The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-08-18

princess Hildegarde, finally decreeing
that she must wed the Prince OF Doppel-
of the principality of Doppelkinn Though
he had been in the country six months
the American consul had never seen the
princess and when at last they met 1t
was very much of surprise to both.
CHAPTER I.-continued.
The one picture of her which l was
lucky enough to see had been taken
when she was six, and meant nothing
to me in the way of Identification. For
all l knew | might have passed her on
the road. She became to me the
Princess in the Invisible Cloak, pass
ing me often and doubtless deriding
my efforts to discern her. My curl
osity became alarming. l couldn't
sleep for the thought of her. Finally
we met but the meeting was great
surprise to us both This meeting
happened during the great hubbub of
which have just written; and at the
same time | met another who had
great weight in my future affairs.
The princess and 1 became rather
well acquainted. was not a gentle
man, according to her code, but, in
the historic words of the drug clerk,
was something just as good. She hon
ored me with a frank, disinterested
4 friendship, which still exists. l have
yet among my fading souvenirs of
diplomatic service half a dozen notes
4 commanding me to get up at dawn and
ride around the lakes, something like
16 miles She was almost as reckless
a rider as myself She was truly ia
nous rider, and a woman who sits
well on a horse can never be aught
but graceful. She was, in fact, youth
full and charming, with the most mag
nificent black eyes l ever beheld in
Teutonic head; witty, besides, and a
Isongstress of no ordinary talent. If 1
had been in love with her-which |
solemnly vow l was not!-I should
have called her beautiful and exhaust
ed my store of complimentary adjec-
tives.
The basic cause of all this turmoil,
about which l am to spin my nara
tive, lay in her education. | hold that
a German princess should never be
educated save as a German. By this
l mean to convey that her education
should not go beyond German litera-
ture, German history, German. venera-
tion of laws, German manners and
herman passivity and docility. The
Prlncess Hildegarde had been edu-
Gated in England and France, which
slmplities everything, or, l should say,
70 be exact complexities everything.
She possessed a healthy contempt
lor that what-d'-ye-call-it that hedges
IN king Having mingled with Eng
ilSn'speaklng people, she returned to
her native land, her brain filled with
the Importance of feminine liberty of
thought and action. Hence, she be-
came the bramble that prodded the
sIand duke whichever way he turned. |
ms days were filled with horrors, his
nights with mares which did not have
poS-stalls in his stables.
Never could he anticipate her in
anything. On that day he placed
guards around the palace she wrote
verses or read modern fiction: the mo- |
tnent he relaxed his vigilance she was
way On some heartrending escapade.
nun she scandalize the nobility bv
lessing up hussar and riding her
tanous black Mecklenburg cross-coun-
S Hadn't she fiirted outrageously
IN the French attache and deliber-
N'eiy turned her back on the Russian
49, 1,o'er' at the very moment, too,
r nen negotiations were going on be-
zen Russia and Barscheit relative
small piece of land in the Bal.
auS And, most terrible of all TO re.
49, naunt she ridden a shining bicy-
up the Konigsstrasse. in broad dav-
sidaSo ana in bifurcated skirts, be-
,ues! | shall never forget the indig.
1aS .'ou OF the press at the time of this
wb;oS 0oapade' the stroke of apoplexy
roo ,Sn threateneC the duke. and the
IN WIN the barred window which
-, pincess occupied one whole week
tba I oo burned the offensive bicycle in
nio,s, ourlyard of the palace, ceremo-
nassoS 100 and the princess had wit
bar ba Nnis solemn auto da fe from
m, Jared window. 1t is no strain
tbe nio sne imagination to conjure up
ening I lure OF her fine rage. her threat
tearIes lands ~ her compressed lips, her
beant,sa', nashing eyes, as she saw her
On tba u, new wheel writhe and twist
deuce w uiazlng fagots. But what the
niece ,, Was a poor duke to do with a
states al eine feared that the United
sebeit and the Grand Duchy of Bar.
lions. Tb baip sever diplomatic rela- {
Ue bicycle was. unfortunately, .