Washington County news., November 17, 1904, Page 4, Image 4

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GRAUSTARK
. . . By . . .
GEORGE BARR M cCUTCHEON
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Copyright, tool, by Herbert 8. Stone
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“ Don’t Tie so fa in t h earted , Q ulnnox!”
cried L orry, stim u lated by th e d esire
to be w ith her, recognizing no obstacle
th a t m ig h t th w a rt him in th e effort.
“ W e’ll get th ro u g h safe an d sound,
an d w e’ll u n tan g le a few com plications
before we reach th e end o f th e book.
B race up, for h eav en ’s sake, fo r mine,
for herH, fo r y o u r own. I m u st get
to her before ev ery th in g Is lost. T he
fe a r th a t she m ay m arry G abriel will
drive me m ad If I am le ft here a n ­
o th er night. Come! L et u s p re p a re to
sta rt. We m u st n o tify th e ab b o t th a t
1 am to go. I can be read y In five
m inutes. Ye gods, th in k of tf h a t she
m ay be sacrificing fo r m e!”
L orry soon w as a ttire d in th e g u ard ’»
nniform he had w orn from th e to w er
a montxi before. H is pistol w as in his
pocket, an d th e bunch o f violets »he
h ad sen t to him th a t very n ig h t w as
pinned defiantly above his h eart. Qnin-
nox sm iled w hen he observed th is bit
of sentim ent, a n d grim ly in fo rm ed him
th a t he w as com m ittin g an a c t pro­
hibited in Lfcthgloss’ discip lin ary rules.
Officers on d u ty w ere n o t to w ear
nosegays.
"D angloss w ill not see my violets.
By the w ay, th e moon sh in es brig h tly ,
lo e sn ’t i t r
“ It Is alm ost a s lig h t a s day. O ur
trip is m ade extrem ely h azard o u s for
th a t reason. I am sorely a fraid , rash
sir, th a t w e can n o t reach th e caatle
unseen.”
"W e m ust go ab o u t it boldly; th a t’»
all.”
“ H as it occurred to you, sir, th a t you
are placing me in a te rrib le position?
W hat excuse can I have, a cap tain of
the guard, for slinking ab o u t a t night
w ith a m an whom 1 am supposed to be
track in g to e a rth ?
D iscovery will
brand me ns a traito r. I can n o t deny
th e charg e w ith o u t exposing h er royal
highness.”
L orry tu rn e d cold. H e h ad not
th o u g h t of th is alarm in g possibility.
B ut his ready w it cam e ag ain to Ids
relief, and w ith bright, confident eyes
he sw ep t aw ay th e obstacle.
“ If discovered, you a re a t once to
proclaim me a prisoner, ta k e tb e credit
for having ca u g h t me an d claim th e
rew ard .”
“In th a t case you will not go to th e
castle, b u t to th e to w er.”
“ Not if you ol>ey orders. T he offer of
rew ard says th a t I m ust be delivered
to th e undersigned. You w ill ta k e me
to her an d not to th e to w er.”
Qulnnox sm iled and threw* up his
h ands ns If un ab le to com bat th e quick
logic of his com panion. T o g eth er they
m ade th e ir w ay to th e p rio r’s cell, aft-
erw ard to th e ab b o t's ap a rtm e n t. It
w h s barely 11 o’clock, and lie had not
retired. li e questioned Q ulnnox closely,
bade Lorry farew ell an d blessed him,
se n t his benediction to th e princess
an d ordered them conducted to th e
gnt«*p.
Ten m in u tes la te r they stood outside
th e w all, tb e g re a t gates having been
closed sh arp ly behind them . Above
th em hu n g th e silvery moon, full and
b rig h t, th ro w in g its refu lg e n t splendor
o v er tb e m ountain top w ith all th e
brilliancy o f day. N ever before had
L orry seen th e moon so accursedly
b rig h t.
“ ’G ad, It is like day ,” he exclaim ed.
“ A» 1 told you, sir.” agreed tb e other,
rep ro o f in life voice'.
“ W e m u st w ait u n til th e moon goes
dow n. I t w on’t do to risk it now. Can
w e not go som ew here to keep w arm
fo r an ho u r o r so?”
“T h ere is a cave fa r th e r dow n the
m ountain. Shall w e ta k e th e chance of
reach in g it? ”
“By all m eans. I can ’t en d u re the
cold a f te r being cooped up fo r • so
long.”
They followed th e w inding road for
some d ista n ce dow n th e m ountain, com­
ing a t la st to a point w here a sm all
p ath bran ch ed off. I t w as th e path
leading dow n th e side of th e steep
overlooking th e city, and upon th a t
side no w agon road could be built.
Seven th o u san d feet below stretch ed
th e sleeping, m oonlit city. S tanding
o u t on th e brow of th e m ountain, they
seem ed to be th e only living o bjects in
th e w orld. T h ere w as no sign of life
above, below o r beside them .
“H ow long should w e be in m aking
th e d escent?” asked Lorry, a so rt of
te rro r possessing him a s he looked
from th e dizzy height into th e ghostlike
dim ness below.
“T h ree h ours if you a re stro n g .”
“And how are we to get into th e cas­
tle? I h ad n ’t th o u g h t of th a t.”
“T h ere is a secret en tran ce,” said
Qulnnox^ m aliciously enjoying th e in­
sisten t one’s acknow ledgm ent o f w eak­
ness. “ If w e reach it safely, I can tak e
you u n d er ground to th e old dungeons
beneath th e castle. I t may be some
tim e b efore you can e n te r th e halls
above, fo r th e secret passage is g u a rd ­
ed Jealously. T h ere a re b u t five people
w ho know o f its existence.”
“G re a t confidence Is placed in you, I
see, an d w o rthily, I am sure. H ow is it
th a t you a re tru ste d so im plicitly?”
“ I in h e rit th e confidence. T he cap­
ta in o f th e g u ard is born to his posi­
tion. My an cesto rs held th e place be­
fore me, an d not one b etray ed the
tru st. T he firstborn In th e last ten gen­
eratio n s h as been th e cap tain of the
g u n rd in th e royal palace, possessing
all its secrets. I sh all be th e first to be­
tra y th e tru s t, an d for a m an w ho Is
nothing to me.”
“ I stfppose yon consider me selfish
an d vile fo r p lacin g you in th is posi­
tion,” said Lorry, so m ew h at contritely.
“ No. I have begun th e task , and I
w ill com plete It, com e w h at m ay,” a n ­
sw ered th e cap tain firmly. “ You are
th e only being In tb e w orld fo r whom 1
w ould sacrifice my honor vo lu n tarily
sav e one.”
“ I h av e w ondered w hy you w ere
n ev er tem p ted to tu rn tr a ito r to th e
princess and claim tb e fo rtu n e th a t is
rep resen ted in th e re w ard .”
"N o t fo r 5,000,000 gavvos, sir!”
“ By G eorge, you are a fa ith fu l lot—
D angloss, Allode and Ogbot and y o u r­
self, fe u r honest m en to w hom she
tru s ts h e r life, h er honor! You belong
to a ra re species, an d I am proud to
know you.”
T he ste a lth y couple found th e cave
and sp en t Sn ho u r o r m ore w ith in Its
w alls, sallying fo rth a f te r th e ta rd y
d ark n ess h ad crep t dow n over th e
m ountain an d Into th e peaceful valley.
Then began th e to rtu o u s descent. Quln­
nox In th e lead, they w alked, craw led
and ran dow n tb e n arro w p ath,
bruised, scratch ed and aching by th e
tim e they, reached_ th e topm ost o£ tjie
sum m er houses along tb e face o f the as Tf In The last th ro es o f d eath . To­
m ountain.
A fter this w alking w as m orrow th e potency of G ra u sta rk w as
easier, but stealth in ess rnnde th e ir to die, Its dom ain w as to be c le ft in
progress slow.
F requently as they tw ain, disgraced before th e w orld.
And on th e th ro n e of th is afflicted
neared the base they w ere obliged to
dodge behind houses or to drop into land s a t th e girl Yetive, proud, ten ­
the ditches by th e roadside in order to der, courageous. Tom orrow w ould see
avoid patrolling police g u ard s o r Ax- the n o rth torn from tb e south, the divi­
sion of fam ilies, th e rending o f homes,
pbaln sleutbhouuda.
the b u rstin g o f h earts. She sanctioned
A t last, stiff an d sore, they stole into ail th is because she loved L orry und
lhe narrow stre e ts of Edelw eiss. L or­ because he had done no w rong.
ry glanced back and shivered, al­
A w a re of her financial troubles and
though the a ir w as w arm and balm y. pursuing th e ad v a n ta g e th a t his riv al’s
He had tru ly been out of tbe w orld. death had opened to him, P rince G a­
Not until th is in sta n t did he fully ap ­ briel of D aw sbergen renew ed his a r ­
preciate the d read th a t possesses a d en t s u i t Scarce had the body of th e
m an who is being hunted dow n by m urdered prince le ft the dom ain be­
tireless foes. N ever did m an’s h e a rt fore he m ade his presence m arked.
go out in g ra titu d e and tru stfu ln e ss a s K now ing th a t he w as In tru th th e mys­
(lid his to w ard the stro n g defen d er terious M ichael w ho had planned her
whose sinew y arm he clasped as if in abduction, she feared and despised him,
terror.
yet d ared m ake no public d enuncia­
“ You u n d erstan d w h a t th is m eans to tion. As D aw sbergen w as too pow er­
me.” said Q uiunox gravely as they ful to be antagonized a t th is critical
paused to rest. “She will call me your time, she w as co n stan tly forced to sub­
m urderer and curse me for my m iser­ m it to th e m ost try in g an d repulsive
able treason. I am the first to dishon­ of ordeals. T ac t and policy w ere re­
or the nam e of Q ulnnox.”
quired to control th e violent, hot blood­
ed young ru ler from th e south. Day a f t­
C H A P T E R X X II.
er day he h au n ted th e castle, p ersist­
Q R E N F A L L LOBBY’S FOX.
e n t In his efforts to induce h er to ac­
H E P rincess Y etive h ad not cept his proposition. So fierce w as his
flinched a h air's b read th from passion, so im placable his desire, th a t
th e resolution form ed on th a t he w en t aoi<&g th e people of Edel­
storm y night w hen she sacri­ weiss, presenting to them his proposal,
ficed pride and duty on the a lta r o f hoping thereby to add public feeling
love and ju stice. P rince Bolaroz’s ulti­ to Ills claim s. H e tried to organize a
m atum overw helm ed her, b u t she arose com m ittee of citizens to go before th e
from the w reckage th a t w as strew n princess w ith th e petition th a t his offer
about h er conscience and rem ained be accepted and th e country saved.
loyal, ste a d fa st and tru e to the m an in B ut G ra u sta rk w as loypl to its p rin ­
the m onastery. To save his life w as cess. Not one of h er citizens listened
all she could hope to accom plish, and to the w ily prince, and m ore th an one
this she w as bound to do a t any cost. told him or bis em issaries th a t tbe loss
She could be nothing to him, not even o f th e w hole kingdom w as p referab le
friend. So long as he lived he w ould to th e m arriag e he desired. The city
be considered th e m u rd erer of Lorenz, sickened a t th e thought.
and until the end a price would hang
H is la st an d m a ste r stro k e in tbe
over his head. She, P rincess of Grnu- stru g g le to persu ad e cam e on the a f te r ­
stark , had offered a rew ard for him. noon of the 19th, a t an hour w hen all
For th a t reason he w as alw ays to be a Edelw eiss w as in gloom and w hen th e
fugitive, and she least of all could princess wns ta x ed to th e point w here
hope to see 1dm. T here had been a the m ask of courage w as so frail th a t
brief, happy dream , b u t It w as sw ept she could scarce hide her bleeding soul
aw ay by the unrelen tin g rush of real­ behind it.
ity. T he m ere fact th a t she, and she
Bolaroz of A xphaln, to quote from
alone, w ns responsible for his flight th e new s dispatch, w as in Edelw eiss, a
placed betw een them an unsurm ount- guest, w ith a few of his lords, in th e
able b arrier.
castle. N orth o f th e city w ere en-|
Clinging tenaciously to h er purpose, cam ped 5,000 men. H e had come pre­
she wns still cognizant of the debt she pared to cancel th e little obligation o f
owed the tru stin g , loving people of fifteen y ears’ standing. W ith tbe h ated
G rau stark . O ne word from h er could cred ito r in th e castle, his Influence hov­
a v e rt th e calam ity th a t wns to fall ering above th e tow n, th e populace d is­
w ith the d aw n of the fa ta l 20th. All tra c te d by th e th o u g h ts o f the day to
G ra u sta rk ^blindly tru ste d and adored
her. To undeceive them w ould be to come, G abriel played w h a t he consid­
ad m in iste r a shock from w hich they ered his best card. H e asked for an d
obtained a final interview w ith Yetive,
could never recover.
H er highness’ m anner wns a t all not in her boudoir or h e r reception
tim es fran k and untroubled. She w as room, b u t in th e throneroom , w h ere
ap p are n tly light hearted. H er cheeks she w as to m eet Bolaroz in th e m orn­
had lost none of th e ir freshness. H er ing.
T he princess, seated on h e r throne,
eyes w ere bright. H e r sm ile w as quick
and m erry, her w it unclouded. Recep­ aw aited the approach of th e resource­
tions. d raw in g rooms and s ta te func­ ful, tenacious suitor. H e come, an d be­
tions found her alw ay s vivacious, so hind him strode eight s ta lw a rt men
much so th a t her co u rt w ondered not b earing a long iron bound chest, th e
a little. D ally reports bro u g h t no new s resu lt o f his effort w ith his bankers.
of the fugitive, b u t w hile o th ers w ere Yetive and h er nobles looked in s u r­
beginning to acquire th e haggard a ir prise on th is unu su al perform ance.
of w orry an d u n certainty she w as D ropping to his knee before the throne,
calm ly resigned. T he 15th, th e 16th, G abriel said, his voice trem bling slig h t­
th e 17th, th e 18th and now the 19th of ly w ith eagerness and fe a r:
N ovem ber cam e and still the princess
“Y our highness, tom orrow will see
revealed no m arked sign of distress.
the tu rn in g point in th e history o f tw o,
H eavy hearted and w ith bowed beads possibly three, nations—G rau stark , Ax­
th e people of G rau stark saw the 19th phaln and D aw sbergen. I have includ­
fade in th e night, th e breaking of ed my own land because Its ru le r is
w hich w ould bring the crush of pride, m ost vitally interested.
H e w ould
the end of pow er. A t court th e re w as serve and save G ra u sta rk , as you
th e silent d read and th e dying hope know, and he w ould sa tisfy A xphnin.
th a t relief m ight come a t the la st hour. It Is in my pow er to give you aid a t
Men w ith pale faces and te a rfu l eyes this last, try in g hour, an d I Im plore
w andered through tb e ancient castle, you to listen to my w ords of sin cerest
speechless, nerveless, m iserable. B rave friendship—yes, adoration. T om orrow
soldiers crept about, shorn of pride and you a re to pay to P rince Bolaroz over
filled w ith woe. Citizens sa t and stared 25,000,000 gavvos o r relinquish th e en ­
aim lessly for hours, th in k in g of n au g h t tire north h a lf of your dom ain. I u n ­
h u t th e d is a ste r so n ear a t hand and so d erstan d the lam entable sjXQ&tlibfi* You
unavoidable. T he whole patlon_surged
(Continued)
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