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About Washington County news. (Forest Grove, Washington County, Or.) 1903-1911 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1904)
GRAUSTARK By GEORGE McCUTCHEOIM BARR Co (w ight, tool, by Herbert S. Stone ■ ♦^^^>^>^»^*❖ *❖ **********•^“$>********•*”fr*•*”^* * * * ’***********•:‘^”^ CHAPTER 1.—Grenfall Lorry, a w ealthy A m erican globe trotter, stumbles into acquaintance w ith a charm ing foreign girl on the train from Denver 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 . He and the unknown girl ride twenty m iles at a tearin 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 ¡he passengers about. III.—Lorry dines w ith the foreign party, consisting of Miss G uggensl icker, U ncle Caspar and Aunt Yvonne. T hey are natives of G raustark, a country Lorry had never heard of before. IV. L orry shows the foreigners the sights of W ashington. T hey leave for New York to sail on the Kaiser W ilhelm . Miss G uggenslocker naively calls Lorry her ideal A m erican" and Invites him to come and see her at Edel weiss. V. W ildly infatuated. Lorry hurries to New York. The 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. VI.—Lorry Joins his old friend, H arry Anguish, an Am erican artist, in Paris, G raustark and its capital, Edelweiss, are located by a guide book. The Americans 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 a t his hotel signen Sophia G uggenslocker, inviting him to visit her next day. VIII. In the evening Lorry and Anguish ramble about the grounds of the castle w here dwells the court of the Princess of G raustark. T hev overhear a plot to abducts the princess and resolve to capture the Blotters red handed. IX.—F o'lrw 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. Mutual recognition; she is Miss G uggen slocker. Dannox, the guard, is in the abduction plot. He fells Lorry w ith a terrible blow. Anguish to the rtsc u e. XL—Lorry quartered in the castle. The p rin cess visits him , but forbids all talk of love. XII. | G raustark is bankrupt and owes the neighboring prince dom of Axphain $30,000,000. T he creditor demands cash or the cession of the richest districts of G raustark. X III.—The Prince of Axphain offers to extend the loan if the princess will m arry hi« son Lorenz. Prince Ga briel of Dawsbergen also bids for the princess's hand w ith offer of a loan. Yetive tells L orry tha- she belongs to her hcople and will m arry Lorenz. to see h er soon Soon th e c a rria g e le ft th e sm ooth stre e ts of Edelw eiss, and he could tell by the jo ltin g an d careen in g th a t they w ere in th e country, racin g over a rough, rocky road. It rem inded him of an overland trip he had taken in W est V irginia som e m o n th s before, w ith th e fa ire st girl in all th e w orld as lii-j com panion. Now he w as riding in her carriag e, b u t w ith a surly, untalka- tlv e soldier of th e guard. T he more he allow ed his th o u g h ts to revel In the A m erican ride and its d elig h ts th e m ore uncontrollable becam e his desire to see th e one w ho had w hirled w ith him in “ L ig h t H orse” J e r r y ’s coach. “ I w ish to know how soon I am to see your m istress.” he exclaim ed im pulsively, sittin g up and strik in g his com panion's arm by w ay of em phasis. To his surprise, th e h an d w as dashed aw ay, and he distinctly heard th e sol d ier gasp. "I beg yo u r pardon!” he cried, fearin g th a t he had given pain w ith his eager stren g th . “You sta rtle d me. I w as h a lf asleep,” stam m ered the o th er apologetically. “W hom do you m ean by my m istress?” “ H er royal highness, of course,” said Lorry im patiently. “ I cannot say w hen you are to see the princess,” said his com panion a fte r i w aitin g so long th a t L orry felt like C H A P T E R X IX . l kicking him. T H E BOLDIEIt. F F w ent th e carriage w ith a “ Well, see here, my friend, do you dasli, th e rum ble of its wheels know w hy I agreed to*leave th a t place joining In the grew som e roar back there? I said I w ouldn’t go aw ay of th e elem ents. F or some from G rau stark untfl I had seeu her. tim e th e tw o s a t speechless side by i f you fellow s are spiriting me a w a y - side. O utside the th u n d e r rolled, the kidnaping me, as it w ere—I w an t to rain sw irled and hissed, th e w ind tell you I won’t have it th a t w ay. 1 howled and all the horrors of n atu re m ust know rig h t now w here we a re go- seem ed crow ded into th e blackness of in this aw ful storm !” th n t thrilling night. L orry w ondered “ I have orders to tell you nothing.” vaguely w h ith er they w ere going, why said the soldier stanchly. he had seen no flashes of lightning, if “O rders, eh! From w hom ?” he should ever see h er again. Ills “T h at is my affair, sir!” m ind w as busy w ith a thousand "I guess I ’m about as much in terest th o u g h ts and queries. ed in this affair as anybody, and I in “ W here are we going?” he asked a f t sist on know ing our destination. I e r they had traveled h a lf a mile o r so. jum ped into this thing blindly, but I’m “To a pluee of safety ,” cam e th e re going to st^e my w ay out of it before we ply from tn e darkness beside him. go much farth e r. W here are we go • “T h an k s,” he said dryly. “By the ing?” wny, don’t you have an y lightning in “ You — you will learn th a t soon th is p a rt of th e w orld? I haven’t seen enough,” insisted the other. a flash to n ig h t.” “Am I to see her soon? T h a t’s w hat “ It is very rnre,” cam e th e brief re I w an t to know .” ply. "You m u st not insist!” cried the sol “ D evilish uncom m unicative,” th o u g h t dier. “ W hy are you so anxious to see Lorry. A fter a m om ent he asked, h er?” he asked suddenly. "H ow fa r do w e trav el to night?” “ Don’t be so blam ed inquisitive,” “A num ber of m iles.” “T hen I’m going to ta k e off this w et cried G renfall angrily, im patiently. coat. It w eighs a ton. W on’t you re “Tell me w here w e are going or I ’ll p u t move yours?" H e jerk ed off th e big a bullet into you!” D raw ing his re rain coat and th rew it across to the volver, he leaned over, grasped the opposite sent, w ith th e keys and the g uard by the shoulder and placed the lantern. T here w as a m om ent’s hesi muzzle ag ain st his breast. tatio n on th e p a rt of his com panion, “ F o r God’s suke, be calm ! You would and then a second w et coat followed not kill me for obeying orders! I am th e first. T h eir rain helm ets w ere also serving one you love. Are you m ad? tossed aside. “M akes a fellow feel I shall scream if you keep pressing th a t m ore com fortable.” horrid th in g a g a in s t’kmy side.” Lorry A fter tills th ere w as a longer silence felt him trem ble and w as a t once filled th a n n t any tim e before. The soldier w ith com punction. How could he ex d rew him self into th e corner of th e pect a loyul fellow to disobey orders? sent, an action w hich repelled fu rth e r “ I beg yo u r pardon a thousand tim es,” discussion, it seemed to Lorry, so he lie cried. Jam m ing th e pistol into h it leaned back In th e opposite corner and pocket. “You a re a brave ^gentlem an, allow ed his m ind to w nnder fa r from ami I am a fool. T ake m e^vhere you th e in terio r o f th n t black, stuffy c a r will. I ’ll go like a lamb. You’ll adm it, riage. W here w as he going? W hen how ever, th a t it is ex asp eratin g to be w as he to leave G ra u sta rk ? W as lie going in th e d ark lifce th is.” O ^xr is a very good th in g th a t it is d a rk ,” said th e soldier quickly. “The d ark n ess is very kind to us. No one can see us, and w e can see no one.” “ I should say not. I hu v eu ’t th e fa in te st idea w h a t you look like. H ave 1 seen you a t th e castle?” "Yes, fre q u e n tly .” “ W ill you tell me y o u r nam e?” “ You w ould not know me by nam e.” “A re you an olficer?” “No. I am new to th e service.” “T heu I ’ll see th a t you a re prom oted. I like y o u r stan ch u ess. H ow old are you ?” "I a m —e r—tw en ty -tw o .” "O f the nobility?” “My fa th e r w as of noble b irth .” “T hen you m ust be so too. 1 hope you'll forgive my rudeness. I ’m a b it nervous, you know .” “ I forgive you gladly.” “ D evilish rough road th is.” “ D evilish. It is a m o u n tain road.” “T h a t’s w here we w ere too.” “W h ere w ho w ere?" “Oh, a young lady an d I som e tim e sgo. I ju s t happened to th in k o f it.” “ It could not have been p le a sa n t.” “You n ever m ade a bigger m istake In yo u r life.” “Oh, she m ust have been p retty , then." "You a re rig h t th is tim e. She is glo rious.” “ P ardon me. T hey usually a re in such a d v e n tu re s.” “By Jove, you're a clever one!” “Does she live in A m erica?” “T h a t’s none of yo u r affair.” “Oh!” And th e n th e re w a s silence betw een them . “ In q u isitiv e fool!” m u ttered G ren to him self. F or som e tim e they bum ped along over th e rough road, jo stlin g a g a in st each o th e r frequently, both en d u rin g stoically and silently. S uddenly Lorry rem em bered the lan tern . I t w as still lit w ith th e slide closed w hen he th rew it on the seat. P erh ap s It still burned and could relieve th e oppressive d a rk ness if but for a sh o rt tim e. H e m ight a t least satisfy his curiosity and look upon the face o f his com panion. Leaning forw ard, he fum bled am ong the tra p s on the opposite seat. “ I think I’ll see if the la n te rn is lighted. L et's have it a little m ore cheerful in here.” he said. T h ere w as a sh arp exclam ation, an d tw o vigorous hands grasped him by th e shoulder, jerking, him back uncerem oniously. “ No. no! You will ruin all!. T h ere m ust be no light!” cried th e soldier, his voice high and shrill. “ B ut we are out of th e city.” “ I know! I know ! B ut I w ill not perm it you to have a light. A gainst orders. W e have not passed th e o u t posts.” expostulated th e o th e r nervous ly. “W h at’s the m a tte r w ith yo u r voice?” dem anded Lorry, stru ck by th e change in it. “ My voice?” asked th e other, th e tones n atu ral again. “ I t’s changing. D idn’t it em b arrass you w hen your voice broke like th a t? ” w e n t on th e questioner breathlessly. L orry w as now leaning back in the seat, quite a little mystified. “ I don’t believe m ine ever broke like th a t,” he said speculatively. T here was no response, and he sa t silent for some tim e, reg rettin g m ore and m ore th a t it w as so dark. G radually he becam e conscious of a strange, unaccountable presence in th a t d ark cab. li e could feel a change com ing over him. H e could not tell w hy, b u t he w as su re th a t some one else w as beside 1dm, some one w ho w as not the soldier. Som ething so ft and delicate and sw eet cam e into existence, perm eating the d ark n ess w ith its u n deniable presence. A q u eer pow er seemed draw ing him tow ard th e o th er end of the s e a t T he m ost delig h tfu l sensations took possession of him . H is h eart fluttered oddly. H is head began to reel “Wi ze spell. Xou?” he cried in a sort o f ecstasy. T h ere w as no answer. n e rem em bered his m atch safe and with trem bling, eag er fingers drew it fiom th e pocket o f th e coat he w as wearing T he n ex t in s ta n t he w as scratching a m atch, b u t ns it flared th e body of ihs com panion w as hurled against his and a ru th le ss m outh blew out the feeble blaze. “ Oh. w hy do you p ersist?” was cried in his ears. “ I am d eterm in ed to see your face,” he an sw ered sh arp ly , and with a lowi cry o f d ism ay th e other occupant of' th e c a rria g e f e l l ’back in the corner. T h e n ex t m atch drove aw ay the da-k- ness and th e m ystery. W ith blinking eyes he saw th e tim id soldier huddling in th e corner, one arm covering his face, th e o th e r h an d vainly striving to pull th e s k irt of a m ilitary coat over a p a ir of red tro u se r legs. Below the arm th a t hid th e eyes and nose he saw p a rte d lips and a beardless, dainty ch in ; above, long, d a rk tresses strayed in condem ning confusion. The breast b en ea th th e blue co at heaved convul sively. T h e m atch dropped from his fingers, and a s d a rk n e ss fell again it hid the soldier in th e stro n g arm s of the fugi tiv e—not a soldier bold, but a gasping, blushing, u n re sistin g coward. The lithe form q u iv ered an d theu became mo tionless in th e fierce, straining em brace. T h e head dropped upon his shoulder, his hot lips caressing the b u rn in g face and pouring wild, inco h e re n t w ords Into th e little ears. “ You! Y oul” he cried, mad with joy. “ Oh, th is is heav eu itself! My brave darling! M ine fo rev er—mine forever! You shall n ev er leave me now! Drive on! D rive on!” he shouted to the men outside, d ru n k w ith happiness. “We’ll m ake th is jo u rn ey endless. I know yon love me now —I know it! Oh, I shall die w ith jo y !” A hand stole g en tly into his hand, and lior lips found his in a long, pas sio n ate kiss. “ I do not w a n t you to know! Ach, I am so sorry! W hy, w hy did I come to n ig h t? I w as so strong, so firm, 1 Ih o u g h t; b u t see how w eak I am! You dom inate ^ e ; you ow n me, body and soul, in sp ite of ev ery th in g — against my w ill. I love you, I love you, I love you!” “ I h av e w on a g a in st th e princes and th e p o te n tate s! I w as losing hope, my qu een —losing hope. You were so far aw ay, so u n a tta in a b le . I would brave a th o u san d d e a th s ra th e r than lose ness and the mystery, th is single m in u te o f my life. I t m a k e s m e th e ric h e st m an in all the wor • H ow b ra v e you are! This night you h av e given up ev ery th in g for my 84 *• You a re fleeing w ith me aw ay from * th a t h a s been d e a r to you.” (Continued)