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GRAUSTARK
I.
. . . By . . .
GEORGE
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McCUTCHEON
Cnpwtfilit, ’Ml, hjj Herbert S. Status
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CHAPTER 1.—G renfall L orry, a w ealthy A m erican
globe trotter, stum bles into acquaintance with a charm
ing foreign girl on the train from D enver to W ashington.
T he p air 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 at 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 rolling stage tum bles the
passengers about. III.—Lorry dines w ith the foreign
party, consisting of Miss G uggenslocker, Uncle Caspar
and Aunt Yvonne. T hey are natives 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 hurries to New
York. T he name G uggenslocker is not on the steam er
list. He sees the rteam er off. Miss G. waves him a kiss
from the deck. V I.—L orry joins his old friend, H arry
Anguish, an Am erican a rtist, in Paris. G raustark and
its capital, Edelweiss, are located by a guide book. The
Am ericans get no trace of the G uggenslockers there.
VII. Lorry sees his charm er 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
m ystery unsolved. L ater he receives a note at his hotel
slgnen Sophia G uggenslocker, Inviting him to visit her
next day. VIII. In the evening L orry and A nguish
ram ble about the grounds of the castle where dwells the
court of the Princess of G raustark. T hey overhear a
plot to abducts the princess and resolve to capture the
plotters red handed. IX .—Following 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 recognition; she is Miss G uggen
slocker. Dannox, the guard, is in the abduction plot.
He fells L orry w ith a terrible blow. Anguish to the
rtsc u e . X I.—L orry quartered In the castle. The p rin
cess visits him , but forbids all talk of love. X II.—
G raustark is bankrupt and owes the neighboring p rin ce
dom of Axphain $.10,000,000. T he creditor demands
cash or the cession of the richest districts of G raustark.
X III.—T he P rince of Axphain offers to extend the loan
if the princess w ill m arry his son Lorenz. Prince Ga
briel of Dawsbergen also bids for the princess’s hand
w ith offer of a loan. Y etlve tells L orry tb s ' she belongs
to h e r ht opte and w ill m arry Lorenz.
■‘I will not bo dragged aw ay w ithout
seeing her." he an sw ered resolutely,
th ro w in g him self on the bed.
"Confounded young ass!” grow led
D angloss. T he soldier’s teeth grated. A
m om ent la te r th e slab door closed so ft
ly. a key ra ttle d and ills visitors w ere
gone—m essengers bearing to him the
m ost positive proof of devotion th a t
m an could exact.
He looked a t his hands and saw the
black stain s from th e ch arred letter,
la st evidence of th e crim e a g a in st the
state. A ten d er light cam e to his eyes,
a g re a t lum p struggled to his th ro at,
an d he kissed th e sooty spots, m u rm u r
in g h er nam e again and again, llo w
lonely he w as! How cold and cheer
less his cage! For th e first tim e e
began to ap p rec iate the real serious
ness of his position. Up to th is tim e
he had reg ard ed it optim istically, con
fident of vindication and acq u itta l,
li e grew cold an d shuddered instinc
tively as he realized th a t his position
w as so critical th a t th e princess had
deem ed it necessary to reso rt to s tr u t“-
glc m easures in o rder to save him from
Im pending doom. S ta rtin g to his feet,
l«e paced th e floor, nervousness tu rn in g
to dread, d read to te rro r. He pounded
on th e door and cried aloud. Oh, if he
could b u t b ring back those kindly m es
sengers!
E xhausted, torn by conflicting em o
tions, he a t last dropped to th e bed
an d buried his face in ills arm s, nearly
nirul w ith the sudden solitude of de
sp air. li e recalled h er d e a r letter, th e
ten d er, helping hand th a t had been
stre tc h e d o u t to lift him from the
d ep th s in to which he w as sinking. She
had w ritte n —he could see the w ords
p lain ly —th a t his d an g er w as g reat:
sh e could not endure life until she
knew him to be safely outside the
bounds of G rau stark . His life w as
d e a r to her. an d she would preserve It
by dishonoring h er tru st. Then she
hail unfolded h er plan of escape, dls-
Jolntodly, guiltily, hopelessly.
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B u t she w as offering him freedom
only to send him aw ay w ith o u t g ra n t
ing one m om ent of joy in her presence.
A fter all. w ith d eath sta rin g him in
th e face, th e p ractically convicted m ur
d erer of a prince, he knew he could not
have gone w ith o u t seeing her. H e had
h ern u n g rate fu l perhaps, but th e mes-
s a g ; he h ad sen t to her w as from his
h eart, and som ething told him th a t it
w ould give h er pleasure.
A key tu rn ed suddenly in th e lock
and Ills h e a rt bounded w ith th e hope
th a t it m ight be some one w ith her su r
ren d er in response to his ultim atum .
H e sa t u p rig h t and rubbed his swollen
eyes. T he door sw ung open, and a
tu.II prison g u ard peered in upon him.
a sh arp eyed, low brow ed fellow in
rain co at and helm et. H is la n te rn ’s
single unkind eye w as tu rn ed m enac
ingly to w ard th e bed.
“ W h at do you w an t?” dem anded the
prisoner irritab ly .
In stead of answ ering, th e g u ard pro
ceeded to unlock th e second or grated
door, stepping inside th e cell a m om ent
later.
Sm othering an exclam ation.
L orry jerk ed out his w atch an d then
sp ran g to his feet, intensely excited.
I t w as ju s t 12 o’clock, and he rem em
bered now th a t she had said a g uard
would come to him a t th a t hour. W as
th is th e m an? W as the plan to be car
ried out?
The tw o men stood s ta rin g a t each
oth er for a m om ent or tw o, one in the
agony of doubt and suspense, th e other
quizzically. A sm ile flitted over the
face of th e g uard. lie calm ly advanced
to th e table, p u ttin g dow n his lantern.
T hen he drew off his rain co at and hel
m et an d placed in the o th e r’s hand a
g ray envelope. L orry reeled an d would
hav e fallen b u t fo r th e w all ag ainst
w hich he staggered. A note from her
w as in his hand. H e tore open th e en
velope an d drew forth th e letter. As
he read he grew stran g ely calm and
contented. A blissful repose rushed in
to su p p lan t th e rack in g u n rest of a mo-
m ent before. The shadow s fled and
life’s light w as b u rn in g brightly once
more. She had w ritte n :
I e n t r e a t y o u to fo llo w I n s tr u c tio n s and
g o t o n ig h t . Y ou s a y you w ill not le a v e
G r a u s t a r k u ntil you h a v e s e e n me. H o w
r a s h you a re to r e f u s e lib e r ty a n d life for
s u c h a trifle! B u t w h y , I a sk , a m I o f
f e r in g you t h is c h a n c e to e s c a p e ? Is it
b e c a u s e I do n ot h ope to se e you a g a in ?
I Is it n ot e n o u g h t h a t I a m b eg g in g , im
p lo r in g you to g o ? I can s a y no more.
He folded th e brief note, w ritten in
ag itatio n , and, a fte r kissing it. proceed*
cd to place it in his pocket, determ ined
to keep it to th e last hour of his life.
G lancing up a t a sound from the guard,
he found him self looking into th e m uz
zle of a revolver. A deep scowl over
spread th e face of the m an ns he point
ed to th e le tte r an d th en to th e lamp.
T h ere w as no m istaking his m eaning.
Lorry relu ctan tly held th e note over
th e flam e and saw it crum ble aw ay as
had its predecessor. T h ere w as to be
no proof of h er com plicity le ft behind,
li e knew it w ould be folly to offer a
bribe to th e loyal guard.
A fter th is very significant act th e
g u a rd ’s face cleared, an d he deposited
his big revolver on the table. Stepping
to th e cell’s en tran ce, he listened in
tently, then softly closed th e heavy iron
doors. W ithout a w ord he began to
strin off his uniform . Lorrv w atching
him as if fascinated. T he fellow look
ed up im patiently and m otioned for
him to be mick, ta k in g it for g ran ted
th a t the priso n er understood his p a rt of
the tran sac tio n . A w akened by this
sharp rem inder. Lorry nervously began
to rem ove his ow n clothes. In five m in
utes his g arm e n ts w ere scattered over
th e floor ai l he w as a ttire d in the uni
form of a guard. Not a w ord had been
spoken. T he prisoner w as th e guard,
the g u ard a prisoner.
“Are you not a fra id th is will cost you
your life?’ asked Lorry, first in E ng
lish, th en i G erm an. The gu ard m ere
ly shook his head, indicating th a t he
could not u nderstand.
li e quickly tu rn ed to the bed. seized
he shuddered apprehensively.
“A fitting nig h t!” he m u ttered as he
plunged into th e driving rain, forcing
his w ay across th e co u rty a rd tow ard
the m ain gate. T he little light in the
g atek eep er’s w indow w as his guide,
so, blinded by th e to rren ts, blown by
the winds, he soon found him self be
fore th e final b arrier. P eerin g through
the w indow , he saw th e keeper dozing
in hi3 chair. By th e light from w ithin
he selected from the bunch of keys he
carried one th a t had a w hite strin g
knotted in its ring. T his w as the key
th a t w as to open the big g ate in case
no one challenged him. In any other
case he w as to give th e countersign,
“ D angloss.” and tru s t fo rtu n e to pass
him through w ith o u t question.
Luck w as w ith him, and. finding the
g re a t lock, he softly inserted and tu rn
ed the key. T he w ind blew th e heavy
g ate open violently, and it required all
of his stre n g th to keep it from banging
a g ain st th e w all beyond. T he m ost d if
ficult task th a t he had encountered
grew from his efforts to close the gate
a g ain st th e blast. H e w as ab o u t to
give up in d esp air w hen a hand w as
laid on his shoulder and some one
hissed in his sta rtle d e a r:
“ Sli! Not a w ord!”
H is legs alm ost w en t from under his
body, so g re a t w as th e shock and the
fear. Tw o stro n g hands joined his
own in th e effort to pull th e door into
position, an d he knew a t once th a t they
belonged to th e m an w ho w as to meet
him on the corner a t th e right of the
prison w all. H e undoubtedly had tired
of th e delay and, feeling secure in the
d ark n ess of th e storm , had come to
m eet his charge, th e escaping prisoner.
T heir united efforts b ro u g h t about the
desired result, and to g e th er they left
th e prison behind, strik in g out against
th e storm iu all its fury.
“You a re la te.” called the stran g er in
his ear.
“N ot too late, am I? ” he cried back,
clutching the o th e r's arm .
“No. but we m ust h asten .”
“C aptain Quinnox, is it you?”
“ H ave a care! The storm has ears
and can h e a r nam es.” cautioned the
other. As rapidly as possible they
m ade th e ir w ay along the black street,
alm ost a riv er w ith its sheet of water.
L orry had lost his bearings and knew
not w h ith e r he w ent, tru stin g to the
guidance of his struggling companion.
T here seem ed to be no end to their
journey, and lie w as grow ing w eak h e - |
neatli th e exertion and the excitem ent.
“ How fa r do w e go?” he cried a t last.
“ B ut a few rods. The carriag e is at
th e next corner.”
“ W here Is th e carriag e to tak e me?”
he dem anded.
“ I am not a t liberty to say.”
“ Am I to see her before I go?”
“T h a t is som ething I cannot answ er,®
sir. My instructions are to. place y o n !
in th e c arriag e and ride beside the®
a sheet an d tore it into strips, imps*
H eatly th ru s tin g them into the o th e rs
hands. T he first le tte r h ad foretold all
this, an d the prisoner knew w h a t w as
expected of him. li e th erefo re secure
ly hound the g u a rd ’s legs and arm s.
W ith a grim sm ile the captive nodded
his head to w ard th e revolver, th e lan
tern and the keys. Ilis pbligiug prison
er secured them , as w ell as his ow n
personal effects, and w as ready to de
part.
A ccording to instructions, he
w as to go forth, locking the doors be
hind him , leaving the m an to be dis
av o w ! the n ex t m orning by surprised
keepers. It stru c k him th a t th e re w as
som ething ab su rd in th is p a rt of the
plan. H ow w as this g u ard to explain
his position w ith absolutely no sign of
a stru g g le to bear him out? I t w as
hardly p lausible th a t a big, stro n g fel
low could lie so easily overpow ered
single handed. T here w as som ething
w retchedly incongruous about the—but
there cam e a s ta rtlin g and effective
end to all criticism .
T he guard, bound as he w as, sudden
ly tu rn ed and lunged headforem ost
against the sh arp bedpost. H is head
struck w ith a thud, and lie rolled to the
floor as if dead. U ttering an exclam a
tion of horror, Lorry ran to his side.
Blood w as gushing from a long gash
across his head, and lie w as already
unconscious. Sickened by th e brave
sacrifice, he picked the m an up and
placed him on the bed. A hasty exam
ination proved th a t it w as no more
than a scalp wound and th a t d eath w as
too rem ote to be feared. The gu ard
had done his p a rt nobly, and it w as
now the prisoner’s tu rn to act as reso
lutely and as unflinchingly. Sorry to
leave the poor fellow in w h a t seem ed
an inhum an m anner, he strode into the
corridor, closed and locked th e doors
clum sily and began th e descent of the
stairs. He had been instructed to act
unhesitatingly, as the slightest show of
nervousness would resu lt in discovery.
W ith the helm et well down over bis
face an d the cape well up he steadily,
even noisily, m ade his w ay to the next
floor below. There w ere prisoners on
this floor, w hile he had been the only
occupant of the floor above. S traig h t d riv er until our destination is reached.” !
ahead he w ent, flashing his lan tern
“ Is it th e castle?” cried th e o th e r !
here and there, passing down another
joyously.
stairw ay and into the main corridor.
“ I t is not the castle,” w as the d isa p ®
H ere he m et a guard who had ju s t
pointing answ er.
come in from the outside. The m an ad
A t th a t m om ent they cam e upon
dressed him in the language of the
g re a t d ark hulk and h eard th e s ta m p ®
country, and his heart alm ost stopped \
Jug of horses’ hoofs close a t hand. It
beating. H ow w as he to answ er? Mum
w as so d a rk they could scarcely dlsceri®
bling som ething alm ost inaudible, he
tin; shape of the carriage, alth o u g h »
hurried on to the ground floor, trem bling
they oould touch its side w ith th e lflj
w ith fe a r lest the m an should call to
hands.
him to halt. H e w as relieved to find, 1
A soldier stood in the sh elter of tue
in th e end, th a t his progress w as not
vehicle and opened th e door for tlie
to be im peded. In another m om ent he
w as boldly unlocking the door th a t led Am erican.
“H urry ! G et in!” exclaim ed
to the visitors’ hall. Then cam e the !
uox.
door to the w arden's office. H ere he ;
"I w ish to know if th is is liable to
found th ree sleepy guards, none of
get her into trouble,” dem anded L o rrl,
whom paid any attention to him as he
pausing w ith one foot on th e steps.
passed through and entered C aptain
“G et iu!” com m anded th e soldier who
D angloss’ p riv ate room. The gruff old
w
as
holding the door, pushing him f ^ H
captain sa t a t a desk w riting. The es
w ard uneasily. H e floundered into tl|®
caping m an h alf paused ns if to speak
to him. A sharp cough from th e cap carriage, wlu>re all w as dry and clei
ta in and a significant je rk of the head In his hand he still carried the kt
told him th a t there m ust be no delay, and the la n tern , th e slide of w hich
no w ords. Opening the door he stepped had cloCed before leaving the pri
jM t '
(Continued rn ra ;r S )
out into a storm so tierce and w ild th a t