Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1916 — THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK

By GEORGE BARR M’CUTCHEON

Author of “Graustark,** “Beverly of Graustark,” Etc. Copyright, 1914, by Dodd, Mead aod Company

SYNOPSIS Mr. Blithers, multimillionaire, discunea with his wife the possibilities of marrying •ff his daughter, Maud Applegate, to the Prince of Graustark, who Is visiting Mr. and Mrs. Truxton King In America in anticipation of getting some one to take up the loan Russia holds. A Mr. Scovllle Is attentive to Maud. Prince Robin Is accompanied by Count Quinnox, minister of war; Lieutenant Dank and Hobbs, the valet. The prince had balked at a matrimonial alliance with the Princess of Dawsbergen, both of them Wishing to choose for themselves. Mr. Blithers visits the Kings uninvited. Mr. Blithers discusses the Russian loan and gently hints at $20,000,000 his daughter will get when she marries the right man. Banners suddenly refuse to handle ins loan. Count Quinnox and King arrange a meeting with Blithers. King suspects him of blocking the deal. ’ The prince as Mr. Schmidt sails on the Jupiter. Blithers buys $20,000,000 of Grauetark bonds. A young lady disputes Robin’s right to a table and deck chair. He learns she is Miss Guile of New York, and her aged companion Mrs. Gaston. He soon becomes better acquainted With Miss Guile. Her given name is Bedelia, she tells him. She tells Mrs. Gaston that she suspects he is the Prince of Graustark. Mrs. Gaston changes lier manner toward him. Hobbs discovers Miss Guile’s baggage is marked with a B. In Paris she Is met by a young man. Meeting the prince out for a stroll. Blithers chats on matrimony. Robin says he is not for sale, but agrees to meet Maud when he learns she is opposed to her parents’ wishes. Maud again evades the prince, who reports he must leave for Graustark at once. Maud writes she is off for Europe on the Jupiter with an aged companion. Her father schemes to get them both on the same ship. Gourou, Robin's police chief, concludes that the B on the baggage means Blithers. Miss Blithers denies her engagement to the prince. Bedeiia sends Robin a note. She invites him for a drive to St. Cloud. He intimates she is Miss Blithers, but she resents it. While at lunch they are told Borne one is spying on them. They flee and are arrested for speeding, Miss Guile just escaping revealing her true identity to the judge. She tells Robin She will go to Switzerland. Mr. Blithers sails for Paris. He Instructs his agents to kidnap Maud, but she is not to be located. CHAPTER XVII. Love in Abeyance. Prince!” she sighed pityB W ingly. He started. The remark j| was so unexpected that he almost betrayed himself. It seemed profoundly personal. “He will be in very hot water, I fear.” He regarded her coldly. “And you want to be on hand to see him squirm, I suppose.” She took instant alarm. Was she going too far? His query was somewhat disconcerting. “To be perfectly frank with you, Mr. Schmidt, I am going to Graustark because no one will ever think of looking for me in such an out of the way place. lam serious now, so you must not laugh at me. Circumstances are such that I prefer to seek happiness after a fashion of my own. My parents love me, but they will not understand me. You know that my father fears that 1 may marry a man distasteful to him, and I suppose to my mdther, although she is not so” — “Are his fears well founded?” he asked, rudely interrupting her. “Is

there a man that "he "has cause to fear? Are—are you in love with some one, Bedelia?” “Do not interrupt me. I want you to know that 1 am not running away from home, that 1 shall return to it when I see fit and that 1 am not in love with the man they suspect, j She was very serious, very intense. He laid his hand on hers, and she did not withdraw it_ Emboldened, his hand closed upon the dainty fingers, and an instant later they were borne to his hot lips. “You have said that 1 came ; here in search of a light adventure,” he whispered, holding her hand close to his cheek as he bent nearer to her. “You imply that 1 am a trifler, a light o’ love. 1 want you to Understand me better. I came here because I”“Stop!” she pleaded. “You must not say it. lam serious—yes, I know that you are serious too. But you must wait. If you were to say it to me now I should have to send you away and—oh, believe me, I do not want to do that. 1—1” * “You love no one else?” he cried rapturously. She swayed slightly, as if incapable of resisting the appeal that called her to his heart, and she scarcely breathed the words: “I love no one else.” - A less noble nature than this would have seized upon the advantage offered by her sudden weakness. Instead, he drew a long, deep breath, straightened his figure, and he gently released the Imprisoned hand. She spoke softly. “It is too soon for us to judge each other. 1 must be sure—oh, 1 must be sure cf myself. Can you understand? Now, 1 must go in. No; .do not ask me to stay—and let me go alone. I prefer it so. Good night, my comrade.” He stood up and let her pass. “Good night, my princess,” he said, clearly and distinctly. She shot a swift glance into his eyes, smiled faintly and moved away. Two days went by, but there was not a word of love passed between these two who waited for the fruit to ripen. They were never alone together. Always they were attended bv the calm, keen eyed Mrs. Gaston. On the third day he was convicted of duplicity. She went off for a walk alohe. When she came in after an absence of at least two hours the girl went up to her room without so much as a word with him. Her face was flushed and she carried her head disdainfully. He was greatly puzzled. The puzzle was soon explained He waited for her on the stairway as she came down alone to dinner ‘ “You told me that your friends were not in Interlaken, Mr. Schmidt,” she said coldly. “Why did you feel called upon to deceive me?” He bit his lip. For an instant he reflected, and then gave an evasive answer. “1 think I told you that 1 was alone in this hotel, Miss Guile. My friends are at another hoteL lam not aware that” — “I was morally certain that they Were here. Today my suspicions were justified. I encountered Mr. Totten in the park beyond the Jungfraublick. He was very much upset, I can assure you, but he recovered with amazing swiftness. We sat on one of the benches in a nice little nook and had a long, long talk. He is a charming man. 1 have asked him to come to luncheon with us tomorrow and to bring Mr. Dank.” “Good Lord, will wonders never”— She laid her hand gently upon his arm and a serious sweetness came into her eyes. “Come,” she said, “let us go In ahead of Mrs. Gaston. Let us have just one little minute to ourselves, Mr. Schmidt.” When Mrs. Gaston joined Robin and Bedelia at the table, which had been set for them in the salle a manger, she laid several letters before the girl, who picked them up instantly and glanced at the superscription on each. “You will forgive me, Mr. Schmidt,” she said nervously. “1 most look at them at once.” An exclamation of annoyance fell from her lips as she read the first one. “This is from a_ friend m Mr.

Schmidt.” she said, hesitatingly. Then, as if coming to a quick decision: “My father has heard that i am carrying on atrociously with a strange young man. It seems that it is a new ypung man. He is beside himself with rage.” Bedelia slashed open another envelope and glanced at its contents. Her eyes flew open with surprise. .For an instant she stared, a frown perplexity on her brow. “We are discovered!” she cried a moment later, clapping her hands together in an ecsfecy of delight. “The pursuers are upon our heels. The chase is on again. Quick! We must prepare for flight I ” “Flight?” gasped Robin. Her ey«s were dancing. His were filled with dismay. “Tomorrow at sunrise,” cried Bedelia enthusiastically. “It is already planned, Mr. Schmidt. I have engaged an automobile in anticipation of this very emergency.” “By the way, why don’t you read the other letter?” He was regarding it with jealous eyes, for she had slipped it, face downward, under the edge of her plate. “It isn’t important,” she said, with a quick look into his eyes. She convicted herself in that glance and knew it on the instant. Angry with herself, she snatched up the letter and tore it open. Her

cheeks were flushed. When she had finished she folded the sheets and stuck them back into the envelope without comment. One looking over her shoulder as she read, however, might have caught snatches of sentences here and there on the heavily scrawled page. They were such as these: “You £ad led me to hope;” * * • “for years 1 have been your faithful admirer.” * • • “Nor have I wavered for an instant despite your whimsical attitude; * * * “therefore I felt justified in believing that you were sincere in your determination to defy your father.” And otherp of an even more caustic nature: “You are going to marry this prince, after all,” • • * “Your father will be pleased to find that you are obedient.” * * • “If I were a prince with a crown and a debt that I couldn't pay;” * • • “admit that I have had no real chance to win out against such odds,” etc. She faced Robin coolly. “It will be necessary to abandon our little luncheon for tomorrow. lam sorry. Still Mr. Totten informs me that he will be in Vienna shortly. The pleasure is merely postponed.” “Are you in earnest about this trip by motor tomorrow morning?” demanded Robin darkly. “You surely cannot be”— “I am very much in earnest,” she said, decisively. “Goodness, I know I shall not sleep a wink tonight.” “Nor I,” said Robin gloomily. Suddenly his face lightened. A wild, reckless gleam shot into his eyes, and, to their amazement, he banged the table with his fist. “By Jove, I know what 1 shall do. I’ll go with you!” “No!” cried Bedelia, aghast. “I—l cannot permit it, Mr. Schmidt. Can’t you understand ? You—you are the man with whom I am supposed to be carrying on atrociously." > “Well, I can tell you flatly just what I intend to do,” said he, setting his jaws. “I shall hire another car and keep you in sight every foot of the way. Where you go, I go." “Do you mean It?” she cried, a new thrill in her voice. “I intend to see you every day,” he declared, “from now till the end of time.” “Really, Mr. Schmidt, you”— "If there is one thing I despise beyond all reason, tiedelia, it Is the name of ‘Schmidt!’ I wish you wouldn’t call me by that name.” “I can’t just call you ‘mister,' ” she demurred. “Call me Rex for the present,” said he. “I will supply you with a better one later on.” “May I call him Rex?” she inquired of her companion. “In moderation,” said Mrs. Gaston. ‘“Very well, then Rex, I have changed my mind. I shall not motor since you insist upon risking your neck In pursuit of me. I shall go by train in the morning. We will be in Vienna in two days. There I shall say goodby t 2 for am going to Graustark.

the new Blithers estate. Surely you will not follow me there." “You are very much mistaken. 1 shall be there as sOon as you and 1 shall stay just as long, provided Mr. Blithers has no objections,” said Robin, with more calmness than he had hoped to display in the face of her sudden thrust. v Mr. William W. Blithers arrived in Edelweiss, the capital of Graustark, on the same day that the prince returned from his tour of the world. As a matter of fact, he traveled by special train and beat the prince home by the maV ter of three hours. The procession of troops, headed by the Royal Castle guard, it was announced, would pass the historic Hotel Regengetz at 5 in the afternoon, so Mr. Blithers had front seats on the extension porch facing the platz. He had lost no time in his dash across the continent. In the first place, his agents in Paris made it quite clear to him that there was likely to be “ructions” in Graustark over the loan and the prospect of a plebeian princess being seated on the the throne whether the people liked it or not, and in the second place Maud Applegate had left a note on his desk in thq Paris offices, coolly informing him that she was likely to turn up in Edelweiss almost as soon as he. She added an annoying postscript. She said she was curious to see what sort of a place it was that he had been wasting his money on.

To say that he was put out by Maud’s aggravating behavior would be stating the case with excessive gentleness. He was furious. He sent for the head of the detective agency and gave him a blowing up that he was never to forget. It appears that the detectives had followed a false lead and had been fooled by the wary Maud in a most humiliating manner. They hadn’t the remotest notion where she was and evinced great surprise when informed in a voice loud enough to be heard a half block away that she was on her way to Graustark. Then he dragged Mrs. Blithers off to the Gare de l’Este and took the express to Vienna. He would see to the loan first and to Maud afterward. Going back a day or two, it becomes necessary to report that while in Vienna the perverse Bedelia played a shabby trick on the infatuated Robin. She stole away from the Bristol in the middle of the night and was halfway to the Graustark frontier before he was aware of her flight. She left a note for him in which she said: Forgive me for running away like this. It is for the best. I must have a few days to myself, dear friend—flays for sober reflection uninfluenced by the presence of a natural enemy to composure. And so I am leaving you in this cowardly, graceless fashion. Do not think ill of me. 1 give you my solemn promise that in a few days I shall let you know where i may be found if you choose to come to me. Even then I may not be fully convinced In my own mind that our adventure has reached fts climax. You have said that you would accompany me to Graustark. 1 am leaving tonight for that country, where 1 shall remain in seclusion for a few days before acquainting you with my future plans. It is not iny intention to stop in Edelweiss at present. The newspapers proclaim a state of unrest there over the coming visit of Mr Blithers and tile return of the prince, both of whom are very much in the public eye just now. I prefer the quiet of the country to the excitement of the city, so I shall seek some remote village and give myself up to—shall I say prayerful meditation? Believe me, dear Rex, to be vour most devoted though whimsical BEDELIA (To he continued.)

“We are discovered,” she cried a moment later, clapping her hands.