The Washington times., 1906-05-13

enough-in his own opinion-for
any woman. Every train brought
= to the capital some suitor with a
consonated. hyphenated name and
pedigree as long as d hnre's idea OF
q funny story. But the princess did
not care for pedigrees that were
squint-eyed or bow=legged- One and
all of them she cast aside as IN
worthy her consideration. Then,
like the ancient worm, the duke
turned. She should marry Doppel-
kim. who. having no wife to do the
honors in his castle. was wholly
agreeable
The Prince Of Doppelkinn reignei
over the neighboring principally. II
you stood in the middle Of It and
were a beseball player, you could
throw a stone across the frontier in
any direction. But the vineyards
we're among the finest in Europe.
The prince was a widower. and
among his own people was affection
ately styled der Rotnasig," which,
believe, designa4es an Illuminated
proboscis. When he wasn't fishing
for rainbow trout, he was sleeping
in his cellars. He was often miss-I
ing AT the monthly reviews. but no.
body ever worried; they knew where
10 find him. And. besides, he might
just as well sleep IN his cellars as
in his carriage. for he never rode
a horse If he could get out OF do
ing 50. He was really good-natured
and essy-going, so long as no one
crossed him severely; and you could
tell him joke once and depend up
on his understanding it immediate
ly, which is more tnan I can say
for the duke
Years and years ago the prince
had had son; but at the tender
sge Of three the boy had run away
from the castle confines, and no
one ever heard Of him again. The
enemies Of the prince whispered
among themselves that the boy had
run away to escape compulsory mill
tary service. but the boys age pre-
cluded this accusation. The prince
advertised, after the fashion Of
those times. sent out detectives and
notified his various brothers; but
his trouble went for nothing. Not
the slightest trace Of the boy could
be found. So he was mourned for
q season, regretted. and then for
gotten; the prince adopted the
grape-arbor.
saw the prince once. / do not
blame the Princess Hildegarde fer
= her rebellion The prince was not
only old; he was fat and ugly, with
little. elephant-Iike eyes that wers
awsys vein-shot. restless and full Of
mischief. He might have made
good father. but 1 have nothing TO
prove this. Those bottles OF spark
ling Moselle which he failed to dis
pose Of 10 the American trade he
gave TO his brother in Barschejt or
drank himself. He was sixty-eiCht
years old.
A nephew, three times removed.
was waiting for the day when he
should wabble around IN the princes
shoes He was a lieutenant in the
dukes body-guard, q quck-tempered.
heady chap Well, he never wabbIed
around in his uncle.s shoes, for he
never got the chance.
/ hadn't been In Barschiet a week
before heard 8 great deal about the
princess. She was a famous horse
woman. This made me extremely
anxious 10 meet her. Yet for nearly
six months ] never even got so much
as a glimpse of her. Half of the six
months she was travelling through
Austria, and the other half she kept
out of my way-not intentionally;
she knew nothing OF my existence:
simply, fate moved US about blindly.
At court she was Invariably indis-
posed, and at the first court ball she
retired before arrived. 1 got I'D az
all times. galloped over all roads.
but never did 1 see her. She rode
alone. too. part Of the time
The one picture Of her which I
was lucky enough TO see had been
taken when she was six, and meant
nothing to me in the way Of identi-
fication. For all knew might have
passed her on the road. She became
TO be the princess in the Invisible
cloak, passing me often and doubt
less deriding my efforts TO discern
her. My curiosity became alarming.
/ couldn't sleep for the thought OF
her. Finally we met, but the meeting
ocontnued on -Pa<s-T-o. this sectlsag