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About Washington County news. (Forest Grove, Washington County, Or.) 1903-1911 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1904)
4 GEORGE ETARR McCUTCMEON Copyrtqbt, 1001, by H erbert 8. Stone ■ ■ - hv "f* C1 'I* 4*-I' CHA PTER I . —G renfal! L o rry , a w ealthy A m erican t>lobe tro tter, stum bles into a cq u ain tan ce w ith a charm ing foreign g ill on the tra in from D en v er to W ashington. T he p a ir is left behind w hen the flies stops tor rep airs in W est V irginia. II.—L orry w ires ahead to hold th e tra in . He and the unknow n g irl ride tw enty m iles a t a tea rin g pace in a m ountain coach. T here is no love-m aking, but a near approach to it as th e rc llin g stage tum bles the passengers about. III.— L orry dines w ith the foreign p a rty , consisting of Miss G u g g e m l >cker, U ncle Caspar and A unt Y vonne. T hey are natives o f G rau stark , a co u n try L orry had n e v er heard of before. IV .— L orry shows the foreigners the sights of W ashington. T hey leave for New York to sail on th e K aiser W ilhelm . Miss G uggenslock.tr n a iv e ly calls L orry h e r “ ideal A m erican” and invites him to come and see her at E del w eiss. V. W ildly in fatu ated . L orry h u rrie s to New Y ork. The nam e G uggenslocker is not on the steam er list. He sees the steam er off. Miss G. w aves him a kiss from the deck. V I.—L orry joins his old frien d , H a rry ! A nguish, an A m erican a rtist, in P aris. G raustark and its capital, Edelw eiss, are located by a guide book. T he A m ericans get no trace of the G uggenslockers th ere . V II. L orry sees his charm er d riv in g in a carriag e w ith a beautiful com panion of her own sex. H e gets a glance of recognition, but the c arriag e rolls on, leaving the m ystery unsclved. L ater he receives a note at his hotel sig n e n Sophia G uggenslocker, In viting him to visit her next day. V III. In th e ev en in g L orry and A nguish ram ble about the grounds of the castle w here dwells the court of the Princess of G raustark. T h ey o verhear a plot to abducts the princess and resolve to c ap tu re the blotters red handed. IX .—Po l iw ing th e conspirators. L orry finds him self in a room he heard them designate as that of the princess. X.—L orry tells th e princess of the plot. M utual recognition; she is Miss G uggen slocker. Dannox, the guard, is in th e abduction plot. H e fells L orry w ith a terrib le blow. A nguish to the rts c u e . X I.—L orry q uartered in the castle. T he p rin cess visits him , but forbids a ll talk of love. X JI.— G raustark is bankrupt and owes the neighboring p rin ce dom of A xphain $30,000,000. T h e creditor demands cash or the cession of the rich est d istricts of G raustark. X III.--T h e Prince of A xphain offers to extend the loan if the princess w ill m arry hi« son L orenz. P rin ce Ga briel of D aw sbergen also bids for the p rin cess's hand w ith offer of a loan. Y etive tells L orry tha* she belongs to her heople and w ill m arry L orens. *5* *» e tlon th a n ever. At th e castle g ates he encountered n p arty of rav in g A xpbainians. crazed w ith an g er over th e flight o f the man w hose life they had th irsted for so ravenously. H ad he been unprotected A nguish would have fared badly at th e ir hands, fo r they w ere outspoken in th e ir assertio n s th a t lie had aided L orry in the escape. One fiery little fellow cast s glove in th e A m erican’s face and expected a challenge. An guish snapped his fingers and sarcas tically invited th e in su lter to meet him n ex t w in te r in a b attle w ith snow balls, upon w hich th e aggressor blasphem ed in th re e lan g u ag es end 300 gestures. A nguish and his men passed inside tha gates, w hich had been b arred to the others, and stru ck o u t rapidly for the castle doors. The P rin cess Yetive w as sleeping soundly, peacefully, w ith a 6inile on h er lips, w hen h er prim e m inister sent an ex cited a tte n d a n t to inform her of the p riso n er’s escape. She s a t up in bed, and, w ith h er h an d s clasped about her knees, sleepily announced th a t she w ould receive him a fte r h er coffee w as served. Then she sum m oned h e r maids. H e r uncle an d au n t, th e Countess D ag m ar (w hose m erry brow n eyes lly\ lie should be recap tu red If If re w ere so full of p retended dism ay th a t quired th e efforts of all th e policem en th e princess could scarcely re stra in a In Edelw eiss. T he ch ag rin of th e grim smile), and G aspon, th e m inister of old captain, who had n ev er lost a p ris finance, w ere a w aitin g h er appearance. oner, w as p itifu l to behold. 8he h eard th e count’s story of the e s T he forenoon w as h a lf over before cape, m arveled a t the p riso n er’s a u I la r r y A nguish h eard of ills frien d ’s d acity and firmly announced th a t ev escape. To say th a t he w as paraly zed j ery th in g possible should be done to a p would be p u ttin g it m uch too mildly. p rehend him. W ith a perplexed frow n T h ere is no language th a t can ade on h er brow and a dubious tw ist to her q u ately describe his sensations. F o r lips, she said: g ettin g his ltodyguard, he tore dow n “ I suppose I m u st offer a rew ard ?” th e s tre e t to w ard th e prison, wild w ith “C ertain ly !” exclaim ed h er uncle. an x iety and doubt. H e m e t B aron Dan- “A bout 50 gavvos, uncle?” gloss. tired and w orn, n e a r th e gate, “ F ifty !” cried th e tw o men, ag h ast. b u t th e old officer could tell him n o th “ Is n ’t th a t enough?” in g except w h a t he had lenrned from “ F o r th e m u rd ere r of a prince?” de m anded G aspon. “ I t w ould be absurd, yo u r highness. H e is a m ost im portant person.” “Q uite so. H e is a m ost im portant person. I th in k I ’ll offer 5,000 gavvos.” “ M ore like it. H e is w o rth th a t, at least,” agreed Unele C aspar. “ Beyond a d o u b t,” sanctioned Gas- pon. “ I am glad you do not consider me e x tra v a g a n t,” she said dem urely. "You m ay hav e th e p lacard s p rin ted a t once,” she w en t on, ad d ressin g th e trea su re r. “ Say th a t a rew ard of 5,000 gavvos will be paid to th e person w ho delivers G ren fall L orry to m e.” “W ould it not be b etter to say ‘de livers G renfall I/orry to th e tower?* ” su b m itted G aspon. “ You m ay say ‘to th e u ndersigned’ an d sign my nam e,” she said reflective ly. "V ery well, yo u r highness. They shall be stru ck off th is m orning.” “ In large type, G aspon. You roust catch him if you can,” she added. “ H e is a very d an g ero u s m an, and royalty needs protection.” W ith th is w ise bit o f cau tio n she dism issed th e subject Ogbot. O f one th in g th e re could be no and begnn to ta lk of th e storm . d o u b t—Ix>rry w a s gone. Not know ing As th e tw o young p lo tters w ere h as w h ere to tu rn o r w h a t to do, A nguish te n in g up th e sfairs la te r on an a t raced off to th e castle, his b odyguard te n d a n t approached and Inform ed the h av in g located him in th e m eantim e. princess th a t Mr. A nguish requested an H e w an m ore in need o f th e ir protec- f audience. _ “C onduct him to my boudoir.” she said, her eyes sparkling w ith trium ph. In the seclusion of the boudoir she and th e countess laughed like children over the rew ard th a t had been so solem nly ordered. “ F h e thousand gavvos!” cried Dag- uiar, leaning back In her chair to em phasize th e delight she felt. “Y\ h a t a Joke!” Tap. tap. cam e a knock on th e door, and In th e sam e in sta n t it flew open, for Mr. A nguish w as in a h u rry . As he plunged Into th e ir presence a p air of heels found the floor spasm odically. “Oh. I l>eg pardon!” he gasped as if about to fly. “ M ay I come in?” “ Not unless you go outside. You a re already in. It seem s,” said the p rin cess. ad v an cin g to m eet him. The countess w as very still and sedate. “ I am so glad you have come.” “ H eard about L orry? The fool is out and gone!” he cried, unable to re strain him self. W ithout a w ord she dragged him to the divan, and, be tw een them , be soon had th e whole story poured into his ears, the princess on one side, the countess on the other. “You a re a w onder!” he exclaim ed when all the fa c ts w ere know n to him. H e executed a little dance of approval, entirely out of place in th e boudoir of a princess, b u t very much in touch w ith prevailing sentim ent. “ B ut w h a t’s to become of me?” he asked a fte r cool ing down. "I have no excuse for re m aining in G rau stark . and I don’t like to leave him here eith er.” “Ch. I have m ade plans for you,” said she. “ You are to be held as hos tage.” “What!” "I th ought of your predicam ent last night, and here is th e solution: This very day I shall issue an order forbid ding you th e right to leave Edelweiss^ Yon will not be in prison, but y o u r ev- eiy m ovem ent is to be w atched. A strong gu ard will have you u n d er su r veillance. and any atte m p t to escape or to com m unicate w ith your friend will result in your confinem ent and his de tection. In th is w ay you may stay here until th e tim e com es to fly. The A xphain people m ust be satisfied, you know. Your freedom will not be dis turbed. You may come and go as you like, b u t you are ostensibly a prisoner. By d etain in g you forcibly we gain a point, for you are needed here. T here is no o th er w ay in w hich you can e x plain a continued presence in G rau stark . Is not my plan a good one?” “ It is beyond com parison,” he said, rising and bow ing low. “So shrew d is this plan th a t you m ake me a hostage forever. I shall not escape its memory If I live to lie a thousand.” At p a rtin g she said seriously: “ A g reat deal depends on your dis cretion, Mr. Anguish. My g u ard s will w atch your every action, for they are not in the secret- excepting Q uinnox— and any atte m p t on your p a rt to com m unicate w ith G renfall Lorry will be fata l.” “T ru st me. your highness. I have had much instruction in wisdom to day.” “ I hope w e shall see you often,” she said. “ D aily — as a hostage,” he replied, glancing tow ard the countess. “T h a t m eans until th e o th er m an la captured,” said the young lady saucily. As he left the castle he gazed a t the d ista n t building In th e sky and w on dered how it had ev er been approached In a carriage. She had not told him th a t Abode drove for miles over w ind ing roads th a t led to the m onastery tip a g en tler slope from th e rear. The next afternoon Edelw eiss thrilled w ith a new excitem ent. Trince Bola- roz of A xphain, m ad w ith grief and rage, cam e th u n d erin g into the city w ith his court a t his heels. H is w ra th had been increased u n til it resem bled a tornado w hen he read the rew ard pla card In the uplands. Not until then did he know th a t the m urderer had es caped find th a t vengeance m ight be de nied him. A fter view ing th e body of L orenz as it lay in the sarcophagus of th e royal palace, w here It had been borne a t the com m and of the P rincess Yetive, he de m anded audience w ith his son’s be trothed, and it w as w ith fe a r th a t she prepared for the try in g ordeal, an in terview w ith th e g rief crazed old m an. The castle w as in a furore. Its halls soon thronged w ith d ip lo m atists anil there w as^an ugly sense of trouble in the air, suggestive of th e exp.osioa which follow s th e igniting of a pow der nlagazine. T he slim, pale faced princess m et th e burly old ru le r in the g ran d council cham ber. H e and his nobles had been kept w aitin g b u t a sh o rt tim e. W ithin a very few m inutes a f te r th ey had been conducted to th e ch am b er by Count H alfont and o th er d ig n itaries the fa ir ruler cam e into th e room and advanced betw een the bow ing lines of courtiers to the spot w here s a t th e m an w ho held G rau stark in his grasp. Bolaroz arose as she d rew near, bis g au n t face black and u n frien d ly . She extended h er h an d graciously, and he, a prince for all his w rath , touched his trem bling lips to its w hite, sm ooth back. "I come in g rief an d sadness to your court, m ost glorious Y etive. My b u r den of sorrow Is g re a te r th a n I can bear,” he said hoarsely. “W ould th a t I could give you conso lation,” she said, sittin g in th e ch a ir reserved for her use a t council g a th e r ings. “ Alas, it grieves me th a t I can offer nothing m ore th a n w ords.” T ru ly she pitied him in his bereavem ent. ■ Bolaroz said th a t he had h eard ofl th e m u rd ere r’s escape an d asked w h a t' effort w as being m ade to reca p tu re him . Y etive rela ted all th a t h ad h a p pened, expressing hum iliation over th e fact th a t h er officers had been unable to accom plish an y th in g , ad d in g th a t she did not believe th e fu g itiv e could get aw ay from G ra u s ta rk safely w ith out her know ledge. T he old prince w as w orking him self back into th e vio lent rage th a t had been tem p o rarily subdued, and a t la st broke out in a vicious denunciation o f th e careless ness th a t h ad allow ed th e m an to es cape. H e first insisted th a t D angloss and ills incom petent a s s is ta n ts be throw n into prison for life or executed for crim inal negligence; th e n he d e m anded th e life of H a rry A nguish as an aid er and a b e tto r in th e flight o f th e m urderer. In both cases th e p rin cess firm ly refused to ta k e th e action dem anded. T hen she acq u a in te d him w ith her intention to d etain A nguish ns hostage and to have his every ac tion w atched in th e hope th a t a clew to th e w hereabouts of th e fu g itiv e m ight be discovered, providing, o f course, th a t the friend knew an y th in g a t all ab o u t the m a tter. The D uke o f Miz- rox nnd o th ers loudly Joined in th e cry for A nguish’s arre st, b u t she b rav ely held out ag ain st them nnd in th e end cu rtly inform ed them th a t th e A m eri can. whom she believed to be innocent of all com plicity in th e escape, should bo subjected to no indignity o th e r th a n detention in th e city u n d er g u ard , as she had ordered. “ I insist th a t th is m an be c a s t into prison a t once,” snarled th e w h ite lip ped Bolaroz. ‘A ou are not a t liberty to com m and in G rau stark , Trince Bolaroz,” she said slowly and distinctly. “ I am ru le r here.” ✓ Bolaroz gasped and w as speechless for some seconds. “ You shall not be ru le r long, m ad am ,”1 he said m alevolently, significantly. 1 B ut I am ru le r now, and, a s such, I ask your highness to w ith d ra w from my castle. I did not know th a t I w as to subm it to these th re a ts nnd in su lts or I should not have been kind enough to g ra n t you an audience, prince though you are. W hen I cam e to th is room, it w as to give you my deepest sy m p ath y and to receive yours, not to be Insulted. (Continued)