The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-11

sight 81 tho Big. bury man the count
ess seemed to grow pale a. death.
She rose to her feet. Gardiner rose
also. but / could see he had no ink
ling Of the situation. Then, In the
twinkling Of an eye. the big man
raised her in his arms and ran back
with her through the hotel dining
room. carrying her as though she had
been . bAg Of feathers. The room
was Aued with diners. But the big
man did not pause for that Every
body made way for himI can geo
now that the affair was prearranged
with tho hotel proprietor--and the
drst thing heard after that was the
snorting Of IN automobile outside the
hotel entrance.
OF course Gardner went after her.
But the tvo men Who had been with
the big maa eontrived to get in his
way and trip him. % that when ct
last We reached Tie hotel door togeth-
Or there waS no sign Of an automo.
bile or Of the countess. The elderly
maid had vanished. and the proprietor
seemed quite indfsnant. when I Ques-
TONED him about the kidnapping, and
accused mo Of being inebriated.
Gardiner spent the night rushing
about the streets, in the Wild hope
that the countess was being held
somewhere In Spa, and that he could
ind her. I went with him to prevent
him from getting into trouble, though
l had the hardest work In doing 20.
He wanted to see the American con.
sui, and actually did go to police head
quarters. OF course they laughed po-
litely at his story and promised to
make investigations. That was all,
except for one thing.
ION the lowest step of the hotel
Gardiner and ! found a lady's visit
ing card. It had evidently dropped,
or had been thrown there by intent
as the girl was being carried out Of
the hotel. On it was engraved the
name of the lady who is now, or was
till recently, Princess Beatrice Of
Luxembourg.
so Gardiner had the clue. but that
was all. I went with him to Luxem-
burg and we stood before the big, old.
fashioned palace of the ruler. and
watched the sentry walking up and
down with his bayonet over his Shout
der. Not much use trying to get
past him! We walked all round the
palace by day and by night. but there
was no sign Of the Princess Beatrice.
We waylaid all the carriages that
drove in and drove out, and II the
princess had been In any Of them
think Gardiner would have sprung on
the box and tried to take the carriage
to America, duennas, coachman and
all.
I'VE spent, think. three days in
this sort of nonsense, and then we
read in the newspapers that the
princess was living in seclusioD at the
court Of Vessel. paying visit to the
mother Of the young prince whom: it
was rumored, she was to marry. Next
day the engagement was announced.
That day we left for America. You
may have noticed Gardiner has
seemed changed during the last three
or four years."
Eyes," answered Jimmy Barnes.
"Quieter."
He never got over It," Trevethan
continued. II am sure that he was
in love with her all the time. I know
that about the time of her marriage
he went big game stalking in the
Rockies without guide, and was
away for months. living in complete
solitude. However, II you really saw
him In Yonkers-but guess you were
mistaken, Jimmy. Gardiner isn't the
sort of man to go to Yonkers. He
hates the suburbs. Unless he was
making q call there. i. BY the way,
I'd like to see that piece about the
princess in the newspaper"
Somebody picked 1t up and handed
It to him, and Trevethan read 1t.
We'll, she still has the travelling
instinct" he said, "and II she eludes
the Arabs as deftly as she eluded
her father when she was at Spa
shouldn't be surprised II she did sue
coed in crossing the peninsula. Why,
here's her likeness! She hasn't
changed a particle since those days
when I knew her. But this doesn't
begin to do her justice. Hello. Jimmy!
What ails your"
Jimmy Barnes had picked up the
paper and was staring at the like
ness.
20, nothing much" he answered,
laying II down. only this happens
to be the lady I saw with Gardiner In
Yonkers."