The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-08-18

| per.
Prince Ivan regarded Louis OF Court.
land with disgust. Look at him.
| Who can wonder at the lady's taste?
He is pretty prince of great prov
| ince. But II he live he will do well
enough TO fill chair and hold a gold
en- rod. Take him away, Alexis"
| Nay" said Theresa, with quick
| alarm, "let him stay. There are many
| things to speak of. We may need to
consult Prince Louis later"
| Il fear the Prince will not be Of
great use to u.s." smiled Prince Ivan.
IF only had known. l would have
conserved his princely senses more
| carefully But the light wine OF our
country is dangerously strong"
| Convey his Highness to the rear,
and lay him upon the powder barrels."
He Indicated with his hand the array
or boxes and kegs piled in the dusk OF
| the tent. The servitors did as they
were told; they lifted Prince Louis
and would have carried him to that
grim couch, but. struck with some pe-
culiarity, Alexis the Deacon suddenly
| bent over the lax body and thrust his
hand into the bosom of his princely
habit, now tarnished thick with wine
stains and spilled meats.
"ENcellency," he said, turning to his
master, the Prince is dead. His
heart does not beat 1t is the stroke.
] l warned you it would comet"
Prince Ivan strobe hastily towards
the bod" of Louis of Courtland
Surely not?" he cried in seeming
astonishment. This may prove very
inconyenient. Yet. after all, what
does 1t matter! With your assistance.
madam the city is ours And then what
matters dead prince or living prince?
garrison in every fort. squadron
OF good Cossacks pricking across every
| plain, tax-collector in every village
these are the best securities OF
princeton But this is like our good
Louis. He never did anything at a
| right time all his life"
Theresa stood on the other side OF
the dead man as the servitors lowered
him for the inspection of their lord.
The weary, wrinkled face had been
smoothed as with the passage of a
| hand.
II am glad he spoke of his wife at
the last" she murmured. And she
added to herself, This falls out well
| 1T relieves me of a necessity"
| Spoken like woman" cried
| Prince Ivan, looking admiringly at her
Pray forgive my bitter speech, and
remember that l have borne long with
this man"
He turned to the servitors and di.
| h., l. r
towards the back of the pavilion.
Drop the curtain" he said.
And as the silken folds dropped
heavily down the curtain fell upon the
career and regality of Louis, Prince
of Courtland, hereditary Defender OF
the Holy See.
The men did not bear him far
| They placed him upon the boxes of
powder for the Margrafs cannon.
which for safety and dryness Ivan had
bade them bring to his pavilion. The
dead man lay in the dark open-eyed.
| as if staring at the circling shadows
as the servitors moved athwart about
the supper table. at which a woman
sat eating and drinking with her en-
emy.
And then The had spoken Very
fully she had told what she had
learned of the defenses of the place,
which gates were guarded by the
Kernsbergers, which by the men of
Plassenburg, which by the remnants
of the broken army of Courtland. She
spoke in a hushed voice, the Prince
slipping and -nodding as he looked into
her eyes. She gave the passwords
of the inner and outer defences, the
numbers of the defenders at each gate
the plans for bringing provisions up
the Alla-indeed everything that a
besieging general needs to know.
And as soon as she told the pass
words the Prince asked her to par
don him moment. He struck sill
yer bell and with scarce a moments S
delay Alexis entered.
/ Co" said the Prince; send one of
our fellows familiar with the speech
of Courtland ilto the city by the Plas-
senburg gate. The passwords are
Henry the Lion at the outer gate and
Remember at the inner port. Let the
man be dressed in the habit of
countryman and carry with him some
wine and provend Follow him and
report Immediately"
While the Prince was speaking he
had never taken his eyes off Theresa
Won Lynar, though he had appeared to
be regarding Alexis the Deacon. The
resa did not blanch. Not a muscle OF
her face quivered. And within his
Muscovite heart, full of treachery as
an egg of meat, Prince Ivan said.
she is'no traitress. this dame; but !.
simpleton with all her beauty. The
woman is speaking the truth
And Theresa was speaking the truth.
She had expected some such test and