, H a rrj’. and it will come out arm s. I t w as nightfall before she wa
T he faithful youui
right. H e has no proof, you know ,” fully revived.
countess
clung
to
her caressingly. lovf
said the other, w ringing his frien d ’s
ingly,
u
tte
rin
g
w
ords
of eonsolatiot
hand.
u
n
til
long
a
f
te
r
th
e
shades
of night hat
“ But I’ll have to stay here too. If I
dropped.
They
w
ere
plone
in the prill
go outside these w alls. I’ll be killed
cess’
boudoir,
seated
together
upon tb#
like a dog.” protested H arry.
divan,
th
e
tired
head
of
the
one
restlD]
“ You are to have a guard of six men
w
earily
a
g
a
in
st
the
shoulder
of tb
w’hile you are in Edelweiss, Mr. A n
other.
W
ide
and
dark
nnd
trouble
guish. Those are the instructions of
the princess. I do not believe the w ere "th e eyes of the ruler of Grau
scoundrels—I mean the A xphain nobles I stark .
An a tte n d a n t appeared and an
—Vi hi molest you if you do not cross
nounced
th e a rriv a l of one of t.
them. When you are ready to go to
A
m
erican
gentlem en, who insisted oi
your hotel, I will accom pany you.”
seeing
h
er
royal highness. The can
H alf an hour later Lorry w’as in a
on
th
e
tray
bore the name of Harr:
cell from which there could be no es
A
nguish
A
t
once the princess
cape. w hile Anguish w as riding tow ard
a-flutter
w
ith
eagerness and excite
the hotei, surrounded by G rau stark
m
eat.
soldiers. He had sw orn to his friend
(Continued)
th a t he would unearth the m urderer if
it lay w ithin the pow er of m an. Cap
Ducthess Trousers— 10 cents a bu|
tain Dangloss heard the oath and sm iled
ton and 81.00 a rip. Bailey’s B|
sadly.
At the castle th ere w ere depression
and relief, grief and joy. T he royal
family, the nobility, even th e serv
ants, soldiers and atten d an ts, rejoiced
in the stroke th a t had saved th e p rin
cess from ti fate w orse th a n death.
There were, of course, serious com pu
tatio n s for th e fu tu re, involving ugly
Store.
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reasonable rates. Contracts preferre
Independent
everybody right.
’phone.
They