The herald., 1896-05-10
&5SRcgeeI9rr: $
Copyright, 1896, by S. R. Crockett.)
PART I.
CHAPTER I


THE COUNTS DAISY CHAIN.
The Count st. Polten-Vassima was walk.
ing slowly along one of his forest paths
He was not in the least thinking where he
was going. He had quite recently and un-
expectedly come into the title and the prop
erty, and he was, for the time being. stay
ing in one of the smaller rooms of the great
unfinished castle which his father had be-
gun and his brother had continued. The
new Count st. Polten was tall. dark. msdi-
tative--a soldier, yet nevertheless constitu-
t1onally inclined to a certain graceful mel
ancholy. Even his dignities had not very
obviously cheered him. Ii was now that
still hour of the afternoon when Nature
takes its summer siesta, and st. Polten
walked along the woodland glade, sober as
at a funeral to look upon. but nevertheless
happily and conscientiously sad within. 1t
pleased him TO observe the absence OF Ella
tion in himself. AS he sauntered, his mind
far away, he did not observe that he had
approached one of the cottages of his peo-
ple-that of Alt Karl. his ancient Jagdmei-
ster whom his father had ordained to teach
him all the mysteries OF the hunt and the
secrets of the wood, while yet he was but a
wild younger son of the great house of the
Counts of St. Polten.
Cuckoo, cuckoo called suddenly a
bird-voice above his head. Something
whirled lightly through the air and settled
about his neck. The Count looked up quick
;ly and caught just one glimpse of girls
laughing face vanishing at the window
above him. Then he looked down and
found a daisy y-chain caught round his neck
and hanging about his shoulders.
The Count st. Pol.en-Vassima stood
awhile in wonder, not i'll pleased, lingering
the ring of flowers and smiling quietly to
himself. Presently there came along the
forest path towards him stern-faced erect
old man, carrying himself with a curious
mixture of forest freedom and sodierly pre-
cision.
1t was Alt Karl. the tenant of the house
under which the Count stood. He looked
curiously at the daisy chain, but said moth
ing. The Count noticed the question in the
old mans eyes.
NO Karl, | do not wear one of these
chaplets as rule he said; but the fact
is either an angel from heaven crowned me
with flowers, or else -
And he paused and looked up.
1T was my minX OF Trudchen"' cried
Alt Karl. finishing his masters sentence
Il saw her busy a. the making of it. can
will do nothing but play pranks and scour
the hills with gun. and boasts that she is
as good jaeger as there is in all the forest
(Which is thing most true, besides being
as good mountaineer as there is on the
mountains, as if these were worthy ambi-
tions for young girl. But it is a good
thing that she goes tomorrow to her aun S
school in Breslau; there of surety she will
learn hing bGfittiDU a mo1eS-
maiden
81 trust" said the Count pleasantly,
'that you will convey to the young lady my
sense of the great honor she has done me
by bestowing upon me this flowery token OF
her favor
"On the contrary cried Alt Karl, 81
shall bestow upon her great scoding when
] catch her, mink that she isl
And so with mutual salute of military
exactness the Count and his old and priv
ileged Jagdmester parted, the nobleman to
return to his vast lonely barracks and Alt
Karl to enter angrily the cottage with the
roses crowding about the porch.
"Gertrud!' Alt Karl called sternly,
stamping his foot little. He stopped to
listen, standing just within the door of the
quiet dusky sit;ing-room.
No one answered to his call. He could
hear the two clocks ticking loudly, one on
the wall Of the salon and the other over the
mantelpiece in the kitchen.
"Cuckoo,' all suddenly cried roice be-
hind him.
Alt Carl could not restrain a violent start
The bird seemed so near him--at his very
ear, in fact He looked up just as the Count
had done. and instantly he found himself
bepelted from head to foot with a shower of
roses which tall bright faced girl of thir-
teen or fourteen poured out of her apron up
on his upturned face. She had been stand
ing on tptoe all the time upon a chair set
behind the sitting room door
The maid clapped her hands and laughed
merrily.
"A forfeit. a forfeit" she cried at
is the fete day of the flowers. And the new
Count owes me forfeit also,'
Il would have you understand that it
is not the custom began her father
sternly.
"a forfeit or kiss, fathern she cried
'and if you scold me single word I de-
clare shall ask the Count for kiss toor'
And launching random salute at her
father, which alghted ON the top of his
nose, she danced out among the sunlit
summer flowers as lightly and irrespon.
sibly as a gossamer blown by the winds.