The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1908-04-29

| oness looked as innocent as an fnqufr-
ing child,
"The lady is not OF royal blooi, and
his majesty, | thank heaven. IL not q
tous."
"He has q heart, though You trained
him, chancellor, and he has eyes. He
may never have used them to much
purpose before, yet there must be a
first time, and, the higher and more
strongly built the tower. ono 1t begins
to topple the greater is the fall thereof"
Us It the sense Of humor, which you
say I lack. that gives you pleasure In
discussing the widest improbabilities
as II they were events to be consider
ed s~eriously7 II 1t is Pm not sorry to
lack, 1t. In any case, it's well that
neither Of US is the emperor's keeper"
Were at least his very good friends.
you as well as l in my humber way
chancellor, and you and ! have known
each other for twenty-five years. If 1t
amuses me to discuss lmproba bilities.
why not2 Since you call them i'm
probabilities 1t can do 40 harm to dwell
upon them as ingredients for romance.
Not for worlds would l suggest that
his majesty isn't al example for all
men to follow nor that poor, pretty
Miss Mowbray could be tempted to in
discretion, but yet I'd be ready to make
q wager. the emperor being human and
the girl q beauty, that an acquaintance
90 Economically begun won't end with
a bail and a call"
What could there possibly be more,
or what you hint at as more, In honorT'
The chancellor's voice was angry at
last as well as stern, for he could not
bear persistence in other people unless
II were to further some cause Of his
own. To the delight of the woman
who had once tried In vain to melt his
iron heart, Count Won Breitstein began
to look somewhat like a baited bull.
Really, said the baroness to herself,
there was an actual resemblance In
feature, and joyously she searched for
a few more little ribbon tipped ban
derillos.
What fun 1t was to rufi1e the tenn
per of the surly old brute who had hui
inflated her woman's vanity In days
long past. but not forgotten! She
knew the chancellor's desire for the
emperor's marriage as soon as a suit
able match could be found and, though
she was not In the secret of his plans,
would have felt little surprise at learn
Ing that some eligible royal girl had
already been selected. Now how anus
ing 1t would be actually to make
the old man tremble for the success
of his hopes, even If 1t should turn out
In the end to be impossible OF unde-
sirable to upset them!
What could there be more in hon
orr she echoed lightly after an In
slant given to reflection. "Why the
emperor and the girl will see a great
deal Of each other unless you Danish
or imprison the Mowbrays. There1l
be- many dances together. many calls
In fact, q serial romance instead Of q
short story. Why shouldn't his majes
~ know the pleasure Of a-platonic
friendship with a beautiful and charm
ing young womanY
Because Piato's out Of fashion, II
ever he was in, among human beings
with red blood in their veins and be
cause, as I said, the emperor is above
all else q man of honor. Besides, ]
doubt that any woman, no matter how
pretty or young, could WELD a really
powerful influence over his life"
You doubt that? Then you don't
know the emperor and you've forgot
ten some Of the traditions Of his
house"
Are you trying to warn me Of dis
aster, baroness"
She laughed. "Oh, dear, no-of moth
ing disagreeable! But I should be sor
ry to think. as you seem to do, that ouI
emperor has no youth In his veins"
81 think nothing Of the sort. What
I do think is that my teachings have
not been in vain and that he has grown
up to put his duty to his country and
his own self respect above everything
He's a strong man-too strong to BIZ
trapped in the meshes of any pink and
white vlvien. And II he admired Q
young woman not Of royal blood he
would keep his distance for her sake
You say this English miss is with hel
mother at the principal hotel Of Kron
burg. II Leopold constantly visited
them there we should have a scandal
' On the other hand. to suggest meeting
the girl outside or %incognito would b.
d an insult Either way he would b.
but poorly rewarding a woman wht
saved his life"
Baroness Won Lyndal's color rallied
to the support Of her rouge, and hel
smile dwindled to inanity, for she hat
insisted upon the argument. and 1t WI
going against her.
In her haste to vex the chanceiloI
she had not stopped to study from ev
cry side the question she had raised
So far she had merely succeeded in ir
ritating him, and she owed him mucl
|, more than q pin prick. Such infhitesi
nal wounds she had contrfyed to giv'
the man in abundance during her TWEEN
/. ty-two years at the Rhaetian court