The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-04-27

vining OF railway timetables. he a
been a guide for n tourist agency. 1t
was quite impossible to miss a train
that Hobbs suspected of being the right
one.
Prince Robin came unheralded and
traversed the breadth of the continent
without attracting more han the atten-
ton that is bestowed upon good looking
young men. Like his mother. nearly a
quarter of a century before. he travelled
incognito. But where she had used the
somewhat emphatic name of Guggen-
slocker he was known to the hote
registers as ''Mr. r. Schmidt and ser
want"
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 LCrry in an express train go,
ing eastward from Denver. Theti
wonderful omanc was born, so to
speak. in a Pullman compartment car.
and it thrived so s~plendidly that it al
most upset a dynasty, for never-in all
of nine centuries-had a ruler of Grau-
stark stopped to marriage with a COM
mOner.
And so when the farsighted minis
try and house of mobiles in Graustark
set about to select a wife for their
young ruler they made overtures to
the Prince Of Dawsbergen, whose do
main adiOined Graustark on the south.
The Crown Princess of D~awsbergen,
then but fifteen, was the unanimous
choice 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 a
Miss Beverly Calhoun Of Virginia-was
disposed to listen to the voice OF eX-
pediency: in fact. at Il safe distance of
three or four hundred miles the young
sters tiguratively turned up their noses
at each other and frankly confessed
that they hated each other and
ried, no matter what anybody said. or
something of the sort.
"S'pose I'm going to say I'll marry a
girl I've never SEEM demanded sew
enteen-year-old Robin, full Of wrath.
Not |, 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
rs fifteen, you say" he interrupted
loftily. Come around in ten years
and we'll tall. it owe again. But I'm
not going to pledge myself to marry a
child IN snort frOckS, na1ne or no
name. Is she pretty?'
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. I saw her when she was three
years old, and she certainly was a
fright when she cried. and, my lords,
she cried all the time. No. III 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
out Of the question
And the ffteen-year-old crown prin-
cess, 400 miles away. coolly informed
her doting parents that she was tired
of being a princess anyway and very
much preferred marrying some one
who lived in a cottage. In fine. she
stamped her little foot and said she'd
jump into the river before she'd marry
the Prince Of Graustark.
But he's a very handsome. adorable
boy" began her mother.
And half American, just as you are,
my child" put in her father encourag-
ingly. Nothing could be more suit.
able than
Il don't intend to marry anybody
until I'm thirty at least. so that ends
it, daddy mean your poor old high.
ness
Naturally We do not expect you Ia
be married before you are out Of
short frocks. my dear" said Prince
Dantan stiffly. But a bctrothal is
quite another thing. 1t is customary
to arrange these marriages years be
fore
rs Prince Robin in love with me-
"I-ahem-that's a very silly ques.
ton. He hasn't seen you since you
were a baby. But he will be in love
with you. never fear"
"He may be in love with some one
else. for all we know. so where do |
come in?"
"Come in|" gasped her father.
"She's part American. dear" ex.
planned the mother with her prettiest
smile.
Besides" said the crown princess,