The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-01-20
A PRINCESS RANSOM.

demand separation from him in the
autumn, and now All, well A scan
dial will be prevented, and the best of
niessieurs les brigands' drugs is that
their effect is lasting"
Lasting indeed" Gerald Gildea's
eyes laughed back into hers Then they
grew grave again I'm glad little
Lucy's ransom was so promptly paid "
Are you engaged 10 herG".the prin-
cess asked quickly They told me So
in Ajaccio -
They told you lies in Ajaccio. ma
dame. Lucy is heart free for me-
"Ohe" And the princess laughed
softly to herself And when will they
pay your ransom. Mr.. Gildea?"
when yours is paid, madame.
AT 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
aldi"
'No need at all-now. Do you know.
princess. have never heard your Chris.
tiaD namei"
Have You not9 1t is not pretty
name-Zenobia "
1t is an imperious kind of name It
suits you''
You think so? All, never mind
How old are you Geraldf Twenty-Five?
And am 80. Neither Of us old, and
yet neither of us very sorry that we
shall have our threats cut in day or
SO /"
Flush Do not speak of it I"
81 But must speak. am curious. /
wonder how it will feel-if it will hurt
much. Like your Queen Anne Bullen,
have little neck / would rather be
shot. think, but these Corsicans are so
ready with their knives. A-ah," and
she shuddered little, do you believe
in paradise and purgatory and all that,
Gerald? / was good Catholic once,
but now
II believe in everything, princess, al
though am Protestant.
"Ah, happy you ~ the princess sighed
"Have you mother. Mr.. Gildea. or a
sister?''
Both" Gerald Gildea ans wered,
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 tho 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. Ii was only death the prip
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"
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 l hold up Well, what are you
thinking of to make you look so graves
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 gravely. Honor is
not pretty either, but she has the pleas
ATTEST face in the world.
"You speak as IF you were sorry for
her." the princess said in an altered
voice. us your sister delicate?"
"She is a hopeless cripple. AT lease
she will never be able to walk as long as
she lives. But ought not to have called
her hopeless. There never was n merrier
creature than my sister Honor.
"And your mother? Her name il
Alice. you said Tell me about her.
Gerald. "
my mother-I have nothing to tell
Of her, princess.
"You said she was lovely. Is she fair
or dark like you?"
Ozark like me. Darker, think. Do
not let us speak Of my mother, princess.
"Ahp' the princess said Inder her
breath. Then she leaned forward and laid
her hand on the Irishman's locked fin
gers MY dearr' she whispered softly
as her hand was taken and held tightly.
my dearl''
The banditti were still playing morrs.
though the moon was we'll up in the
sky, aud the losers were cursing in good
set terms. But the prisoners were Sleep
ing--that is to say. Gerald Gildea was
sleeping as soundly as child, with
heap of grass for pillow, but though
the shadow Of great rock was over the
princess also, she was wide awake. and
not word of their captors' talk had she
lost as she sat crouched in the shadows
looking up at tho slender sickle of tho
moon with wide, intent eyes. Presently
she put her fingers into her ears 10 shut
out the loud laughter and louder oaths,
but the thoughts would not fall into CO.
herent shape even then. Something thus