Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-06

THE HIDDEN PRINCE.
Christopher Race stared at the in.
vitation, and stared again. If 1t haG
come to him in his palmy- days he
might not have been thus blankly
amazed; but at best who was Christie
pher Race that he should be hidden tc
a reception at the Foreign office tt
meet royalty?
OF course. Christopher said to him.
self, he would not go. Before the day
of the reception he would be away in
the country with Scarlet Runner
trailing a fat and vulgar Australian
millionaire, with his fat and vulgar
millionairess about rural England.
But there was another letter in this
mornings mail and he suddenly
changed his mind. 1t covered no more
than page, and was signed "Eloise
Dauvray,"
That name had wrung in his ears
mysterious and sweet as the music OF
bells floating over the sea from city
of mirage, since the masked ball
where he had been lucky enough to
serve the fair southerners purpose
Now his heart gave a leap as he read
the summons which called him back
into her life. .S,..>.
Her letter had no conventional be-
ginning Since I have been a grown
woman" she said, II have known
only two real men. and you are one
of those two. I want you to meet the
other. Something great may come Of
the meeting and this time you would
be with me in an adventure of which
neither of us need be ashamed. AS
for me, l am in it deeply, heart and
soul. If you will throw in your for
June with mine, come tomorrow night
ITO the Foreign office reception, for
which I will see that you have an in
vitation. Yours-gratefully for the
past, hopefully for the future
"ELOISE DAUVRAY."
No question now as to whether he
would go or not go! He wanted to
see Eloise Dauvray; he wanted to
know why and how she needed him:
he wanted to be in that adventure,
whatever it might prove. because she
would be in it; and though 1t was a
drawback that he was not the only
Real Man on her horizon, he wanted
to find out what the other one was
like. -.
Christopher stepped out Of his car
into blaze Of light and color, and in
doors the luscious perfume of flowers,
mingled with the thought that he was
about to see Eloise Dauvray, went to
his head like some rich Spanish wine
Mr.. Race" murmured voice that
no man who had heard it once could
forget; and, turning he was face to
face with Eloise Dauvray--an aston
ishingly changed Eloise Dauvray.
She had been beautiful before, but
she was, doubly beautiful now, with
the radiant morning beauty Of a girl
Of eighteen. The. eyes, once clouded
with mystery or tragedy, had been
turned into stars by some new happi-
ness; and for giddy second Christie
pher asked himself if it could be his
presence that
But the thought broke before 1t fin
ished; forsh saw the Other Man, and,
seeing him, knew the secret of the
change In Eloise Dauvray. This man
was no common man, and suddenly
it was as if Christopher saw his tall
figure framed in such another niche,
/ glowing with strange jewels, unique
And splendid. If there had been jeal-
ousy i'm Christopher's soul 1t must
have been burnt up like chaff in the
brave fire of the Other Mans eyes,
as they welcomed him.
"Mr. Race" said Eloise Dauvray
again, i wanted you to come and
meet Prince Mirko of Dalvania. I
have told him about you"
Il am here with my grandmother"
said Miss Dauvray. You have not
met her., but she is an old friend of
the foreign secretary's wife. Prince
Mirko and you and must talk to-
gether."ss
They found a quiet corner, out of
the way of the crowd. Now I am
going to- tell you a secret" the girl
went on.S You see how l trust YOU
how we&both trust you? For it's a
secret that, if known, might spoil a
plan whose success means everything
TO the prince-everything, therefore.
to me-"
Whatever YOU ask I will do" said
Christopher rashly. He was in the
mood to, be rash; not only for Miss
Dauvray's sake, but now for the sake
Of the prince as well. There was
something Of that extraordinary mag
netism about the young man which
the house of Stuart had and made use
Of in enlsting followers.
You had better wait and hear
first" Mirko warned him. But at
this moment arrived an anxious look
ing gentleman, whose face cleared at
sight of the group of three Bowling
courteously to Miss Douvray, at
whom he glanced quickly with yelled
curiosity, he announced in indifferent
French that he had been searching
everywhere for His Royal Highness in
the hope of introducing him-by spe-
cial reqaest-to a very great per-
sonage. =, .,l
Such arequest was a command, and
Eloise smiled permission to go,
THAT Is the Dalvanian ambassa-
dor" she n1urmured, as the tall,
youthful figure and the short, middle
aged one moved away together.
He looks clever" said Christopher.
He is clever" replied Eloise, land
We befieve-he is on our side Not
fnr mo- 7 don't mean that. l hope
and pray he knows nothing, and may
guess nothing until too late to inter-
fere | mean something of more i'm
portance. to Dalvania than love af-
fair. Perhaps, after all, it's just as
well that ! can tell you what / have
to tell you alone, First, / thank you
for coming, and-isnt he glorious?"
"Yes,s'l said Christopher. "If II
were soldier l should like to fight
for him."
How strange you should say that"
half whispered the girl. ut is ex-
actly what / want you to do. Will
you be a. soldier of fortune and fight
for us both? But no; 1t isn't fair to
ask you that until you know the
whole story, sE7
So she told him the story, briefly
>as she could, keeping down her own
excitement which would grow with
the tale, Christopher knew little or
,aatl,ir,sr Of 10 |