Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-17

or reservation. The ladies they did not en-
counter until evening. and then the princess
was not present Craddock watched Thor
narrowly. but he could not discover one sign
OF impatence or doubt. The face Of the
Norwegian was as placid and as full OF con-
hdence as 1t ever had been
On the morning of the second day, when
the hunting party left the lodge, Thor was
not among those who comprised it. Grad
dock. however, made his excuses. for he
noticed that the princess was also absent.
Thor had said nothing to him Of his deter
mination to absent himself from the hunt
that day, but the American could be ready
tongued when occasion required and he In
vented a satisfactory excuse; so the party
went on its way, and the only guests who
we're left behind were Thor, the Norwegian,
and Carlotta-or Charlotte--a princess OF
Denmark.
An hour after the departure OF the merry
hunters the tall figure OF Thor appeared
among the tamaracks and spruces near the
house, and presently from their depths came
the weird yodel cry which once heard from
the throat of a Norwegian would never be
forgotten. A dog-a Great Dane-heard II
and barked. Then he approached the grove,
shifting suspiciously along the path; but a
calm strong voice spoke to him as he passed
under the boughs and presently he stood
waggiug his tail and licking the hand OF the
man who had alarmed him.
A half hour later the cry once more
echoed through the ground and among the
evergreen branches Of the trees. The Great
Dane looked up at his companion and
whined. He seemed to know that the mah
was calling for somebody who would not
10 cd ~ nf towards
the house and barked, then he returned to
the man and licked his hand again. When
another half-hour had passed the yodel
sounded for the third time and then, INNS
diately afterwards, a fourth time, and again
the dog barked.
Ten minutes later the figure OF woman
appeared in the path approaching the grove
and Thor. observing it. claspod his hands
together and moved his lips silently. Then
a smile glowed in his eyes and he waited
without moving for her to come to him. In
another moment they were face to face
under the tamaracks and as the princess
raised her eyes to Thor's a shaft OF sun
light stole down through the branches ant
rested with caressing touch upon her UP
turned face. II was as though halo hat
fallen upon her. Beside them the Great
Dane, seated upon his hsunches, looked IN
and Thor dropped his right hand until II
rested on the dogs head and waited for the
| princess TO speak.
WAS this necessary" murmured the
| princess at last, when the silence seemed
| filed with the sounds of unsooken worcs
| Does 1t not add to your suffering and ,t
mine? Is 1t generous Of you, who love me
! to demand this sacrifice Of my pride and o.
my womanhood? Speak. When we last saw
each other you were silent, because | ce
manded 1t. and l have felt that I was us
| lust You, who dared so much to see me
should at least have been permitted q
speak will hear you now, even though
| fear my own powers of resistance; but
know that you love me. and feel no sens;
OF shame in the knowledge that love yo.
on your strength as a man to preserve tha
love the holy thing il is now l rely. Speak
| then and | will hear you. Deliver you
| message to me and-go But in saying
what you have to say, remember who am
Remember what | am and remember tha
| IL you were of royal birth and more lowl!
the conditions would be the same. | wit
listen to you am promised to another"
1T is to tell you that am of roya
birth that I am here, princess he said
calmly. My lineage is as old as yours
older and greater than that OF the roya
parsonage who has promised to restore
who has already restored to me-the rights
and privileges and the name which ar