fa I 1 STORY TOR 11 the P r 0 i a c e SIS S 1110 peo S by af T mar on the 13 H arto masks eta SYNOPSIS arthur stanl birton american cobnut to tells how ri signing rand duke apts tu to forte fone his nelce neke I 1 rin run ism I 1 lloldi 1 hildgarde ild garde to marry I 1 a dopple kinn an oil idolet aarti ul ton does not kaw iw the gilness pil ness eten een by eight I 1 while harof back riding tn in the country night overtakes overtaken hlin him an I 1 i lie ha acom ruu in a dilapidated untie astle hire lie he finds two women and an old man demart one woman Is Irin I 1 princess cess garde a aal n I 1 the other oilier a friend lion hon hetty moore of I 1 bluy fluy d tain him to a mock marriage between bi teen the mn and a army officer brince done for the purpose of foiling the gr grand a nd duke bork attempts to cism th alie e princess and site alia la is by vi arrington disappears for booi gooi boo max alax acl an oil amerl ameri L can an frlan frien I 1 of 1 V art ington a reaches dar bar othele warrington tells I 1 lin im of the alio prin cea shows warrington a locket mith a pl ture of a woman in side bide it who was on gilr 8 nick when hen lie he an a boy was picked up an I 1 adopted by his foster father whose name lie was waa given lie ile lillens lil lI lees leem it to be a picture of lila his mother CHAPTER IV continued I 1 you poor old dutchman sou out you pan call buy a genealogy with your in come and a woman oman nowadays mar rles ries the man the man it a only horses dogs and cattle that we buy for their glees come you ought to have a mark on your aim I 1 suggested lightly for there were times when max bi coded blooded avei the mystery which enveloped his ablith in reply lie he rolled up his sleeve bleeve and bared a might arm where the vac ci nation sedr scar usually Is I 1 baw a led pitch like a burn I 1 leaned over and examined it it was a four pointed sear scar with a perfect circle around it somehow it seemed to roe me that this was not the first time I 1 had seen this pecullar peculiar mark I 1 did not recollect ever seeing it on maxs arm where had I 1 seen been it then it a a curious seat hang me but le ise seen the device somewhere before ore you have eagerly where v here 1 I don bont t know po bosil saiLI 1 1 I sow it on out arm in t lie he old days llo ile sank back in his chair silence during which the smoke thickened and the pup whined softly ja in his sleep out upon the night the cathedral bell boomed the third hour of morning it if 3 iou ou don t mind artle artie said max yawning ali turn in iva I 1 ve been trav pling ling tor for the past foi take a ride on dandy ta in the morn inn ing hell hold our weight nicely 1 I cant can t go with you as I 1 iva va a lame ankle I 1 be la in the saddle at dawn all I 1 need la Is a couple of hours between sheets sh eta CHAPTER V T that at same enering the grand duke a alca knocked on the door leading into the princess apartments and when the door opened he gravely announced that hla his serene highness desired to speak to the princess hildegarde degarde Hll it was a command for some reason known best to herself the princess chose to obey it say that I 1 shall be there present ly she said dismissing the valet As she entered her uncles study so called because of its dust laden bookshelves though the duke some times disturbed their contents to steady the leg of an unbalanced chair or table lie he laid down his pipe and dismissed his small company of card players I 1 did not expect to see you so soon he began A woman moman a curiosity some times has its value it takes little to arouse ar use it but a great deal dal to allay it you have not summoned me to make smart speeches simply because I 1 have been educated up to them truculently no I 1 have not summoned ou to talk smart a word much in evidence in darscheid Har Dar since our return from eng land for once I 1 am going to use a womans comans prerogative I 1 have changed ruy ray mind the Hildey rdo trembled with delight she coic put but one meaning to his words the marriage will mill not take place next month uncle I 1 rapturously walt wait a moment grimly it shall take place next week I 1 warn you not to force mo me to the altar cried the girl trembling this time with a cold fury my child you are too 5 oung la in spirit and too old in mind to be al lowed a gatelis pasture la in hardena har riesa rou fou win will do very well lie ile took up hla his pipe and primed it it wan am rather embarrassing barr assing to look the girl til la the eye you shall wed Doppel kinn next week YOU will ill find it rather embarrassing to dra me to the altar 11 evenly vol will not he be replied create a scandal of such magnitude you aie untamable but aou ou are proud uen ten these 00 two talked without ap parent heat it was mas with unalterable fixedness of purpose they were of a common race the duke was deter deer luned that she should wed doppel kinn she wall waa equally determined that she should not the gentleman with the algebraic bump may figure this out to suit himself if have ave you no pity my retson reison overshadows it you do not suppose that I 1 take any especial pleasure in forcing you but you leave me no other method you oved loved my aunt once 11 a broken note in her voice 1 I love her still not unkindly but I 1 must lave have peace in the house bouse observe what you have so far accod polished in fa the matter of creating turmoil the duke took up a paper my aly sins slnar 9 contemptuously let us un call them your transgress trans gres alons listen you hae ridden a horse as a man rides it ou have rid den bicycles in public streets you have stolen away to a masked ball you nn mn away hom school in parts paris and visited heaven knows whom you have bribed sentries to let you in when you were out late you have thrust aside the laws as it if they meant nothing you have trifled with the state papers and caused the body yo po bitic to break up a meeting as a conse of the laughter the girl as she recollected this da to which he referred laughed long and joyously ile ho waited patiently till she had done and I 1 am not sure that his mouth did not twist dundei his beald foreign education Is the cause of all this he said finally those cursed french and english schools have A v 1 q 4 N hi v I 1 kv NV na 1 awe 7 we 0 Is he dead she asked ruined aou ou and I 1 was fool enough to send you to them this Is the end or the beginning rebelliously Dop doppelt inn Is 13 mild and kind mild and kind hind one would think that you were mar manyong tying me to a horse nell ell I 1 shall not enter the cathedral how flow will you avoid it calmly 1 I shall find a way ay wait and see she was determined I 1 shall wait then with a sudden softening for he be loved the girl after his fashion I 1 am growing old my child it if I 1 should die what would bo be come of sou I 1 lime have no son bon your uncle franz who is but a year or two younger than I 1 am would reign t d lie he would not ate your madcap ways you must marry at once I 1 love you in spite of sour willfulness but you have shown yourself incata hie ble of loving Doppel kinn Is wealthy you shall marry him I 1 will run away uncle decidedly I 1 have notified ahe frontiers tranquilly from now on you will be watched it la Is the inevitable my child and even I 1 have hava to bow to that 11 she touched the paper in her bosom but paused I 1 moreover Moie over I 1 have decided went on the duke to send the Ilono honorable rable det bet ty moore back to Un england gland betty 7 9 yes she Is I 1 a ch aiming young per son but she Is altogether too site she abets you in all you do ller ifer english independence does not conform with my ideas after the wedding I 1 shall notify her father I 1 everything my friends my bay liberty the right god gives to every woman to love lova whom she willi and you my uncle rob me of these things what it I 1 should tell you that marriage with me Is now impossible her lips growing thin I 1 I 1 should not be very much sur ur please nease look at this then and you w understand why I 1 can not marry Doppel kinn she thrust the bogus certificate into his hands the duke duhe read it carefully care barefi filly ly not a muscle la in hla his face di disturbed finally le he looked with aith it a smile poor foolish fo ilish child what a terri tern ble thing this might have turned out to bel I 1 ahat hat do you mean I 1 afcan do you suppose anything like this could take place w without my hearing of it and such a dish dishonesty onesti unscrupulous rascal some day i shall thank the american consul per for his part in the affair I 1 u was waiting to see when hen you would produce this athla you virtually placed your honor and reputation which ij know to be above reproach into tb tha il keeping of a man who would sell his soul fur for a thousand crowns the girl felt her knees give way and she sat down tears slowly welled up op in her eyes and overflowed blurring everything the duke got up and went over to his desk rummaging among the pa pers ile he returned to the girl with a letter read that and learn the of the man you trusted the letter was as written ritten by in it he disclosed all it was aa a venom ous insulting letter the girl crushed it in her hand Is 19 he be dead I 1 she asked all the bit berness ta in her heart surging to her lips to darschell Dar briefly I 1 now what shall I 1 do with this tapping the bogus give it to me I 1 said the girl wear lly fly she ripped it into halves into quarters into infinitesimal squares and tossed them into the waste basket 1 I am the unhappiest girl in the world I 1 am surly sony replied the grand duke it isn t as it if I 1 had forced on you without first letting you have bava your choice you haie hae i ejected rejected the princes of a dozen wealthy coun countr lea we are not as the common people we can not marry whore where we will I 1 shall announce that the marriage will take place next week do not send my friend away she pleaded apparently tamed 1 I will promise to give the matter thought good night I 1 she turned away without a word and left him when he roared at her she knew by experience that he was harm less but this quiet determination meant the exclusion of any further argument there was no escape un less she lan ian away she wept ept on pillow that night not so much at the thought of wedding Doppel kinn as aa at the tact fact that ch cb had evi dently missed the last tiala and was never coming to wake her up or it if he be did come it would be when hen it was too late ilow how many times had she sha con aured him up as she rode in the fresh fairness of the mornings how flow manly he was and how his voice thrilled hert herl alei horse was suddenly to run away tie lie was wai to rescue her and then de mand her hand in mat matlage I 1 lage as a fitting rew rem ard sometimes he had black hair and eyes but more often he was big and tall with yellow hair and the illicit blueit blue it eyes in all the world TO BE CONTINUED