Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-05-17

ficulty 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.
aGood Lawd. Miss Bev'ly, dey'il chop
us all to pieces an take ouah jewpry
an money an, clo'es an ev'ything else
we done got about u.s. Good Lawds
les tu'n back, Miss Bevly. We ain
got no mo- show out heah in desc
mountains dan az"
.Be still. Aunt Fannyw commanded
Beverly, with a fine show of courage.
ssYou must be brave. Don't you see
we can't turn back? It's just as dan
gerous and a heap sight more so. #
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.
"Unaph.' grunted Aunt Fanny, with
exaggerated irony.
"WeH, they never dor maintained
Beverly, who was not at all sure about
it. "And they look like real nice men
honest men, even though they have
such awful whiskers.'
ssDeys de Wust trash All eyeh did
see,'' exploded Aunt Fanny.
SSH Don't LEI them hear you, : whis-
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
~ <,,,,. ,..,,7aa ny, his Wa q
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.
"The men refuse to ride on" he ex-
claimed, speaking rapidly, making it
still harder for her to understand Our
advance guard has met a party of hunt
ers from Axphain They insist that you
the fine lady in the coach'-are the
| Princess Yetive, returning from Sc
cret visit to ST. Petersburg, where you
went to plead for assistance from the
car
Beverly Calhoun gasped in astonish-
ment. It was too incredible to believe.
1t was actually ludicrous. She laugh
ed heartily. How perfectly absurd"
81 am well aware that you are not
the Princess Yetive, !" he continued en-
phatically, sbut what can ! do2 The
men won't believe me. They swear
they have been tricked and are panic
stricken over the situation. The hunt
ers tell them that the Axphain author
tiles, fully aware of the hurried fight
of the princess through these wilds,
are preparing to intercept her. A large
detachment of soldiers is already
across the Graustark frontier. 1t is
only question of time before the
red legs will be upon them. | have
assured them that their beautiful
charge is not the princess, but an
American girl, and that there is no
mystery about the coach and escort.
All in vain. The Axphain guides al
ready feel that their heads are on the
block, while as for the Cossacks, not
even my dire threats of the awful an
ger of the white car when he finds
they have disobeyed his commands
will move them"
Speak to your men once more, sir,
and promise them big purses of gold
when we reach Ganlook. ! have no
money or valuables with me, but there
I can obtain plenty said Beverly,
shrewdly thinking it better that they
should believe her to be without funds.
The cavalcade had halted during this
colloquy. All the men were ahead con-
versing sullenly and excitedly with
much gesticulation. The driver, a stOl-
i'd creature, seemingly Indifferent to all
that was going on, alone remained at
his post. The situation, apparently
dangerous, was certainly most annoy
ing. But if Beverly could have read
the mind of that silent figure on the
box she would have felt slightly re-
Iieved, for he was infinitely more anx-
ious to proceed than even she, but from
far different reasons. He was Rus
sian convict who had escaped on the
way to Siberia Disguised as coach
man, he was seeking life and safety in
Graustark or any out Of the way place.
1t mattered little to him where the es-
CoEt CO41C1u0tu " ~ lie Wdo GViA5
ahead He dared not go back; he must
go on.
At the end of half an hour the officer
returned. All hope had gone from his
face. ut is uselessr' he cried out.
1.-THE guides refuse to proceed. See!
They are going off with their country
men! We are lost without them. I do
not know what to do. We cannot get
to Ganlook. do not know the way,
and the danger is great. All, madam,
here they come! The Cossacks are go
ing back"
AS he spoke the surly mutineers were
riding slowly toward the coach. Every
man had his pistol on the high pommei
Of the saddle Their faces wore an
e.