The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-07-22

which he would give the girl as q
souvenir of this hour, and their fingers
met Lake and garden swan before
| the eyes of the princess as the en-
peror's hand closed over hers.
Her great moment had come, yet
now that 1t was here, wOmanlikc, she
wished 1t away, not gone forever oh,
no-but waiting just round the corner
of the future.
"Thc flowers are yours-l give them
to you,' she laughed, as if she fancicd
| 1t was in eagcrncSS to grasp the dis
puted spray that he had pressed hcr
| fingers.
"fou are the one flower | want
| flower of all the world" lie answered
In choked voice, speaking words he
had not mcaEt to speak. But the ice
| barriers that held back the torrent Of
which he had told her had melted long
ago and now had been swept away
| Other barriers which he had built up
In their place-his convictions, his duty
| as man at the head of 4 nation
| were gone too II love YOU" he Stam-
| mered 81 love you far better than
my life, which you saved. I've loved
| you ever since our first hour together
on tho mountain, but every day my
love has grown a thousandfold until
now it's greater and higher than any
mountain. | can fight against myself
no l0ngcr. | thought | was strong
but this love is stronger than | am
Say that you care for me-only say
that"
II do care" Virginia whispered She
had prayed for this, lived for this, and
she was drowning in happiness Yet
she had pictured different scene, a
scene of storm and stress. She had
heard In fancy brokou w0t;iS oC Sor-
row and noble rcnunciation on his lips.
and in anticipating his suffering she
had felt the joy her revelation would
give. 81 care-so much, so much! How
hard 1t will be to partr
"lf YOU care, then, we shall not be
parted" said Leopold.
The princess looked uD at him In
wonder, holding back as he would
| have caught her in his arms. What
could he mean? What plan was in his
mind that, believing her to he Helen
Mowbray, yet made 1t possible for
him to reassure her so?
II don't understand" she raltercd
''Tou are the emperor and | am no
more than
"Iou are my wife if you love me-"
III the shock of her ccStatic surprise
| she was helpless to resist him longer,
and he held her close and passionatcly,
his lips on her hair her face crushed
against his heart She could hear it
beating, feel it throb under her check.
His wife? Then he loved her enough
for that. Yet how was it possible for
| him to stand ready for her sake to
override the laws of his own land?
MY darling-my wife, he said
again. "To think that YOU love me-"
Il have loved you from the first"
The princess confessed, "but was
afraid you would feel, even if YOU
cared, that we must say goodby.
Now And In an instant the whole
| truth would have been out but the
word "goodby" stabbed him, and he
could not let It pass.
I'VE shall not say goodby. not for
an hour" he cried. "After This
could not lose you. There's nothing to
prevent my being your husband. YOU
'''y "i'N' ~ ONlNl ~ NIOU YOU were OF
royal blood ana YOU should be my ON.
press the faircst empress that poet or
historian ever saw-but we're prison
ers OF fate, YOU and |. We must take
the goods the gods provide My god.
dess YOU will always be, but the ON.
press of Rhaetia even my love isn't
powerful enough to make YOU. If
am to YOU only half what YOU arc TO
me you'll be satisfied with the empire
! of my heart"
Suddenly the warm blood of Vir.
gina's veins grew chill It was as if
wind had blown up from the dark
depths Of the lake to strike like ice In.
to her soul. An instant more and he
would have known that she was Il
princess of the blood and through his
whole life she could have gone on wor-
Shipping him because he had been ready
TO break down all barriers for her
love before he guessed there need he
none to break. Now her warm i'm
! pulse Of gratitude was frozen by the
biting blast of disillusionmcnt but
still there was hope left. 1t might
be that she misunderstood him. she
would not judge him yet.
"The empire of your hcartw she
echoed. "If that were mine | should
/ be richer than with all the treasures
OF the earth. If you were Leo, the
chamois hunter | would love you as
| love you now, because In yourself you
are the one man for me, and I'd go
! with you to the end OF the world us
! your wife. But you're not the chamois
| hunter; you are the man | love, yet
you are the emperor. Being the en-
/ peror, had you talked of hopeless