Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-10
PRINCESS MARTHA
BY PERCY BREBNER
J. Mcbride 4 son)
BY PERCY BREBNER.
CHAPTER Xxx.
Treacherv or Sacrifice.
Copyright. 1906. T. J. Mcbride q SOM

Treachery or Sacrifice.
All that night the stone. menacingly bal
anced on the wall above the door. remained
in its place. The brigands had no desire to
court a useless death, and they could afford
to wait.
At dawn EIlerey assembled to the roof of
the tower and found Anton pacing its mar
row limits to keep the warmth In his limbs
Nothing happened, Anton?"
Nothing captain.
you have helped your mistress into
desperate strait. How could you hope for
anything else but failure?"
1.-The princess has told you. captain?'
AYE, man, but that was a woman's hope
a brave one If you will, but there was no
weighing of chances. no counting the cost
in 1t. Was there nothing more than this
desperate hope at the back of your mind.
no sane mans reasoning to see the peril
of it,"
II am but servant to obey" Anton an
swered. Yet desperate ventures have sue
ceeded. and we had honesty on our side.
captain. Ours is the just cause, and that
counts for something"
mo wonder Princess MaritZa's history is
one Of failure If her counselors have ad
vised after this manner" said Ellerey.
Are you certain she has failed, captain?"
Anton asked. turning quickly toward him.
The earnestness of the question, added to
its seeming absurdity, was startling. Could
there be any doubt Of the failure?
Can your eyes penetrate beyond the spur
Of the hills yonder and see an army march
ing to our rescue. or your ears catch the
welcome sound Of tramping feet?"i Elerey
said. pointing to the head Of the pass.
"No, captain
els there any hope that a single man has
set out from Sturatzberg to help us?"
II know Of none." was the answer.
"And about US the plateau is full Of men,
and below us in the pass men waft-ene-
mics all. Outside this tower there Is GER
tain death for US. and within there is food
enough to satisfy one man for DAY per-
haps."
Il know. captain. and yet the princess
Ellerey did not answer. He leant against
the parapet watching the day grow brighter.
and Anton resumed his quick pacing to
and fro.
The men on the plateau and below in the
pass were beginning to stir. Sentries were
changed. There was the murmur of voices.
and presently rising curls Of faint blue
smoke from fires cooking the morning meal.
There was sunlight on the higher slopes.
and the song Of birds In the air, welcome
new day to myrlads of creatures On the
earth. To the man looking out across the
panorama of mountain peak and gorge
everything seemed a mockery. There was
something cruel in gladdening the eyes
with the beauty Of earth and sky when In
few short hours those eyes must close
forever. In the full possession of his life
and strength the man rebelled against his
fate. 1t was the end of rat in trap
ignobie. inglorious. That he would fall in
striking last blow for a woman who
cared naught for him had little attraction
his death could bring some good thing to
pass, 1t would be different.
Once or twice Anton stopped in his pac-
ing backward and forward to look steadily
toward the head Of the pass.
Can you hear the tramping feet?" Ell
lerey asked when he stopped again.
mo, captain
"Can you see anything?"
"No, captain; but It Is too good a morning
to accept failure"
1.-The. sun doesn't put on mourning for
every miserable dog that dies And then.
as Anton resumed his walk without a word,
Stsfan's voice was heard calling Ellerey to
breakfast.
All the stones which had once served for
seats and a table had been piled up against
the door. and the food was spread in lit
tie circle in the center of the floor. It was
Stefans arrangement He had refused all
help from the princess. grufiy but firmly.
although the gru1fness may have been
something less than his usual manner and
her hands behind her watching him, q
smile upon her lips.
"There's more table than breakfast, cap
tain" he said as Elerey came down; but
its a. Well to have things orderly. There's
little enough to say grace for. but there's
lesson In the display. for all that. It rep
resents. all that stands between US and
starvation"
with care Stefan. we can live for"
And then Ellerey paused.
Quite so, captain. I've been trying to
fix limit myself and failed
Ellerey looked at the scraps Of food. At
any other time he would have spurned
them as meal of any sort: but In such
case as theirs was. morsels of food bulk
large with possibilities.
To-day and perhaps tomorrow" he NUT
tered.
YES we'll be quite ready to welcome a
change OF diet by tomorrow night" said
Stefan. land for my part I shouldn't quar-
rel with any kind Of food and drink which
happened to arrive sooner. There's no
drawing from the mountain stream now
and the TASKS hold little"
Much may happen in two days." said
Martha quietly.
True They may storm the tower sue
cessfully and put us beyond the want of
food before tomorrow night" Ellerey an
swered.
They ate their small portions in silence.
and having eaten them remained silent.
Each ono was conscious that there was
something to be said. yet each one waited
for the other to say 1t.
Captain" 1t was a relief to hear Ste
fans voice, and Ellerey looked up. Cap
tain. make no claim to be much Of a man
at giving advice. I've seldom been asked
for 1t, and I've usually been in large
enough company for 1t to be done without;
but as We are, I take it each one of us be-
comes OF more Importance than under ordi-
nary circumstances.
Ellerey nodded.
"Well. then. my case Is this: Years ago
some one found me in the streets and for
some reason known only to themselves de-
cided that I should live. I may have been
hungry then-I don't remember-but I've
never been hungry since. l may have had
to steal my victuals. but anyway I've got
them. 1t follows. therefore. that in fight
ing hunger I'm not to be depended on The
weapons in use for such a fray are new to
me- and I don't know how to handle them.
I'm afraid Of the enemy"
''Well Stefan?'
Now. death. I suppose. is as certain
within the next few hours as anything well
can be, and I should like to meet the kind
Of death 1 understand Let US fix a time for
hauling down the barricade, and then make
q dash for 1t. Wen get as far as the path,
perhaps-there Is just a chance that some
Of us may get farther; bu- anyhow, we die
In the open.''
Have you thought Of the princess? Ell
lerey asked.
1.-THE circumstances don't make 1t easy to
forget her." Stefan answered.
Nor difficult to hate her." said Martha
Il took kind of liking to Grigosie which
somehow keeps me back from hating her."
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