Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-05-23


 to have removed 1t be-
 = = ]. ]. ] : ] !: : , ]. !: ] : ; ] ] ] x3 fore entering your maj cX& "a esty's presence, but l E1H M was told you wished to
 N ~ retire at once. sir, so l
 Vl hurried here immedi- lI ately.s
 W The king gave weary HA yawn. Yes, I'll go to IN bed at once. Lepage, ssc and let me sleep as long
 as I can. This flag end Lepdgc tore of life isn't very anus Me Eo,cer ing" He passed his lTom "ss hand wearily over his oo1@ brow. My head aches. Isn't the room very close, Lepage? Open the window"
 Tt has begun to rain, sir"
 Viewer mind. Let's have the rain too. At least it's fresh."
 Lepage opened window which look ed over the Krath. The king rose. Le- page hastensd 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.
 "It looks like being rough night" remarked the king.
 I'm afraid 1t does, sir" Lepage agreed.
 Were lucky to be going to our beds."
 "Very, sir" answered Lepage. won- dering whose opposite fate his majesty was pitying.
 q shouldn't care, even if I were young man and sound one, to ride to Praslok tonight"
 ITO Praslok. sir?' There was sur prise in Lepage's voice. He could not help it. Luckily it sounded quite natu- ral to the king. It was certainly not a night to ride five and twenty miles and into the hills unless your business was very urgent.
 "Yes. to Praslok. I've had my breath of air. You can shut the window, Le- 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 busi- ness! Everything must yield to that" The king enunciated this virtuous max i'm as though it had been the rule of his life. NO time to lose. Lepage, so the captain goes tonight, but I'm afraid he'll have a rough ride-very rough" "I'm afraid so. sir" said Lepage, and added strictly in his thoughts. And so will NJ. Zerkovitch"
 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 | d6 NOulu pS Ntly WSt bg tht eiihc hN 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 tour before midnight.
 Going was very heavy; so was the rain; so was the darkness. He and h.s horse made blurred. laboring shape on the muHxy face of night But his orders were 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. timatlon 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