The Washington herald., 1909-04-30
CHAPTER x.
The King Wakes.

I
alike the snowcrest above, where man
and mans passions were things unknown.
and the meadow and cabins below. where.
/ in the midst Of seeming peace and purity,
wes bred rapine and cruelty and death
IN the fun beams (for the air was yet
chill IN the shade beside the cabin was
sitting the king, discOnsolate, perturbed,
seething with his thoughts. Within the
cabin Sir Hugo. one-time court jester,
I slept-slept in spite OF himself. after 2
night OF self-imposed vigilance.
hundred yards away. just at the
/ edge OF the shade cast b. a double pine.
whose two trunks were united at the
/ base. louing upon a little outcrop Of gray
I granite, was ensconced the queen. and
az her feet. haIf-recllned. Ike a courty
! cavalier. Capt. Del orc. HIS dropping
/ brimmed, Tapscallion bat-in its every
curve the hat OF a rogue-lay carelessiy
I flung beside him. He wore the jacket OF
/ blue velvet and the tasselled white sash
I Of yesterday. evidently bis one gala
attire In his manner, as stretched isziiy
/ half at length he looked upward az her.
was dash OF mOcking difference, tinge
I Of sUdacious familiarity.
\ Cast aside. its early morning usefulness
I having passed. the black domino made
]
I granite. In her pink and gold ball gown
! the queen, as II az a sally from the cap
I tain, leaned and ftrIed him across the
shoulders with a fan which (akln, prob
ably. 70 TIE toilet se0 he had bestowed
/ upon her
/ out OF the corners OF his eye. the king
moodily watched the by-play. while. wan
dering from i, but returning ever and
/ anon. bis mind tOlled here and there
7 amid the tUmUltUOus events OF the last
7 twenty-four hours
+ Yesterday lay upon him ike a night
mare-and YET. forsooth. had he slept so
/ soundly that he ought TO have slept il
away. The queens tiJteung. empty laugh
/ sounded upon his ears, and he frOvned.
with frown born half OF perplexity and
I half Of annoyance.
! Doris, Heavens name what has hap
pened 20 her The chanRe-he was unable
I 10 grasp IL This painted woman Doris2
3 This person who seemed bent upon prov
1 ing only her shallow frivoIity. swayed by
+ even the clumsy batteries OF a common
bandit2
Was she insane2 If so. twas a scurvy
/ master-strOke by which ruthless heaven
had countered upon him, taking what il
had no right 20 take. and giving what Il
had no right 10 give. He had not In
/ tended 20 deserve so much. \ little rage
burned in his heart, as he pictured 10
himself that days Of grace had not been
allowed him. and that he had been given
mo opportunity 10 repent and save him
self. Had he but suspected, Of course he
would not have gone on as he did No
He would not have sown. had he but
!foreseen what he would reap. There was
. N n
where. He regretted, while al the same
tine he resented And thus he fImed and
strove against reality and sought here
I palliatlon, here leniency. aas man viii
wheE within himself ~ Is al once the
judge and the prisoner in the dock While
he protested, he would also have cried
for mercy.
Again he heard the queens laugh.
painted Ike herself She evidently was
in great feather He shifted unessly.
HIS mind few 10 thn world below. where
q kingdom-his kingdom. dear 70 him. no
matter what might obtrude to sway him
was at stake. Revolution. that had
been the word brought by the men who
had arrived among the cabins. and had
reported, after d!nner-that wretcnes din
ner of yesterday. whereat the queen
Ogled and COquetted. Del ORC piled his
gallantries. Sir Hugo sat so suave and
I vet watChful. and he himself flushed and
boiled and ate OF viands tasting all alike.
Revolution; the forces OF Prince George
upSpTinging and TaIying. filing the COUn-
tryside. RUmOTs. rUmOTs-bUt nothing
definite save the one fact. Had a battle
occurred2 Was there fgnting7 More
would be known when the remainder OF
the bandits came Lord Tonne. the
|e~a-- .-rT l.
him a hard nut TO crack. With Lord
Tonne alive. the kingdom could not be
lost. But the king, Were they wondering
where was the king What would Lord
Tonne think2 He had given Lord Tonne
a promise, and had deceived him King
and queen-both gone. Poor Stecsin. But
the Duke Of AIartoi BY God. he should
hang as high as his foul soul might get
And the duches@ah. no; there must be
some mistake. She could not have be-
trayed him. knowingly. Not yet was he
willing TO admit e. He had done wrong.
but he had rot been tricked: no. he had
not given more than he had received. Twas
impossible that such as she could harbor
treachery-she. so wOndTous beautiful. so
glorious in her dover OF eyes and hair
and warm. soft skin. The king again
shifted uneasily. His pride was stung.
But war. The clash Of arms rang upon
his hearing. and to his nostriis waited the
reek Of ancestral battleields. BY St
Jude. brother OF no brother. duchess or
no duchess. ave, even Doris or no Doris.
he was the king, and king he would
remain. His chest swelled. and the lust
Of. conflict surged into his cheeks. In
/ patience thrilled him
The queen laughed shriIly. and once
more slightly leaned and fiirted the cap
tain's shoulders with her closed fan. The