Show I JOAN U D rm 2 z = B S R CROCIETT JlIlhor of cRcwk o iCopjright 1K3S WOO by S It Crockett CHAPTER XVIIContinued I havo It said ho at last with his eyos on the misty plain ot night with Its twinkling pinpoints of flro which were the watehtlros of the enemy Tho three men stirred a little to In 4lcate attention but Alt not speak Listen he said and do not Interrupt In-terrupt You must deliver mo up I am the cause ot arI tho Duchess Joan Hear you I have a husband who makes war because I contemn his bed and board Ho has summoned the Muscovite to help h him to woo mo Well If I I nm to be given up It Is for us to stipulate that tho armies be withdrawn first beyond the Alia and then as far as Courlland I will go with them they will not find me out at least not till they are back In their own land Vhat matter cried Balta They would return as soon as they discovered discov-ered tho cheat Let us sink or swim together said Hussite George We want no talk of surrender But grey dry Alt Plkkor said nothing noth-ing weighing all with a Judicial mind No they would not come back said the Sparlmwk or at worst wo would have time that is you would have Unteto revlctual Kernsberg to till tho tanks and reservoirs to summon sum-mon In the hlllmen They would soon learn that there had been no Joan within tho city hut the one they had carried back with them to Courtland Plassenburg slow to move would have time to bring up Its men to protect pro-tect Its borders from the Muscovite All good chances are possible If only I am out of the way Surrender me but by private treaty and not till you have seen them safe across the fords of the Alia Nay Gods truth cried the three that we will not dol They would kill you by slow torture as soon as they found out that they had been tricked Well said the Sparlmwk slowly but by that time they would have been tricked Then Alt Pikker spoke In his turn Men he said this Dane Is a man a better than any of us There is wisdom In what he says Ye have heard In church how priests preach concerning One who died for the people peo-ple Hero Is one ready to dieIt no better may befor tho people And for our Duchess Joan said tho Sparhawk taking his hat from his head at the name of his lady Our Lady Joan Ay that Is Ill said the old man We would all gladly glad-ly dlo in battle for our lady Wo have done morewe have risked our own honor and her favor in order to convoy con-voy her away from these dangers Let the boy be given up and that he go not alone without fit attendance I will go with him s his chamberlain CHAPTER XVIII The Greeting of the Princess Margaret Mar-garet They were making terms concernIng concern-Ing treaty of delivery thus When the last Muscovite has crossed the Alia when the men of Courtland stand ready to follow then and not sooner wo will deliver up our Lady Joan For this we shall receive from you Louis Prince of Courtland fifty hogshead of wine six hundred wagonloads of good wheat and the four great Iron cannon now standing before the Stralsund Gate This all to be completed before wo of Kernsberg hand our Lady over It Is a thing agreed answered Louis of Courtland who longed to be gone and above all to get his Muscovite Mus-covite allies out of his country For not only did they take al Klio best of everything In the field hut like locusts lo-custs they spread themselves over tho rear carrying plunder and rapine through tho territories of Courtland Itself treating It Indeed as so much conquered country so that men were 4 t lJ ° 1 Ji1 i Y l i I 4 i I The arms of the Princess Margaret were about her neck dally deserting nis colors in order togo to-go back to protect their wives and daughters from the Cossacks of the Don and the Strellts of Little Russia Moreover he wanted that proud wench his wife Without her as his prisoner he dared not go back to his capital city He had sworn an oath beforo tho people For the rest Kernsberg itself could wait Without a head it would soon fall In and besides be-sides ho flattered himself that ho would so sway and influence the Duchess Duch-ess when ho onco had her sate In his palace by the mouths of Ana that she would repent her folly and at no distant day sit knee by knro with him ap on his throne of state In the audience mil when the sullors canto to plead concerning the law And even his guest Prince Ivan was complaisant standing behind Louies chMr nnd smiling to himself Brother of mini he would say I came to help you to your wife It is your own affair how you take her and what you do with her when you get her For me as soon as you have her safe within the summer palace and have given me according to promise my hearts desire your sister Margaret Mar-garet so soon will I depart for Moscow Mos-cow My father Indeed sends dally tests praying my Instant despatch for he only waits my return to launch a host upon his enemy tho King of Po ognla And Prlnco Louis reaching over ho arm of his chair patted his friends small sweetscented hand thanked him for his most unselfish and generous assistance Thus the leaguer of Hohonstcln attained at-tained Its object Price Louis had not it Is true stormed the heights of Kernsborg as he had sworn to do He had In fact loft behind him to tho traitors who delivered their Duchess Duch-ess a largo portion of his stores and munitions of war Nevertheless he returned proud in heart to his capital city For in the midst of his most Faithful body of cavalry rode the young Duchess Joan Princess of Courtland on a white Neapolitan barb with reins that jingled with silver sil-ver bells and rosettes of ribbon on the bosses of her harness No Indignity had been offered to her Indeed as great honor was dono hor as was possible In the circumstances circum-stances Prince Louis had approached I and led her by tho hand to tho steed which awaited her at tho fords ot tho Ana The soldiers of Courtland elevated ele-vated their spears and the trumpets brayed n salute Then without a word spoken her husband had bowed and withdrawn as n gentleman should Prince Ivan then approached and on ono knee begged the privilege of kissIng kiss-Ing her fair hand The captive Princess spoke not at all as was Indeed natural and fitting A woman conquered does not easily forglvo those who havo humbled her pride Sho talked little oven to Alt Pikker and then only apart The nearest guide who had been chosen because of his knowledge of German could not hear a murmur With bowed head and eyes that dwelt steadily on the undulating mane of her white barb Joan swayed her graceful body and compressed her lips llko ono captured but in no wise vanquished van-quished And the soldiers of the army of Courtland those of them who were married whispered ono to another noting her demeanor Our good Prince Is but at the beginning of his troubles for by Brunhild did you ever see such n wench 1 They say sho can engage tiny two fencers of her army at ono time Her eye Is like a rapier thrust whispered another Just now I went near her to look and te arched an eyebrow at me no more and lot 1 1 went cold at my marrow as If I felt the blue steel stand out at my backbone back-bone It Is tho hunger and tho anger that have done It said another and In deed small wonder She looked not so pale when I saw her ride along Courtland Street the day to tho Don the day she was to be married Her face was like that of any saint In chapel when tho sun shines through tho stained glass In the western windows win-dows Then her oyes did not pierce you through but Instead they shone with their own proper light and were very gracious A strange wench a most strange wench responded the first so soon to change her mind Ha laughed his companion lit tie doubt of that Besides Is she not a princess and wherefore should our Princes wife not change her mind They entered Courtland and the flags low gaily as on the day of wedding wed-ding Tho drums beat and tho populace popu-lace drank from spigots that foamed red wine Then the Prince Lauds came with hat in hand and begged that tho Princess Joan would gracious gra-cious allow him to ride beside her through the streets He spoko respectfully re-spectfully and Joan could only bow her head In acquiescence Thus they camo to the courtyard of the palace the people shouting behind be-hind them There on tho steps gowned In white and gold with bare head overrun with ringlets stood the Prlnce Margaret among her women And at sight of her the heart of the false princess gave a mighty hound as Joan of the Sword Hand drew her hood closer about her face and tried to remember In what fashion a lady dismounted from her horse My lady said Prince Louis standing stand-Ing hat In hand before her barb f commit you to the care of my sister the Princess Margaret knowing tho ancient friendship that there Is between be-tween you Sho will speak for me knowing all my will and being also herself shortly contracted In marriage to my good friend Prince Ivan of Muscovy Open your hearts to each other I pray you Lad bo assured that no evil or Indignity shall befall one whom I admire as the fairest of women wom-en and honor as my wedded wife Joan made him no answer bu leaped from her horse without walIng wal-Ing for the hand of Alt Pikker which many thought strange In another moment the arms of the Princess Margaret were rliout her neck and = that impulsive princess urns Waning her heartily on cheek and lips talking all tho white Quick I Let us get In from nJ these staring stupid men You aro t < lodge In my palaco BO long us It list you My brother bath promised It Where are your women Let them come and untlro you speedily I have no women said Joan Inn In-n low voice blushing meanwhile they would not accompany a poor betrayed rayed prisoner from Kurnabcrg to a prison cell Prison cell Inleed Yoi will find hat I have n vey comfortable dungeon dun-geon ready for you Coino my maidens maid-ens will assist you Hasten pray do mako haste I cried the Impetuous little lit-tle lady her arm close about tho tall JoanI I thank you said the false bride with some reluctance but I am well accustomed to wait on myself Indeed I do not wonder cried tho ready Princess maids aro vexatious 1 Got wot she murmured strange things to hear Indeed I creatures well called tirewomen But come seo tho beautiful rooms I have chosen for you They wore onco my brother Conrads and quite near mine And sho took her friend by the hand and with a lighthearted skipping skip-ping motion convoyed her to her summer sum-mer palace kissed her again at tho door and shut her In with another Imperious Im-perious adjuration to bo speedy I will give you a quarter of an hour she cried as she lingered a moment then I will come to hear all your story every word and you must take a long time In the telling There will be so many strange things to tell and I can hardly wait a moment longer to hear them Then tho false Princess her heart beating wildly and I tho thrill of Mar garets last caressing touch yet on her lips staggered rather than walked to a chair for brain and eye were reeling reel-ing God wot sho murmured strange things to hear indeed Sweet lady you little know how strange This Is ten thousand times a straiter place to bo In than when I played the Count von Loen Ah women women what you bring a poor Innocent man to And so without unhooking her cloak or throwing back tho hood this sadly bewildered bride sat down and tried to select any hopeful line of action out of the whirling chaos of her thoughts And oven as she sat there a knock camo sharply at tho door To be continued |