The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-09-24


OF her love for the prince she speaks
once or twice and once in reference to
what she had felt for Caslmir. "I loved
him most '.hen he left me and when
he died." she writes. 81 love him not
less now because love monseigneur,
but can love monseigneur more for
having loved Caslmir. God babe the
dear dead die, but he bade wc live, and
death helped TO teach me how to do it,
Again she reflects. "How wonderfully
everything is worth while-cven sor-
rowsp Following which reflection in
the very next line-she is writing to
Julia Robins-comes the naive out
burst: 81 look just splendid in my
sheepskin tunic, and he's given me the
sweetest toy of a revolver. That's In
case they ever charge and try and cut
us up behind our gunsl' She Is laugh
ing at herself, but the laugh is charged
with an infectious enjoyment. SO she
lived, loved and laughed through those
unequaled days, trying to soothe Marie
Zerkovitch, bantering Max Won Holl-
brandt, giving her masculine mind and
her feminine soul wholly to her prince.
"She was like a singularly able and en-
ergetic sunbeam" Max says quantity,
himself obviously not untouched by
her attractions.
The princes mind was simple. He
was quite sincere about his guns. He
had no wish to 60 on his travels until
they had arrived and he could deliver
them into the safe custody Of his train
ed and trusty volsenians and Of Luko-
witch, their captain. Less than that was
not safety with Stenovics in Office and
Colonel Stafnitz on duty at the capital.
But Marie Zerkovitch was right, too,
even though overexacting, as Max had
told her. The letter to the king held
but half the truth, and that half not the
more significant. He could not go from
| Sophy's side to seek a wife. The de-
sire of his heart and the delight Of his
eyes-she was here in Praslok.
Her charm was not only for his heart
and eyes, her fascination not solely for
his passion. On his intellect also she
laid her powerful hold, opening the mar
row confines OF his mind to broader
views and softening the rigor Of his
ideals. He had seen himself only as
the stern master. the just chastiser of
a turbulent capital and an unruly sol
diery. But was there not higher aim7
Might he not be loved in the plains as
on the hills, at Sldyna as at Volsenl7
By himself he could not achieve that.
His pride-nay. his obstlnacy-forbade
the first step. But what his sensitive
dignity rejected for himself he could
see her sunny graclousness accomplish
without loss of self respect, naturally,
all spontaneously He was soldier.
Hers were the powers of peace, Of that
instructive statesmanship of the emo
tions by which hearts are won and
Kingdoms knit together by a tie strong
or than the sword. Because I'm his
minds eye he saw her doing this, the
Idea at which the men In the palace
had smiled and which even Marie Ter.
kovitch would have accepted as the
lesser evil. never came into his head.
In the future years she was to be open
ly at his side doing these things for
him and for the land of his love and
labor. Would she not be better part
ner than some stranger, to whom he
must go cap in hand, to whom his
country would he place of exile and
his countrymen seem half barbarlans,
whose life with him would be one long
tale OF forced and unwilling conde.
scension? pride more subtle than
his fathers rose In revolt.
If he could make the king see that!
There stood the difficulty. Right in the
| IL.
thing on which the king insisted. The
pride of family-the great alliance-the
single point whereon the easy king
was an obstacle 80 formidable! Yet
had he despaired he would have been