Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-06-15

nOtlOn. ne Gays are gone Dy WueU
Heaven makes overt present answer.
Nothing happened. She roundly charg-
ed Lepage with fostering the idea for
his own purposes. He wanted to set
the Prince OF Slavna against his little
brother, she supposed, and to curry IA
vor with the rising sun at the poor
child's cost.
She was very effective. but she an
gered Lepage almost beyond endur-
ance. By disposition he was thorough
~ good natured IL sardonic and impas-
sive. He could not suffer the accuse
ton Of having injured the pretty boy
for his own ends. 1t was both odious
and absurd. He snapped back srnartly
at her. II hope nobody will do more to
put wrong ideas In his head than
have done, Nine. la Comtesse." In
fury she drove him from the room. but
she had started ever 80 slightly. L.
pages alert brain jumped at the sig
nal.
Finally Stenovics himself had a lee.
ture for poor, much lectured Lepage.
It was one Of the miscalculations
prone. Stenovics was gentle and con-
siderate. but he was very urgent-urg-
ent above all that nothing should be
| said about the episode, neither about 1t
| nor about the other reprimands. ST.
| lence. silence silence was his burden.
Lepage thought more and more 1t Is
better to put up with gossip than to
N
would be serious offense. People Cos
sip without thinking. It's easy come
and gone, easy speaking and easy for
getting. but stringent injunctions not
| to talk are apt to make men think
References to the rising sun also may
breed reflection in the satellites Of a
setting orb. Neither Countess Ellen
burg nor General Stenovics had been
as well advised as usual in this essen
TALLY trumpery matter.
| In short, nervousness had been be-
trayed. Whence came It? What did 1t
mean? II it meant anything. could Lee
page turn that thing to account? The
Kings favorite attendant was no favor
lite with Countess Ellenburg. For Le-
page, too. the time might be very
| short! He would not injure the boy. as
| the angry mother had believed or at
least suggested. but. without question
Of that. there was no harm in a mans
looking out for himself, or II there
were Lepage was clear in thinking that
the countess and the general were not
ft preachers Of such highly exacting
gospel.
Lepage concluded that he had some
thing to sell. His wares were sus-
picion and fact. Selling the suspicion
wronged nobody. He would give no
warranty with it-caveat emptor. Sell
Ing the fact was disobedience to the
king. his master. "Disobedience, yes:
injury, no." said Lepage. with bit OF
casuistry. Besides. the king, too, had
scolded him.
Moreover. the Prince Of Slavna had
| always treated NJ. Emile Lepage with
distinguished consideration. The Bour-
bon blood. no doubt. stretched out
hands to Ia belle France in M. Lepages
person.
Something to sell! Who was his buy
er? Whose interest could be won by
his suspicion, whose friendship bought
with his fact? The ultimate buyer was
plain enough. but Lepage could not go
to Praslok. and he did not approve of
correspondence. especially with Colonel
Stafnitz in practical control Of the
household. He sought go-between
and personal interview. At least he
could take walk. The servants were
not prisoners Even conspirators must
stop somewhere on pain Of doing their
own cooking and the rest At a quarter
past 8 In the evening. having given the
king his dinner and made him comfort
able for the next two hours, Lepage sal
lied forth and took the road to Slavna.
He was very carefully dressed. wore a
flower in his buttonhole and had drop
ped discreet hint about lady in con-
versation with his peers. II ladies Of
ten demand excuses they may furnish
them too. Present seriousness invoked
aid from bygone frivolity.
At 10 o'clock he returned, still most
spruce and orderly and with well sat
isfled air about him. He had found
purchaser for his suspicion and his
fact His pocket was the better lined,
and he had received flattering express
sions of gratitude and assurances of
favor. He felt that he had raised
buttress against future assaults Of for
tune. He entered the kings dressing
room in his usual noiseless and unob-
trusive manner. He was not aware
that General Stenovics had quilted 1t
just quarter of an hour before, bear
ing in his hand a document which he
had submitted for his majesty's sigma
ture. The king had signed it and in.
dorsed the cover urgent"
"Ah. Lepage, where have you beenf"
asked the king.
Just to get little air and drink q
glass at the Golden Lion"
"You look gayer than that" smiled
the king. Evidently his anger had
passed. Perhaps he wished to show as
much to an old servant whom he liked
md