Show I b I e1 = CG l s RCROCKGTT 4Ugwol ekardt eiul Copyright 18D8 1SOV by S It Crockolt i lU XXXII Continued td HA Icr revenge I have which I a ue other to the last It ohall bo as keep yours to you I shall me as c t 7 to I llngorlngly that I may out t It J lUsBweetness It Is tho up u a iiifflld whom tho Princess ms spragald Jffl the bad tasto to prefer Not that I cared a Jot for tine a to My taste is far other here cesa tenderly but tho Prln C eked mast up wed aB maid or widow I I t I take her provinces not at 111 sot and these must bo mine by Lnlfief aDd succession as well as I I I conquest Tho way Is IJAiot fa right That Piece of carrion which n princes namo was called by while ago Conrad the led out a t who Is a i man shall dlo like a Oh And ie Ivan and Holy Russia In By the right of Mar n ft II I enter idle heir of Courtland city and IM shall be mine Kernsberg uV fie mIne Hohcnsteln shall be da Then mayhap I will try a fall a and the Mark with m piassenburg lh Executioners Son and his littlest sewlfe But sweeter than all shall st upon the man I hate BT revenge a KB him who took his betrothed of from Ivan of Muscovy L Bald Theresa von Lynar It a indeed be sweet And what shall loir worthy and terrible revenge I have thought of It longI have ink led it over this and that I havo en Ai ofthe smearing with honey to Le anthill or trepanning nnd ck g on the brain but I have ad ght at last of something that will K e the cars of tho world tlnglew ft leaned forward and whispered h I the ear of Theresa von Lynar the lk itle death prepared for her only m She nodded calmly as sho Us leh > d but a wonderful Joy lit up there the-re us face am glad I came hither she mur sI e d it Is worth It all luce Ivan took her hand In both m li and pressed It fondly Ill you shall bo gladder yet ho jmy Lady Theresa I have some hit g to say I had not thought that ii e j lived In tho world any woman ike minded even as I know not m there lived any woman so beau I Together you and I might rule e world Shall It bo together > r jtot Prince Ivan she Interposed bt Illy but still smiling what Is ed I thought you were set on wed the Princess Margaret You make her first widow and then i n teesa ho said looking amor 1 np at her I wed for a king L But I marry the woman who Is b I Bate It Is our custom I must i Jtte left band It Is true but with le heart my Theresa 1 le was on his knees before hers her-s I still clasping her hand FOU consent he said with tri d I tb already In his tone ST did not say nay she answered 1 b a sigh e kissed her hand and rose to his He would have taken her In his I h but a noise In the pavilion dia led him He went quickly to the t Iain and peeped through I1 t Is i nothing he said only tho I f come to fetch tho powder for tha grats cannon But tho night ds f apace In an hour we assault Ith i an eager look on his face hoe e ho-e nearer to her eresa he said a soldiers woo cd must needs bo b lsk and speedy and mine yet swifter Our re It e i beckons us Do you abide here li llreturnwlth I those goods friends se names wo have mentioned I now ere I go forth pledge me love This is our truo betrothal d Wa T 1id t I I ± T C 1 Password Princedo not forget the password I It I love yon Ivan that I may L In my heart till my return I C s Would but < havo taken her In his Theresa turned quickly er rda lip < She looked anxiously dead < th 01 back of tho tont where lay a Prince Hush I I hear gi ShPr some sho said lies rfj > smiled fa upon hima Bud radiance clouds ncil 1IU ° aunshlno through ffi With meI am afraId of tho She Create said almost lice a cblld > Real 1s I the a her ° guile of a woman all Is I at stake jh eresa of Von 1ynar opened the Doln a horn Ian tor which dangled Sad She took time candle In her tin ges ave her surrender with n ur of surrender to Prince 0 Come sho lialll nnd led him with sifted In the luner Ila Ilion lA1 dim light the through the open pap by which men had gone out with Ulllr load of pOwder Day was breaking and broad crimson bar lay across the path a of the yet unrlsen run There i and Prince Ivan stood beside the dead lie had been rough I roughly thrown down on the Pile ot rough boxes which contained the Powderkmanufactured powder bycthe manufactured by tho Mar gnats alchemists according to the famous recipe of Bartholdus Schwartz The lid of the largest chest stood open ns If the men wero returning for yet another burden Quick she said here In he pres Once of the dead I will whisper It Here here and not elsewhere Sho brought him round with tho gentle compulsion of her hand till he stood In a little angle where the red light of tho dawn shone on his dark handsome face Then sho put an arm strong as a wrestlers about him pinioning him whero ho stood Yet the gracious smile on tho womans lips held him acquiescent and content Sho bent her head Listen sho said this havo I never done for any manno not so much as this And for you will I do much more Prince Ivan you speak true death alone must part you and me You ask mo for a love pledge I will give It Ivan of Muscovy you havo plotted death and torture tho death of the Innocent Listen I am the wlfo of Henry of Kernsberg tho mother of the lad Maurice von Lynar whom ye would slay by horrid devices de-vices Prince truly you and I shall die togetherand the time Is now Vehemently for his life struggled Prince Ivan twisting like a serpent and crying Help Help Treachery Witch let mo go or I will stab you whero you stand Then Theresa von Lynar laughed aloud as she held him In her grasp Tho password Prince do not forget for-get the password You will need It tonight I Theresa have not forgotten forgot-ten It Is Henry the Lion Remember Remem-ber And Theresa dropped tho naked candle she had been holding aloft into tho great chest of dull black grains which stood open at her side e e e e e e 4 After that It mattered little that at the same moment beyond the Alia the trumpets of Hugo Prince of Plassen burg blew their first blast CHAP ER XXXIII I The Head of the Church Visible So said Pope Slxtus amicably your brother was killed by tho great explosion of Friar Rogers powder In tho camp of the enemy Then you are tho heir to the lngdoll1You l must marry you must marry I Conrad flushed fiery red Holy Father he said nervously his eyes on tho Alban Hills It was concerning this that I made pilgrimage pilgrim-age to Rome that 1 might consult your Holiness Tho pontiff nodded amicably Welltl will receive back your hat I will annul your orders Dust whom do you wish to marry What your brothers widow It will be difficult this marriage difficult but not Impossible Im-possible The Pontiff paused to give Conrad time to speak I will pay Into the treasury of the Holy Father on the day of my marriage mar-riage a hundred thousand ducats said Conrad The Pontiff turned about and beckoned beck-oned to a tall young man In a i black soutane GIuliano come hither he cried and as ho came he explained In his low tone My nephew Yes my dear nephew Prince Conrad of Courtland You are to go and prepare documents concerning this noble prince I will Instruct you as to their nature presently pres-ently Await me In tho hither library When ho was gone tho Pope sat a moment absorbed in thought I will send him to Courtland with you Ho will marry you nnd bring back tho benefaction Your hand my son I am an old man and need help May you be happy S e Epilogue of Explication It was the morning of a white day The princely banner flew from every tower In Castle Kerns berg for that day duchess and gain a it was to lose a duke It was Joans second wedding daytho day of her first marriage Never had the little hill town seen gathering since tho North so bravo a ern princes laid Henry tho Lion In his vault where he In tho great a grave plain slept there was a new tomb a marble slab with tho inscription THERESA WIFE OF HENRY DUKE OF KEUNSBEnO AND HOH ENSTEIN And underneath and in Latin tho words AFTER THE TEMPEST PEACE For strangely enough by the wonder BODIO freak of the exploding of Providence or they found Theresa powder plodlng blackened but fallon where sho stood So or figure marred In face scarco hell they had tll1t burntout from her hero that at the last also brought whom her might rest neal the man soul bad loved But on this morning of gladness only thought of the dead woman Joan she the thing 1 will do Today thought ns she the Duchess wished towardB ber looked from tho window lt would faire note fathers tomb She shall her son sit In Ins for herself yet my place and rain hero his father l ruled i am glad II e e e Meantime beneath In her chamber the rlmwis Margaret was making her buslmiurs life n burden to him or rather first quarreling with him and the next moment throwing her arms about his neck In a passion of remorso For that Is the wont of dainty Princess Margaret who arc sick and know not what alleth them Little one he said I want you to be good This is a great and a glad day Today my sister finds tho hap piness that you and I have found To day I am to sit In my fathers seat and have my own name among men You must help me will you little one For once let me bo your tire woman I have often done my own tiring when In old days I dared death In womens garments for your sleet sake Dearest do not hurt my hut any more but help me Ills wlfo smiled suddenly her tears and cast her iriro H in neck Oh I am hadbadbad she i I cried vehemently It were no won der If you did npt lovo me But do keep loving me I should dlo else 1 will bo better I wlllI will I do not know why I should be so bad Sometimes Some-times I cannot help It But Maurice kissed her and smiled as If he knew We will live like plain and honest Little one I want you to be good country folk you and Ii he said Let Anna and Martha follow their war captains Now smile on me little one I Ah thats better In Margarets April eyes tho sun shone out again and she clung lovingly lov-ingly to her husband a moment before she would let him go e y y Not In a vast and solemn cathedral was Joan married but In the old church of Kernsberg which had so often raised the protest of the Church against the exactions of her ancestors The bridal escort was of her own tried soldiery now to be hers no more and all of them were a little sad for that Hugo and Helene of Plassenburg had comeHugo because he was the representative of the Emperor Em-peror and Helene because she was a sweet and loving woman who delighted delight-ed to rejoice In anothers Joy When at last they came down the aisle and the sweet voieed choristers sang and the whiterobed maidens scattered flowers for their Sect to walk upon the bride found opportunity to whisper to her husband I shall never bo Joan of the Sword Hand anymore any-more Ho smiled back at her as they came out upon the tears and laughter and acclaim of the manycolored throng that filled the little square Fear not beloved he said and his eyes were very glad and proud be joan to me and I will be jour Sword Hand The End |