The Washington times., 1909-11-15
A STORY OF GRAUSTARK
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GEORGE BARR MCCUTCHEON

he might have seen that the young
man wore his hat well forward, and
that his face was uunaturally white
We who suspect nina of being Peter
BTutus, have reason TO believe that
there was an ugly cut on the top OF his
head and that II gave him exceeding
pain.
Shortly after half past eleven o'clock
certain groups OF men usurped the po-
SitlOns ia front of certain buildings on
the south side of the square. A score
here. a half score there, others below
them They favored the shops oper-
ated by the friends of the Committee
of Ten they were the men who were
to take possession Of the rifles that lay
hidden behind counters and walls. Here,
there, everywhere, all about the city,
the signal that was to tell them to
hustle deadly firearms from the beds
of gTeeu-laden market wagons. It was
all arranged with deadly precision
There could be no bluuder. The iron
count and his deputies had seen to
that
Men were stationed in the proper
places 10 cut all telephone and L6le-
graph wires leading cut Of the city.
Others were designated TO hold the
gates against fugitiVes who might seek
TO. reach the troops in the hills.
MarlanN's Instructions were plain, un-
miStakable. Only soldiers and police
men were to be shot; members of the
royal household were already doomed,
including the ministry and the mobiles
who rode with the royal carriage
The Committee of Ten had said that
/ there would not be another ministry,
never another Graustark nobility; only
| the Party of Equals. The iron count
had smiled to himself and let them be
lleVe all that they preached in secret
COnClave. But ne knew that there
would be another ministry, a new no
bIllty and new ruler and that th6Te
would be no committee Ct ten.
aa4F-.-
/ skilled rioters and fighters from ali
/ parts Of the world, stood ready In the
glad streets Of EdelWeis 10 leap as one
man to the standard Of the iron count
| the instant he appeared in the square
after the throwing OF the bomb. \
/ well-organized, carefully instructed
army OF no mean dimensions, In the
uniform of the lOut and vagabond
would rise like a flash of light before
/ the dazZled, panic-stricken pOpulace
and MarlanN would be master.
Without the call OF crown or bus
l his sinister soldiers of fortune wound
/ leap into positions assigned them; in
! orderly, determined company font led
by chosen officers they would sWeeI
/ the square, the circus and the avenues
uptown TO the castle, downtown to the
| fortress and the railway station, every
/ where establishing the pennant Of the
/ man who had been banished.
! The present dynasty was to end at
/ o'clock! So said Marlanxi How could
] DanglOSs or Brace or Quinnoz say hin
( nay? They would be dead or in irons
/ before the first shock Of disaster had
( ceased TO thrill The Others2 Pah
: They were as chair to the iron count
! The calm that precedes the storm fel
upon the waiting throug; an ominous
( silence spread from one end of the
avenue 10 the other. For a second Only
lit lasted The hush of death could not
/ have been Quieter nor more impressive
/ Even as people looked at each other IL
wonder, the rumult came to its owl
! again AfterwaTd a whole pOpulact
| was TO recall this strange, depressing