The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-26
THE EVENING STORY
Prince Frederick's wooing.
CIV Edith GRAVY

The prince paced thoughtfully along
the sandy beach of Rentreux, his
slender fingers, his eyes examining re-
dectively the many-colored pebbles,
fresh washed by the inf1owing tide of
the Atlantic, glittering. foam fiecked, IN
the early morning sunlight at his feet.
But it was not the pebbles the foam,
the great waves crashing beyond him
that held the princes thoughts or that
was responsible for the clear line that
puckered his well-marked brows. No;
it was a royal mandate, received some
kingly parent, stating clearly and def
initely, leaving no loophole for escape
nor palpable reason for excuse, that 1T
was high time for Prince Frederick,
oldest son Of the reigning house, to put
aside the gay mask of youth and to be-
gin to accuStom his shoulders to the
burden Of coming duties; in a word, TO
take to himself a wife, a princess of
parts. worthy some day to be queen
and conSort OF the realm.
It was all very well, Frederick frown-
ed, for gray-haired scribes to sit apart
and dictate to a prince his duties and
obligations. To order man to marry,
entirely against his own inclination,
was bad enough, but to give him no
freedom whatever as to the choice of
his wife-that was the unspeakable
outrage!
For the injunction had stated def
1lI61ys 1t Is 6ApSCIOu OF I6QGTlCh,l
crown prince and future king, to pre-
sent himself to Roberta, Princess of
Marlborough, in view to future matri-
monial alliance"
Roberta of Marlborough Why she,
of all people? The prince recalled
vague rumors, afioat among court Cos
sips, of how the above mentioned Ro-
berta had turned away two crowned
heads Of Europe, not to mention count
less dukes and earls innumerable. 1t
xx7i<L I,ez
now looked forward to his future meet
ing with the Princess Roberta.
The time set was only two weeks
away, so, after having received the or
ders:' Frederick accompanied by mis-
trustworthy valet, stating official BUSH
ness as his excuse, left the capital and
journeyed, incognito, to the little sea
coast resort to reconcile himself to the
future. and to gain confidence for the
coming ordeal.
It was an off season, and the few
patrons Of the great hotels being for
the most part Americans and Germans,
there was little likelihood that the
princes modest disguise Of touring
gentleman would be recognized or made
public. He was, therefore, undisturbed
in his morning strolls.
For several days the prince had no
ticed footprints, preceding his, along the
half interested, being so morbidly en-
crossed in his own affairs. However,
as time progressed, he gained more of
his accustomed interest in things ex-
ternal, and. after a week, so keenly had
the pungent tonic Of sea air acted upon
his overwrought- nerves. that he was
quite his own joyous self again, and
eager for adventure.
There was no dim suggestion of thrill
or mystery in anything about him ex-
prints, preceding his. morning after
morning, freshly nodded in the sand.
They held material for conjecture at
any rate.
He laughed. hole-heartedly, as he
bent over the marks in the soft, damp
sand. He would do some detective work
on his own account and find out just
who this ofhcious scoundrel was who
dared precede a prince. unasking and
unasked. in his morning walks along
the shore. The scamp. Judging from the
f1at-soled, low-heeled imprint Of the
shoe, was evidently a boy. But, no
the prince smiled in glee over his clever
surnise-a boys foot could never be
as slender and shapely as that! The
wanderer must be a woman, young
woman, for the old are not abroad so
early in the morning. And bright,
breezy, athletic young woman, for the
lacy. rufHed kind do not deign to tread
upon the sands except by moonlight
and to the twang of guitars.
Sure enough, the tracks came to an
abrupt terminus before a great bowl
der some half mile beyond, and Prince
Frederick, peering curiously around it,
discovered young, rosy-cheeked indi-
viduaL gazing pensively out across the
sea.
The prince pondered. He was pleased
at the good result of his detective |
of her he did not want things to end
abruptly just when they were becom- |
ing most interesting. Now, If the
young lady should drop handkerchler
for the wind to blow casually at MS
feet, or If she had a lapdog to snarl
and snap at his ankles. thereby extract |
ing sprofuse apologies from its remorse-
full owner, all might be well But there
was no handkerchief apparent, and the
young person looked as If she had never |
fondled a lapdog in her life.
However, there was no need of in
termediary agent, for, as the prince /
leaned uncorsciously forward. in his
eager endeavor to see more clearly
bowlder, she looked up, and her face
expressing neither surprise nor d1smay
at the sight of the tall stranger above
her, and asked with the unabashed
simplicity of child:
1--WE been wondering why does the
time of the tide change every day
and what kind are those ships out
there on the ocean,?
The prince seated himself before
his scientifically inclined interroga-
tor. without further preliminary, his
dark eyes meeting the inquiring gaze
of the blue ones with an answering
frankness. He said:
IT put away my knowledge of tides
with my school books at-ah-Eton,
and added, do you really want to
know about them and the ships, or do
you as in my predicament, just want
some one to talk to 2"
She smiled across at him. Il just
want some one to talk to-" she said.
Then her eyes went strangely serious,
tI come up here every day to think,
but the thinking, after time gets
wearisoue, ard Pm lonely
He asked. Have you no one with
you?'