Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1896-01-17
A PRINCESS RANSOM

udl Will bc IIcAtittN, anu thN oSHt ~
nlessieurs les brigands drugs is that
their effect is lasting.
Lasting indeed.' Gerald Gildea ;
eyes laughed back into hers. Then they
grew grave again. I'm glad little
Lucy 5 ransom was 50 promptly paid. =
Are you engaged 10 herr" the prin-
cess asked quickly. They told me So
in Ajaccio. =
'sThey told You lies in Ajaccio, ma
dame. Lucy is heart free for me.
"Oher And the princess laughed
softly 10 herself. And when will they
pay your ransom, Mr.. Gildea?''
"When yours is paid, madame.
CAT the Greek kalends?" The prin-
cess face was white under her sunburn,
but her eyes laughed still. Gildea bent
his head gravely.
"At the Greek kalends, princess.
Did you expect it to be otherwise:"
"I-I-no. What need for more lies
now, when we are going to die, Ger
ald!'
"No need at all--now. Do you know,
princess, have never heard your Chfis-
tian nameY'
''Have you not? 1t is not a pretty
name-Zenobia. F"
"Itis an imperious kind of name. 1t
suits you. .
"You think so? All, never mind
How old are you, Geraldf Twenty five ?
And l am 30 Neither of as old, and
yet neither of us very sorry that we
shall have our threats cut in day or
So =
"Hush Do not speak of it.
"But / must speak am curious.
wonder how it will feel-if it will hurt
much. Like your Queen Anne Bullen,
have a little neck. | would rather be
shot, think, but these Corsicans are so
ready with their knives A-ah, I" and
she shuddered little, do you believe
in paradise and purgatory and all that,
Gerald? l was a good Catholic once,
but now
81 believe in everything, princess, al
though am Protestant ="
"Ah, happy your' theprincess sighed.
"Have you mother, Mr.. Gildea, or a
sister,"
and for moment there came into his
blue eyes the shadow of half conquered
pain. 1t had beset him an hour or two
before, when the American girls ran
som had arrived and she had turned to
him for one moment with a dumb en-
treaty in her eyes, She was going back
to home and friends, her look seemed to
say. Would not he at least send word
to those who loved him of the peril in
which he stood? The money would be
paid at once, Gerald Gildea knew, but
then he must leave behind the princess,
she whom her friends called the lowell
est and her enemies the worst woman
in Russia. 1t was only death the priD-
cess need fear, Gildea knew, too, for he
was aware that she had one bosom
friend that would help her from any
worse fate. And, so thinking. he made
up his mind TO abide the end with her.
"Our jailers are busy playing mora, I"
said the princess, breaking in upon his
thoughts "Shall we play, too, Gerald?
You do not know how? Fiel Come.
shut your eyes and guess how many fin
gers hold mp Well, what are you
-sthinking of to make you look so grave
A woman? Tell me her name. =
"Alice and Honor. "
The princess straight brows met in a
frown.
"Two women?" she said, with an odd
little laugh. Are they pretty women.
then? Tell me about them.
my mother is lovely, not pretty, !"
Gerald Gildea said grayely. Honor is
not pretty either, but she has the pleas
ATTEST face in the world =
'You speak as if you We're sorry for
her, the princess said in an altered
voice. rs your sister delicate?"
.She is a hopeless cripple At least
she will never be able to walk as long as
she lives. But / ought not to have called
her hopeless. There never was IDerrier
creature than my sister Honor.
"And your mother? Her name is
Alice, you said. Tell me about her,
Gerald. =
my mother have nothing to tell
of her, princess. =
"You said she was lovely. Is she fair
or dark like yous"
Ozark like me. Darker. / think. Do
not let rs speak Of my mother, princess =
"Ahln the princess said under her
breath. Then she leaned forward and laid
her hand on the Irishman's locked fin
gers My deari'' she whispered softly
a. her hand was taken and held tightly.
My dearl'