The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-03-16

slight, in a white gown that clung to
hey arms and shoulders and rounded
waist and swept about her feet in
heavy folds. A cross swung from her
neck by long silver chain, and she
wore a broad-brimmed hat with a
gauzy white veil, so her face was in
shadow. She leaned slightly towards
Ashe as he cmtched the arms of his
big chair and sat forward in amaze
ment.
''I'm the Princess Constantia Grego-
rious," she said gently.
"Of-of Russia?" he asked stupidity,
trying to fan away the blaze of to-
baco smoke.
There are other lands" she said in
differently. "And not so far away"
Great Caesar!" he breathed, bewil-
dered, and his pipe dropped from his
astonished fingers. With the feeling
that II was the only bond between him
and nationality, he stopped to pick it
up, and as he rose he struck his head
sharply against the corner of the IL
brary table. Dizzy from the blow, he
staggered to his feet and looked tow
ards the door, She was gone, as mys-
teriously as she had come. He rushed
blindly around the table and
across the room, stumbling over easy
chairs and footstools, and sending a
revolving bookcase spinning round.
The hall was brilliant after the smoky
library, and was it also empty. No trail
Ing gowns had turnedupthee edges of the
rugs, nor could he hear any hurrying
steps on the polished stairs. He blinled
at the sun pouring red and purple
through the painted window for q mo-
ment, and then turned back and sat
down on the nearest chair. Good
heavens! what a dream! Who was
she? What was her motive in appear
Ing and announcing herself in that
royal way? And he hadn't seen her
face! Well, If it was as pretty as her
hgure-oh, confound his head! and he
was still feeling it gingerly, too dazed
to think Of more than one thing at a
time, when he heard his friends cheer
ful whistle in the hall.
"Well, old chap" said Thurston,
coming in. "Phew! but that pipe of
yours is a fright! If we don't air this
room before the mater gets into it,
your goose is cooked"
"Why, what will she do?" inquired
the other, uncertainty.
you'll never get another bid for
Sunday" said the first, throwing open
one Of the windows. Gee! | didn't real
lie how rank Cissie is getting. Retire
her, Billy, and get another. But, say,
what's the matter, old man? l left you
composing sonnet and going to sleep
over it. What's wrong?"
She looked down at his maligned
pipe, and then up at his friend.
Say, do you suppose she thought it
was rank?" he asked.
'"The mater?" said Thurston puzzled,
"She hasn't been here already, has
she? If so, we'd better go back to-
night. Did she wake you up?"
mo. | just dreamed it," said the
owner of the pipe, and began to feel of
his bump with frown of pain. His
friend looked at him for a moment
curiously, and then aimed a heavy
leather cushion from the nearest Nor
ris chair at him.
Wake up, you idiot" he said. "This
Is no sleeping car"
"Dick, has your sister a friend visit
ing her?" he inquired.
NO" said the other.
"Well, there was one in here any
way" pursued Ashe.
"One what" demanded Thurston
"One princess" said the other. His
host surveyed him in silence for a mo-
ment
"Ashe, you're crazy!" he said at last
"Come out and take walk"
Mr.. Wilmerding Ashe was making
for himself rather neat reputation
with readers of current magazines as
q writer of clever little occasional
verses. Among his friends at his clubs
he was considered a good fellow, and
they chose TO assume that somewhere
ne kept hidden away the person who
wrote his verses for him. His moth
br's friends approved Of him be-
SHuoC hO phio hio tuiio, anu ITO was
chiefly famous with the young ladies
Df his rather general acquaintance as a
master OF the arts of Welsh rarebitry
and bandinage. But no one was pre-
pared for the almost Oriental beauty
and mysticism of his latest verses,
which appeared in one of the best of
the monthly periodicals under the
name of my Lady OF the Realms of
Dreams" and which would have done
credit to a much more ambitious poet
than Billy Ashe. Ashe himself thought
rather well of them; he felt that 1t in
some way compensated for the very
nasty knock on the head that the Lady
had been the means of giving him, and
that he had turned most perplexing
dream to very good account. It was
better than taking 1t to the Society OF
shysicai Research. wEch he had