The Washington times., 1909-10-28
A STORY OF GRAUSTARK
=BY-
GEORGE BARR MCCUTCHEON
Copyright. 1909. by Dodd, Mead & Co.

/ humping like fury in his great breast
! She was little more than girl, this
/ wife OF old MarlanX, and yet how WISE
/ how clever how brilliant she was!
A face of unusual pallOr and extreme
/ ~ patrician in its modelling, surmOunted
/ by a cOiffure so black that it could be
compared only to ebcny-black and al
most cleaning with the>life that was IN
/ II 1t came low on her Forehead, shad-
/ ing the wondrous dark eyes-eyes that
! We're deep Yellowish green ia their
division between gray and black, eyes
4 that were soft and luminous and IN
waveringly steadfast, impelling in their
power TO fascinate, yet even more dan
| gerOusly compassionate when put TO the
] test that tries woman's vanity.
1 There were diamonds on her long,
/ tapering fingers, and rope of pearls in
/ her hair. A single wide gold band en-
| Circled her arm above the elbow, an
| arm-band as old as the pTincipality it
self. for 1t had been worn By twenty
/ fair ancestors before her. The noble
women OF Graustark never wore brace
] let's on their wrists; always the wide
chased gold band on the upper arm.
There was q day. not so far back in
history when they wore bands on their
ankles.
She was well named Ingomede. the
Beautiful.
A soft. almost imperceptible per
fume, languOrous in its appeal 10 The
! senses, eXuded from this perfect crea-
ton; added TO this. the subtle. unfailing
scent or young WomanhoOq; the warm,
alive feel Of her presence in the atu1Os-
Phere: a suggestion of something sensu-
Gus, clean. pure, delicious. The unde-
/ scribable.
/ Does Baron DangIess know this man
/ Erutus?' asked Tulis arising 10 stand
| beside her. A subconscious triumphant
/ thrill shot through him as an instantan-
/ lty over this girls husband came over
/ hlm- He was young and strong and
vital. He could feel the sensation OF be-
/ ing strong: he tingled with the glory of
T. Fr-fiF~ a my
/ He wondered If Marlanx had ever been
/ as strong as he.
1 I don't know" she said thoughtfulIy.
/ i have not spoken to him concerning
/ Brutus. Perhaps he knows. The baron
i Is very wise. Let me tell you how
/ happen 10 know that Peter Brutus is
/ stun serving Count Marlanx and why I
| think MS presence signifies a crisis Of
I some sort IullIs stood facing the
| great fireplace, his back to the hail. He
/ observed that she looked toward the
/ doors quite often as she looked at him; :;
II struck him that she was extremely
! cautious despite her apparent ease.
i Her voice, always low and even, seem
ed lower still. In the first place,
/ have a faithful friend in one of the
oldest rstainers at Schloss Marlanx- His
/ daughter is my maid. She IS here with
me now The old man came TO see
JOsepha one day last week. He lad
! accompanied Count MaTlanX to the
town OF Balak, which is in Axphain, a
mile beyond the Graustark line. Peter
Brutus was with my husband in BaIak
for TWO days They We're closeted to
getheT from morning till night in the
house where MarlanX was stopping. At
the end of two days Brutus went away,
but he carried with him a vast sum Of
money provided by my husband. It was
( given out that he was on his way TO
SeTrOs in Dawsbergen. where he expect
ed to purchase a business block for his
master. Marlanx wanted another day
in Balak. permitting Josepha's father
TO come on 70 Edelweiss with message
for me and TO see his daughter. He
And Josepha's s father saw Brutus in
Edelweiss?"
mo. But he did see him going into
Balak as he left for Edelweiss that
morning. He wore disguise, but Jacob
says he could not be mistaken. More
over he was accompanied by several
men whom he recognized as Graustark
imountaineers and hunters Of rather un-
the gates Of Balak and went or into the
hills. Az this happened before l knew
that Peter was living In Edelweiss.
When / saw him here ] knew at once
that his presence meant something sim
lister. I can put many things together
{ that once puzzled me-the cOminCs and
goings Of months. the secret reports and
( consultations, the queer-loOking men
/ who came TO the castle, the long abb
senCes OF my husband and my-my own
virtual imprisOnment-yes imprisonment
, was not permitted 10 leave the castle
for days at a time during his absences. -
Surely you viii not go back again
''sh"' She put a finger to her lips
! A man servant was quietly crossing
the hall just OF the library. He Is
! new man. do not like his appear
ance."
DO you think he heard us or OBJ
served anything? can make short
? work Of him if" He paused signif-
t eantly- She smiled up into his face
! He did not hear anything We've
7 frightened him on, If he intended to
, play the eavesdrOpper-" The servant
I had 0fEa nuG-sFG1 rHrgrTub a aF 9 I-r
. end Of the hall
! Then there were the great sums OF
| money that my husband sent OF from
I time TO times and the strange boxes that
came over and to the castle and later
70 went away again as secretly as they
E came. Mr- Tullis. I am confident in
{ my mind that those boxes contained
i firearms and ammunition. I have
thought 1t all out. Eerhaps I am wrong.
? but II seems to me that 1 can almost
70 Fsee those nrearms stored away IN the
20 caves and cabins outside of Edelweiss.
ready for instant use when the signal
% comes
j God! An uprisingz A plot 50 huge
as thaty' he gasped, amazed. It is
S fortunate that he was not facing the
door the same servant, passing once
- 4more, might have seen the teII-tale
/ / CONSERVATION iu his eyes 1T cannot
b J be possible! Why, Daugloss and his
!. men would have scented II long ago"
: II have not said that I am sure OF
4 anything, remember that. leave fl
to you TO analyze- You have the fOun-
dation on which 10 work ia advise
r you 10 waste no time. Something tells
: me that the crisis is near at hand"
why should JOsepha's father tel
I these things 10 your"
Because, II you viii pardon MY
a / frankness, 1 have protected his daugh-
q ter against Count Marlanx He undl r
4 stands And yet he would not betray
= a trust imposed upon him even by the
count. He has only told me what any
one else might have seen with his own
eyes Waitt The new servant is IN the
. haIl again. She clapped her hands
'' sharply and called out "FranZ!'
The new man appeared in the door
way almost on the instant. You may
replenish the. FIRE, Franz" The man, a
! sallow, precise fellow, crossed deliber-
e ately and poked the half dead fire, with
q scrupulous care he selected two great
chunks OF wood from the hopper neal
q by and laid them on the Goals. tho
z others watching hl5 movements with
J: { curious interest. There was nothing
= about the fellow to indicate that he was
a other than what he pretended to be.
d Isn't it strange that we should have
n fires in July2" she asked casually. "Ght
e mountain air and the night fOgs make Il
= absolutely necessary in these big old
L.