Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-09-01
Chapter
1wenty,seven|
VIE king had died yesterday, yet
none had told his heir! Mistitch
had set out for Dobrava with

u
fifty men to wait for the king,
who was dead. The dead king would
never go to Dobrava. and no messenger
came to the new king at Praslok!
Zerkovitch's news was enough to
raise the anger Of king. and Sergius
blazed with 1t. But more potent still
was his wrathful fear as he thought Of
Sophy at Praslok In the power of Cap.
tain Hercules.
He had his guard Of twenty mounted
men with him. With these he at once
set forth, bidding Lukovitch collect all
the men he could and follow him as
speedily as possible If Mistitch had
really gone to Dobrava, then he would
find him there and have the truth out
of him, but IL, as the prince hardly
doubted, he was making for Praslok
there was time to intercept him, time
to carry off Sophy and the other In
mates Of the castle. send them back to
safety within the walls of Volseni and
himself ride on to meet Mistitch with
his mind at ease.
Relying on Zerkovitch's Information.
he assumed that the troopers had not
started from Slavna till in the morn
ing. They had started at g. He reck
oned also on Zerkovitch's statement
that they We're but fifty strong. They
were hundred Yet. had he known
the truth. he could not have used more
haste, and he would not have waited
for another man. He stayed to tell no
man in Volseni the news about his ia
Their except Lukovitch. But as bis
twenty rode out of the gate behind
him he turned his head to Zerkovitch.
who trotted beside him, for Zerkovitch
neither could nor would rest till the
game was played, and said, Tell them
that the king is dead and that reign"
Zerkovitch whispered the news to the
man next him, and 1t ran along the
line. A low, stern cheer, hardly more
than murmured assurance of loyalty
and service, came from the lips of the
men in sheepskins.
Mistitch saw them coming and turn
ed to his troop. He had time for lit
tie speech, and Stafnitz had taught him
what to say: Men. you are servants of
the king and of the king only Not
even the Prince of Slavna can com
mand you against the kings orders
The kings orders are that we take
| Baroness Dobrava to Slavna. no mat
ter who resists. If need be, these or
ders stand even against the prince"
Stafnitz's soldiers-the men he pet
ted, the men who had felt the princes
stern hand-were only too glad to hear
It. To strike for the king and vet
| against the hated prince-it was a lux
ury. a happy and unlocked for harmo-
nizing Of their duty and their pleasure.
| Their answ ering cheer was loud and
| fierce
1t struck harsh on the ears Of the ad-
vancing prince. His face grew hard
and strained as he heard the shouts
| and saw the soiled body of men across
the path, barring access to his own
castle. And within yard or two of
their ranks by the side Of the road sat
the figure which he knew SO we'll and
80 we'll loved
Now Mistitch played his card, that
move In the game which Sophy's cool
submission to his demand had for the
moment thwarted, but to which the
princes headlong anger and fear now
gave an opening, the opening which
Stafnitz had from the first foreseen
1t would need little to make the fiery
prince forget prudence when he was
face to face with Mistitch. 1t was not
safe game for Mistitch personally
both Stafnitz and he knew that-but
Captain Hercules was confident He
would not be caught twice by the Vol
SEM trick of sword! The satisfaction
of his revenge and the unstinted re
wards that his colonel offered made II
worth his while to accept the risk and
rendered It grateful to his heart.
Sophy sat smiling. She would fair
have averted the encounter and had
shaped her maneuvers to that end II
was not to be SO. 1t seemed. Now, she
did not doubt monseigneur's success
but she wished that Zerkovitch had
not reached Volseni 30 quickly; thai
the prince had stayed behind his walls
till his plans were ready, and that SHE
was going prisoner to Slavna to SEE
the king trusting to her face he
tongue. her courage and the star of hel
own fortune. Never had her buoyan
self confidence run higher
On the top of the causeway Max Vol
Hollbrandt looked to his revolver, Pc
ter Vassip loosened his knife in iti
leather sheath. A window above thu
gate opened, and Marie Zerkovitch'.
frightened face looked out. The wo
men servants jostled old vassip in tn,
doorway. The grooms stood OUTSIDE
the stables. No one moved Only tn,
princes little troop came on. Whel
they were fifty yards away Mistitcl
cried to his men. Draw swords" ant
himself pricked his horse with his spu
andTode up to where sophy was.
Mistitch drew his horse up parable
to Sophy's, head to tail, on her RICH
side, between her and the approaching
force. With the instinct of hatred sh
shrank away from him. 1t had all beel
foreseen and rehearsed In Stafnitz'
mind Mistitch cried loudly, SIN tn
kings name. Baroness Dobrava" H
leaned from the saddle and caught he
i EASne WtASt III uAS Hu6C nonu' ac no'
the justification that at his first attemp
to touch her Sophy's hand had flown t
her little revolver and held 1t now
Mistitch crushed her wrist. The re
volver fell to the ground Sophy CAV
one cry of pain. Mistitch dropped he
wrist and reached his arm about he
waist. He was pulling her from he
horse. while again he cried out: I'm tn