The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1903-04-04

the day, as she moved through the
stately rooms. Duke Fritz had care.
fully kept away from her. He was
puzzled. hurt and a little resentful,
yet he glanced wistfully toward her
once or twice; but that inscrutable.
cold smile lay on the lovely lips, re-
pelling all approach, cad unfortunate
~, Valerie never caught that look,
only suffered and wound the scourge
closer to her barred bosom.
When her women came to robe her
for the evening she thrust aside the
gay tissues, the shimmering satins,
and bade them put on trailing
black gown Of ,some misty material,
cloudlike, sombre, from which the
white marble Of throat and bosom
CLEANED like frost.
Duke Fritz stood at her side until
the tedious ceremNny was ended:
then he made his way to the Countess
1sobel, and Valerie, glancing up, met
the eyes of Katherine de Graffenrefd
filled with mocking laughter. The
ebb and flow Of the music, the glide
Of the, feet over, the. polished floor,
the smurmer Of voices; with their set
speeches, came to. her as through a
mist. She had some wild thought OF
leaYingsi 1T ali i'd rnshing.,Qu into
/ the Mhtta ntEht, sot going sto. sRudolph,.
her BROTHER, the king 81 Arstadt, She
would claim his protection, Then a
thought gripped her heartstrings-
her child. She could not leave him,
and the people of Auerstadt would
never suffer their little prince to be
raised in another land. No, she must
stay and bear her martyrdom. Ru.
dolph would be the first to bid her
return, and Princess Valerie could
have risen then and there, and beat
her hands against the wall in sheer
despair. Across the room, she could
see the dukes fair head bent low
above Countess 1sobel; it was mad
dening.
A little page came hurrying down
the long room and bowed before her,
his face white and anxious. High
ness, the little prince is i'll, and
should have the Herr doctor immedi.
ately." .>5
Valerie sprang to her feet, and an
instant hush fell over the audience
chamber, as she swept past the little
knots Of courtiers and laughing WON.
en-, a princess, but yet a woman, who
has heard the cry of her child in need
of her. 7"n
A group of frightened attendants
made way for her, as she fell on her
knees beside the low, white bed: The
rosy limbs, that she had kissed SO
short a time before, were rigid, and
a blue shadow grew around the tight.
ly drawn lips. as the child lay locked
in one convulsion after another To
the end Of her life she never knew
whence came the strength that en-.
abled her, when the doctor called for
assistance, to brush aside the panic
stricken nurses, and herself force the
clenched mouth open, while he pour
ed the medicine down. What mat,
ter that the little white teeth ground
upon her delicate fingers until the
blood trickled down, the child had
ceased to struggle, and the warm
pink came back to the little face, and
the tense limbs relaxed. With a
burst Of tears, she gathered the
sleeping baby to her breast, and the
old doctors eyes were misty, as he.
laid a kindly hand upon the rebel.
lious curls that had somehow slipped
their fastening and tumbled In head.
long beauty to her waist. %.ss &c I: -
&, !: The minutes slipped by. as Valerie
knelt with the child 8 cheek pressed
against her own, then someone enter
ed and colsed the door, very gently.
Valerie never stirred, scarcely con.
scious of any thing but the fact that
the child was given back to her arms
a = thank kf,lInegs that almost blotted.
out the other great sorrow for . time.
Duke Fritz kneft down beside his
Wife, md. drew the dark head to his
breast. For . moment she yielded to
[the sense ot, fest and peace, tten
pride. .awoke. and She drew laughtify
awEys i,sas from him 81 .yll lhys come 20 sme1
EWhsre s tho Counties sobeI? rs she
1pdiyppsed that you should turn 90
lIi,e esad the child s. Z ID,
he duke lprang % nis feet. his
|, |,4airaace fusk ing IKE ii xirl'A ssYal.