The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-10
By
GEORGE BARR
M'CUTCHE0N,
~
GOpTrssht. 1904. b. Dodd.
Mead and Conl5ry

I bullle.
i ION, dear" she sighed, "a whole hou
of thisr'
1--WE soon be dar, Miss Bev'ly Jes
J max up yo' min to res easy-like
an We But the faithful old coloret
woman's advice was lost in the wrath
full exclamation that accompanied an
other dislodgment Of bags and boxes
The wheels of the coach had dropped
suddenly into a deep rut. Aunt Fan
ny's growls were scarcely more potent
than poor Miss Beverly's means.
1T is getting worse and worse" ex
claimed Aunt Fanny's mistress petu
lantly I'm black and blue from head
to foot, aren't you, Aunt FannyT"
"Ah cain say as to de blue, Miss
Bey'ly. Hits a mos monstrous bad
road, sho 'nough. Stay up dar, will
yo'Y" she concluded, jamming bag
into an upper corner.
Miss Calhoun, tourist extraordinary.
again consulted the linguist in the sad
die. She knew at the outset that the
quest would be hopeless, but she could
think of no better way to pass the next
hour than to extract mite of informa-
ton from the officer
''Now for a good old enat," she said.
beaming smile upon the grizzled Rus
sian. rs there a decent hotel in the
villageY she asked.
They were on the edge of the village
before she succeeded in finding out j
that she could, and it was not a gre t
deal, either. She learned that the town
of Balak was in Axphain, scarcely a
mile from the Graustark line There
which to consider the proposition.
Axphain Immediately sent an envoy
to Edelweiss to say that all friendly
relations between the two govern
ments would cease unless Graustark
took vigorous steps to recapture the
royal assassin. On one side of the
unhappy principally a strong, over
bearing princess was egging Graustark
on to fight, while on the other side an
equally aggressive people defed Ye-
tive to come and take the fugitive if
she could. The poor princess was be-
tween~two ugly alternatives, and Il
struggle seemed inevitable. At Balak
1t was learned that Axphain had re-
Gently sent final appeal to the gov.
eminent of !Graustark, and 1t was no
secret Chat something like threat &C.
companied the message.
Prince Gabriel was In complete con-
troll at Serros and was disposed to
laugh at the demands of his late cap
tors Ills half brother, the dethroned
Prince Dantan, was still hiding in the
Businesses OF the hills, protected by
small company of mobiles, and there
was no hope that he ever could regain
his crown. Gabriel's power over the
army was supreme The general pub.
lie admired Dantan, but it was helpless
in the face of clrcumstan
"But why should Axphain seek to
harass Graustark at this timer" de-
manded Beverly Calhoun in perplex-
ity and wrath Il should think the
brutes would try to help her.
was an eating and sleeping house on
the main street, and the population of
the place did not exceed 300.
When Miss Beverly awoke the next
morning sore and distressed, she look
ed back upon the night with a horror
that sleep had been kind enough to in
terrupt only at intervals. The wretched
hostelry lived long in her secret cata-
logue of terrors. Her bed was not a
bed; 1t was torture. The room, the
table, the-but it was all too odious for |
description. Fatigue was her only |
friend In that miserable hole. Aunt |
Fanny had slept on the floor near her |
mistress cot, and it was the good old |
colored woman's grumbling that awoke |
Beverly. The sun was climbing up the |
in the east, and there was
an air of general activity about the |
place Beverly's watch told her that it
was past 8 o'clock.
"Good gracious!' she exclaimed.
Tt's nearly noon, Aunt Fanny. Hurry
along here and get me up. We must
leave this abominable place in ten min |
utes." She was up and racing about
"Befo' breakfast" demanded Aunt
Fanny weakly.
Goodness, Aunt Fanny, is that all
you think aboutr
well, honey, yo'll be thinkin'
serious bout breakfas' long
to'ahds 'leben o'clock. Dat lii tum-
my o. yourn'Il be pow'ful mad cause
20 didn' -
Every well, Aunt Fanny, you can
'un along and have the woman put up
/ breakfast for US, and we'll eat 1t on
he road. positively refuse to eat
mother mouthful In that awful dining
DOM. I'll be down In ten minutes"
She was down in less. Sleep, no
natter how hard earned, had revived h
Ter spirits materially. She pronounced (
lerself ready for anything. There was
! wholesome disdain for the rigors of
he coming ride through the mountains
n the way she gave orders for the
tart. The RussiaN officer met her ,
ust outside the entrance to the Inn.
lie was less English thu ever, but he
.vof.fuallv 0avo har IN understand that |