The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-02-17
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/ RAUSTARk
GEORGE BARR MCCUTGhEOM

0sasrAsaa ~. ~ B~ssvt s. Stone

eshSh Aash aiho ~ oN's. -
head. With reckless abandon he drank
and sang md TESTED, arrogant in his
Eighty merrimcnt. His cohorts were
not far behind him in riotous wit.
AT length one of the revelers, speak
ing in German, called OH Lorenz for a
toast to the Princess Yetive, his prom
ised bride. Without n moments hesita-
ton the prince sprang to his feet, held
his glass aloft and cried:
Here's to the fairest OF the fair,
sweet Yetive, so hard to win, too good
to lose. She loves me, God bless her
heart! And L love her, God bless my
heart too! FOL each kiss from her Won
drous lips 1 shall credit myself with
1000 gavvos. That is the price Of n
kiss"
"Ill give 2,000!' roarcd one of the
mobiles, and there was Il laugh in which
the prince Joined.
"Nay! I'll not sell them now In
after years, when she has grown old
and her lips are parcl!ed and dry from
the sippings ! have had, I'll sell them
ali Mt Il bargain. Alas, she has not
yet kissed mel"
Lorry's heart bounded with joy,
though his hands were clinched in rage
"She will kiss me tomorrow. To-
morrow l shall taste what no other
man has touched, what all men have
coveted. And I'll be generous, gentle
men. She is so fair that your foul
mouths would blight with but II
carcss upon her tender lips, and yet
o shall not be deprived Of bliss. 1
shall kiss her thrice for each of you.
Let me count. Thrice eleven is thirty
three. Aye, thirty-thrce Of my kisses
shall be wasted for the sake Of my
friends. Lucky dogs! Drink to my
princcss!'
"Bravo!" cried the others. And the
glasses were raised to lip.
A chair was overturned. The form
of n man landed suddenly at the side
of the prince, and a rough hand dashed
the glass from his fingers, the contents
flying over his immaculate English
evening dress.
Don't you dare to drink that toastp'
cried q voice in his astonished ear, a
voice speaking in excited German. He
whirled and saw Il scowling face be-
side his own, n pair of gray eyes that
flashed fire.
"What do you mean?" he demanded,
anger replacing amazement. The 9TH
er members Of his party stood as If
s%pellbound.
81 mean that you speak Of the Prin-
cess Of Graustark. Do you understand
that, you miserable cur?"
ooh" screamed the prince, convulsed
with rage, starting back and instinc-
lively reaching for the sword he did
not carry. "You shall pay for this! 1
will teach you to Interfere
"Ill Insult you more decidedly just
to avoid misrepresentation" snarled
Lorry, swinging his big fist squarely
upon the mouth Of the prince. His
royal highness landed under a table
ten feet away.
Instantly the cafe was in an uproar.
The stupefcd ~AXphainians regained
their senses, and n general assault was
made upon the hotheaded American.
He knocked another down, Harry An
guish coming to his assistance with
several savage blows, after which the
Graustark spectators and the walters
interfercd. 1t was all over in an in
slant, yet n sensation that would 1.-Two
in the gossip Of generations had been
created. n prince Of the realm had
been brutally assaulted! Holding his
jaw, Lorenz picked himself from the
floor, several of his friends running to
his aid. There was blood on his lips
and chin; it ~triclled to his shirt front.
Flo some moments he stood painting,
glaring at LOrry's knocking face.
II am Lorenz of AXphain, sir" he
said at last, his voice Quivering with
suppressed anger.
1T shall be a pleasure to kill you,
Lorenz," observed his adversary, dis
playing his ignorance of leze majesty.
Anguish, pale and very much CON
cerned, dragged him away, the prince
leaving the cafe ahead OF them, fol-
lowed by his chattering, cursing COM
panions. Prince Gabriel was standing
near the door as they passed out. He
looked at the Americans sharply, and
Anguish detected something like trium-
plant joy in his eyes.
Good Lord, Lorry, this means n
duel! Don't you know that?" cried he
as they started upstairs.
"Of course 1 do, and I'm going to kill
that villain tool" exclaimed Lorry loud
enough to be heard from one end of the
room to the other.
"This is horrible, horrible! Let me
square 1t mp some way it, began the
alarmed Anguish.
Square 1T up! Look here, Harry An
guish, l am the one who will do the
squaring. If lie wants a duel, lie can
have it at any old time and In N
style he desires"
III may xii! you'll"
mot while a just God rules over our
destinies. I'll take my chances with
pistols, and now let me tell you one
thing, my boy: He'll never live to touch
his lips to hers, nor will there be a roy
al wedding. She cannot marry q dead
man." He was beside himself with ex-
element, and 1T was fully half an hour
before Anguish could bring him to a
sensible discussion of the affair. Grad
ually he became cool, and, the fever
once gone, he did not lose his head
again.
CHOOSE pistols at ten PAGES and at s
tomorrow" he said ~nonchalantly, as a
rap at the door of their apartment an.
nounced the arrival of the princess
friend.
Anguish admitted two we'll dressed,
black bearded men, both of whom had