Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1907-02-22

her face ~ probably woald not rec
Ognize Yeti as one of the earesdrop
pers. The rincess had hatly refused
to accompany them on the visit to the
y fortress because of Baldos. Struck by
a sudden Impulse, Beverly called Bal
dos to the side of the vehicle.
"Baldos, you behaved very nicely yes
terday i'm exposing the duplicity OF
those young women" she said.
'T am happy to have pleased your
highness," he said steadily.
1T may interest you to know thar
they ceased to be ladies in waiting aft
er that exposure"
''Yes, your highness, it certainly is IN
teresting," he said as he fell back into
positiOn beside Haddan. During the
remainder of the ride he caught him
self time after time gazing rehectively
at the back of her proud little head,
possessed of an almost uncomfortable
| desire to touch the soft brown hair.
"You can't fool that excellent young
man much longer, my DEAR" said the
countess, recalling the look in his dark
eyes. The same thought had been af-
flicting Beverly with its probabilities
for wenty-four hours and more.
Count Marlanx welcomed his visitors
with a graciousness that awoke won
der In the minds of his staff. His
marked preference for the American
girl did not escape attention, II
the bolder young officers
surreptitiOus grlmaces, and
with more or less compass. 2
happy faced beauty from o, |.
Marlanx surveyed Baldos ste. and
coldly, deep q pproval in his sin ter
e., He hu> not forgotten the en-
ter of the day before.
ii see the favorite 5 on guard" he
said blandly. HAS he told you Of the
lesson in manners he enjoyed last
night? He was leading his guests to-
ward the quarters, BaldOs and Haddan
following The new guard could not
help hearing the sarcastic remark.
"YOu didn't have him beaten?" cried
Beverly, stopping short.
mo, but l imagine 1t would have
been preferable. talked with him for
half an hour" said the general, laugh
Ing significantly.
When the party stopped at the drink
'9g fountain In the center Of the fort
ldos halted near by. His face was
mpassive as marble, his eyes set
straight before him, his figure erect
and soldierly. An occasional sarcas-
tic remark by the Iron Count, meant
for his ears, made no impression upon
the deadly composure of the new guard
who had had his lesson. Miss Cal
houn was conscious of a vague feeling
that she had served Baldos an i'll turn
when she put him into this position.
The count provided light luncheon
In his quarters after the ladies had
gone over the fortress. Beverly Cal
hOun, with all of woman's indiffer-
ence to things material, could not but
see how poorly equipped the fort was
as compared to the ones she had seen
In the United States. She and the
countess visited the armory, the ar
senal and the repair shops before
luncheon. reserving the pleasures of
the clubhouse, the officers quarters
and the parade ground until afterward
Count Marlanx's home was in the
southeast corner of the inclosure, near
the gates Several of the officers lunch
ed with him and the young ladies'.
Marlanx was assiduous in his atten-
ton to Beverly Calhoun, so much so,
In fact, that the countess teased her
old and well worn heart. Beverly
thought him extremely silly and senti-
mental, much preferring him in the
character Of the harsh, implacable mar
tinet.
At regular intervals she saw the
straight, martial form of Baldos pass
the window near which she sat- He
was patrolling the narrow piazza
which fronted the house. Toward the
close of the rather trying luncheon she
was almost unable to control the I'M
pulse to rush out and compel him to
relax that imposing, machine-like
stride. She hungered for few min
utes of the old time freedom with him
The Iron Count was showing hel
some rare antique bronzes he had col
lected In the south. The luncheon was
over, and the countess had stroiled of
toward the bastiOns with the young
officers, leaving Beverly alone with the
host. Servants came in to clear the
tables, but the count harshly ordered
them to wait until the guests had de
parted.
ut is the dearest thing l have seen,
said Beverly, holding a rare old candle
stick at arms length and looking at Il
In as many ways as the wrist could
turn. Her loose sleeves ended just be
low the elbows. The counts eyes fol
lowed the graceful curves of her white
forearm with an eagerness that was
annoying.
81 prize it more dearly than any
other piece in my collection" he said
at came from Rome. 1t has a history
which l shall try to tell you some day
and which makes 1t almost Invaluable
A German nobleman offered me (
| small fortune IL | would mart with II ,