Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-22

It."
"Fight? What chance have I to
f1ght?" Hedwig asked sc%ornfully.
"One thing, of course, I could do"
pursued the countess. ION those days
when you wish to have tea with-his
royal highness, I could arrange, per-
haps, to let you know If any member
of the family intended going to his
apartments"
1t was a moment before Hedwig
comprehended. Then she turned to
her haughtily. "When I wish to have
tea with my cousin" she said coldly,
st shall do 1t openly, countess"
She left the balcony abruptly, aban-
doning the countess to solitary fury,
the greater because triumph had
seemed so near. Alone, she went red
and white, bit her lips, behaved ac-
cording to all the time-honored ira
ditions. And even swore-in a polite,
lady-in-waitfng fashion, to be sure
to get even.
! Things we're going very wrong for
Milky Larisch.
Perhaps, at the very first, he had
been in love with the princess, not the
woman. It had been rather like him
to fix on the unattainable and wor-
ship it from afar. Because, for all the
friendliness of their growing intimacy,
Hedwig was still a star, whose light
touched him, but whose warmth was
not for him. He would have died
fighting for her with a smile on his
lips. But he had no hope of living
for her, unless. of course, she should
happen to need him, which was most
unlikely. He had no vanity whatever,
although in parade dress, with white
gloves, he hoped he cut a decent figure.
So she had been his star, and as cold
and remote. And then, that very
morning, Hedwig had been thrown.
Not badly-she was too expert for
that. AS a matter of fact, feeling her.
self going, she had flung two strong
young arms around her horses neck,
and had almost succeeded in lighting
on her feet. 1t was not at all
dramatic.
But Nikky's heart had stopped beat
ing. He had lifted her up from where
she sat, half vexed and wholly
ashamed, and carried her to a chair.
That was all. But when it vas all
over, and Hedwig was only a trife
wobbly and horribly Inundated,
Milky Larisch knew the truth about
himself, knew that he was in love
with the granddaughter of his king,
and that under no conceivable circum-
stances would he ever be able to tell
her SO. Knew, then, that happiness
and he had said a long farewell, and
would thereafter travel different
roads.
So that night he started out to think
things over. Probably never before in
his life had he deliberately done such
a thing. He had never, as a fact,
thought much at all. 1t had been his
comfortable habit to let the day take
care of itself. Beyond minor prob
lens of finance-minor because his in
come was trifling-he had considered
little. In the last border war he had
distinguished himself only when it was
a matter of doing, not of thinking.
But he was young, and the night
was crisp and beautiful. He took a
long breath, and looked up at the stars.
After all, things might not be sc bad.
Hedwig might refuse this marriage.
They were afraid that she would, or
univ houn nclynd hiS hnIn9 NNhan hn
thought of King Karl, he drew himself
up, and his heels rang hard on the
pavement. Karl! A hard man and q
good king-that was Karl. And old.
From the full manhood of his twenty
three years Milky surveyed Karl's al
most forty, and considered it age.
1t was typical of Milky to decide
that he needed a hard walk. He
translated most of his emotions into
motion. So he set off briskly, turn
ing into the crowded part of the city.
And here it was that Milky hap
pened on the thing that was to take
him far that night, and bring about
many curious things. Not far ahead
Of him two men were talking. They
went slowly, arm in arm. One was
talking loquaciously, using his free
arm, on which hung a cane, to gestic-
ulate. The other walked with bent
head.
Milky, pausing to light a cigarette,
fell behind. But the wind was tricky,
and with his third match he stepped
into a stone archway, lighted his
cigarette, buttoned his tunic high
against the chill, and emerged to a
silent but violent struggle just ahead.
The two men had been attacked by
three others, and as he stared, the
%loquacious n went down. Instantly
a huge figure Of a mar outlined against
the light from a street lamp, crouched
over the PROSTATE form of the fallen
man. Even In the i~mperceptible sec
ond before he started to run toward
the group, Milky saw that the silent