Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-01-04
~
Copyright. 1904. BY DO&.
Mead and COmpsm

| but that she'd Ole DeIore the mcA
should see a sign Of cowardice In
Calhoun. Aunt Fanny was not SO
4 proud and imperious. 1t was with DIFF
| ficulty that her high strung young mis-
| tress suppressed the walls that nad
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 jewPry
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 dan a.
"Be still, Aunt Fanny commanded
Beverly, with fine show Of courage
"You must be brave. Don't you see
we can't turn back? It's just as dan
gerous and u heap sight more So II
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.
''Well, they never do!' maintained
Beverly, who was not at all sure about
it. "And they look like real nice men
honest men, even though they nave
such awful whiskers."
"Dey's de wust trash All eVeh did
see," exploded Aunt Fanny.
'Sb! Don't let them hear you" Whis-
pered Beverly.
In spite of her terror and perplexlty
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 1t
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
czar."
Beverly Calhoun gasped in astonish-
ment 1t was too incredible to believe.
1t was actually ludlcrous. She laugh
ed heartily. "How perfectly absurd"
81 am we'll aware that you are not
} the Princess Yetive," he continued en-
phatically, "but what can do? The
|
} 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 flight
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. l 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 czar 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
4 money or valuables with me, but there
! can obtain plenty" said Beverly,
, shrewdly thinking it better that they
+ should believe her to be without funds
s The cavalcade had halted during this
! colloquy. All the men were ahead con-
8 versing sullenly and eXcltedly with
q much gesticulation. The driver, stOl-
t i'd creature, seemingly Indifferent to all
t that was going on, alone remained at
his post. The situation, apparently
/ dangerous, was certainly most annoy
4 ing. But il Beverly could have read
a the mind of that silent figure on the
4 box she would have felt slightly re
e lleved, for he was infinitely more anx
e lOus to proceed than even she, but from
: far different reasons. He was Rus
d sian convict who had escaped on the
Z way to Siberia. Disguised as a coach
4 man, he was seeking life and safety II
Graustark or any out of the way place
g 1t mattered little to him where the es
v cort concluded to go. He was going
ahead He dared not go back; he mus
# go on.
d At the end of half an hour the oficel
e returned. All hope had gone from hi
It face ut is uselessw he cried out
d ''The guides refuse to proceed. See
e They are going off with their country
a men! We are lost without them. d.
3 not know what to do. We cannot ge
v to GanlOok. l do not know the way
n and the danger is great. All, madam
here they come! The COssacks are go
y Ing back"