The Glasgow courier., 1916-09-08
The Prince of
CrQuStQrk
GCOnt;n cd from naUe Q)
(Contin Led from page 81

|
by members of the royal household
and the court. AS for the furnishings,
l can assure you that the entire Blith-
| ers fortune could not replace them if
they We're to be destroyed by fire or
pllage. They are priceless, and they
are unique. have read that the hang
ings in the bedchamber of the late
! Princess Yetive are the most wonder
full in the whole world. The throne
| chair in the great audience chamber is
of solid gold and weighs nearly 5000
pounds 1t is studded with diamonds,
rubies, emeralds"-
Great Scott. Lou, where did you
learn all this?" he gasped, his eyes
bulging.
land many other precious stones.
There is one huge carpet in the royal
drawing room that the czar of Russia
is said to have offered 100000 for
and the offer was scorned. The park
surrounding the castle is said to be
beautiful beyond the power of descrip-
| ton. The
II asked you where you got all this
information. Can't you answer me?'
II obtained all this and great deal
more from lady who spent year or
two inside the castle walls. refer to
! Mrs. TruXton King, who might have
told you as much if you had possessed
the intelligence to inquire"
Gee whiz." exclaimed Mr.. Blithers,
going back to his buoyant boyhood
! days for an adequate expression.
| What wonder you are, Lou. Say,
! but won't it make wonderful home
, for you and me to spend peaceful
+, old age in when we get ready to lay
aside the
He stopped short, for she had arisen
and was standing over him with a
Guivering forelinger leveled at his
| nose
| "You may walk in where angels
fear to tread but you will walk
alone, VIII Blithers. l shall not be
with you, and you may as well un-
| derstand it now. I've told you hun
dred times that money isn't every
| thing, and it is as cheap as dirt when
| you put it alongside of tradition,
honor, pride and loyalty. Those
Graustarkians would take you by the
nape of the neck and march you out
| of their castle so quick that your
head would swim. You may be able
to buy their prince for Maudie to ex.
hibit around the country, but you
can't buy the intelligence of the peO-
pie. The people Of Graustark must
have an opportunity to see and be-
come acquainted with Maud before
| the marriage is definitely arranged
l will not have my daughter cast into
a den of lions, Will-fo that is what
it may amount to. The people will
adore her, they will welcome her
with open arms if they are given the
chance. But they will have none of
J her if she is forced upon them in the
way you propose"
"I'll-Tll think it over" said Mr..
Blithers, "but there's nothing on
earth that can alter my determine
tion to make Maud the Princess of
Sroostork. That's settled"
"Graustark, Will"
"Well. whatever 1t is" said he, and
departed.
He thought hard until half-past l.,
and then went to the wireless Office,
where he wrote out a message in
waste no time in relaying it to his
Offices In Paris. 1t would be the height
of folly to offer Scoville money, and
it would be even worse to inspire the
temporary imprisonment of the youth.
But there was splendid alterna-
tive. He could manage to have his
own daughter abducted-chape in
cluded-and held for ransom!
The more he thought of it the bet
ter it seemed to him. and so he sent a
cipher message that was destined to
throw his Paris managers into state
of agitation that cannot possibly be
measured by words. In brief, he in
structed them to engage few peace
able. trustworthy and positively re-
spectacle gentlemen-he was particu-
larly eXactinS on the score of gentil-
| ity-With orders to abduct the young
lady and hold her in restraint until
he arrived and arranged for her lib
Grafton. They were to do the deed
without making any fuss about 1t
but at the same time they were to dc
it effectually.
He had the foresight to suggest thai
the Job should be undertaken by the
very detective agency he had employ
ed to shadow young Scovilie and alsC
| to keep an eye on Maud.
Late that evening he had repl!
from his Paris managers. They in
] quired if he was responsible for tn,
| message they had received. 1t was ;
ticlllish job, and they wanted to b'
sure the message was genuine. HI
] wired back that he was the sende
: and to go ahead. The next mornin:
X they notified him that his instruc
Y tions would be carried out as eNpedi
y tiously as possible.
:. About II o'clock the next day al