The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1892-12-23


Shortly after the entrance Of Carl
mond and his mother the royal quad
rifle was danced, and TO some conserve
tive watchers, when they beheld the
king lead forth kathleen as his part
uer, the sight was one of absolute hor-
ror. Everybody else IN the quadrille
was Of the blood royal except this up
start young American Beautiful?
Yes, amazingly So Her beauty, iu its
perfect plainness OF apparel, dimmed
the fire Of all those necklaces, bracelets
and tiaras- With such eyes, with such
q heavenly look about the brows with
such slope Of the arm and shoulder,
and with that imperial kind of dainti-
ness in her motion, she made every other
woman look artificial, got mp for the
occasion, sHdiHHnehss- But what lqlLe
dtab7eD had that to do with the kings
behavior? Whether she were hGg0F
hour, why should he make her an e1z-
cuss for smashing etiquette and then
dancing on its debris? The thing was
too idiotic- Did he mean to marry her2
Was this to be his latest daring deed Of
uncOuventionalism?
'sLoolz at him now, " whispered q lady
Of highest rank to a gentleman equally
lofty, after d pause had followed the
first general dance. He has those two
Americans at his side, Eric Thazter and
NJ Lispenard. What e revolution he
has wrought in his motherl The prin-
cess is talking to them both and zHil-
ing her blandest-"
"Ch! the poor old princess!" giggied
the gentleman ''Was there ever such
an overthrow? They say that he gave her
her choice the other night after he had
sent us all adrift like a pack of school
children and treated poor Philibert so
/ awfully. Either she had to pull down
her flag and fold it discreetly away,
I
country inside of tVenry-1CuT hours"
''But is 1t true, asked the lady, chat
this American girl was once betrothed
I to n. Lispenard2'
"You know what happened there on
the palace grounds" was the reply.
/ f'He saw her and ran OF in an agony OF
embarrassueut, followed by his friend"
perhaps they had been married aud
/ then divorced, % said the lady. 81 have
/ it on the best of authority that people
/ in America marry there in one province
| Oct us say Venezuela) this year and are
/ divorced with perfect ease the next
! year in some other province tlet us say
I California;"
/ ''ReaIy2 I'm not surprised. Ameri-
/ cans are such curious creatures. But
/ she's wonderfully handsome, that girl.
/ Don't you think sop
''OhI of course granted the lady,
/ saying no more, and saying even this
/ much as though it were forced from her
/ But I don't like the affected simplicity
with which she has gOwned herself.
/ Do you?'
II hadn't thought a bit about her at
/ tire" said the gentleman. Where is
/ she nOyv2 DO you lzuow?"
Talking to a score or so of our best
men, returned the lady, a little harsh
/ ", "over yonder near the door that
leads to the picture galleries. Take me
| in that direction, will You? I want 20
! have a better look at her. / may be
wrong, but it struck me there was a
crOokedness in ono of her eyebrows
Meanwhile, as the princess of Brin-
dist, subdued into humility that she had
/ never before dreamed Of as possible to
her proud spirit, was saying suavo il
| rather void things to AlOnzo, the king
! slipped his arm within that of Eric
[ Thaxter and murnured to him:
Come with me, my friend, into the
conservatory. I have something I must
say to you at once"
Clarimond and his companion were
presently in the sveet-smelliug dush
of a spacious glass pavilion, where You
heard the sounds of falling water and
caught its flashes, now and then
through cOverts of shadOwing leave.
and blooms They found the Plac,
I quite vacant; as yet, no flushed and ia
/ Grued dancers had sought it. Then
feet struck with little hollow clangs OF
the marble pavemeuts of the odOroul
avenues, and thus acceutuated, as il
were, the exceeding stiffness. 1t was
stiffness that Eric waited Tor his master
to break, and at length he did so, il
these words:
Il suppose that Lispenard told YOU
just what passed between him and my
self"
Eyes, monsieur, he told me"
WELL" said the king, musiugly
''then-you, Erie, who knew me so well
must have seen that betrayed my
self"
betrayed yourself, monsieur. HOyv?'
ooh that I showed him love tbs
woman he loves. Did no not tell yoJ
that? No, do not reply. / will not per
init you to tell me, even If so inclined
It would be unfair, almost dishonora
bile, for me TO insist on any such dis
closure"
San injustice from you, monsieur
would be as impossible as darkness from
the sun"
The king suddenly paused. His fac
was touched with a vague yet revealing
light and Eric perceived on it a Pallor
a seriousness, which he had befort
noted but which now seemed intensi
fed.
IF wanted q counselorl" he brolz
forth, and then he laid a hand OF
Eric's shoulder. 'sBut in this case
ought not to want one. should be SUI
fcient unto myself. Only, my friend
you would be the visest and best o.
councillors that is all I mean," and h,
withdrew his hand, giving a long AND
deep sigh.
From what I know of you, monsieur.
said Eric, ''you have always been sui
6cient unto yourself"
mot always, not always-but yOJ
are very kind
81 am simply sincere, monsieur. ToJ
were born 20 be a great ruler of men
have felt it for months past. The NOR
that I see OF you, the more strongly
you appeal to me as a power for good
The world would have had no need foi
republics If all kings had been as per
feet as yourself"
Thanks, my Eric-thanlzs."
To the surprise Of his nearer thesO
words We're very brolzenly uttered
Clarimond remained fnmovable, so tina
! the revealing light stiH clothed hi
) face And now Eric saw that his vivi,
eyea were shining as though with half
repressed tears Only q slight silence