The Elbert County tribune., 1906-08-16
s. r. Crockett.)

pei.
Prince Ivan regarded Louis OF Court.
land with disgust. Look at himl
Who can wonder at the lady's taste?
He is pretty prince OF great prov
ince. But If he live he will do well
enough to fill chair and hold 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 I had known, 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
of 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 Pc
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.
"Excellency," he said. turning to his
master. 'the Prince is deadl His
heart does not beat. 1t is the strokel
| warned you it would comet"
Prince Ivan strobe hastily towards
the body of Louis of Courtland.
Surely not?" he cried, in seeming
astonishment. "This may prove very
inconvenient. Yet. after all, what
does 1t matter? with your assistance.
madam, the city is ours. And then what
matters dead prince or living prince?
A garrison in every fort, squadron
of good Cossacks pricking across every
plain, tax-collector in every village
these are the best securities OF
princedom. But this is like our good
Louis. He never did anything at
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
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 womanl" cried
Prince Ivan. looking admiringly at her.
Pray forgive my bitter speech, and
remember that l have borne long with
this mani"
He turned to the servitors and d.
rected them with motion of his hand
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 Theresa 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
OF ,ivy hn iptA
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 a moment. He struck a sill
yer bell and with scarce a moments
delay Alexis entered.
GO" said the Prince: send one of
our fellows familiar with the speech
of Courtland into 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 a
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
Muscoyite heart full of treachery as
an egg of meat, Prince Ivan said.
"She is no traitress, this dame; but g
simpleton with all her beauty. The
woman is speaking the truth"
And Theresa was speaking the truth.
She had expected some such test and
WAS nrena rcd. hut she only told the