Show Ii r LCn HER HIGHNESS it Cit The Story of a Christmas Peacemaker By A M CONSTANTINE wriU i Her Highness jumped oft tho piano tool and ran to him eagerly You arc very late sir knight shed she-d reprovingly Oh twothree OUTS late d Fate Is the offender Your Highness J High-ness the young fellow replied with a 1St imprecating wave of his arm My train was delayed two hours and in the accident several people were tilled So Im fortunate to be here at ill ill0h I Ohl murmured the child ° Hutt i trust your hlKhntws Is In good ttHh ho added with grave courtesy cour-tesy and all your royal brothers and her majesty the queen I Then he kissed the outstretched little lit-tle fingers with great dignity and laid small package In one palm and a landfill of bonbons In the other And then he wished Her Highness a very merry Christmas and again added his courteous felicitations for all the royal relatives oher Highness cooed delightedly and i see you any more over andandsho wont see you any moreNo more-No But I want you to she faltered Cause Then the tears came and he gathered her In his arms and kissed them away and told her that she mustnt cry since she made him feel badly too and ho dldut wish to go away feeling badly Besides he added soothingly 1 somebody clso will come anrt brlnft you iiroRoiiifl and you can call him I your knight I wont declared 1 a stifled l small I voice frown his shoulder Only you I ire our knight Only you Alter she nald this he held her more I tightly than ever and I tried not to groan but ho made such a failure of his effort that tho child detected the break and sobbed harder You ill 15come hack sho walled You inns promise i Ho gritted his teeth and forced I down tho lump and then ho kissed I I U Il v I g pOD lry 18be on 9C S i in fl IN Ig w V I i o OTC t I l v t yl IInP1 I i an Y tIn r In dOG l r neSt hAH h-AH YOI I = lo 6 factQqt I 61anf 0 o0tr Leak tV ItulI LY Stroked Her Golden Hair I 80 ohed ana ahed very softly and when iiiIii she had feasted her eyes on tho tiny golden pin and had read several times the inscription To Her Highness from her devoted subject she relaxed re-laxed her royal gravity and threw two soft little arms mound his neck and UlsseJ him Oh than I you very much sir tree0 knight she lisped und thank you T too for your good wishes orbr Then she sat herself on his knees I and and looked unendingly at time dainty box and Its golden pin and nibbled 1cside IUItt her bonbons In great content taUIIC Urn said he presently Isnt has her majesty at court today Ph It No Her Highness answered po btlllr the lltely Sheshe went out for II L drive In the park Everybody rides r there In the IICtmIlOoII dont they lea 1 And shes going to dinner at aunties meW aunt-ies iiroca Indeed breathed the knight standIng uter stand-Ing very rigidly After a tlmo ho wit ilrof look j down again Tho Klleneo lengthened cun until It became oppressive to the Itiiit Ihlld She observed that the bonbons Sere all gone but he twined lost In tLi an > > i reverie so Her Highness begged SO ft his pardon and told him again that they were all gone 11 Ho fumbled In his jmeket and ab LbB rently handed her another tribute and 1 apologized and then he gulped and told her highness that she mustnt or get him when he was mam istles across the ocean And and you will he away a long long time Away in London and Paris way off In Km ope Yes ho mumbled And nobody will bring me pien nts sighed the child Hut then rift added I deft want nobody to ft S bring mo presents till > oti comeback come-back fine knight stroked her golden hair affectionately I dont think he said slowly that Im coming back Tho child looked up with wldo eyes ts Never she demanded wonderingly wonder-ingly Never it 1 i Never any more JgJ No dear all Her Highness regarded him with tT mystification l Novercomln if And I wont her again and put her down on the throne and smiled at her reassuringly I It Is so far away Your Highness I he pleaded One cant come back I in a day you know can one i No menaced her highness uncertainly un-certainly And then he weut on with deceiving de-ceiving gayety there Is so much to do there And Ive always wanted togo to-go really and + truly and sec all the things there And my plans are all made I It t would cost lots of money to change them You wouldnt have me spoil everything would you dear ° Hut homi day began the child Some day Is very far ahead Your Highness Ho went to the window and looked up tho avenue a long time and down the avenue a long time and then up the avenue again Her Highness still drooped on her throne and gazed at him out of wet eyes Is she comln Because he was studying the figures In tho avenue Intently ho didnt hear her BO ho spoko louderIA she comin No dear ho answered finally The child sighed I guess she went truly to lie park thenYes Yes saId the man between his teeth lie began to walk upand down rap Idly ntr Highness loolfobfrom him to the floor In great perplexltyr Hut I should like to have cccu her before I sailed he observed presently I pres-ently in a strange strained voice Her Highness glanced up quickly and lisped She thought you were comln you know Then she thought you werent comln Hy und by I she thought again you you wercanhn Ho leaned forward with a jerk and stood tensely over her Yes yes Dottle and Then she looked out of the window awhile nnd said you werent tomln I was delayed by the accident ho hastened to say Her Highness I clapped her hands I I said you were comlnV she cried tilumphantly Cause cause von promised to bring me something today You was goln to keep your promise wasnt t you Ho seized the chubby hands tenderly tender-ly 1 Before Ood I Intended to come he said In n solemn voice I knew It Her Highness chirped I knew It cause you wouldnt go away and not keep your word I told her that Maybe If you had promised to bring her a Christmas something she would havo believed too that you was comln Sho kissed me an awful lot nnd said she wished you would come lisped tho small voice Ho wheeled and stared at her then ho rushed across the room toward her throne and picked Her Highness up f In his arms and kissed her ninny times and stroked her hair and demanded de-manded excitedly to know what she nnld Her Highness much confused nestled her head on his shouldor and murmured again She kissed me lots of times and said she wished you would come Then when you didnt she put rose water on her face and dressed and went out And sho didnt say any more cept when I told her you was comln to bring mo something andhow nice you look today sir knight lIe Imprisoned both her hands Oo ongo on he entreated so feverishly that the blue eyes opened < < wide What more did she say dearest dear-est She only said you was sallln away today and perhaps youd never see her again Hut you wanted to see us fore you went didnt you I should hope so he cried fer vently Butdill she say anything more If you give me another He thrust the entire box of bonbons into her hands Did she ho demanded Please tell mo Dottle Noo she didnt say anythln more cause cause He waited Impatiently Cause she mos cryln I guess She really wanted you to como you know Didnt she toll Lord I wish she had ho groaned I She told me Her Highness whispered whis-pered softly sho told me that if I you didnt como you weid you were I a big brute And then she jumped up and said you didnt love her and I said you loved me Dont you asked the child seriously Aro you goln I to cry What makes your mouf pucker so And youre hurryln right i away awayYes Yes he said very gently kissing i tho uptmned Inquiring face Hut Im only going to aunties And then Im coming back to see Your Highness again The child plucked his sleeve confidingly confid-ingly I Then youll all come hack together wont OIlrOIl and her majesty Ho stooped and kissed her again And then ho straightened to his full height and smiled happily and cried Bayly i I promise Your Highness I I frl f I + IIIN II 1 Ii ii I I Theres a wo iderful tree a wonderful tree 1 The happy Children re I I Juice to set uuSpreading Itt branches year by year It comes from the forest to flourish here it Oh this wonderful tree 1 with its branches wide r 1 i + Iit I i j Is always blooming at cm Christmastide i m I4 R t 0 i r r11 r tff 1 i t ti 1 4 x 4 Ar4L I |