The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-01-02

much at odds with her protege. In
an hour from now he will know the
truth and will be bowling like a mad
mn for his freedom
'Not so soon as that, Beverly said
Lorry consolingly. "The guards and
officers have their instructions to keep
him In the dark as long as possible"
"Well. I'm tired and mad and hun
cry and everything else that isn't CON-
patible. Let's talk about the war"
said Beverly, the sunshine in her face
momentarly eclipsed by the dark
cloud of disappointment.
Baldos was notified that duty would
be assigned to him In the morning.
he went through the formalities which
bound him to the service for six
months, listening indifferently to the
words that foretold the fate Of a
traitor. It was not until his new uni
form and equipment came into his
possession that he remembered the
note resting in his pocket. He drew it
out and began to read it with the
slight interest of one who has antici-
pated the effect. But not for long was
he to remain apathetic. The first few
lines brought a look Of understanding
to his eyes; then he laughed the easy
laugh of one who has cast care and
confidence to the winds. This is what
| he read:
She is not the princess. We have been
| duped. Last night I learned the truth.
She is Miss Calhoun, an American, going
to be a guest at the castle. Refuse to go
with her into Edelweiss. It may be a trap
and may mean death. Question her bold
ly before committing yourself:
There came the natural impulse to
make a dash for the outside world
fighting his Way through if 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 for
her. to have been the princess. Every
act, every word, every look, should
have told him the truth. Every flaw
/ in her masquerading now presented it
self to him, and be 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 a 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 sud-
den light burst in upon him. His eyes
cleaned with new fire, his heart
leaped with new animation, his blood
| ran warm again. Leaping 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 a thousand vague
misgivings.
s.She is Miss Calhoun. an American,
/ going 70 De q saest st the castle not
/ the princess. but Miss Calhoun. Once
/ NOR the ss@o.y of the eieaf gray
| eyes leaned 80 life Again he saw
ner asleep r the coach on The roaG
! from Ganlook. Again he recalled tie
ferrent 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 a 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
f! 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 it
had been 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 bis
present position Of trust. He had
helped her. and she was ready to help
MIN to the limit Of her power. His
| position in Edelwelss was clearly
enough defined The more he thought
Of it the more justifable 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 once suspect
His subtle effort to draw Haddan
into a discussion Of the princess and
her household resulted unsatisfactory
The young guard was annoyingly IN