The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-17

she was asked, for a while. not to
seek TO discover, was the last In.
effable touch he needed TO make
her romance complets,
She might wonder and dream
about It; she couldn't help doing
that. Mightn't he be a real princs
or even a young king-shaken of
his throne by the war or some OF
those revolutions they were having
everywhere? He wasn't the Prince
OF Wales, she was sure or that
she'd seen him. But there must be
plenty more In other countries.
Who would the wicked uncle be. in
that case? The usurper Of the
crown, perhaps? No; that wasn't
likely. lie wouldn't be pursuing the
rightful heir; certainly not in per-
son. Perhaps he was a baffled
guardian trying to drag his nephew
back to the throne which the boy )
democratic nature had led him to
renounce. Or perhaps-she gasped
at this; this almost must be true!
perhaps they wanted to make him
marry someone he didn't love, foc
reasons OF state, some princess
from n neighboring country-hor-
ribly plain, of course. That might
have been what ho meant by the
treadmlll. They always spoke of It
like that. didn't they?
One thing the Princess was de.
termned about-she wouldn't pry.
No Vaccinations. however plaus-
ible, should betray her into distrust,
into setting traps, into asking ques-
tions-even limiting at them. That
was the way lots of heroires got
into trouble, all hut wrecked the
whole romance. They would prom.
Use. Just as she was about to do, TO
trust through everything, to wait
the hero's own good time for thu
electric revelation, and then some
body trumped up a malignant lie
or set of compromising appear
ances, and they lost their nerve and
began insisting upon explanations
thst at the moment, most likely,
when the hero found Il most impos.
sible to explain anything. The
Princess wouldn't do that, she
promised herself, whatever hap
pened.
All this time he had been wait
ing, taking, II appeared, her long
silence for indecision. for he turned
TO her now with an appealing LOOK.
at Is not a bad secret that ! am
asking YOU to let me keep" he said.
"Oh, II wasn't thatl" she cried.
81 wasn't taking all that time %
decide, do trust you. You needn't
tell me anything, ever-until you
want to-" %
Their faces we're very close to-
gethar and their eyes held fast.
Nothing but a kiss could cap a
declaration like that. They took 1t,
with a gasp apiece, and then, very
red and scared, moved hurriedly
apart.
"Ill tell you what | think we'd
better do" the Princess said, in an
Intensely matter-of-fact tone. Il
think you'd better stay here for a
few minutes while | go scouting
across the bridge TO see whether
your uncle is coming or not. II
he isn't we can Just go away and
take street car or something"
He did not answer and she saw
when she glanced around at him
that he was looking rather sad over
her proposal. so she added, drop
ping her young-ladylike manner,
That's a good plan, isn't It, Bill2"
She laughed at the mere sound Of
that and won a smile from him.
II like that-Bill," he told her.
but I do not lik, that you should
go away"
But we can't go on sitting here
on the ground" she protested, like
the Rabes in the Woods"
And let the robins cover us with
leaves" he added
She checked a tendency to dis
solve once more by getting
brusquely to her feet. ut wouldn't
be a robin with u.s." she said. 1T
would be sparrow cop, and he
wouldn't cover us with leaves,
eitheri"
That joke went over his head, but +
she did not linger to explain It. I
sit perfectly still" she instruct 1!
ed him. Il won't be gone five min
utes."
As you may have inferred from
hef suggestion or the possibility Of
their taking a street car, the Prin-
cess had completely forgotten. in
her concentration upon Bill Law
renee and his affairs, that she was
Leda Swan. She picked her way
out of the thicket and set out at a
brisk walk up the bridge incline,
aware OF herself as nothing but. an
inconspicuous scout possessed of
the capital advantage that the
wicked uncle. even II she encoun.
tered him, would not, in any likeli-
hood, recognize her. She noted
with complete indifference the an.
proach Of group OF four or five
young girls on their way Nome from
the bathing pavilion, and was for
an instant merely puzzled by the
sensation her appearance caused
among them. They had started,
stopped and stared at her in a per-
fectly ingenious astonishment with
the most complete and instantane-
Gus accord.
1T is, tell you'll 1t is Leda
Swami"
well. but look at her, I tell youi"
"She must have been in an acci-
dent"
We'll. it's her, anyway"
All that ntIita anHfl1vr l..