The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-04-17

against mis- hear yne could hear II
beating. feel it throb under her cheek
His wife? Then he loved her enough
for that. Yet how was it possible fol-
him to stand ready for her sake tt
override the laws Of his own land?
"My darling-my wife' he said
again. "To think that you love me"
"I have loved you from the first y
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 1t pass.
eve shall not say goodby. not for
an hour" he cried. "After this l
could not lose you. There's nothing to
prevent my being your husband. you
my wife. Would to God you were of
royal blood and you should be my en-
press-the fairest empress that poet or
historian ever saw-but we're prison
ers Of fate, you and 1. We must take
the goods the gods provide. My god
dess you will always be, but the en-
press Of Rhaetia even my love isn't
powerful enough to make you. If I
am to you only half what you are 10
me you'll be satisfied with the empire
Of my heart"
Suddenly the warm blood Of Vir-
ginia's veins grew chill. 1t 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 a
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 be
none to break. Now her warm i'm
pulse of gratitude was frozen by the
biting blast of disillusionment, but
still there was hope left. It might
be that she misunderstood him. She
would not judge him yet.
"The empire of your heart!" she
echoed eff that were mine I 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 as
your wife. But you're not the chamois
hunter; you are the man love, yet
you are the emperor. Being the enl-
peror had you talked Of a hopeless
love and a promise not to forget, haV-
ing nothing else to give me because Of
your high destiny and my humber
one, l could still have been happy.
Yet you speak Of more than that. You
speak of something can't understand.
1t seems to me that what q royal man
offers the woman he loves should be
all or nothing"
II do offer you ALL" said Leopold.
call myself, my life, the heart and
soul of me-all that's my own to give.
The rest-belongs to Rhaetia."
"Then what do you mean by
"Don't you understand, my sweet.
that I've asked you to be my wife:
What can a man ask more Of WON;
an?"
"Your wife, but not the empress.
How can the two be apart?"
He tried to take her once more IN
his arms, but when he saw that she
would not have it so he held his love
in check and waited. He was sure
that he would not need to wait long.
for not only had he laid his love at her
feet, but had pledged himself to tre'
mendous sacrifice on loves altar.
The step which in moment OF pas
sion he had now resolved to take would
create dissension among his people,
ALLEVIATE one who had been his second
father, rouse England, America and
Germany to anger because of the prin-
cess whose name rumor had already
coupled with his and raise in every di-
rection a storm Of disapproval. When
this girl whom he loved realized the
immensity Of the concession he was
making because Of his reverent love
for her she would give her life to him
now and forever.
Terderly he took her hand and lifted
it to his lips. Then when she did not
draw it away, because he was to have
his chance of explanation. he held it
between both his own as he talked on.
Dearest one" he said, "when | first
knew 1 loved you-loyed you as
didn't dream I could love woman-
for your sake and my own, l would
have avoided meeting you too often.
This I toll ynn frankly | didn't see