Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-05-21
CHAPTER II.

llty DOLn OOk ltdVe OF me.
CHAPTER II.
"A glove, a piece of orange peel. the end of a
cigar,
Once ,r3d on by 9 princely heel-how beauti-
quoted Jack Morris, half an hour later. pick
ing up a delicate bit of crushed white ste
phanotis that | had seen in the Princes coat.
Mo- to speak of a card with a cor0net in
gold adjoining our humble oyer-mantle, and
carriage with noble ~liveries and coats-of-arms
all over the panels waiting outside. 1t had
a very good effect. l only wish somebody
had happened TO drop In just then"
why didn't you come in just n0w?'
How did / know that you didn't want TO
keep them to yourself? Who's Ferendia?'
You ought TO know better than |. lie
left that card for you"
Jack made a small grimace of incredulity
as he picked 1t up, which merged into an eX-
preston of mild establishment as he read.
Laurie BoswOrth! So that's what has be-
come Of himl Yes, we were friends of yore
at Vienna, when his uncle, Lord Fothering-
hay, was ambassador there. Poor old
LauTiep'
why aren't YOU friends now??"
Lost sight of one another. Lucky for me,
perhaps. The old story of the brass pot and
the earthenware. He was an expensive ac-
quaintance, too. | was in the diplomatic
line myself in those days-not a bad one.
only neither Laurie nor / seemed precisely
cut out for 1t. lie kept his noble relative in
perpetual hot water by his indiscretlons. and
had TO be gently east adrift at last. Idesert-
ed diplomacy for newspaper work, you
know"
/ hadn't known II, but l thought 1t very
likely, as there were few OF the highways or
byways OF life that Jack Morris had not
trodden during his brief earthly pilgrimage,
and many and various were the friends he
had made in his ~journeyings. 1 had seen
him receive a gracious syllable from q re-
splendent nobleman on his way to some
Court ceremonial, and a wink Of recognition
from a suspected dynamitard in the dock
within the sam "a hours. My only subject
Of wonderment was that his information did
not extend further, but he seemed at a loss
when l mentioned the Princess, and asked
me II / had any idea who she was.
/ had heard the name before, and ransack-
81 my brain for chance fragments Of informa-
lion.
Il think I heard Lord Belhaven mention
her. It's a Servian or H~erzegovinian prin-
cipality, l believe. He took the title on his
marriage by royal permission"
VERY possibly; royalty would be so very
likely to interfere. What was she-Russ or
Slay?"
"How can I tell? Do you know a Slav
when you see one? l don't" l answered him
somewhat GROSSLY.
Jack was sketching her profile from MEM
DRY with bit of charcoal, and doing it very
well. i told him so.
That's not your Princess that l know Of.
It's only woman she reminded me OF. /
used TO know her once In Odessa-not o
Princess by any means"
don't mind confessing that 1t was with a
light step and a complacent spirit that l took
my way next morning to the address that the
Prince had given me. The other engagements
l had pleaded were not all sham, but never
theless might all be conveniently postponed,
and this commission seemed more promising
the more / looked at 1t. The Ferendias were
well known, and, 1t would appear from Jacks
account, well connected. l might call on
Lord Belhaven that afternoon, / thought,
and gain a few more particulars about them;
but both Jack Morris and a peerage which /
had consulted vouched for his relationship
TO the Hon. Laurence Augustus Bosworth,
Of whose marriage, however, the book, be-
Ing an old ono, gave no account.
When l arrived at my destination the door
was opened by a servant In enc Of the rather
o~ver-magni6cent liveries which had so inn
pressed Morris, who ushered me up stairs In
to the drawing room, where the Princess
was awaiting me, pacing to and fro impa-
tiently.
She turned upon me as I entered. looking
even handsomer than the night before In her
flowing muslin morning robe, with her hair
loosely coiled and fastened with u diamond
pin.
She gave me her two small hands-how
white they Were, and what burning little
palms!-and smiled In my face, while she
upbraided me for wants Of punctuality.
"But l am already before my time,"I
pleaded.
"Your time! 1t Is a question OF my timer
she pouted ~.-~..Smingly. "And by that l find
you late-so late. See, l could not commence
my toilet for fear OF missing you, and the
day Is passing. Where Is the Prince?" she
demanded. turning To the servant who stood
waiting for further orders.
His Highness has not yet returned"
"Gonev y In q shrill tone of anger. when
he knew that l wanted him! Go and find
him directlyg' and she stamped her foot, and
pointed to the door so imperiously. that the
man retreated with undigniled percipitancy.
"Calm yourself, dear Princess. He Is here.
I have brought him back" said a voice close
by us. A portly little gray-mustached gem
tleman was standing there, though how or
when he had entered l could not divine. II
knew your plan for to-day, and persuaded
him tn return. He begs Mr.. Jervolse viii do
him tho favor to come to his room for one
minute A question Of costume believe"
The Princess had dropped my hand sud-
denly.
"Ah, cher N. Nicolas you never fail mer'
she said with q conventional little smile.
'yrhat u Mr.. Jeryoise."
N. Nicolas bowed In the finest manner, and
blinkcd smicably at me through his spec
taclcs, while he gave me 10 understand that
my reputation was already European. and
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