The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-12-24
Sophy Of
KravOnia.
. BY ANTHONY HOPE.
Author of THE Prisoner OF zsnds."
Copyright. 1905. Anthony Hope
Hawkins.
fContinuc.i from Last Issue)


gracious surprise az fortunes fancies
worthy OF love. Her own courage. her
own catching nj fortunes forelock,
seemed TO have been always uncon.
scious and instructive. These she new
err hints at nor even begins 10 analyze.
OF her love for the prince she speaks
once or twice and once Interference TO
what she had felt for Casimir. Il loved
him most when he left me and whea
he died" she writes Il love him not
less now because | love monseigneur.
but | can love monselgneur more for
having loved Casimir. God babe the
dear dead die. but he babe me live. and
death helped 10 teach me how TO Go IT,"
Again she reflects. How wonderfully
everything is worth while-even scr.
rowsr' Following which reflection In
the very next line-she Is writing 10
Julia Robins-cOmes the naive out
burst: 81 look just spcndid In my
sLeepskin tunic. and he's ilven me the
sweetest toy OF revOlve,. That's In
case they ever clMge and try and cut
rs up behind dpr gunsv' 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 10 soothe Marie
| Zerkovitch. bantering Max Won lIoll-
brandt. giving her masculine mind apd
her feminine soul wholly TO her prince.
"She was Ike q slngIlarly able and en-
ergetic sunbeam" Max says quantity.
himself obviously not untouched by
her attractions.
-he priace's mind was simple. He
was quite sincere about his guns. He
had no wish TO 20 ON his travels until
they bad arrived and he could deliver
them into the safe custody OF his train
Cd and trusty Yolsenlans and Of Luke
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 20 from
Sophys 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
i views and sOftening the rigor OF his
Ideals. lie had seen himself only MS
the stern master. the just chastiser OF
turbulent capital and an unruly sol
diery. But was there not higher aim:
Might he not be loved In the plains as
on the hills. at Slavna as at Nolseni?
By himself he couhl not achieve that
His pride-nay. his obstinacy-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 craftsmanship Of the emo
lions by which hearts are won and
kingdoms knit together by tie strong
er than the sword. Because IN his
minds eye he saw her doing this, the
Idea Mt 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
~ 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 be a place OF exile and
his countrymen seem half barbarians,
whose life with him would be one long
tale of forced and unwilling conde-
scension? A pride more subtle than
his fathers rose In revolt.
II be could makeIihe king see that!
There stood the difficulty Right in the
way OF his darling hope was the one
thing on which the king insisted. The
pride OF fanily-the great alliance-the
single point whereon the easy king
was an obstacle so formidablel Yet
had he despaired he would have been