Putnam patriot., 1910-08-05

long ago You accused the kingY
 Certainly. but he denied it''
 .'In B ietterT'
 "Yes. Here, read it.e
 Uerbeek compared the two Where did you find thesef'
 "ln Arnsbergs desk" returned the duke-"Arnsberg. my boyhood play mate. tbe man love and trusted and advanced To the highest office In my power k that not the way1 We'll. dead ar alive. 10000 crowns to him who brings Arusberg ID me dead or alive"
 'sYdu aro very bitter" said Hcrbeck
 "AHi have [ not cause? Did not my wife die of fl broken heart. md did I not become fl broken manf You de not know all. lIerbeek not quite all. Franz also sought fbe hand of the Princess sefia lte. too, lesea her. but won Well. hls revenge must have been sweet to him.
 .tl,ut yonf daughter has been restor- d to her own
 "pne te your lndcfatignble efforts alone. An. tIerheek. nothing will eyer All up the gap between, nothing will ever restore the mother" The duke bowed his head.
 Uerbeck opened another drawer and took forth a long hood envelope crest. ed and sealed
 "Your bighness. here is letter from the prince regent of Jugendheit for maliy asking the hand of the Princess TIlldegnrde for his nephew Frederick who will shortly he crowned My ad vice k to accept, To let hygones be ny gones
 Write the prince that I respectfully deciiues
 Do nothing in haste. your highness= Temporize Say that you desire some time 10 think about the matter You can change your mind al any time A reply hke this commits you to noth ing. whereas your abrupt refnsal will only widen the breach
 "fhe wider the breach the better.
 'No. no. your highness; the past has disturbed you Ne can stand war, and If Is possible that We might win, even against .lnEeudheit. but war al this late day would be a colossal blum der Victory would leave ns Where We began thirty years ago Aud an Insult to Jugendheit might precipitate war 1"
 Have your way. then"
 The duke departed. stirred as he had not been since the restoration of the princess. He sought his daughter Naa t.. .Ht.4 Is child" he began. taking iIildegarde's \ hand aud drawing her toward win. dow seat. 'the king of Jugendheit asks for your hand
 '"rhen | am to marry the king of Jueeudhoitg There was little joy in her voice
 "Ah. we have not gone so far as that The king through his uncle, has simply made proposal
 "it is for you to decide. father Whatever yeur decision k l shall abide hy IL"
 "It is hari lesson We have te learn. my child Ne cannot aiways marry \ herr We love Diplomacy and pel1 les make other plans Rul fortunate y fer you eeu leYe no one vet and lie kiag Is seaag. handsome. they say. 5ua rlsh Politically speaking. il would ht great match T am tN Your hands. You knew what k best"
 The duke was polgnantly disap- pointed. Why dd she not refuse out. right. as became cue of the house ot Ehrcnsteing
 "What Is he like" she asked.
 That ne one seems to know. He has heea 10 his capital but twice in ten years. The young king has been tu Paris most of the time That's the way they educate kings these days They teach them all the vices. Your father loves you. and If yeu are inciln. ed toward hts majesty, If il is in your heart to become queen, l shall noi lei mN preiudices stand in the way"
 She caught up hts haad with strange passion and kissed t.
 Father ! do not want to marry any one, wlstfulb But queenr' she added thenrhtfally. Would II be for the xood of the stateg''
 Herr was reason. Yes. my oejee- tiens are merely personal said the duke
 For the eoed of ny country am ready 10 make auy sacrince"
 Very well but weigh the matter carefully. Tnere ls eever any retrae ing step of this Alnd~ He paused and then said
 "Nou are Ail have, girl
 .Ms father SAe s,nosed his cheek.
 The rcstora ton of the Princess Hide garde of Ehre0stein had eeeu The sen. sation ef Earope. as had been to the earlier days hsF remark b.e abduction For sixteen years the search hsd gone on frultiesSix in a garres in Dresden the agents of flerheek found her. . singer in the chorus of the opera. The newspapers and illustrated weeklies ragged about Der for awalle. elaborated the story of her struggles. the naysseri- GUS r~mittances whsch had from time so time saved her from direst poverty.