The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1916-04-20

ferring to take no chances. Money was
not cheap in these bitter days. neither
in Europe nor America. Caution was
the watchword. A vast European war
was not improbable. despite the sim
cere efforts on the part of the various
nations to keep out of the controversy.
Nor was Mr.. Rlithers far from right
in his shrewd surmise that Prince
Robin and his agents were not without
hope in coming 10 America at this par
ticular time. Graustark had laid by
barely half the amount required to lift
the debt to Russia. 1t was not beyond
the bounds of reason to expect her
prince to secure the remaining 10000
coo through private sources in New
York city.
Six weeks prior to his arrival in
New York the young prince landed in
San Francisco. He had come by way
of the orient. accompanied by the chief
of staff of the Graustark army. Count
Quinnox. hereditary watchdog to the
royal family. and young lieutenant
of the guard. 1Boske Dank. Two men
We're they who would have given a
thousand lives in the service of their
prince. No less loyal was the body
servant who looked after the personal
wants of the eager young traveller. an
Englishman of the name of Hobbs. A
very poor valet was he, but an eXcep-
tionally capable person when it came
10 the checking of luggage and the di-
vining of railway timetables. He had
been a guide for Il tourist agency. 1t
was quite impossible to miss a train
that Hobbs suspected of being the right
one
Prince Robin came unheralded and
fraversed the breadth of the continent
without attracting more than the atten
ton that is bestowed upon good looking
young men. Like his mother. nearly a
quarter of century before. he Travelled
incognito. But where she had used the
somewhat emphatic name of Guggen.
slocker he was known to the hotel
registers as Mr. r. Schmidt and ser
rant."
There was romance in the eager
Young soul of Prince Robin. He rev
eled in the love story of his parents.
The beautiful Princess Yetive first saw
Grenfell Lorry in an express train 60
ing eastward from Denver. Their
wonderful romance was born, so to
speak. in a Pullman compartment car.
and 1t thrived SO splendidly that it al
most upset dynasty. for never-in all
Of nine centuries-had ruler of Grau-
stark st ooped TO marriage with a COM
moner.
And SO when the farsighted minis
try and house of mobiles in Graustark
set about to select wife for their
young ruler they made oyertures to
the Prince of Dawsbcrsen, whose do
main adjoined Graustark on the south.
The Crown Princess of Dawsbergen,
then but fifteen. was the unanimous
,hoice of the amiable matchmakers in
secret conclave. This was when Robin
was seventeen and just over being
fatuously in love with his middle aged
instructress in French.
The Prince of Dawsbergen dispatch
ed an embassy of noblemen to assure
his neighbor that the match would be
highly acceptable to him and that in
proper season the betrothal might be
announced. But alack. both courts
overlooked the fact that there was in
dependent American blood in the two
young people. Neither the Prince OF
Graustark nor the Crown Princess OF
Observation-Disclosures mother was q
Miss Beverly Calhoun of Nirginia-was
disposed to listen to the voice OF eX-
pediency: in fact. at safe distance or
three OF four hundred miles the young
sters fguratively turned up their noses
at each other and frankly confessed
that they hated each other and
wouldn't be bullied into getting mar
ried, no matter what anybody said, or
something of the sort.
.Spose I'm going to say I'll marry a
girl I've never seen" demanded sew
enteen-y ear-old Robin, full of wrath.
Not I, my lords. I'm going to look
about a bit, If you don't mind. The
world Is full of girls. I'll marry the
one | happen to want or I'll not marry
at ALL"
But, highness.' they protested, you
must listen to reason. There must be
a successor to the throne of Graustark.
You would not have the name die with
you. The young princess is
as fifteen, you say" he interrupted
loftily. Come around in ten years
and we'll talk it over again. But I'm
not going to pledge myself to marry a
child in short frocks, name or no
name. Is she prettyT
The lords did not know. They had
not seen the young lady.
IF she is pretty you'd be sure to
know it, my lords, so we'll assume she
isn't l saw her when she was three
years old. and she certainly was
fright when she cried. and. my lords,
she cried all the time. No. I'll not
marry her. Be good enough TO say TO
the Prince of Dawsbergen that I'm
very much obliged to him. but it's quite
ont of tho question.