The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-10-21
CHAPTER VI

Fries voice. however, struck reassur-
ingiy on his ear.
Yes, my dear Alonzo. it is the king.
I had no idea that he would pay us this
honor. But he is so eXquisitely gra-
cious that one never knows what new
act of kindness he will commit. The
persons who surround him are quite
harmless beings, l assure you. They
perhaps possess all the native ill-breed-
ing of hiCh-bred aristocrats, but are
well aware that the faintest act of dis
courtesy toward anyone whom Clari-
Eond favors would promptly end in
their exile from the court. pray you
have not the least sense of awkward
ness. The king never permits it TO live
in his presence. He has a really Won
.d7ous gift-that of destroying idle GER
emory. Do not address him as your
majesty He greatly dislikes that
form. 50 scparative and so constantly
reminiscent of his royal rank. l am
sorry enough, dear Lonz, that you
should see him so soon. had wanted
that we should talk for hours about him
together before you and he were
brought face to face. He is so remark
able, so prominently distinguished. l
am sure there was never a king like
him in all the world before. some
times think there has never been a
king either so great or 50 good, though
that. of course, is saying much. But if
our century IS productive of anything
interesting and extraordinary it should
be her kings, which are both anomalies
and absurdities. | think Ciarimond
plainly realizes this fact. / could have
consumed hours in talking OF him to You
before You and he met, If it had not
been for his caprice TO come and greet
you as he has done. He has just left
the palace, You know. You can get a
good view Of it yonder on the spur of
the mountain. now that the sun has
sunk. / called it my bee in the bonnet,
that palace, until il was quite finished.
Do you care for it?"
Care for it. good Heavens, Erie"
Alonzo felt his blood beat, as only the
blood of an artist can when he gazes
upon work that seems to him noble and
grand The faded daylight had now
brought out new tints, dark and rich,
in sward and foliage. From a slope of
the dim and majestic mountain lowered
King Clarimond's abode. As master
piece of building II was no less delicate
than sublime. Wrought entirely of
white marble, it doomed against the IN
dulant lawns and terraces that com
passed it in an intricate maze of turrets
and spires. 1t was enormous with re-
spect to the space that it covered, and
yet so lace-like in its ethereal proper
tions that you might have named it the
very filament or cobweb of architecture
To Alonzo that kings deep regard for
Eric was instantaneously plain. Such
commingled airiness and soidity and
fower-like blossoming in stone, such
frost-like beauty and grace blent with
dignity and power, could be but the
work of genius alone. 1t flashed
through the gazer's mind that perhaps
Ludwig, of Bavaria, mad though he
possibly was, admired and rcvered Wag-
ner no more than Clarimond, of Sal
Tavia, admired and revered the creator
of this enchanting edifce
~It's a magnificent bee to have had in
ones bonnet, my dear Eric presently
murmured Alonzo. "'In this light, seen
Is we see it now, its loneliness appears
miraculous"
Those are words that drop right
down into my hearts core" said Eric.