Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-05-23

Again she reflects. How wonderfully everything is worth while-even sor' rows. Following which reflection in the very next line--she Is writing to Julia Robins--comes the naive out burst: q look just splendid in my sheepskin tunic. and he's given me the sweetest toy of revolver. That's in case they ever charge and try and cut us up behind our guns!" She is laugh ing at herself, but the laugh Is charged with an infectious ~njoyment. So she lived, loved and laughed through those unequaled days, trying to soothe Marie Zerkovitch, bantering Max von Holl- brandt, giving her masculine mind and her feminine soul wholly to her prince. "She was like singularly able and en- ergetic sunbeam" Max says quaintly, himself obviously not untouched by her attractions.
 The princess mind was simple. He was quite sincere about his guns. He had no wish to go 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 overe1acting, 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 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 a higher aim Might he not be loved in the plains as on the hills, at Slavna as at Volseni?
 By himself he could 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 graciousness accomplish without loss of self respect, naturally all spontaneously. He was soldier Hers were the powers of peace, of that instinctive statesmanship of the emo tions by which hearts are won and kingdoms knit together by tie strong CT than the sword. Because in his minds eye he saw her doing this, the idea at which the men in the palace had smiled and which even Marie Fer 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 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.
 If he could make the 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 family-the great alliance-the single point whereon the easy king was an obstacle so formidable! Yet had be despaired he would have been