Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-06-14

" Calhoun's advent into the
royal household were filed
- with joy and wonder for her.
Daily she sent glowing letters to her
father, mother and brothers in Wash
ington, celebrating vastly upon the
paradise into which she had fallen. To
her highly emotional mind the praises
of Graustark had been but poorly
sung The huge old castle, relic of
the feudaI days, with its turrets and
bastions and portcullises, impressed
her with never ending sense Of won
der. Its great halls and stairways, its
chapel the throne room and the armor
closet; its underground passages and
dungeons all united to fill her imagina-
tive soul with the richest, rarest joys
of romance Simple American girl
that she was, unused to the rigorous
etiquette of royalty. she found embar-
rassment in the first confusion of
events, but she was not long in recov-
ering her poise.
Her apartments were near those of
the Princess Yetive. In the private in
tercourse enjoyed by these young wom-
en- all manner of restraint was aban-
doned by the visitor and every vestige
of royalty slipped from the princess.
Count Halfont and his adorable wife,
the Countess Yvonne, both of whom
had grown old in the court, found the
girl and her strange servant a source
of wonder and delight.
Some days after Beyerly's arrival
there came to the castle Harry An
guish and his wife, the viyacious Dag
mar. With them came the year-old
cooling babe who was to overthrow the
heart and head of every being In tie
household, from princess dow. Tie
tiny Dagmar became queen al szce,
and no one disputed her rule.
Anguish the painter became Anguish
the strategist and soldier. He planned
with Lorry and the ministry, advanc-
ing some of the most harebrained prof.
ects that ever encouraged discussion in
solemn conclave. The staid, cautious
ministers looked upon him with won
der, but so plausible did he make his
proposals appear that they were
forced to consider them seriously. The
old Count of Marlanx held him in great
disdain and did not hesitate to expose
his contempt. This did not disturb
Anguish in the least, for he was as
optimistic as the sunshine His plan
for the recapture of Gabriel was ridic-
ulously improbable, but it was after
ward seen that had it been attempted
much distress and delay might actually
have been avoided.
Yetive and Beverly, with Dagmar
and the baby, made merry while the
men were in council Their mornings
were spent In the shady park sur
rounding the castle, their afternoons in
driving, riding and walking. Often
times the princess was barred from
these simple pleasures by the exigen-
cies of her position. She was obliged
to grant audiences, observe certain Gus
toms of state, attend to the charities
that came directly under her supervi-
sion and confer with the mobiles on af-
fairs Of weight and Importance. Bev-
erly delighted in the throne room and
the underground passages. They sig
nified more to her than all the rest.
She was shown the room in which Lor-
~ had foiled the Viennese who once
tried to abduct Yetiye. The dungeon
where Gabriel spent his first days OF,
confinement, the tower in which Lorry
had been held a prisoner and the mon
astery in the clouds were all places OF
unusual interest to her.
Some Of the people Of the city began
to recognize the fair American girl who
was a guest in the castle, and certain
amount of homage was paid to her.
When she rode or drove In the streets,
with her attendant soldiers, the people
bowed as deeply and as respectfully
as they did to the princess herself, and
Beverly was just as grand and gra-
cious as IL she had been born with
scepter in her hand.
The soft moonlight nights charmed
her with a sense Of rapture never
known before. With the castle bril-
liantly Illuminated, the halls and draw
ing rooms filed with gay courtiers, the
harpists at their posts, the military
band playing in the parade ground, the
balconies and porches offering their
most inviting allurements, it is no Won
der that Beverly was entranced. War
had no terrors for her. If she thought
of it ait all it was with the fear that It
might disturb the dream into which she
had fallen. True, there was little or
nothing to distress the most timid in
these first days. The controversy be-
tween the municipalities was at stand
still. although there was not an hour IN
which preparations for the worst We're
neglected. To Beverly Calhoun It
meant little when sentiment was laid
aside. To Yetive and her people this
probable war with Dawsbergen meant
everything.
Dangloss, going back and forth be-
tween Edelweiss and the frontier north
Of Ganlook, where the best of the police
and secret service watched with the