Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-09-22

taken; they would go to Slavna; they
would never batter the walls Of Vol
SEM into fragments. Slavna might be
def1ed again. That was the great thing
to Volseni, and 1t made little account
Of the snakelike line which crawled
over st. Peters pass and down to Do
bravo and on to Slavna Let Slavna-
hated Slavna-reckon with that! And
If the snake or another like it came to
Volseni? Well. that was better than
knuckling down to Slavna. Tonight
King Sergius was avenged. and Queen
Sophia had returned in victory!
For the first time since the kings
death the bell of the ancient church
rang joyously. and men sang and feast
ed In the gray city Of the hills. Thirty
from Volseni had beaten hundred
from Slavna; the guns were at the bot
tom of the Krath; it was enough If
Sophy had hidden them, they would
have streamed down on Slavna that
night in one Of those fierce raids in
which their forefathers of the middle
ages had loved to swoop upon the
plain.
BuG Sophy had no decisions. She
saw her crown-that fleetirg phantom
ornament. fifty foreseen In the visions
Of charlatan-passing from her brow
without a sigh. She had not needed
Dunstanbury's arguments to prove to
her that there was no place for her left
in kravonia. She was content to have
it so; she had done enough. Sorrow
had not passed from her face, but
serenity had come upon It in fuller
measure She had struck for mon
seigneur, and the blow was witness to
her love. 1t was enough in her and
enough in little Volseni. Let the might
Ter avengers do the rest
! She had allowed Dunstanbury to
leave her after supper in order to make
preparations for start to the frontier
at dawn. You must certainly 60"
she had said. land perhaps I'll come
with you"
She went at night up on to the wall,
always her favorite place. She loved
the spaciousness Of air and open coun-
try before her there Basil Williamson
found her deep in thought when he
came to tell her Of the progress of the
wounded.
They're all doing we'll, and Peter
made him promise to come to him
when he's recovered. so you'll meet
him again at all events. And Marie
Zerkovitch and her husband talk OF
settling in Paris. You won't lose all
your Kravonian friends"
you assume that I'm coming with
you tomorrow morning."
I'm quite safe in assuming that
Dunstanbury won't go unless you do
he answered, smiling. I'VE can't leave
you alone here. you know"
81 shouldn't stay here anyhow" she
said. "or at any rate should be where
nobody could hurt me-" She pointed al
dim lantern fastened to the gate
tower by an iron clamp. then waved
her hand toward the surrounding dark
ness. That's life. isn't it?" she asked
IF believed that l could go to mon
seigneur, would go tonight-nay,
would have gone at Mikleyni. 1t wa:
minute sooner! If l believed ever
that l could lie in the church there
and know that he was near! Ii | be
lieyed even that | could lie there quiet
ly and remember and think of him
You're man Of science; you're not {
peasants child, as am. What do you
think? You mustn't wonder that Nv,
hoI th@,r 10 tnA alx Mo-
we did little else than try to find gu
whether we were going anywhere else
That's all she cared about And If sh,
does ever get to a next world she won
care about that. She'll only go on try
ing to find out whether there's still an
other beyond What do you think?"
II hardly expected to find you s.
philosophically inclined" he said.
Its practical question with m
now. On its answer depends whether
come with you or stay hereby mon
seigneur In the church"
Basil said something professional
something about nerves and Temporal.
strain. But he performed this homag
to medical etiquette in rather pei
functory fashion. He had never see
woman more composed or more obvi
ously and perfectly healthy Soph
smiled and went on:
But If | live. Pm sure at least O
being able to think and able to remem
Der. 1t comes to gamble. doesn't 1t
It's just possible might get more; it
quite likely think It's probable
should lose even what | have now"
II think you're probably right abou
the chances of the gamble" he toll
her, though no doubt certainty Is on
Of place or at least one doesn't tai
about it. Shall tell you what scienc
says"
NO" said Sophy, smiling faintl.
Science thinks in multitudes, and III
thinking of the individual tonigh
Even Lady Meg never made much c
science you know"
He pointed at the smoky Lantern
"That's not life" he said. CROWN
more earnest. yet smiling. That's no.
. just here and now-and, yes. it's yer
, smoky" He waved his hand over til
darkness. That's life. Dark? Yes. bu
the night will lift, the darkness pas
away. Valley and sparkling lake wi
be there and the summit Of the heave
kissing hills. Life cries to you with
sweet voice"
YES" she murmured. with swet
voice. And perhaps some day thel
would be light on the hills, But al
I'm torn in sunder this night | wish