The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-16
(Continued.1
 CHAPTER VIII. The World Republic.

N OF quite soon. as it seemed to .A the king, the gradient of the path diminished, the way wid- ened out. and they found themselves in very beautiful place indeed. It was one of those upland clusters Of sheds and houses that are still to be found in the mountains of north Italy that were used only in the high summer and which it was the custom to leave lock ed up and deserted through all the winter and spring and up to the mid de of June. The buildings were of a soft toned gray stone buried in rich green grass, shadowed by chestnut trees and lit by an extraordinary blaze of yellow broom. Never had the king seen broom so glorious. He shouted at the light of it, for 1t seemed to give out more sunlight even than it receiv- ed He sat down impuIsfvely on hchenous stone, tugged out his bread and cheese and bade Firmin thrust the beer into the shaded weeds to cool.
 tsThe things people miss, B1rmin,Y he said, sswho go up into the air in shipsg'
 Firmin looked around him with ap ungeniaI eye. You see it at its best, sir," he said, before the peasants come here again and make it hlthy.''
 sIt would be beautiful anyhow said the king.
 ..superdcially, sir said Firnin. .sBut 1t stands for a social order that is fast vanishing away Indeed, judging by the grass between the stones and in the huts, I am inclined to doubt if 1t is in use even now"
 ssI suppose" said the king, ssthey would come up immediately the hay on this flower meadow is cut 1t would
 
 I expect, one sees on the roads below and swarthy girls with red handker- chiefs over their black haif It is wonderful to think how long that beau tifu1 old life lasted. In the Roman times and long ages before ever the runor of the Romans had come into these parts, men drove their cattle up into these places as the summer came on How haunted is this placei There have been quarrels here, hopes, chil- dren have played here and lived to be old crones and old gaffers and died, and so 1t has gone on for thousands of lives. Lovers, innumerab1e lovers, have caressed amidst this golden broom
 He meditated over busy mouthful of bread and cheese.
 ssWe ought to have brought tank ard for that beer,r he said.
 Firnin produced folding a1unninium cup, and the king was pleased to drink
 ..I wish, sir" said E1rmin suddenly, 'sI could induce you at least to delay your decision"
 sIts no good talking, Firmin.. said the king. My minds as clear as day light.
 "sire,s protested Firmfn, with his voice full of bread and cheese and gen uine emotion, have you no respect for your kingship P
 The king paused before he answered with unwonted gravity, '.It's just be- cause I have, Firnnin, that won't be a puppet in this game of international politics. He regarded his companion for a moment and then remarked: HKingship! What do you know of kingship, Firmin
 t'Yes," cried the king to his aston 1shed counselor For the first time in my life am going to be king. I am going to lead, and lead by my own au- thority. For dozen generations my family has been set of dummies in the hands of their advisers. Now am going to be real king, and am going toto abolish, dispose of, finish, the crown to which have been 8 slave. But what world of paralyzing shams this roaring stuff has ended! The rigid old world is in the melting pot again, and, who seemed to be no more than the stufhng inside 8 regal robe, I am king among kings. have to play my part at the head of things and put an end to blood and fire and idiot disor der.''
 fsBut, sir,'' protested F1rmin-
 "This man Leblanc is right The whole world has got to be republic, one and indivisible. You know that. And my duty is to make that easy. A king should lead his people. You want me to stick on to their backs like some old man of the sea. Today must be a sacrament of kings. Our trust for man kind is done with and ended. We must part our robes among them. We must part our kfngship among them and say to them ali, Now the king in every one must rule the world Have you no sense of the magnidcence of this occasion? You want me, Firmin, you want me to go up there and haggle like a d~d little solicitor for some price, some compensation, some qual- fication."
 Firmin shrugged his shoulders and assumed an expression of despair. Meanwhile, he conveyed, one must eat
 For a time neither spoke, and the king ate and turned over in his mind the phrases of the speech he intended to make to the conference. By virtue of the antiquity of his crown he was to preside, and he intended to make his presidency memorab ble. Reassured of his eloquence, he considered the de spondent and sulky Firmin for a space.
 "Ffrmin,'' he said, you have ideal ized kingship."