Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1906-12-28
CHAPTER l.

eetting sun, lies the prlnelpall-
~ Of Graustark. serene relic Of
od feudal days. The traveller
,os tbe little domain after an ar
- sometimes perilous, journey
- the great European capitals,
,har tley be north or south or west
.sor east. He crosses great rivers
vide plains; he winds through fer
valleys and over barren plateaus;
.aIsts and turns and climbs among
Nov eorges and rugged mountains;
.orches the cold clouds In one day
tbp placid warmth of the valley in
novt one does not go to Graustark
= pleasure 1aunt. 1t is too far from
rost Of the world, and the ways are
~ dangerous because Of the strife
ano the tribes Of the intervening
,,ntoins. If one hungers for excite
u and peril, he finds 1t in the jour
from the north or the south into
land of the Graustarklans. From
.rno and other places almost direct
vest the way is not SO full Of thrills,
Me railroad skirts the darkest of
danger lands.
6rcp in the heart of Graustark, how
the traveller is charmed into
ANS of peace and happiness and
,odlse, The peasants and the poets
] in one voice and accord, their
i'm being Of never ending love.
svn in the lowlands and up In the
4 the simple worker Of the soil re-
ICES that he lives in Graustark; in the
rus and villages the humble mer-
sant and his thrifty customer unite
sing the song of peace and content
ept, in the palaces of the noble the
.me patriotism warns its heart with
ougbts of Graustark, the ancient.
sInce and pauper strike hands for the
Ia Of the land, while outside the
eat, heartless world goes rumbling
81 without a thought of the rare little
sncipality among the eastern noun
ins
In point of area Graustark is but a
lie in the great galaxy of nations.
ancing over the map of the world,
be Is almost sure to miss the infinites-
bal patch of green that marks its To-
stIOn. One could not be blamed If
regarded the spot as typograph-
lal or typographical illusion. Yet the
eOpe of this quaint little land hold
their hearts love and a confidence
bat are not surpassed by any of the
brdly monarchS who measure their
mtrlOtlsm by miles and millions. The
raustarkians are a sturdy. courageous
Ice From the faraway century when
ley fought themselves clear Of the
artar yoke to this very hour they
Ave been warriors Of might and valOr
The boundaries of their tiny domain
we're kept inviolate for hundreds Of
fears, and but one victorious foe had
HOme down to lay siege to Edelweiss
be capital. Axphain, powerful prin-
tpality in the north, had conquered
RrauStark in the latter part of the
plneteenth century, but only after a
liter war in which starvation and
hmine proved far more destructive
ban the arms of the victors. The
Featy of peace and the indemnity that
|eIl to the lot Of vanquished Graustark
pave been discoursed upon at length
p at least one history.
Those who have followed that his
sOry must know, of course, that the
elgning princess, Yetive, was married
lO young American at the very tag
fnd Of the nineteenth century. This
admirable couple met in quite romantic
ashton while the young sovereign was
travelling incognito through the United
states of America. The American, a
Hpendid fellow named Lorry, was so
persistent in the subsequent attack
ppon her heart that all ancestral preju-
qlces were swept away, and she be-
game his bride with the full consent Of
Per entranced subjects. The manner
Il which he wooed and won this young
Pnd adorable ruler forms a very at
tractiye chapter in romance, although
pnmentioned in history. This being
lne tale of another day, it is not timely
y dwell upon the interesting events
Ehlch led up to the marriage of the
fflncess Yetive to Grenfall Lorry. Suf'
zee 1t to say that Lorry won his bride
fgalnst all wishes and odds and at
FAe same time won an endless love and
seem from the people of the little
Angdom among the eastern hills. Two
ears have passed since that notable
wedding in Edelweiss.
Lorry and his wife, the princess,
'Aade their home in Washington, but
spent few months of each year II
DuelWeiss. During the periods spent
" "suIuSIOn ana IN travel ner andlIh
Y Graustark were in the hands Of a
Iapable, austere old diplomat, her
ruce Count Caspar Halfont. Princess
'Oga relgned as regent over the prin-
,aipaiity of Axphain. To the south lay
ne prlncipality Of Dawsbergen, ruled
Z young Prince Dantan, whose half
'.lolner' the deposed Prince Gabriel,
i 1au been for two years a prisoner in
~. ooI.auStark, the convicted assassin of
,i .iince Lorenz of Axphain, one time
'Il'Or for the hand of Yetive.
II was after the second visit Of the
1OlIys = to Edelweiss that a serious turn
: aualrs presented itself. Gaoriel had
'ucceeded In occovof,,. R.o,,, bgs dtfn.