Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-17

whether she lies under her German earth
or whether she still fingers, a eray-haired
woman, in ler castle of Hof; but she lives
ever young and lovely. in the heart and the
memory of Etienue Gerard.
For shamen she cried, sweeping up to
me and tearing away with her own hands
the moose from my neck. you are fight
ing in Gods own quarrel and yet you would
begin with such a DEVILS deed as this. This
man is mine, and he who touches a hair
Of his head will answer for it to me-
They were glad enough to stink off into
the darkness before those scoruful eyes.
Then she turned once more TO me.
You can follow me- Col. Gerard" she
said Il have word that L would speak to
you
l walked behind her into the chamber into
which sI had originally been shown. She
closed the door and then looked at me with
the archest twinkle in her eyes.
as it not confiding of me to trust mys self
with you?'' said she. You will remember
that it is the Princess of Saxe-Felstein, and
not the poor Countess Palotta of Poland"
Pc the name what it might" [ answered
II helped a lady whom 1 believed to be in
distress, and l have been robbed of my pa
pers and almost of my honor as a reward
col Gerard" said she. I'VE have been
playing a game, you and !, and the stake
a heavy one. You have shown by de-
liveriHg message which was never given
to you that you will stand 3 t nothing in the
cause of your country. NV heart is German
and yours is French. and | also would go all
lengths, even to deceit and to theft, if It this
crisis I can help my suffering fatherland
You see how frank l ami
You tell me nothing that I have not
seem
But that the game is played and
won. why should we hear malice? l will
say this, that if ever were in such plight
that which I pretended in the inn of
I-obenstein, l should never wish to meet a
more gallant protector or a truer-hearted
gentleman than Col. Etenne Gerard. I had
never thought that l could feel for a French
fol fn yfrl,. T cit,
papers from your breast"
"Eut you took them none the less"
'They were necessary to me and to Ger
mary. | knew the arguments which thew
contained and the effect which they would
have on the prince If they had reached him
all would have been lost
why should your hghness descend to
such eypetlieuts when a score of these brig
ands who wished to hang me at your castle
gate would have done the work just as
welI?''
They are not brtgands, but the best blood
of Germany" she cried hotly. eff Won Ia We
been roughly used you will remember the
indignitIes to which every German has been
subjected, from the Queen of Prussia down.
ward AS to why I did not have you way
laid upon the road, | may say that | had par
ties out on all sides, and that 1 was waiting
at Lobenstein to hear of their success
When. instead of their news, you arrived
yourself, l was in despair, for there was
only the one weak woman betwiXt Won and
my husband. You see the straits to which
was driven before I used the weapon of nv
eek"
Il confess that you have conquered me.
your hishness. and it only remains for me
to leave you in possession of the field"
But You will take your papers with YOU"
She held them out to me as she spoke The
prince has crossed the Rubicon now, and
nothing can bring him back. You can re-
turn these 10 the emperor and tell him that
we refused TO receive them. No one can ac-
cuse YOU then of having lost your dispatc
Good bye Col. Gerard, and the best that
can wish you is that when you reach France
you may remain there. In a years time
there will he no place for Frenchman upon
this side of the Rhine"
And thus it was that I played the Princess
of Saxe-Felstan with all Germany for a
stake, and lost my game to her. I had very
much to think of as | walked my poor tired
Niolette along the highway which leads
westward from HOf. But amid all the
thoughts there came to me always the
proud, beautiful face of the German woman,