Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-07-28


1t is bleak and rough, a
land of hill pastures and Tho t,po rode
| mountain woods. Its back toGcth-
| natural features are re- er.
! f1ected in the character of the inhab-
itants. The men who count yolseni a
| local capital are harder than the men
of Slavna, less given to luxury, less adj
dicted to quarrels and riots, but consid-
erably more formidable opponents If
once they take up arms. For this rea-
son no less than on account of their
devotion to him the prince did well to
choose this country as the recruiting
ground for his new force of gunners.
The prince had been at Praslok for
week when Sophy set out to join him
there. At the last moment Zerkovitch
decided to remain in Slavna, at least
| until the court made It's promised move
to Dobraya Reassurlng as DR.. Nat
! chef was, it would do no harm to have
friendly pair of eyes and ears in the
capital so long as the king remained In
residence. Thus the two ladies were
accompanied only by Peter yassip,
| whom the prince had sent to escort
them. They set out In a heavy travel
Ing carriage at 10 in the morning, reck-
oning to reach the castle before even
ing fell. Their progress would never
be rapid and for the last FIVE miles ex-
ceedingly slow. They left the capital
in complete tranquility, and when So
ply settled her bill at the sign of the
| Silver Cock and babe farewell to old
Meyerstein, her landlord, he expressed
the hope that she would soon be back,
though, indeed, his poor house was, he
feared, no fit quarters for the Baroness
Dobrava.
II don't know whether shall come
back here, but can never forget your
house. l shall always love it in my
memory" said Sophy.
| Max Won Hollbrandt had obtained
leave Of absence from his legation and
had accompanied the prince to Pras-
lok. The two were friends, having
many tastes in common and, not least,
the taste for soldering. Besides hay
ing the pleasure of his company the
prince looked to obtain valuable aid
from Max In the task on which he was
engaged. The young German was
amused and delighted with his expedi-
ton. Praslok is primitive old place.
| 1t stands on an abrupt mound or knob
of ground by the roadside. So steep
| and sudden is the ascent that 1t was
necessary to build massive causeway
of wood-an inclined plane-to lead up
from the road to the gate of the square
tower which forms the front of the
building. The causeway has crossbars
ut short Intervals to give foothold to
the horses which in old days were
/ stabbed within the wallis Recently,
however, modern stables had been built
| on the other side of the road, and 1t
had become the custom to mount the
causeway and enter the castle on foot
| Within, the arrangements were
quaint and very simple. Besides the
tower already mentioned, which con-
/ tanned the dining room and two bed
| rooms above 1t, the whole building,
/ strictly conditioned by the shape Of the
hill on which 1t stood, consisted Of
three rows of small rooms on the
| ground floor In one row lived the
prince and his male guests, in the Sec
ond the servants, in the third the
| guard. The ladies We're to be accom-
modated in the tower above the dining
room. The rows of rooms opened on
covered walk, or cloister which ran
round the inner court of the castle The
whole was solidly built of gray stone
businesslike old hill fortress, strong
, by reason of its massive masonry and
+, of the position in which 1t stood. Con.
i sidered as a modern residence 1t had to
be treated hunorously, SO Max declar-
ed, and found much pleasure in it from
!, that point of view The prince, always
Indifferent to physical comfort and ever
ayerse from luxury, probably did not
realize how much his ancestral strong
j hold demanded of bis guests indul-
gence. Old yassip, Peters father, was
major dolno-always In his sheepskin
coat and high boots. His old wife was
, cook. Half a dozen servants completed
the establishment, and of these three
were grooms. The horses in fact
/ seemed to Max the only creatures
whose comfort were at all ON a modern
! footing. But the prince was entirely
satisfied and never SO happy anywhere
as at Praslok. He loved the simple
hardy life. lie loved even more, though
| perhaps less consciously, the sense of
being among friends He would not
yield an inch to court popularity IN
Slayna. but his heart Went out to meet
the unsought deyotiQnlof Nolseni. the
mountain town, and its surrounding
villages. Distant and SELF restrained IN,
IsSlavna, here he was open, gay and full
n ~ elnsiaet hssyiish arflar.