GRAUSTARK
By
GEORGE
McCUTCHEOIM
BARR
Co (w ight, tool, by Herbert S. Stone
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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.
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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)