Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-08-28

watered down to gentle prettinesS, for
the hereditary Grand Duchess Of Bau-
menburg- Drippe at afty-one was still
. daintily attractive woman, a middle
aged Dresden china lady, with a per.
feet complexion preserved by an n
most perfect temper, surprised eye.
brows. kindly dimples and conven-
tional upper lip.
She was not by birth hereditary"
Her lord aud Every much) her master
had been that aud had selected her to
help him reign over the hereditary
grand duchy Of Baumenburg-D rippe.
not only because her father was an
English duke with royal Stuart blood
In his veins, but because her Virginian
mother had brought much gold to the
Northumberland exchequer. Afterward
he had freely spent such portion of
that gold as had come to his Golfers in
trying to keep his little estates intact
But now 1t was all gone, and long ago
he had died Of grief and bitter disap.
pointment. The hereditary grand duchy
of -Drippe was ruled by
a cousinly understudy Of the German
Emperor William ~: the one son of
the marriage had BEEN adopted as heir
to his crown by the childless king Of
Hungaria; the handsome and lamenta-
bly, extravagant old Duke of North
moreland was dead; his title and vast
estates had passed to a distant and dis
agreeable relative, and the widowed
grand duchess. with her one fair
daughter, had lived for years in pref
ty old house with high walled gar,
den at Hampton Court, lent by the
generosity Of the king and queen of
England.
For a long moment the Dresden
china lady thought in silence aud some
thing of sadness. Then she reused her
self again and asked the one and only
royal princess with an American name
what, in the way of a match, she real
ly expected.
"What do expect?" echoed Virginia.
''Why. wish for the moon-no,
mean the sun. But don't expect to
get it,"
'Is that way Of saying you never
intend to marry?"
"Fm afraid it amounts to that" ad-
mitted Virginia, "stnce there is only
one man in the world would have for
my husband"
MY dearest! A man you have let
yourself learn to care for, a man be-
meath you? Howtterrible! But you see
no one. r.
"I've never seen this man And-I'm
not lin love- with him. That would be
too foolish, because, instead of being
beneath, he's far, far above me-"
"Virginia, Of whom can you be talk
ing? Or is this another joker"
Virginia blushed little and, instead
of answering her mothers look OF help
less appeal, stared at the row Of tall
hollyhocks that blaZed along the ivy
hidden garden wall. She did not speak
for an instant, and then she said, with
the dainty shyness of child pinned to
statement by uncomprehending cid
ers: 1T isn't joke. Nonsense, maybe,
yet not joke. I've always thought of
him-for 80 many years I've forgotten
when 1t first began. He was so great,
so-everything that appeals to me.
How could help thinking about him
and putting him on a PEDESTAL? l.
there's no idea Of marriage in my mind.
OF course. only-there's no other man
possible after all the thoughts I've
given him-no other man in the world"
My dear, you must tell me his
name''
what: When Ivedescl1bed him-al-
most-do YOU still need to hear his
name? Well. then. I'm not asham
ed to tell. It's Leopold"
Leopold. You're talking Of the en-
peror Of Rhaetia."
LAS II it could have been any one
else"
"And you have thought Of him.
you've cherished him. for years as an
ideal! Why, you never spoke Of him
particularly before"
'"ihat's because you never seriously
wanted me to take husband until this
prim. dull French Henri proposed him.
self. My thoughts were my own. ]
wouldn't have told you only-you see
why"
"Of course, my precious child. How
extremely interesting and-and romau-
tic" Again the grand duchess lapsed
into silence. yet her expression did not
suggest stricken mind. She merely
appeared astonished, with an astonish-
ment that might turn into an emotion
more agreeable
Meanwhile 1t was left for Virginia
to look vexed-vexed with herself. She
wished that she had not betrayed her
poor little foolish secret-So shadowy q
secret that IL was hardly -vvorfhv NJ ths