Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-02

Alec out of it; but do you think his hog of a
father, his easily swayed mother, Stampoff the
short sighted and patriotic, or that scheming
Greek and his puppet Marulitch, will gain the
ends for which, between them, they have con-
| trived your flight? Do you know Alec SO little
| as to believe that he will leave the field clear
to that crew! Why, dear heart he will sweep
them aside like an angry god! They have be
witched your brain with some tale of the evil
that will accrue to the King if he weds the
woman he loves. If that is all it is a fiction fit
only to frighten a child. Hear me, Joan! You
| are not helping Alec by tearing yourself away
from Delgratz; but condemnir to the deepest
hell not him alone but some millions of people
| who have done no wrong. They gave their
honest affections to this boy, because he strikes
| their imagination King sent straight from
Heaven. 1t is vile plot, dear heart, to drive
Alec from kosnovia! How can you, of all
| women, lend yourself to it,"
| Felix could not guess how his words lacerated
the unhappy girls soul; but she did not falter
| in her purpose, and again endeavored to rush
| from the church. Poluski uttered queer click
| with his tongue. 1t testified that he had done
| his uttermost, and failed.
BE it so. them" he muttered Help me
| to pack up these masterpieces. l can plan and
scheme with any man living; but cannot cope
| with heavy parcels of holiness"
JOAN distraught though she was. felt that
he had given way. Without another word she
assisted in packing the carriage with their
| vases and other belongings
Felix urged her no more. He obeyed her
| without question or protest, contriving matters
SO that when she quilted the palace, deeply
yelled, to walk to the station. the soldiers
guard imagined she was a serving maid going
into the town.
Pauline, though prepared to be faithful at
any hazard, wept when she was told that she
must stay in Delgratz and face the storm that
would rage when she delivered into the Kings
| own hand the letter Joan intrusted to her care.
But even Pauline herself realized that if her
mistress was to escape from Delgratz unnoticed,
she, the maid, must remain there till the fol-
lowing day. By that time there would be no
| reason why Joan's maid should not leave openly
for the west, and the Frenchwoman was only
too thankful at the prospect of a speedy exit
| from this city of brigands" to protest too
strenuously against the role thrust upon her.
| A S events unrolled themselves, the two trav-
"A elers encountered no difficulty in leaving
Delgratz. 1t will be remembered that Belianis
| foresight had provided them with return
| them greatly In those closely guarded lands
| where keen eyed scrutineers keep watch and
| ward over a frontier. the production of the
return half of ticket issued in the same city as
a passport at once lus any doubt that might
arise otherwise Moreover, Joan and Felix oc
cupied separate carriages. and the Belgrade Of
ficia1s, concerned only with the examination of
| tickets, gave no heed to them, though one man
| seemed to recognize Felix and grinned in
| friendly way. Passport formalities did not
| trouble them till the train crossed the Tave
River and was already in Austrian territory.
The frontier officers could not possibly know
| them. Their papers were in order. and received
only passing glance. Even JOAN adrift in
sea of trouble, saw that it was far easier mat
| ter to leave the Balkan area than to enter it.
They arranged to meet in the dining saloon.
when all necessity for further precaution would
have disappeared Felix was astounded by the
self possession Joan displayed She was
pale, but quite calm. Her eyes were clear and
showed no traces of grief Even her very man.
ner was reverting to that good humored tone
i of frank camaraderie that the unavoidable cere-
moniousness of the last fortnight had kept in
subsection. Felix was secretly amazed at
these things; but in the depths of his own COM
pick nature were hidden away. wholly un-
known to the little hunchback himself certain
feminine characteristics which enabled him
dimly to understand that the woman who suf
| fered most was she who had the strength and the
courage to carry her head most proudly before
| the storm.
WELL" said he when the mail train had left
| w Semlin far behind and they were speed
ing northward through the night to Budapest,
| well, Joan, now that the severance is COM
| plete, do you still refuse me your confidences
| Her luminous eyes dwelt on his with sad
smile. She had closed the gates of her para
It, l. e. A@I ~