Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-01-19
CHAPTER x. ocontinne.i.,

to recall me, but She did. not move or
utter a sound. Ifslowly went, out, and
closed the door behind me.
But even them could not bring ray
self to go away TO my w rooms. 1t
vas hard, oh! it was hard, to leave fer
10 that fashion. III Irene had the rank
of IA princess, still she was a woman,
and | loved her. 1t was cruelty hards
that / should be forced to leave her.
Il might be for the fast time, and allow
her to think that was the heart
less. selfish creature she now believed
nee to be-
My hand was on the door-I had not
made up my mind what | should say
TO her, or whether I should say any
thing at ail-and almost without any
conscious effort on my part, | gently
opened tile door.
AS / did 1t. the sound of a sob caught
my ear. The next moment | was stand
Ing beside a chair at Irene's side. Her
face was buried i'm her hands, and,
even as | stood there, another sob
shook her breast. And then, as |
stood there in helpless distress, she
sprang to her feet. as IL my presence
were such a contamination that she
must forget her sorrow in order to rid
herself of 1t. She sprang 10 her feet.
and her cheeks were flaming scarlet,
and her voice. when she spoke, had an
angry thrill In 1t. What she said L
scarcely remember-it was something
In the nature OF a demand to know
why | had returned-but / broke in
with
II have come back TO tell you that |
cannot bear TO leave the castle while
you think as badly of me as you DO
now. You see how weak am. i had
intended, for the sake of sparing your
anxiety, to keep what l am about 10
say a secret. from you as well as the
Princess Kropenski. But perhaps il Is
better that you should know that
there Is just a chance that | may be
able to do something for your father.
1 am going to England. it is true: but
that will be only a hating place on MY
Journey"
what Journey do You mean? Where
are you goingg'
II am going to see your father
"What. To see my father! And |
was thinking you SO ccld, SO heartless!
Oh. Mr.. Heath, can you ever forgive
mey'
Indeed, there Is nothing to forgive"
"Indeed. there is. And you viii see
my father, You will speak with lin!
You viii find out where these wretches
have concealed him-y0u viii inform
the ~police-they viii rescue him from
their clutches. He viii be back again
before lorg! Is that what you mean TO
dor
'Ah. Princessr' | exclaimed, You
are asking the impossible. / viii not
be allowed TO see the Prince without
pledging myself to secrecy: and. eyen
if / could bring myself to violate that
pledge, 1t is not likely that the Mill
lists would trust themselves entirely 10
my sense Of honor. They viii be sure
TO take effectual steps to protect them
selves"
Then what is the use of your go
fng?'
sit seems that the conspirators wish
me to do them n service-what il is |
do not know-and they have limited to
me that, by ~consenting TO do what
they require of me. | may get them TO
set your father at liberty. Whether |
shall he able to do what they ask c.
not, I do not know, so ] beg you not TO
raise YOU expectations too high"
Irene made no answer for some sec
cnds. Then she seized MY hands and
kept them imprisoned in her siender
fingers, while her eyes searched my
face In the darkness.
"You may, then, bring him back
she murmured.
II believe 1t possible"
Suddenly. rs il remembering that She
still held my hands. she dropped them
and drew back n step.
"Yill you take a letter from me to
my father?' she asked.
/ dare not carry n secret-I mean n
closed letter. But If you rare TO II,
trust an open one to me. and allow ue
to ask the permission"
"Ask the permission of those assas
sins, those bandits. whether | may
write ia my WI father. Submit what
] may write to their inspection! No
thank you! Neither my father or
would care for such correspondence
And, after all. what could | say e
him that he does not know well nj
ready? You will tell him how W. are
my mother and Ig'
l assured her that | would: and shi
gave me many loving messages TO bG
delivered 10 the Prince when shoult
see him.
'And TO think that you will see II.
father. that you viii undertake a Ions
and toilsome Journey for the purpose
and put yourself in the power Of mei
who are outlaws from society! WIZ
should you do all this for us--you, wh'
are a strangery'
1T is too bad, Princess, 90 say that
am q stranger" | laughed.
"You know what ! mean. You ar
not In any way bound To do my fathe
this great ~service-not TO speak OF tn
greater service you may he able to d,
for hinl-to secure his being set at lib
erty. Why should you do all this 70
usg"
"Can you not guess?' I said, In
voice that sounded I'm my own ear
harsh and strange, like the voice O
another man. The words were spoke,
before I knew; II l had taken time t
think I would not have said them; blu
they had escaped my lips. and nov
that | had spoken them l was glad o
II. I took 4 step forward. The Prin
cess neither came to meet mi nor re