The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-05-16

you ever since our first hour together
on the mountain, but every day my
love has grown a thousandfold until
now it's greater and higher than any
mountain. | can fight against myself
no longer. | thought / was strong,
but this love is stronger than I am.
Say that you care for me-only say
that"
81 do care" Virginia whispered. She
had prayed for this, lived for this, and
she was drowning In happiness. Yet
she had pictured a different scene,
scene of storm and stress. She had
heard In fancy broken words Of sor-
row and noble remuneration on his lips,
and In anticipating his suffering she
had felt the Joy her revelation would
give. Il care-so much, so much! How
hard 1t will be to partr'
"If you care, then, we shall not be
parted" said Leopold.
The princess looked up at him in
wonder, holding back as he would
have caught her in his arms. What
could he mean? What plan was in his
mind that, believing her to be Helen
Mowbray, yet made 1t possible for
him to reassure her so?
| II don't understand" she faltered
"You are the emperor, and | am no
more than
"You are my wife If you love me-"
| In the shock of her ecstatic surprise
she was helpless to resist him longer,
and he held her close and passionately,
his lips on her hair, her face crushed
against his heart. She could hear 1t
beating feel 1t throb under her cheek.
His wife? Then he loved her enough
for that Yet how was it possible for
him to stand ready for her sake to
override the laws of his own land?
| my darling-my wifep he said
again. ITO think that you love mer'
Y have loved you from the first"
thu princess confessed, but I was
afraid you would feel, even II you
cared, that we must say goodby.
| Now And in an instant the whole
truth would have been out, but the
word "goodby" stabbed him, and he
could not let 1t pass.
1--WE shall not say goodby, not for
an hour" he cried. after this /
could not lose you. There's nothing to
prevent my being your husband, you
my wife. Would to God you were of
royal blood and you should be my EN-
press-the fairest empress that poet or
historian ever saw-but we're prison
ers of fate, you and |. We must take
the goods the gods provide My god
dess you will always be, but the en-
press OF Rhaetia even my love isn't
powerful enough to make you. II /
am to you only half what you are to
me you'll be satisfied with the empire
Of my heart"
Suddenly the warm blood Of Vir-
ginia's veins grew chill. 1t was as IL
wind had blown up from the dark
depths of the lake to strike like Ice In
to her soul An instant more and he
would have known that she was q
princess of the blood, and through his
whole life she could have gone on wor-
Shipping him because he had been ready
to break down all barriers for her
love before he guessed there need be
none to break Now her warm Inn
pulse of gratitude was frozen by the
biting blast of disillusionment but
still there was hope left. 1t might
be that she misunderstood him. She
would not judge him yet
1.-THE empire Of your hearth she
echoed. "If that were mine | should
be richer than with all the treasures
Of the earth. II you were Leo, the
chamois hunter, l would love you as
love you now, because in yourself you
are the one man for me, and I'd 20
with you to the end Of the world as
your wife. But you're not the channels
hunter; you are the man love, yet
you are the emperor. Being the en-
peror, had you talked Of hopeless
love and promise not to forget, hav-
Ing nothing else to give me because of
your high destiny and my humber
one, I could still have been happy.
Yet you speak of more than that. You
speak Of something I can't understand.
It seems to me that what royal man
offers the woman he loves should be
all or nothing"
II do offer you ALL" said Leopold.
"all myself, my life, the heart and
soul Of NEAL that's my own to give.
The rest-belongs to Rhaetia."
Then what do you mean BY
Don't you understand, my sweet,
that I've asked you to be my wife?
What can man ask more Of wom-
an?"
"Your wife, but not the empress.
How can the two be apart?"
He tried to take her once more in
his arms, but when he saw that she |
would not have 1t so he held his love
In check and waited He was sure
that he would not need to wait long, |
for not only had he laid his love at her
feet, but had pledged himself to a ire.
mendous sacrifice on loves altar.
The step which in moment Of pas |
sion he had now resolved to take would |
create dissension among bis people, |
ALLEVIATE one who had been his second |
father, rouse England, America and |
Germany to anger because Of the prin-