The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-13
The Garden Of Lies
BY Justus Miles Forman
Copyright y A.. Company
BY Justus Miles Forman
copyr,sh. ,soa BY Frederick A. stokes Company:
CHAPTER XIII.

Notwithstanding. That seems
to me. as I look back, to have been the
burden cf those days and weeks that
dragged so interminably and left with us
no record of action accomplishment.
Waiting for what? I know not, save for
news from the south, and Of news there
was all too little. I had a letter from
Dens-it is before me noW-written a
week or so after his arrived in Novodni
1t told vaguely of plans afoot or per-
fected for the defense Of the capital. for
the division Of the attacking army by
drawing a part of it's strength away to-
ward the north to protect it's own COM
cunicatons 1t told Of measures passed
by the prince to gain the favor and sup
port OF an uncertain populace of the
princes calm. brave bearing in the face of
danger and of his own delight at the pros
pect Of again smelling powder and sleeping
under a tent. And at the very end Of the
letter one little paragraph that bespoke
the old Denis. you'll guard her we'll.
dear lad? You'll let no harm reach her?
You'll write me of her now aud then. how
she looks, il she's we'll. if she seems hap
pier? That's all that matters. you know,
that she shall be we'll and happy
spoke Of the letter to the princess
when l saw her next in the garden; for
with the passing Of my first anger
had given up my resolve not to meet her
again, and so talked with her often. striv-
ing as best might, to shift her thoughts
from unpleasant things to ordinary mat
tiers. the cheerful matters of every day.
But when L told her Of the letters end,
quoted his words as nearly as I could the
princess bent her head very low and the
hands In her lap trembled. Then pres
emily she asked some little questions that
started me talking again Of him.
/ think ! was stupid enough. in those
days, not to notice that when I was with
her, our talk, however begun, managed al
ways to fall upon Denis Mallory-rny talk,
that Is. for the princess said no word Of
suppose it was because my mind was so
full Of him that speaking my thoughts
seemed but natural. l suppose
that Is why it never occurred to
me that we talked Of little else. that if we
spoke OF the other matters, home hint,
some question of hers, indirectly put,
brought him back.
I told her--indeed I must have told it
many times over-of the first evening IN
the Cafe d'Alencon when we chose Denis
to play the princes part before her.
told her Of every incident that followed,
from that time to the last dinner at
Voisn's and the parting at the Care de
Est. I told her such adventures of his
as l happened to know, adventures afield
and afloat, wars in strange countries,
tilibustering and looting. and searching
for abandoned mines. And the Princess
Eleanor listened. face turned away,
speaking no word.
So we waited, inactive, idle, hoping for
tdings that would set our minds at rest
and give us definitely marked future for
which to make arrangements fearing
things that we would not admit to each
other. nay, not even to ourselves.
Colonel Won Altdorf had news from time
to time. now dispatch telling in CIPHER
Of some new movement. not a letter from
some one high among Prince Karls adj
visers, from the prince himself, or, as in
one instance, from Denis.
And ever, as information came to him,
as the situa ton became clearer and the
strength and mobility Of the opposing
forces was made plain, Altdorfs
brows drew lower and lower and the line
of his mouth more stern. He said moth
ing to me, nor ! believe, to any one, but
I knew that the gloomiest forebodings
filed his heart. and that the welfare Of
Novodnia lay in desperate straits.
But just at this time something oc-
Cured that for a while took my mind from
warfare and led it into a very different
channel.
morning from the other side Of the river,
I found a young lad waiting at the loge
OF the concierge. that canny old body hav-
ing refused to trust him alone In his
studio The lad explained that he was
from Mademoiselle Oliver who was very Ill
ana "lSneQ 10 see me at once.
Mile. Olvier?' said /. Now, who the
devils Mile Olivier? l don't know any
Mile. Olivier. You've come to the wrong
place. mon vicux.'
But the lad insisted. "Mais 81. Mile
Olivier. Mile. Colette Oivier!" She de.
manded to see me because 1 was the
friend Of Monsieur st. Denis! 1 mus
come at once.
"Ah!" cried. Mile. Colette, Ell? VIII!
didn't you say so before? Come along!'
We took a flacre. in which the lad sa
beside me. stiffly upright, awed and silen
at such splendor, and drove across tn
Boulevard Montparnasse and down the ia
mliar old Boul Niche till we came t.
one Of the narrow little side streets nea
the Musee de Cluny.
Here, there were interminable stairs t.
climb, dark stairs none too clean, pas