Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-05-12
he Good Princess
and the Actress

Fy FRANCIS cRIBBLE

Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles)
you think he loves me, Katti?''
"Of course he loves you, Princess"
But why should he love me, Katti?''
Because you are so good, Princess
The Princess paused, and smiled
sad smile, and then:
Il suppose it will be rather an ad-
vantage for him to marry me. 1t will
be what people would call good
match for him, Katti, won't it?''
Katti's blue eyes opened in amaze
ment.
"A good match for him. Yes, and
a great match. Is not that what all
the newspapers are saying-what all
the world is saying? You, the daugh-
ter of the greatest of the emperors,
and he only Prince in exile, turned
out of his miserable kingdom in the
Balkans, a soldier of fortune. an ad-
venturer without lands or lieges.'
The Princess was by no means sure
that he loved her, though she had his
word for IT. He had courted her, indeed,
to begin with, with all soldiers dash
ing gallantry, and her heart Lad yield
ed readily to the assault. But she
knew that the gallantry of soldiers is
superficial, and her looking glass tod
her that she was very plain and IN
significant, and she wanted to be very
sure of him, and she was not sure.
And of late, in a scandalous paper
that had come, by accident, into her
hands, she had read a strange scandal
about her lovers way of life.
The Princess questioned Katti about
the scandal to which she had read dark
references in the scandalous newspaper.
"A mere play actress A mink! A
hussy," cried Katti. There is no
room for jealousy of such a thing as
that; there is room only for pity and
contempt. A princess can only ig-
more such creatures, can only behave
as though she did not know that they
existed
The actress, VINO was no early riser,
lay upon her sofa, in a demi-toilette
of soft nuns veiling;-a faint odor OF
heliotrope perfumed the room.
The bell rang, and the servant an
nounced that lady desired to see
"Her name?" the actress asked, i'm
periously.
THE lady declined to give her
name, but babe me say that her busl-
ness with Madame was of impor,
lance"
The actress thrust the letter she
had been reading into her bosom.
''You may admit her, she said; and
then soliloquized comp1acently:
Some stage-struck fool, no doubt,
who wants me to help her with the
managers. All, we'll, we'll see. What
a thing it is to be good-natured!"
And then the door opened again,
and the Princess entered.
Pray be seated, madam" said the
actress, pointing with queenly cour-
tesy to a chair; and the Princess per-
ceived that she had not yet been rec
ognized.
She sat down as she was bidden-
albeit she felt that it was a strange
thing for her to be doing-and looked
her rival up and down with searching
eyes.
Not beautiful woman, she reflect
ed, nor yet young woman. Not a
woman whose natural charms could
fearlessly face the daylight without
the support of art. Her complexion
certainly owed much to the powder
puff, and possibly something to the
rouge-pot. 1t might even be suspected
that her hair was dyed. Yet she had
ing; character declared itself in her
mobile mouth; the grace of her move
ments had a charm that was none
the less sure because it was indefin-
able. Though her features might not
follow the classic rules of beauty,
this woman was emphatically rival
to be afraid of.
There was music in her voice, too,
even when she merely said:
Il understood, madam, that you had
important business with me-"
The Princess rose to her feet again
before replying.
You do not know who 1 ann" she
asked; and as she spoke she flung back
the shabby cape and removed the old
fashioned hat that formed her slight
disguise.
Then the actress saw who was her
visitor, and sprang to her fees in her
establishment, and the two rivals
faced each other. The fire of jeal-
ousy flashed in both their eyes; but,
for awhile, both of them were too en-
barrassed to find words.
1t was the actress who spoke first.
Your royal highness does me an
unexpected honor" she said, bitterly,
and in tones that foreshadowed a
whole avalanche of angry words to
follow.
As she spoke, she moved towards