The National tribune., 1906-09-13

| -NH''he1i Idu sloiti
some glances at his face. but he wa.
too impassive to show me whether hi.
sympathies were with me or not.
THE red rose for the Elphbergs Mar.
shall" said I gayly. and he nodded.
l 1 have written '.gayly" and strange
word 1t must seem. But the truth !:
that 1 was drunk with excitement. A
that moment 1 believed almost be.
llieved-that I was in very truth tn,
King: and. with a look of laughins
triumph, raised my eyes to the beauty.
laden balconies again ant
then l started. For looking down or
me- with her handsome face and proud
smile. was the lady who had been my
fellow-traveler-Ant de Mauban
and 1 saw her also start, ana her lip:
moved. and she leaned forward ant
gazed at me. And I, collecting myself
met her eyes full and square. Will.
again 1 felt my revolver Suppose she
had cried aloud. That's not the King
| Well. we went by; and then the Mar
shal, turning round in his saddle, wave
his hand, and the Cuirassiers closed
round us. so that the crowd could not
come near me. We were leaving my
quarter and entering Duke MichaeT,;
and this action of the Marshal's showed
me more clearly than words what the
state of feeling in the town must be
But if Fate made me King the least
L could do was to play the part hand
| homely.
why this change in our order, Mar
shal?" said l..
The Marshal bit his white mustachc.
1T is more prudent, SIRE" he muir
mured
I drew rein.
Let those in front ride on" said I.
till they are so yards ahead. But do
Marshal
friends wait here till have ridden so
yards. And see that no one is nearer
to me. I will have my people see that
their King trusts them"
Sapt laid his hand on my arm. /
shook him off. The Marshal hesitated.
Am I not understood" said I; and,
biting his mustache again, he gave the
orders. I saw old Sapt smiling into his
beard, but he shook his head at me- If
I had been killed in open day in the
streets of Strelsau Sapt's position would
have been a difficult one.
Perhaps I ought to say that I was
dressed all in white, except my boots
1 wore a silver helmet with gilt orna-
ments. and the broad ribbon of the
Rose looked we'll across my chest. ]
should be paying a poor compliment to
the King if did not set modesty aside
and admit that I made a very fine fig
VI ~ tiAc pCopiS IoT WHEN
1. riding alone, entered the dingy
sparsely-decorated, somber streets Of
the Old Town there was first a mur-
mur, then cheer, and a woman, from
window above a cookshop, cried the
old local saying:
'1f he's red he's right" whereat
laughed and took off my helmet that
she might see that I was of the right
color. and they cheered me again at
that.
1t was more interesting riding thus
alone, for heard the comments of the
crowd.
He looks paler than his won't" said
one.
You'd look pale If you lived as he
did," was the highly disrespectful re-
tort.
Hes bigger man than I thought"
said another
so he had a good jaw under that
beard after ALL" commented a third.
'The pictures of him aren't hand
some enough" declared o. pretty girl,
taking great care that should hear.
No doubt it was mere fattery
But in spite of these signs of ap-
proval and interest the mass of the
people received me in silence and with
sullen looks. and my dear brothers
portrait ornamented most Of the win
dows-which was an ironical sort of
greeting to the King. I was quite glad
that he had been spared the unpleasant
sight. He was a man of quick temper,
and perhaps he would not have taken
1t SO placidly as I did.
At last we were at the cathedral. It's
great gray front, embeilished with hun
dreds Of statues and boasting a pair Of
the finest oak doors in Europe, rose for
the first time before me, and the sud-
den sense of my audacity almost over
came me. Everything was in a mist rs
/ dismounted. I saw the Marshal and
Sapt dimly, and dimly the throng of
Gorgeously-robed priests who awaited
me. And my eyes were still dim as I
walked up the great nave, with the
pealins of the organ in my ears. II
saw nothing of the brilliant throng that
filled It; l hardly distinguished the
stately figure of the Cardinal as he rose
from the archiepiscopal throne to greet
me. Two faces only stood out side by
side clearly before my eyes-the face
Of a girl, pale and lovely. surmounted
by q crown of the glorious Elphberg
hair (for in a woman 1t Is glorious), |
and the face of a man whose full |
blooded red cheeks, black hair and
dark, deep eyes told me that at last |
was in the presence of my brother. |
Black Michael. And when he saw me |
his red cheeks went pale all in a mo-
ment, and his helmet fell with a clatter |
on the floor. Till that moment I be- |
lieve that he had not realized that the |
King was in very truth come to Strel- |
sau.
OF what followed next T remember |
nothing. I knelt before the altar and |
the Cardinal anointed my head. Then |
[ rose to my feet and stretched out my |
hand and took from him the crown of
Ruritania and set 1t on my head, and 1
(if 1t We're q sin, may it be forgiven
me) I received the Holy Sacrament
there before them all. Then the great
organ pealed out again, the Marshal
Dade the heralds proclaim me, and Ru-
1olf the Fifth was crowned King; of /
which imposing ceremony an excel
ent picture hangs now In my dining
room. The portrait of the King is very
good.
Then the lady with the pale face and
he glorious hair. her train held by two
pages, stepped from her place and came
20 where stood. And a herald cried:
Her Royal Highness the Princess
Flavia!"
She courtesied low, and put her hand
under mine and raised my hand and
kissed it. And for an instant thought
what I had best do. Then I drew her
to me and kissed her twice on the
cheek, and she blushed red, and-why,
then his Eminence the Cardinal Arch
bishop slipped in front of Black Mi
chael, and kissed my hand and pre-
sented me with letter from the Pope
the first and last which I have ever re-
ceived from that exalted quarter!