Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-21

tainly lost no time in hurrying to greet their
sovereign
What madly inconsequent tumble it all
was! Little more than two hours ago he was
driving through the Bots with no other notion
in his brain than to seek means of earning
livelihood; yet here he was at the Care de FEST
carrying a sword as symbol of kingship.
sword, wrapped in brown paper, tied with
string! Suppose, by some lucky chance, Joan
met him now, would she sympathize or laugh?
HE found his fathers valet waiting with his
- luggage the ticket office The man
gave him envelop. 1t contained passport
vised by the Turkish Embassy, and a few
scrubbed words:
Mote the name. 1t is the nearest to your
initials B. could procure. l shall come to you
on the train. Destroy this E."
The name was that on the passport, ALEX
andre George Delyanni; nationality, Greek;
business, carpet merchant; destination, Con-
stantinople."
Alec smiled. The humor of it was steeling
him against the canker of Joan's untimely dis
appearance. Il don't look much like Greek
he said to himself; but the Alexandra sounds
well as an omen. I'm not sorry now. This
business would tickle Joan to DEATH
So, on the whole, it was a resigned if not
light hearted adventurer who disposed himself
and his belongings in the Orient Express, after
experiencing the singular good luck of securing
a section in the sleeping car returned by Wen
nese banker at the last moment. He went
ABOUT the business Oh Ills C1CkeC ana
passing the barrier with careless ease that
would have excited the envy of Russian Ter
rorist. Sharp eyes attend the departure of
every international train from Paris; but never
a spy gave more than casual scrutiny to this
broad shouldered youth strolling down the
platform, the latest passenger to arrive, and
the least Hurried
He neither saw nor looked for Stampoff.
Having minute to spare, he obtained news
paper took seat voucher for the first dinner,
I0hf tod
partment, arranged his luggage, and burnt
General Stampoff's scrawl just as the train
moved out of the station.
Then he read an account of the Delgratz
crime,-for it was only crime, brutal and
callous murder, not worthy to be dignifed by
the mantle of political hate. The unhappy
King and Queen of Kosnovia were dining in
company with the Queens brother and the
the regiment on duty in the palace burst in
them. King Theodore was shot down while
endeavoring to protect the Queen. She too fell
riddled with bullets, and both corpses were
flung into courtyard The unhappy guests
were wounded and still remained prisoners in
the hands of the regicides, who Wanted that
they had saved" the country, and meant to
restore the ancient sovereignty.
Belianis summary of subsequent events was
accurate but it struck Alec at once that he had
said nothing of the minister nor of Sergius Vot-
tisch, Queen Helena's brother, who was mainly
instrumental in defeating Belianis half-for-
gotten revolt Did he know of their presence!
How peculiar that he should utter no word of
triumph concerning Vottisch!
A Lee threw aside the paper. He was sick at
heart. He loathed the thought that the
first step toward his throne lay across the body
of a woman. Mice guards, the noble Seventh
Regiment" he muttered. Nov, when l arm
King"
Then he realized that during the few minutes
that had elapsed since the train started, the
whole aspect of the adventure had changed
completely. 1t was no longer snatch of opera
bouffe, fantastic conceit engendered in the
brain of that elderly beau whom he had left in
the Rue Boissiere, bit of stage trifling happily
typifed by the property sword. 1t had become
real, grim, menacing. 1t reeked of blood. Its
first battle was there recorded in the news
paper. He pictured those brutal soldiers maui
ing the warm bodies, thrusting them through
an open window and proclaiming their loyalty
to him.
The train was rushing through an estate
noted for its game, and he had been one of
party of guns in its coverts last October. He
remembered shooting pheasant of glorious
plumage, and saying, "Ah! What pity!
ought to have spared him, if only on account
of his coat of many colors''
when birds are flying fast even you, Alec,
have to shoot passim," said witty Hebrew,
and belgrade did not appreciate the mot until
some one told him that pdsseem in Hebrew
meant patchwork" and that Jacobs offense
l., rs