The Montgomery tribune., 1907-11-08

SYNOPSIS.
Arthur Warrington, American consul
TO Barscheit, tells how regning Grand
Duke attempts to force his neice, Prin-
cess Hildegarde, to marry Prince Dopple-
kim, an old widower warrington does
not know the princess even by sight.
While horseback riding In the country
night overtakes him and he seeks accom-
modations In a dilapidated castle. Here
he finds two women and an old man
servant. One woman is Princess Hide
garde and the other friend, Hon. Betty
witness mock marriage between. the
princess and n disgraced army officer.
Steinbock. done for the purpose OF foiling
the grand duke Stenbock attempts to
kiss the princess and she is rescued by
Warrington. Steinbock disappears for
good, Max scharfenstein, an old Ameri-
scheit. Warrington tells him Of the pri,-
cess. Scharfenstein shows Warrington
a loclSet with a picture of woman in
side. 1t was on his neck when he. as a
foster father, whose name he was given.
He believes 1t to be a picture of his
the princess that she is to marry Dopple-
kim the following week.
CHAPTER VI.
The princess rose at dawn the fol-
lowing day. She routed out Hans the
head groom, and told him to saddle
Artemis, the slim-limbed, seal-brown
f1lly which an English nobleman had
given her. Ten minutes later she was
In the saddle. and the heaviness on
her heart seemed to rise and vanish
like the opal mists on the bosom Of
the motionless lake. A pale star
blinked at her, and the day, flushed
like the cheek Of waking infant, be-
gan drowsily to creep over the rolling
mountains.
How silent all the city was Only
here and there above the chimneys
rose languid film of smoke. The
gates of the park shut behind with a
clang and so for a time she was alone
and free. She touched Artemis with q
spur, and the filly broke into canter
toward the lake road. The girls nos
trils. .dilated. Every flower, the thou.
sand resinous saps of the forest, the
earth itself, yielded up a cool sweet
perfume that was to the mind what
a glass of wine Is to the blood, exhil-
aration.
She would never marry Doppelkinn
never. That horrible Steinbock!
She was glad. glad that she had struck
him, again and again, across his lying
eyes and evil mouth. She had believed
that she knew the world; it was all
yet mystery; the older she grew the
less she understood. Wasn't anybody
good? Was everybody to be distrust-
ed? Which way should she turn now
The world was beautiful enough; 1t
was the people in it. Poor Betty! She
had her troubles. too; but somehow
she refused to confide them. She acted
very much as if she were in love.
She would never harry Doppellxinn
never
But how should she escape-how ?
On Wednesday night she would be
given her quarterly allowance of a
thousand crowns, and on Thursday she
must act. Yes. yes. that was It.!
How simple! She would slip over into
Doppelkinn, where they never would
think to search for her. She knew a
place in which to hide. From Doppel-
kim she would go straight to Dresden
and seek the protection of her old gov
erness, who would hide her till the
duke came to his senses. If only she
had an independent fortune, how she
would snap her fingers at them ALL
She was distracted by the sound of
jangling steel. Artemis had cast a
shoe. How annoying! 1t would take
ten minutes to reach old Bauer's
smithy, and ten minutes more to put
on shoe. She brought the filly down
to walk.
II only she were Betty, free to do
what she pleased, to go and come at
will! She wasn't born to be a prin-
cess; she wasn't commonplace
enough; she enjoyed life too we'll. All,
II only she might live and act like
those English cousins of hers with
whom she went to school! They could
ride man-fashion, hunt man-fashion,
shoot. play cards and bet at the races
man-fashion, and nobody threatened
them with Doppelkinns. They might
dance, too, till the sun came into the
windows and the rouge on their faces
cracked. But shel Il use the en-
phasis to illustrate the decided mods OF
her pretty head) Why, every sweet
had to be stolen
Presently the smithy came into view,
emerging from cluster of poplars.
She rode up to the doors, dismounted
and entered. Old Bauer himself was
at the bellows, and the weird blue
light kissing up from the blown Goals
discovered another customer. She
turned and met his frank glance of ad-
miration. (If she hadn't turned! II
his admiration hadn't been entirely
frankD Instantly she sent Bauer a
warning glance which that old worthy
seemed Immediately to understand.
The stranger was tall, well-made.