The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-08-17

hung with banners, flags ana ralnDows
Of fame. Again darkness fell, and 1t
seemed all the deeper after the gorgeous
scene which had preceded it. Thorndyke
strained his sight to detect something
moving below, but nothing could be
seen. and no sound came up from the
motionless crowds.
Behind him he beard soft footstep
OIL the stone tiling. 1t drew Nearer. A
hand was icing carefully slid along the
parapet. The hand reached him and
touched his arm.
1t was the princess. "Ah, have at
last found youp she whispered. II saw
you in tie lightning, but lost you
again."
He put his arm round her and drew
her into his embrace. He tried to speak,
but uttered only an inarticulate sound.
II could not possibly come earlier"
she apologized, Nesting against him
SO closely that he could feel the quick
and excited beating Of her heart my
father kept me with him till only a mo-
ment ago. Captain Tradmos will be
here SOON"
when do we start?" he asked.
"That is the trouble" she replied.
eve had counted on getting away in
the darkness before the display Of light
ming, but there is more danger now. II
our flying machine were noticed, the
searchlights would DO turned on US, and
we would be discovered at once"
but even if we get safely away in
the darkness when could we return?"
"Oh, that would be easy!" she re.
piled. Gas soon as the fete is over COM
merce will be resumed, and the air will
be filled with airships that have been
delayed in their regular business, and
in the DISCUSSES which I have for us
both we could come back without rous-
ing suspicion. We could alight in Win
ter park and return home later"
"What is Winter park2"
"You have not seen it? You must do
so. 1t is one of the wonders Of Alpha.
1t is a vast park inclosed with high
walls and covered with roof Of glass.
Inside the SNOW falls, and we have
sleighing and coasting and lakes Of ice
for skating. It was an invention Of the
king. The anowstorms there are beauti-
full"
ThorndyKe's reply was drowned in q
harmonious explosion like that Of tuned
cannon. This was followed by the
chimes Of great bells which seemed to
swing back and forth miles overhead.
"Listenr' whispered Bernardino.
"Father calls it musical thunder and
he declares that it is produced in no
other country than this"
"It is not. He is right" And the
heart Of the Englishman was stirred by
deep emotion. He had never dreamed
that anything could so completely chain
his fancy and elevate his imagination
as what he heard. The musical clangor
died down. The strange harmony grew
more enhancing as it softened. Then
the whole eastern sky began to flush
with rosy, shimmering light.
my father calls this the Ideal Dawn
of Day, )" whispered Bernardino. "See
the faint golden halo near the horizon.
That is where the sun is supposed to
BE-"
".How is it done?" asked the English.
man;
"Few Of our people know. It Is a Sc
cret held only by the king and half a doz-
en- scientists. The whole thing, how
ever, is operated by two men in room
in the dome Of the palace. The mu-
stefan IS young German who was be-
coming the wonder Of the musical
world when father induced him to CONG
to us. have met him. He Says he has
been thoroughly happy here. He lives
OH music. He showed me the instru-
ment he used to play, little thing he
called a violin, and its tones could not
reach beyond the limits of a small room.
He laughs at it now and says the instru-
ment that father gave him to play on
has strings drawn from the center OF
| the earth to the stars of heaven.
The rose light had spread over the
horizon and climbed almost to tho ze-
NTH, and with the dying booming and
gentle clangor it began to fade tin all
was dark again.
Captain Tradmos ought to be here
now" continued the princess, glancine
uneasily toward the stairway. eve
may not have SO good an opportunity as
this"
Ten minutes went by.
Surely something has gone wrong,
whispered Bernardino. II have never
seen the darkness last SO long as this.
Besides, can't you hear the muttering Of
the people?"
Thorndyke acknowledged that he did.
He was about to add something else,
but was prevented by a loud blast from
the trumpet in the tower.
Bernardino shrank from him and fell
to trembling.
"What is tho natter" he asked
"Tho trumpet!' she gasped. Some
thing awful has happened"
A moment Of profound silence. Then
tho murmuring Of the crowd rose sui.
lenly like the moaning Of rising storm.
A searchlight flashed up in the gloom
and swept its uncertain stream from
point to point, but it died out. Another
and another shone for ali instant in diff
ferent parts Of tho city, but they all
failed. 0,
Something awful has happened, y
repeated Bernardino as if to herself.
1.-THE lights will not burn"
"Had we not better go DOWN." asked
Thorndyke anxiously, excited by hel
unusual perturbation.
For answer she mutely drew him to
the eastern parapet Far away in the
east there still fingered faint hint OF
pink, but all over the whole landscape
darkness rested.
"Seer' she exclaimed, pointing up
ward. 1.-THE clouds are thinning over the
sun, and yet there is no light What
can be the matter?'
At that juncture they heard soft steps
on the roof and voice calling:
Il H..