The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-08-27

@PRlN N G. planting green
* N and gold banners on old
Virginia battlefelds,.
dlTT1f1N crossed the Potomac and
~D2 occupied Washington.
~ Shirley Claiborne
called for her horse and rode forth to
greet the conqueror. The afternoon
was keen and sunny, and she had turn
ed impatiently from tea to which
she was committed to seek the open.
The call of the outdoor gods sang in
her blood. Daffodils and crocuses lift
ed yellow flames and ruddy torches
from every dooryard. She had pinned
a spray of arbutus to the lapel Of her
tan riding coat. 1t spoke to her of
the blue horizons Of the Virginia hills.
The young buds in the naples lowered
like a mist in the treetaps. Towering
over all, the Incompatible gray obelisk
climbed to the blue arch and brought
it nearer earth. Washington, the CEN
ter of mans hope. is also in spring the
capital of the land of hearts desire.
With a groom trailing after her, Shir-
ley rode toward Rock creek-that rip
ping murmuring, singing trife of wa
ter that laughs day and night at the
margin of the beautiful city. as though
politics and craftsmanship were the
hugest joke in the world. The flag on
the Austro- Hungarian embassy hung
at half mast and symbols of mourning
fluttered from the entire front of the
house. Shirley lifted her eyes gravely
as she passed. Her thoughts flew at
once to the scene at the house Of the
secretary Of state week before, when
Baron Won Marhof had learned of the
death of his sovereign, and by associa-
tion she thought. too, of Armitage and
of his look and voice as he said:
Long live the emperor and king!
God save Austria"
Emperors and kings! They were as
impossible today as snowstorm. The
grave ambassadors as they appeared at
great Washington functions, wearing
their decorations, always struck her as
being particularly distinguished. 1t
just now occurred to her that they
were all linked to the crown and scep-
ter, but she dismissed the whole mat
ter and bowed to two dark ladies in
passing victoria with the quick little
nod and bright smile that were the
same for these titled members of the
Spanish ambassadors household as for
the young daughters of western SEN
ator, who Economically waved their
hands to her from doorstep.
Armitage came again to her mind
He had called at the Claiborne house
twice since the secretary's ball, and she
had been surprised to find how fully
she accepted him as an American now
that he was on her own soil He de-
rived, too, certain stability from the
fact that the Sandersons knew him;
he was, indeed. an entirely different
person since the Montana senator def
initely connected him with an Amer
lean landscape. She had kept her own
counsel touching the scene on the dark
deck of the King Edward, but it was.
not thing lightly to be forgotten. She
was half angry with herself this mel
low afternoon to find how persistently
Armitage came into her thoughts and
how the knife thrust on the steamer
deck kept recurring In her mind and
quickening her sympathy for man
OF whom she knew so little, and she
touched her horse impatiently with the
crop and rode into the park at gait
that reused the groom to attention.
AT a bend Of the road Chauvenet and
Franzel. the attache, swung into view.
mounted, and as they met Chauvenet
turned his horse and rode beside her.