The Grit-advocate., 1907-11-01

Arthur Warrington. American consul
to Barscheit. tells how reigning Grand
Duke attempts to force his neice. Prin-
kim. an old widower. Warrington does
not know the princess even by sight.
While horseback riding In the country
modations In dilapidated castle. Here
he finds two women and an old man
servant. One woman Is Princess Hide
Moore. of England. They detain him to
witness a mock marriage between the
princess and disgraced army. officer.
the grand duke. Stcinbock attempts to
kiss the princess and she is rescued by
Warrington. Steinbock disappears for
good. Max Scharfenstein. an old Ameri-
can friend of Warrington's reaches Bar
scheit.
CHAPTER ~.
He came straight to the conaulate
and l was SO glad to see him that |
sat him down in front of the sideboard
no one. We had been classmates and
roommates at college, and two better
friends never lived. We spent the
whole night In recounting the good
old days, sighed little over the de-
parted ones, and praised or criticized
the living. Hadn't they been times,
though? The nights We had stolen up
to Philadelphia to see the shows, the
great Thanksgiving games in New
York, the commencements, and all
that!
Max had come out of the far west.
He was founding who had been
adopted by wealthy German ranch
man named Scharfenstein, which name
Max assumed as his own, it being as
good as any. Nobody knew anything
about Max's antecedents, but he was
so big and handsome and jolly that no
one cared hang. For all that he did
not know his parentage, he was gen.
tleman, something that has to be bred
in the bone. Once or twice l remem-
Der seeing him angry; in anger he was
arrogant, deadly, but calm. He was
god in track-linen, for he was what
few big men are, quick and agile. The
big fellow who is catlike in his move
ments Is the most formidable of ath-
letes. One thing that invariably
amused me was his inordinate love of
uniforms. He would always stop when
he saw soldier or the picture Of one,
and his love of arms was little short
of mania. He was an expert fencer
and q dead shot besides. pardon the
parenthesis, but feel it my duty to
warn you that nobody fights duel in
this little history, and nobody gets
killed)
On leaving college he went in for
Nd hic in hn
capital city of Barscheit was due OBJ
viously to the great medical college,
famous the world over for its nerve
specialists. This was Max's first ad-
venture in the land of gutturals. ex-
planned to him, and partly unraveled.
the tangle of laws; as to the language,
he spoke that, not like a native, but
as one.
Max was very fond of the society of
women, and at college We used to twit
him about it, for he was always eager
TO meet new face. trusting that the
new one might be the ideal for which
he was searching.
We'll, you old Dutchman," said |,
have you ever found that ideal wom-
an Of yours?"
"Bah!"-lighting a pipe. "She will
never be found. A horse and trusty
dog for me; those two you may event
ually grow to understand. OF course.
l don't say, II the woman came along
the right one-I mightn't go under.
I'm philosopher enough to admit that
possibility want her tall, hair like
cornsilk, eyes like the corn-fower, of
brilliant intellect, reserved, and digni-
fled, and patient l want woman,
not humorous. but who understands
humor, and have never heard of one.
So, you see, it's all smoke; and never
talk woman these times unless I'm
smoking,"- gesture which ex-
planned that he had given up the idea
altogether. "a doctor sees so much
of women that he finally sees nothing
OF woman"
"Oh, II you resort to epigrams, I
can see that it's all over"
"All over. I'm so used to being
alone that l shouldn't know what to
do with wife" He puffed seriously.
All! the futllity of our desires, of
our castles, of our dreams! The COM
placency with which we jog along in
what we deem to be our own particular
groove! recall girl friend of my
youth who was going to be celbate.
great reformer. and toward that end
was studying for the pulpit. She is
now the mother Of several children,
the most peaceful and unorative WON.
an l know. You see. humanity goes
whirring ever various sldetracks,
thinking them to be the main line, till
fate puts its peculiar but happy hand
to the switch. Scharfenstein lad been