Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-05-12
COVERED WITH TEARS.

But let your highnesS remember this:
he loved me before he loved you, and
he will love me afterwards; and
though he wed you with every cere-
mony, and all the blessings of the
church, yet, in the eye of God, it is
who shall be his wife,
She ceased, and again the two wom-
en- gazed silently at one another, as
though each sought to read the 9TH
er's thoughts. This time it was the
Princess who broke the silence.
Yes, if 1 marry him. she STAN
mered; and the actress saw her
chance and changed her tone.
IF you marry him?' she echoed,
quickly. Then it is not certain
Then there is still room for me to
hope? Be merciful, Princess. AS you
are strong, be merciful. Let me kneel
to you, and beg you, and implore you
to give me back my lover"
And she suited the action to the
word, and fell upon her knees, and
seized the Princess hand, and covered
it with tears and kisses.
Rise, rise, mademoiselle. 1t pains
me that you should kneel to me- said
the Princess, and the actress stood up
and played her final card.
you think he does not love me?
You think it is 1 who am foolishly in
fatuated? Then read this-this letter
that came to me from him this very
morning. Read it, and if you can
truthfully tell me that he has ever
written you letter such as that, then
1 will confess that he has played me
| false"
She plucked the letter from her
bosom, pressed her lips to it, and
| placed it in the Princess hands. The
Princess took it from her and, stand
ing near the window, read it through
with Scalding tears courSing down her
| cheeks.
Sweetheart" it began, though I
know that I am to see you soon, /
shall write to you every day. And
yet 1 have nothing to tell you except
that 1 think of you always while L
wake, and dream of you always when
l sleep, and that every hour that |
spend with you seems but a minute
and that every hour that spend away
from you seems an age. Oh. how l
love you, and how 1 love to think that
your love is equal to my own
There were several pages of pas
sionate words. The Princess never
had known before that real love let
ters existed outside the story books.
| Princess" said the actress, pres
emily, in soft and supplicating voice,
Princess, will you not give me back
my lover?"
| HE is not mine to give" said the
Princess, choking back the threaten
| ing sobs. He is yours; he has been
always yours
The actress knelt to kiss her hand
| in gratitude and the Princess contin-
ued:
Yours Is real love, such love as I
have never known, but hope to know
some day No act of mine shall him
| der such a love as that. Keep him
and be happy. 1 shall write to him
and tell him that his duty is to make
you happy. Good-by. Perhaps you
can guess now why I came to see
you-''
And, with that, she stopped and
kissed the actress on the cheek
| And the Princess kept her word
Il shall not marry you,'' she wrote.
Il do not wish it, and you in your
heart of hearts wish it even less
Your duty is to another, and by mai
rying her you will win greater happl-
ness than / can ever give you'
That was her last word to him, but
when Europe was scandalized by the
news of the quiet wedding in the aae
| tie village on the Riviera, she sent a
wedding present to the bride. to prove
to her that she bore no nance