Arizona republican., 1899-01-24
PmerieaD
 ..Pusb%&
BY EDGAR FAWCETT.
Continued From Yesterday.)
CHAPTER VII.

I
 which told him his mother had just
 crossed the Saltravian frontier Be-
 tween the princess and himself relations
 Of q most frosty character had existed
 for several years. Few people, however,
 remained loEg CT good terms with the
 princess. Her disposition was now
 merely ovcrbcari-,g; it bri-1ined with ali
 the worst bigotries of the dark ages,
 and to say of her that she believed in
 the divine rights of kings would have
 been mildly to express her mental say
 agery. The course Of her son and only
 child, Clarimond, had almost maddened
 her since his accession to the throne.
 She had dctested his father. her
 first husband, the ArchdukQ Conrad.
 and in ClarimOnd she saw the patcrnal
 traits acccntuated, made more hideous,
 more nauscating. Conrad had pre-
 sumed in her presence to air his loath-
 some republican doctrines, and his
 carly death had seemed to her like q
 heavenly vengeance for such audadity.
 Marrying soon aftcrv-ard an old Italian prince of great wealth and extreme con- servatis;a, she again became a widow
 before 1t cvcl vaguely entered her head
 that tho son whom she had left with his
 tutors and guardians il Saltravia stood the remCtcst chance of ever being king. The princess adOrcd Italy, and shranls from tho cares of motherhood. Besides, were not COrrGd's people taking charge of the boy and his enormous fortune? But, suddenly, when the sick old king lost his heir by q lightning stroke of discaGc, and when only two other lives could be counted on between himself and tho succession, IIildogardc, princess of Brindici, began to feel her spirit di- late with Q naughty hope. Tor those two other heirs, had they not been sick ly from thoir cradles, and was not one of them Q fragile girl with 9 pulmonary i'll of stubborn menace?
 The girl died within year after her brother, and the old king, who deeply loved her, become almost an iEabccilc through this double bereavement. Then tidings were brought the princess in Naples th2t her son night soon inherit the rule of Saltravia, as both the reign irg monarch and his last left cllild were at the point of death. It was now that she hurried to her own child, whom she had seen only at intervals, and in bored, pcrfunctcry way, during the past decade
 But Clarimond, taking the reins of government at an age when his wrists were quite Sinewy enough to hold them, had no sympathy with his mothers die tates and desires. To tho princess his views, his tendencies, his 5lvovals were a mingled a1na2elcnt and disgust.
 T am covered with rcncrse and shame she would say to her intimates, that this rebel against all the most sa- cred customs and precedents of royalty should actually be my son! He will bring Saltravia to the verge cf ruin; he will irfuriato the emperor: he will com promise himself past remedy and plunge me into untold cnbarrassments."
 Her new position had caused her to surround herself with suite of ladies and gentlemen in waiting. There are always people ready to play syco- plants for those on whom throne has cast it's shadow, and if she had chosen to organize a political party in opposi- ticn to her son the task would not have been difficult. But in spite of her in-S dignant disapproval she shrank from such course. After all. though q cousin twice removed of the emperor whom she professed to venerate, her new greatness had come to her from Tlarimond alone. For a good while | she remained in Saltravia, treated with ! faultless though somwhat sarcastic difference by the son whom she had so long neglected, and then. angered into l lysteria by his new intimacy with young adventuring American architect who was to demolish all the old time nallowed structures and rear horrible Drand-ncw ones in their place, she gath -.l,I ho1- Ia nhfNl ah led to her beloved Italy.
 The king, who had remained courte- ous as he was obdurate, simply shrugged lis shoulders at her departure, and breathed long sigh of relief.
 ''She is incorrigible,'' he said to Eric, and I find her as hard to argue with IS if she had been q figure that had stepped forth from one of my preciou.' pits of antique tapestry, coif on head md hawk on wrist. I shall continue 70 act just as if she had never annoyed ne by her curious worm-eaten preiu- lices and I shall write her regularly, oncc. q mcath, letters full of the most luticrs Glial sentiments"
 This resolve Clarimond faithfully car jed out. Tkcrrinccss, meanwhile, though he had rctrcated, had not given up her 1attlc She was secretly agitated by dread that her son would make some erriblc democratic marriage; for he lad already shocked her by asserting hat he thought inorganic unions re- -olting and even criminal, and there vas 10 written law in his little realm against . sovereign marrying whOmso- ,ver he chcsc.
 Repeatedly of late months the princess lad written her intention of coming to zee the new palace. Her son had given assent to this arrangement, while invaraly grooming at the parade ,f ceremony and punctilio which it would be certain to ergender.
 Now, at last, after many false alarms, telegram had abruptly come to him tatirg that she had reached small own about three miles distant, and here awaited his presence. It was hen little after nightfall. The king, vho U1g inst seating himself at dinner,