Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-02-01
CHATTER VI

WoTth chruulCliug. Shortly alier my
arrival Hillars disappeared. lis two
months vacation stretched into -. uut
| WAS directed 10 remain IN London.
As know that Hillars did not wish 90
he found. l made no inquiries. I'r
was somewhere on the continent. but
where no one knew. At one time
letter. dated AT -. Peters
burg. reached me. and al another time
| was informed of his presence al
Monte Carlo. In neither letter WIS.,
there any mention Of her serene h.-h-
ness the Princess Hildcgardc Of lio-
henphalia. Since the night hr recount
ed the adventure the hayward prin-
cess had never become the topic Of
conversation. | grew hopeful enough
TO believe that he had forgotten her.
Occasionally l received long letter
from Phyllis. l always promptly an
swered il. To any one hut me her let
tiers would have proved Interesting
reading. Ii was not for what she
wrote that 1 cared, it was the mere
fact that She wrote. \ man cannot
find much pleasure in letters which
begin with Dear friend and cnd
with Yours sincerely when they
come from the woman he loves.
In the preceding autumn | completed
my first novel. | carried il around TO
publishers till | grew to hate it as one
Rates a Nemesis, and when finally
did place it it was with a publisher
who had just started in business and
was necessarily obscure. | bowed po-
litely TO my dreams of literary fame
and became wholly absorbed in my
journalistic work. When the book came
out, could not but admire the excel
lence of the Dookmaking, but as look
cd through the reviews and found no
mention save in books received
threw the book aside and vowed that
it should he my last. The publisher
wrote me that he was surprised that
the book had not caught on. as he con
sidered the story unusually clever.
Merit is one thing" he said. but luck
is another" | have found this to be
true not only in literature, but in all
y
are the goals. Phyllis wrote me that
she thought the book Just splendid"
but | took her praise with a grain Of
salt, it being likely that she was par
sial to the author and that the real
worth of, the book was little in com
wrote it.
One morning in early June | found
three letters on my desk. The first
was from Hillars. He was in Vienna:
NY Dear son--There is another rumpus The
princess disappeared the Goth Of last month.
They are hunting high and low for her and Incl
dentally for me. Why is more than can un'
derstand, but I received letter from Rockwell
OF the American legation warning me that II
remained in Austria | should be apprehended, put
in Jail. hanged and quartered for no other reason
on earth than that they suspect my having some
thing to do with her dsappearance-due, ! sup.
pose to that other miserable affair. Though |
have hunted all over the continent, | have never
seen the Princess Hildegarde since that night at
b. Where shall l find her? l haven't the least
idea, but last throw am going to the prin-
cipality Of Hohenphalia where she was born and
over which she rules with infinite wisdom The
king is determined that she shall wed Prince
Ernst, lie WOULD take away HeT pTlHtlpaiil9 uut
for the fact that there would be a wholesale dis
turbance to follow any such act. If | ever meet
that watchdog of hers, the Count Won Walden,
the dufer who gave my congo, there will be
trouble. The world isn't large enough for two
such men as we are. By the way, l played rou-
lette at the Casino last night and 5000
francs. Well, revoir, or adieu, as the case may
be. They sell the worst whisky here you ever
heard OF. It's terrible to have an educated palate.
HILLARs.
So he was still desiring for some
thing he could never have. | got out
of patience with the fellow. Even if
she loved him, what chance had he
against the legions of the king? Hill
lars was a wild headed fellow, and if
at liberty was not incapable of Great
ing disturbance 1t might land him
in Jail or on the gallows. Still Hillars
with all his love of adventure, was
not ordinarily reckless. Yet, if he met
the princess. she would find willing
tool in him for her slightest caprice
Whatever happened the brunt would
fall upon him. My opinion, formed
from various stories / had heard OF
the princess, was not very fattering
to her. The letter and it's possibilities
disturbed me.
The second letter was from head
quarters in New York:
Dear Winthrop-We want good Sunday spe
cial. Her serene highness the Princess Hildegard
Of Hohenphaia has taken it into her head to dis
appear again. Go over and see Rockwell in b
He will give you good yarn 1t has never beel
in type yet, and l dare say that it will max
good reading. London particularly dull
Just now, and you easily turn your at
fairs to the assistant. This woman's life is NOR
full Of romance than that OF any other woman Q
the courts Of Europe. The most interesting par
of it is her reputation is said to be like that G
Caesars wife, above reproach. Get full histor
of her life and Of the prince whom she is to maj
ry. II you get any photographs, do SO.
know how you dislike this sort of work, pryin
into private affairs you call it, but with a
these sensational sheets sprngng up around u
we must keep in line and then. Do 20
know anything about Hillars? Is he dead Q
alive? Take all the time you want for the stor
and send it by mail.
1.-The Princess Hildegarder | criet
aloud 1.-THE deuce take the woman"
Whats that?" asked my assistant
who had overheard my outburst.
'Oh, | am to go across on a specia
story" | said, with a snarl, Just as
was fixing for a weeks fishing. w
got to concern myself with the Prin
cess IIildegarde of Hohenphalia"
''Ah, the Princess Hildegarde.' sal
the young fellow, pushing back his ha
and elevating his feet, trick he ha
acquired while being reared in his ni
tive land, which was the state of Ill
nos, in America. you want to b
careful. Every one burns his finger
or singes his wings around that car
die"