Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-02-15
BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARk
By George Barr MCCutCheOn.
author Of ''GrauStark'

Copyright, 1904, Dodd, Mead & Co.

and may mean death CCe%tc her polu-
ly before committing yonrscH.
There came the natural impulse to
make dash for the outside world,
fighting his way through II necessary.
Looking back over the ground he won
dered how he could have been deceived
at all by the unconventional American.
In the clear light OF retrospection he
now saw how Impossible it was Tor
her to have been the princess. Every
net, every word, every look, should
have told him the truth. Every flaw
In her masqueradlng now presented 1t.
self to him, and he was compelled to
laugh at his own simplicity. Caution,
after all, was the largest component
part of his makeup. The craftiness OF
the hunted was deeply rooted in his
being. He saw very serious side to
the adventure. Stretching himself upon
the cot in the corner of the room, he
gave himself over to plotting, plan
ming, thinking.
In the midst of his thoughts a sud
den light burst in upon him. His eyes
cleaned with a new fire, his heart
leaped with new animation, his blood
ran warm again. Leaplng to his feet,
he ran to the window to reread the
note from old Franz. Then he settled
back and laughed with fervor that
cleared the brain of thousand vague
misgivings.
"She Is Miss Calhoun, an American,
going to be guest at the castle;;' not
the princess, but Miss Calhoun. Once
more the memory of the clear gray
eyes leaped into life. Again he saw
her asleep in the coach on the road
from Ganlook. Again he recalled the
fervent throbs his guilty heart had
felt as he looked upon this fair crea-
ture, at one time the supposed treasure
of another man. Now she was Miss
Calhoun, and her gray eyes, her en-
trancing smile, her wondrous vivacity,
were not for one man alone. 1t was
marvellous what change this sudden
realization wrought in the view ahead
of him. The whole situation seemed to
be transformed into something more
desirable than ever before. His face
cleared, his spirits leaped higher and
higher with the buoyancy of fresh re-
lief, his confidence in himself crept
back into existence. And all because
the fair deceiver, the slim girl with the
brave gray eyes who had drawn him
into net was not princess!
Something told him that she had not
drawn him into his present position
with any desire to injure him or with
the slightest sense Of malice. To her 1t
had been a merry jest, pleasant COM
edy. Underneath all he saw the good
ness of her motive in taking him from
the old life and putting him Into his
present position of trust. He had
helped her. and she was ready to help
him to the limit Of her power His
position in Edelweiss was clearly
enough defined. The more he thought
of it the more justlfiable it seemed as
viewed from her point of observation,
How long she hoped to keep him In the
dark he could not tell. The outcome
would be entertaining. Her efforts to
deceive If she kept them up, would be
amusing. Altogether he was ready
with the leisure and joy of youth, to
await developments and to enjoy the
comedy from a point of view which
she could not at bnce suspect
His subtle effort to draw Haddan
into Il discussion Of the princess and
her household resulted unsatisfactory
The young guard was annoyingly un
responsive. He had his secret instruc
tions and could not be inveigled into
betraying himself. Baldos went t.
sleep that night with his mind con
fused by doubts. His talk with Had
dan had left him quite undecided a!
TO the value of old Franzs warning
Either Franz was mistaken or HaddaI
was most skillful dissembler. L
struck him as utterly beyond the palt
of reason that the entire castle guarC
should have been enlisted in the scheme
to deceive him. When sleep came b,
was contenting himself with tn
thought that morning doubtless woult
give him clearer insight to the sltua
ton.
Both he and Beverly Calhoun wer
J Ignorant Of the true conditions that at
] tached themselves to the new recruit
D Baron Dangloss alone knew that Had
dan was a trusted agent Of the secre
+ service, with Instructions to sha3cg
!. the newcomer day and night. Tha
y there was a mystery surrounding m
q character of Baldos. the goat hunter
: Dangloss did not question for an in
slant, and In spite of the instruction
\ received at the outset he was usin
all his skill to unravel it.
4 Baldos was not summoned to the cas-
, tie till noon. His serene Indifference t
a the outcome of the visit was calculat
! ed to deceive the friendly but watchfu
Haddan. Dressed carefully In th
S close fitting uniform OF the royal guart
e taller than most of his fellows, hand
t sOmer by far than any, he was tn
e most noticeable figure In and about tn
! barracks. Haddan coached him In tn
S way he was to approach the princes:
' Baldos listening with exaggerated II
z tentness and with deep regard for dt
, tail.
4 Beverly was in the small audienc