Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-11-06

refused to forgive7"
HE knows nothing"
"For heavens sake. don't keep me
In suspense!'
virgtnia's lips were dry. HE ask.
ed me to be his wife," she said. "Oh,
wait-wait! Don't look happy. You
don't understand, and I didn't at first.
He had to explain, and he put the
thing as little extensively as he could.
oh, mother. he thinks me only good
enough to be his morganatic wifsy'
The storm had burst at last, and the
princess fell on her knees by the sofa,
where. burying her face in her moth
er's lap, she sobbed as If parting with
her youth.
There had always been mental and
temperamental barriers between the
Dresden china lady and her daughter,
but they loved each other, and never
had the girl been so dear to her moth
er as now. The grand duchess thought
Of the summer day when Virginia had
knelt beside her. saying, I'VE are 60
ing to have an adventure, you and l."
Alas. the adventure was over, and
summer and hope were dead! Tears
trembled in the mothers eyes. Poor
little Virginia, SO young, SO inexperi-
enced and, in spite of her self will and
recklessness, so sweet and loving with
al!
"But. dear. you are making the
worst Of things" the grand duchess
said soothingly. her hand on the girls
bright hair. why. instead of crying
you ought to be smiling. think. Leo
pold must love you desperately or he
would never have proposed marriage,
even morganatic marriage. Just at
first the idea must have shocked you.
knowing who you are. But, remember,
It you were Miss Mowbray 1t would
have been triumph. Many women of
high position have married royalty
morganatically, and every one has re-
spected them. You seem to forget that
the emperor knows you only, as Helen
Mowbray."
HE ought to have known that Helen
Mowbray was not the girl to consent
no, not more easily than Virginia of
Baumenburg Drippe. He should have
understood without telling that to q
girl with Anglo-Saxon blood In her
veins such an offer would be like a
blow over the heart"
"How should he understand it? He
is Rhaetian. His point of View
Ellis point of view to mo is terrible.
oh. mother. it's useless to argue! Ev-
erything is spoiled. OF course II he
knew was Princess Virginia he would
be sorry for what he had proposed,
even If he thought I'd brought it on
myself. But then it would be too late
Don't you understand valued his
! love because it was given to me, not
the princess. II he said, Now know
you can offer my right hand instead
Of my left to you as my wife, that
| would not be the same thing at all.
No; there's nothing left but to go home,
and the emperor of Rhaetia must be
told that Virginia of Baumenburg-
Drppe has decided not to marry. That
will be our one revenge, but pitiful
one, since he'll never know that the
princess who refuses his right hand
and the Helen Mowbray who wouldn't
take his left are one and the same.
oh, mother, did love him SO! Let
US get out of this hateful house as soon
as we can"
The grand duchess knew her daugh-
ter and abandoned hope. Eyes, IL you
will not forgive him we must go at
once and save our dignity IL we cam"
she said. 'The telegram will give us
our excuse. told the baroness had
received bad news, and she asked per-
mission to knock at my door before
going to bed and inquire how was
feeling. She may come at any mo-
ment We must say that the telegram
recalls us Immediately to England"
"Listen!'' whispered Virginia. II
think there's some one at the door
now"
Baroness Won Lyndal stood aghast on
! hearing that she was to be deserted
early in the morning by the bright
particular star Of her house party
after the emperor. She begged that
Lady Mowbray would reconsider; that
she would wire to England instead Of
going, or. at all events. that she would
wait for one day more until Leopold's
visit to Schloss Lyndalberg should be
over.
! In her anxiety she even failed in tact
when she found arguments useless.
''But the EMPEROR she objected. "1f
you 60 of early in the morning before
he or any one comes down, what will
he think? What will he say at being
cheated out of his au revoirY''