Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-08-07

!. : !. !: !:
~ fore entering your maj
EsW& IN esty's presence. but /
/ G1S was told you wished to
! HH Al retire at once. sir. so
! NloA hurried here immedi-
/ w ately"
in The king gave weary
I NA yawn. Yes I'll go to
4 ANY, bed at once. Lepage.
4 s.s and let me sleep as long
as l can. This flag end
Lepdge tore of life isn't very anus
Me Hoaoer ing" He passed his
l 49,, ~ hand YEARLY over his
I brow. My head aches.
Isn't the room very close, Lepage?
Open the window
1T has begun to rain. sir
J "Never mind. Let's have the rain
too. At least it's fresh"
Lepage opened Il window which look
ed over the Krath. The king rose Lee
page fastened to offer his arm. which
his majesty accepted. They went to-
gether to the window. A sudden storm
had gathered. Rain was pelting down
in big drops.
! ut looks like being rough night"
remarked the king.
Tin afraid it does. sir" Lepage
agreed.
7 We're lucky to be going to our
BEDS
I Very. SIR" answered Lepage. Won
dering whose opposite fate his majesty
was plying.
81 shouldn't care. even If I We're a
young man and sound one, to ride to
Praslok tonight"
'"ro Praslok. sir?" There was sur
prise in I.epages voice. He could not
help it. Luckily 1t sounded quite natu-
raj to the king. 1t was certainly not n
night to ride five and twenty miles and
into the hills unless your business was
very urgent
Eyes. to Praslok. I've had my breath
Of air. You. can shut the window, Lee
page"
The king returned to the fireplace and
stood warming himself. Lepage closed
the window. drew the curtains and
came to the middle of the room, where
he stood in respectful readiness. and
underneath that very lively curiosity.
Yes" said the king slowly, Captain
Markart goes to Praslok tonight with
dispatch for his royal highness, you
know. business. Lepage. urgent bust
ness! Everything must yield to that
The king enunciated this virtuous max
i'm as though 1t had been the rule Of
his life. mo time to lose. Lepage, so
the captain goes tonight. but I'm afraid
he'll have rough ride-very rough
"I'm afraid so. SIR" said Lepage, and
added strictly in his thoughts "And so
will NJ. Zerkovitchw
Captain Markart was entirely of his
majesty's opinion as he set out on his
journey to Praslok. His ride would
be rough. dark and solitary-the last
by Stenovics' orders Markart was not
afraid. He was well armed, but he ex-
pected to be very bored and knew that
he would be very wet by the time he
reached the castle. He breathed a
fervent curse on the necessities of
state, of which the minister had in
formed him. as he buttoned up his
heavy cavalry overcoat and rode across
the bridge on to the main road on the
right bank an hour before midnight
Going was very heavy; SO was the
rain; so was the darkness. He and his
horse made blurred, laboring shape
on. the murky face of night. But his
orders We're to hasten. and he pushed
on at sharp trot and soon covered his
first stage, the five miles to the old
wooden bridge, where the road leaves
the course of the Krath. is carried over
the river and strikes northeast toward
the hills.
At this point he received the first in
timation that his journey was not to be
SO solitary as he had supposed. When
he was halfway across the bridge he
heard what sounded like an echo of the
beat of his horses hoofs on the timbers
behind him. The thing seemed odd
He halted meMent to listen. The
sound of his horses hoofs stopped. but
the echo went on. 1t was no echo, then.
He was not the only traveller that way
He pricked his horse with the spur
Regaining the road. he heard the tim
bers of the bridge still sounding He
touched his horse again and went for.
ward briskly. He had no reason to rs.
sociate his fellow travellers errand
with his own. but he was sure that
when General Stenovics ordered dis
patch he would not be pleased to learn
that his messenger had been passed by
another wayfarer on the road
But the stranger, foo was In a hurry
1t seemed Markart could not shake
him off On the contrary. he drew
nearer. The road was still broad and
good. Markart tried canter. The
stranger broke into a canter. AT any
rate, it makes for good time" thought
Markart, smiling uneasily. In fact. the
!, two found themselves drawn into q
sort of race. On they went. covering
the miles at quick. sustained trot. ex
ii hilarating to the men. but rather 0
strain on their horses. Both were vel
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