Evening star., 1928-04-03
INSTALLMENT 1.

i way toward making up the popula.
ton OF the entire world. as far as Ii
was known 30 the young woman turn.
ing nineteen that day Every man
woman and child in the little rock
bound valley knew of It: wooimsn and
hunters. shepherds and goathergis. yag-
ahondS and gypSies, and. above all, the
robbers and highwaymen. who poluced
from shadowy places upon the unwary
traveller whose Journey carried him
through and past the gorgeous, but sim
lister, nan Of the Hawk and Raven, 50
named because It vas the abiding place
of birds Of prey and birds of i'll omen
and so vast that its heights could only
be measured by the winged inhabitants
Of the air.
For the Inn of the Hawk and Raven
was no more. no less than the King S
Highway through the foroiddtng Forest
Of Droon. lying between the frontier
and the fortified town Of Garlook on
the road to EdelweiSS That particular
stretch Of the Kings road began at the
northern end of the pass through the
barrier mountains long days Journey
from the hamlet Of Balak near the
Axphainian frontier. and extended to
within a short distance OF Ganlook. q
matter of 20 miles by horse, q Scant
score as the eagle flies.
In the middle of the pass, 80 desolate
miles from either end. sunk low in a
gorge between towering cliffs, lay the
heart of that evil, grimly-named Inn
Of the Hawk and Raven: its arteries and
veins ran OF In sll directions, north and
south, up and down. in and out, through
q tangle of wood and rock that seeming
II had no end. Woe betide the adven-
turer who sought TO follow the paths
f@r& d. tfaA IL.
hmitleSs forest that clung to the sky
touching mountains, Out of this viii
6erneSs. thousands Of feet above. bloom
ed the frozen. wind-swept, sun-kissed
peaks.
And below. through rocky gorge and
gentle vale. Snsrled q turbulent river,
winding its noisy way out Of the crowd
tng hills into the serene and fertile
plains Of Graustark.
The highway itself accompanied the
stream through the mountains. Ages
aSo it had been built. To this day 1t Is
sound and enduring. It still winds,
Pass OF the TWO Kings Mile upon mile
Of its course lies in the vast Forest of
Droon. Finally it gropes into the sun
Light OF the great, fat basin that was
the principalty Of GrauStark.
Such was the Inn Of the Hawk and
Raven. It's passing guests, accommodat-
ing themselves to the colleague journey,
slept-f at all-under a roof Of foliage,
encamped in the glenS for the night; to
bed at dusk, on the move again at
dawn. Caravan, stage-coach: l1orSeman
and stragKler; nobleman and vagabond;
ladies Of high estate; prince and COM
r1oner: soldier and civilian-an Of them
stopped for the night whether or no,
at the Inn Of the Hawk and Raven. For
those we're the days. not 50 long ago.
when the automobile was unknown and
the railway had not yet penetrated the
barrier mountains that guarded Grau-
stark on the north. There were wild
beasts in the Forest Of Droon. but 1t
was not Of these that the traveller lived
N dread. II he were lucky enough 70
be poor. he could afford 20 travel alone.
armed to defend himself against their
attack, II he were rich and carried
treasure. however. he hurried through
the Forest with q hodyguard Of men
about hiH- FOR there were robbers
along the Kings Highway. bold. desper-
ate fellows who appeared from nowhere
direction, after completing their swift
enterprise. And it Was these daring
narauders, together with their unsus-
pected and supposedly honest friends
In the mountains. who knew that II was
Cerane's birthday and were preparing
% celebrate ii In their own fasliion-for
was she net the daughter Of their chief
tain he who ruled over them and the
Kings Highway as we'll?
No monarch was more secure than
Jonifer Davos In his domain among the
hills: no king could claim more loyal
subjects, or bravier ones; and no royal
household held princess who could
compare IN loveliness with this daughter
Of his.
But aiack, save for the half hundred
robbers. their families and their friends,
no one IN al the world was aware Of her
existence.
Nevertheless, among these doughty
thieves were men who had looked upon
the faces Of beautiful women In Vienna
and Budapest and Edelweiss, and It was
their boast that the earth never pro-
daiced flower 50 exquisite as she who
bioomed for them alone In the valley
that nestled In the heart Of the ever
lasting hills.
Il is true that she had never been
inside the walls OF the EdelweisS: yet
more than once she had looked down
upon the city from some aerie height;
and there had been times when she rode
cousins. Then, too. she had yentured
forth by night. aStride the feetest OF
sieedS, but never with the rogues whose
business II vas 10 collect their toll Of
gems and gold and human life on the
edge OF the Kings Highway.
She knew the Forest Of Droon from
end 10 end. she knew every hunter and
woodsman therein; their wives and chill
dren. their dogs and their beasts OF
burden: and from some hidden Granny
she had xsstched while soldiers from the
fortress searched the forest In vain on
more than one occasion for trace Of
the little band OF robbers whose ex-
ploitS had become Q thorn In the side
Of the Crown Itself
She had beheld the Regent himself,
and dukes and counts and nabobs ga
lore: she had gazed with secret adnira-
ton upon respiendent generals and
colonels in their black and red uni
forms; and once she had seen the baby
princess and half the Royal Court pass
along the Highway under the escort Of
troop Of Castle guardSmen mounted
Or satany black horses, armed with
.:ne-s and iances and rites.
- Gerane had seen something Of the
Mrio. without actually being a part Of
g.. And. having seen 50 little. she was
guilty OF many o day~drean1 in which
she yiSltully pictured herSelf~~tlough
II must be confessed. With q doleful
TsneoT 70 mar the awaksning~-as &
princess, surrounded by courtierg. In
stead Of rsgsmuffngs, riding in gold
sta chariot, instead Of on the back Of q
syfU|e Arab. living In 2 castle. instead
vi the hut that always had been her
Nome, dressing In silks and sating and
sztbaes, instead Of in the simple. though
picturesque. garments she cIstomsrily
wore
But strange. 10 say, she gave no
Thought 70 the diadeEns, the strands of
pearls, ttas eTnesaJdS and rubies and sap
Kllllfeh or The lsRE Of ani6 thai aarfaia b