Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-09-04

ana strap 1T on again. me way was
too narrow and the rocks too sllppery
to attempt such liberties. AT ! short
distance. however, and only little out
Of the path to the col she could sec 4
small green plateau, the very place Tor
rest But could she reach It? The
girl stood still and looked wistfully
across.
The place could be gained only by Y
scramble over a ledge Of formidable
rocks and climbing in good earnest
here and there, yet il the thing could
be done at all it could be done in ten
minutes, and to come back would be
comparatively easy. Virginia was
tempted.
1.-THE dear Letitia will be eating her
own lunch by this time and won't miss
me IL my half hour Is long one" she
thought "And, anyway. said half
an hour or so. That means almost any
thing when it comes to an argument"
Another moment and the girl had
started. She was brave at first, but
when she had gone halfway-a way
which was longer and far more diff
f1cult than she had fancied-she was
conscious of certain sinking of the
heart. She even felt some qualms of
sympathy with the sentiments and in
tentions Miss Portman had expressed
and heartily wished herself back by
that good lady's side, but it was against
her principles to be conquered, especial
~ when being conquered meant turn
ing coward or something like 1t, and
she scrambled on obstinately, her
cheeks burning. her heart humping
and her lips pressed together.
What grim, remorseless giant the
mountain was, and what a mere creep
ing fly upon its vast shoulder she! Lit
tie cared the old mountain that she
was royal princess and that the en-
peror who ruled the land Of which it
was part had the intention of marry
ing her. 1t would thwart that i'm
perial intention without qualm nor
turn a pebble if the poor little princess
toppled over its cruel shoulder and fell
in small. crushed heap without ever
having looked upon the face Of the
Rhaetian emperor.
Then there came a later moment
when. like Miss Portman, whom she so
recently laughed to scorn. the princess
felt that she could neither 60 ON nor 60
back. She was horribly homesick. She
wanted her mother and the garden at
Hampton Court and would hardly have
thrown a glance of interest at Leo.
pold If he had appeared before her
eyes. There were tears in those eyes.
and she was hating the mountain and
all Rhaetia with her whole strength
when from the mysterious distance
around the corner of the plateau there
came the sound Of mans voice cheer
fully yodeling.
Never had sound been so welcome
or seemed SO sweet. 1t was to Vir-
ginia as the voice Of an angel. Help"
she called help" first in English and
then, on second thought. in Rhaetian.
The yodeling abruptly stopped, and a
nan appeared round a corner of rock
beyond the green plateau. The sun
shone in his eyes, and he shaded them
with his hand to look up at her. Vir-
ginia stared hopefully, expectantly. A
glance photographed a tall figure in a
gray coat passemoiled with green. q
soft green cap Of felt, short trousers,
bare knees, knitted stockings, nailed
boots; thank heaven, no tourist, but
evidently mountain man, a guide or
chamois hunter perhaps at all
events, one capable of coming to her
rescue. These things she saw and
thought in a fash, and then the brown
hand that had shaded his eyes dropped.
She caught sight Of his face.
1t was the emperor.
A moment ago she had felt that she
could look at him with indifference
and would thousand times over pre-
fer glimpse Of the dear old house at
Hampton Court, with an easy way to
reach it, but now everything was
changed. There was no longer any
danger. He was there. He was COM
ing to help her. A power higher than