The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-10


in her voice when she at last found
heart TO ask she officer where they wer,
to spend the night. IT was far pas
noon. and Aunt Fanny had suggested
opening the lunch baskets. One of the
guides was called back, the leader be
ing as much in the dark as his charge
There is no village within twenty
( miles, he said, "and we must sleep in
the pass"
Beverly's voice faltered. "Out here
in all this awful Then she caught
herself quickly. 1t came to her sudden
" that she must not let these men see
that she was apprehensive. Her voice
was a trife shrill and her eyes glisten
ed with a strange new light as she
went on, changing her tack completely
How romantic I've often wanted to
do something like this
The officer looked bewildered and
said nothing. Aunt Fanny was speech
/ less. Later on, when the lieutenant had
gone ahead to confer with the guides
about the suspicious actions of a small
troop of horsemen they had seen, Bev-
erly confided to the old negress that she
was frightened almost out of her boots.
but that she'd die before the men
should see a sign of cowardice in a
Calhoun. Aunt Fanny was not so
proud and imperious. It was WIN diff
fculty that her high strung young mis-
tress suppressed the walls that had
long been under restraint in Aunt Fan
ny's huge and turbulent bosom.
Good Lawd, Miss Bev'ly, dey'll chop
us all to pieces an take ouah jewl'ry
an money an clo'es an ev'ything else
we done got about US. Good Lawd,
les tu'n back, Miss Bev'ly. We ain
got no mo- show out heah in desc
MOUNTAINS den az
BE still, Aunt Fanny" commanded
Beverly, with a fine show Of courage.
You must be brave. Don't you see
we can't turn back? It's just as dan
gerous and a heap sight more So If
we let on we're not one bit afraid
they'll respect US, don't you see, and
men never harm women whom they
respect"
'Umph!' grunted Aunt Fanny, with
exaggerated irony
We'll, they never dol" maintained
Beverly, who was not at all sure about
it. And they look like real uice men
honest men. even though they have
such awful whiskers."
"Dey's de wust trash All eveh did
see," exploded Aunt Fanny.
"Sb! Don't let them hear you," wills
pered Beverly.
In spite of her terror and perplexity
she was compelled to SMILE, 1t was
all so like the farce comedies one sees
at the theater.
As the officer rode up his face was
pale in the shadOwy light of the after
noon, and he was plainly very nerv-
GUS.
What is the latest news from the
front?" she inquired cheerfully.
1.-THE men refuse to ride on" he ex-
claimed, speaking rapidly, making it |
still harder for her to understand. "Our |
advance guard has met party of hunt |
ers from Axphain. They insist that you |
the fine lady in the coach'-are the
Princess Yetive, returning from a Sc
cret visit to st. Petersburg, where you
went to plead for assistance from the
car"
Beverly Calhoun gasped in astonish-
ment. 1t was too incredible to believe.
1t was actually ludcrous. She laugh
ed heartily How perfectly absurd"
II am well aware that you are not
the Princess Yetive," he continued en-
phatically, "but what can l do? The
men won't believe me. They swear
hey have been tricked and are panic
stricken over the situation. The hunt
ers tell them that the Axphain author
ties, fully aware of the hurried fight
If the princess through these wilds,
ire preparing TO intercept her. A large
of soldiers is already
lcross the Graustark frontier. 1t is
)nly a question of time before the
red legs will be upon them. l have
assured them that their beautiful
,harge is not the princess, but an
American girl, and that there is no
mystery about the coach and escort.
III in vain. The Axphaln guides al
eady feel that their heads are on the
lock, while as for the Cossacks, not
ven my dire threats of the awful an
,er of the white car when he finds
hey have disobeyed his commands
will move them"
Speak to your men once more, sir,
nd promise them big purses of gold
Then we reach Ganlook. 1 have no .
honey or valuables with me, but there '
can obtain plenty said Beverly,
hrewdly thinking it better that they
hould believe her to be without funds.
The cavalcade had halted during this
olloquy. All the men were ahead con- /
ersing sullenly and excitedly with
luch gesticulation. The driver, stol- q
creature, seemingly Indifferent to all
lat was going on, alone remained at Q
Is pest. The situation, apparently c
angerous, was certainly most annoy e
lg. But If Beverly could have read e.
Ia r,alsad % that oilaat a0.,ra on thu 1