The Pensacola journal., 1912-10-01

pool the moment she looked chill. he
picked out for her the tidbits at their
meals. He even brushed out her hair,
for the thick golden mass was quite
beyond the management of the Prin-
cess, and Erebus firmly refused to play
lady's-maid. Since the Terror was one
of those who enjoy doing those things
which they are called upon to do, he
presently forgot the unmanliness of
the occupation, and began to take
pleasure IN handling the silken
strands.
1t was on the fifth day after bath,
when he was brushing out her hair in
the sun on the top of the Knoll that
he received the severe shock. Heaven
knows that the Princess was not a
demonstrative child; indeed, she had
never had the chance. But he had
just finished his task and was survey
ing the shining result with satisfac-
tion, when of a sudden, without any
warning, she threw her arms round
his neck and kissed him.
"Oh, you are nicer she said.
The Terror's ineffable serenity was
for once scattered to the winds. He
flushed and gaZed round the woods
with horror-stricken eyes: if anyone
should have seen it!
The Princess marked his trouble, and
said in a tone Of distress, Don't you
like me to kiss your
The Terror swallowed the lump Of
horror in his throat, and said family
but gallantly: "Yes-oh, rather"
Then kiss me-" said the Princess
simply, smuggling closer to him.
The despairing eyes of the Terror
swept the woods; then he kissed her
gingerly.
Il am fond of you, you know" said
the Princess in frankly proprietary
tone
The Terror's scattered wits at last
worked. He rose to his feet and said
quickly: "Yes. Let's be getting to
the Others"
The Princess rose obediently.
But the Ice was broken; and the
kisses Of the Princess if not frequent,
were at any rate not rare. The Ter
ror at first endured them; then he
came rather to like them. But he
strictly enjoined discretion on her.
Discretion and kisses, however, have
no natural affinity; and without their
knowing 1t, Virgins became aware Of
the practice.
The confidence between the Twins
had always been so full that he was
not aware that he was letting a cat
out of bag when he said to Erebus
II suppose the Terror's in love with
the Princess, kissing her like that. l
think it's awfuliy silly" And he
spurned the earth
Erebus's dark face was all one dusky
flush, as, somewhat breathlessly, she
drew from Virgins his idyllic story.
Then she rose and with clenched fists
and blazing eyes, sought the Princess.
She found her lying back drowsily
against bank, and forthwith cried
fiercely:
Princess or no Princess, you shan't
kiss him -
The drowsiness fed; and the Prin-
cess sat up. Her gray eyes darkened
and Sparkled. She had never made a
face in her life; it is quite probable
that she was ignorant that faces were
made; but quite naturally she made a
hideous face at Erebus, and said: "I
shall ~
"If you do, TIL smack you" cried
Erebus and she ground her teeth.
"Hs won't let you; and If you do,
he'll smack you-much harder" said
the Princess confidently.
Had the Princess been standing up,
Erebus would have smacked her then
and there; but the Princess was sit
ting safely down. Erebus growled in
her throat, turned on her heel, and
dashed away in seach of the Terror.
She came upon him dragging a fallen
bough up to the Knoll for firewood.
"I know all about your kissing the
Princess! | never heard of such silly
babyishness !" she cried in a tone of
the fiercest contempt
The shame-faced Terror blushed
then he turned brazen:
you mind your own business!" he
said firmly. at isn't babyish at all
She's asked me to marry her and I'm
going to--so there!"
In the face of this situation Erebus
found herself utterly helpless; she
wrung her hands and turned sharply
aside into the wood.
Then followed a period of strain.
Erebus assumed an attitude of naughty
contempt toward the errant pair. She
devoted herself to Virgins, and let
them coldly alone. Tt is to be feared
that the kisses having been forbidden,
became sweeter and more frequent.
1t was at this iuncture that Sir
Maurice Falconer, the uncle OF the
Twins came into the affair He had
from the very beginning taken a diff
ferent view of the disappearance OF
the Princess from that of the rest of
the world. IT was his habit to ascribe
any uncommon event which occurred
in the Deepings to his nephew and
niece. When then be first read in his
Morning Pest Of that disappearance.
he said quetly TO himself: THE
Twins againr' He was confirmed in
his opinion by the sight of reproduc-
tion of the Socialist Manifesto In an
enterprising halfpenny paper.
But Sir Maurice was not a man to
interfere lightly, and he was busy
enough with many lunches, race
meetings. dinners, dances, and suppers
to postpone his Intervention till the
sixth day. when every Socialist Organ
iZation from San Francisco TO Japan
was loudly disavowing any completely
with the crime. and the diplomatists
and newspapers of Germany and Eng
land were snarIing at one another in a
fashion which forbode war He felt
that the time had come to ease the in
ternational situation.