The Jennings daily record., 1902-09-29
1hs Awakening Of Princess
Valerie.

BY QERA4N RICHARD GREENLEY.
N0T4Ek4t 1So2. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
Y9o6ty~fsincess valerie, they had
called her. back in the little kingdom
of Arstadt. when Duke Fritz had
Wpoed and won her in the guise of
the Count Of Neinheim, and with the
willy old Prime Minister had plotted
= 1NttnysSS, girls willfulness to give
h4M tfe5 81 Raetest Of love marriages.
Won! That was years ago. Since
taasn. only yesterday. a weary truth
had come.1o Princess Valerie-that
m349e1U Uh: but men will tire. and
the 4eVost 4ace has ever a charm.
It was q bitter smile that curved
the proud red lips, as she watched
D06H44lt2 stroll under the lindens.
murmuring pretty speeches into the
dainty ear Of the Countess Isobel.
CQuptAas Isobel of Hohenhauffen. the
veriest f1irt ever sent to overturn the
peace Of the little court OF Auer.
stadt. i4&AN
hand and gazed down at the sleeping
boy, heir to the duchy. child of her
love, all that was left of that love.
Valerie told herself, as the countess
gay laugh rang up beneath the win.
dow.
She had been SO happy. only last
night, when that little vixen. Kath-
crime tie Graffenried, had spoken
lightly In her hearing of Countess
1s4HalBt latest conquest. Katherine
had seemed properly dismayed when
the 1Hchess' angry face appeared be-
tween sthe portiers and bade her say
out her meaning. She had wept and
sofhhk with a pretty reluctance, and
then had come the story of the moon.
light walks, of the rides in the forest
anE the little notes that went to and
fro and Valerie listened with death
in hsr heart and a proud smile on
her lips.
''Is that all?" she had asked. Then,
at her bidding. the girl crept away.
the fnalice half hid in her sleepy
green eyes. Katherine hated the
duchess, as her small soul hated all
thugs gracious and lovely.
Poor. proud Valerie. All that night
she lay in her great state bed with
wide, staring eyes facing the future .
traRedy, with all loving woman's S
paina cat breakfast, the duke came
in ~ ioin her. with song on his
lips, and rose in his buttonhole;
but Valerie thought she knew whose
fingers, had plucked that rose, and
she would have none of him, and the
dukaotwent away with scowl on his
handsome face and found the Count
ess Isobel upon the terrace, where a
littl9 iater Valerie saw them talking
toget1AE.. She could imagine what
they were saying, and her jealous
heart throbbed nigh to bursting.
'Fool! fool!" she told herself. 'Is
not this the portion of royal women.
the cross that goes with the CROWN
but-slae-arad loved him so.
A,dryevsob arose in her throat and
a Thickness was before her eyes, all
thee day, as she moved through the
staEHtE rooms. Duke Fritz had care
fulR Aept away from her. He was
puzzled hurt and a little resentful
yetehe glanced wistfully toward her
oncx or twice; but that inscrutable
cold smile lay on the lovely lips. re
pelGng all approach :nd unfortunate
1y, svalene gnever caught that look
onlS suffered and wound the scourge
closer to her barred bosom.
Whsisksf women came to robe he,
for the evening she thrust aside the
gay x.tissues..-.the shimmering satins
and bade them put on trailing
black gown of some misty material
cloudlike. somnlbbre, from which th'
white marble of throat and bosom
cleaned like frost.
Duke Fritz stood at her side unit