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Show I jMNfisiniDin H (Cop right, 1838, 1500. by S. II. C'rocki U Ml CHAPTER XI. Continued. 1'ho l'rlnco of Courtlnnd turned on 3M Angry countcnanco upon his friend, SHI l but .tho keen-witted Musrovllo looked KU so kindly and yet so sadly upon him M that after a whllo the severity of his II faco relaxed nil It had been ngnlnst g his will, and with a quick gesture he indded, "I bcllovo you loto mo, Ivan. Ufough Indeed your words are no hot- tor than red-hot pincers In my heart." "Lovo you, Louis?" cried Prince Ivan. "I lovo you better thnn nnj brother I have, though they will novor Hvo to thwart mo as yours thwarts you better oven than my father, for you do not keen mo out of my Inherit-Then Inherit-Then In a gayer tono he went on: "I lovo you so much that I will pledgo my father's whole army to help ou, first to win our wife, next to tako Hnhcnstcln. Kerns-berg nnd Ma-sj- rlenfold. And after that, If you are ' still ambitious, why to Plassonburg and tlio Wolfmark, which now the Kxccutloner'a Ron holds. That would mako a noblo kingdom to offer a fair and wilful queen." "And for this you nsk ?" "Only your love, I.ouls only your lovo! And, If It please you, tho alliance alli-ance with that I'rlnce of your honor-nblo honor-nblo houso, of which wo spoko Just now!" "My slsler Margaret, you mean? I will do what I can, Ivan, but she nlso Is wilful. You know she Is wilful! I cannot compel her love!" Tho Prlnco Ivan laughed. "I am not so complaisant ns you, Louis, nor yet so modest. Give me my brldo on tho day Joan of tho Sword Hand sleeps In the palace of Courtlnnd, as Its princess, nnd I will tnko my chnnco of winning our Mar-garot'a Mar-garot'a lovo!" CHAPTER XII. Woman's Wilfulness. Joan rodo on, silent, a furlong bo-foro bo-foro all hor men, llohlnd her sulked Maurlco von Lynar. Had any been thcro to noto, their faces wero now strangely nllko Iti feature, and yet moro curiously unlike In expression. Joan gazed forward Into tho distance Ilko a soul dead and about to bo reborn, re-born, planning a now life. Maurice von Lynar looked moro llko n naughty schoolboy whom some- tyrant Kntc, rod-wlcldlng, tins compelled to obey against his will. Soon Castlo Kornaberg floated up llko a cloud beforo them nboro tho bluo and misty plnln. Hut net word spoko Joan till that purplo tladow had taken shnpo as stately sloi;o and lime, and sho could discern hrr own red Hon flying abreast of tho banner of Louis of Courtlnnd upon tho topmost top-most plnnnclo of tho round tower. Then on n little mound without tho town sho haltod and faced, about, "Men of Hohcnsteln." snld the Duchess, In a clear, fnr-reachlng nlto, "you havo followed me, asking no word of why or wherefore. I hao told you nothing, yet Is an explanation explana-tion duo to you." "It Is tho will of Joan or tho Sword Hand! It Is enough!" repeat cd tho four hundred lances, llko a class Hint learns a lesson by rote. A lump roso In Joan's throat as sho tried to shapo Into words tho thoughts that surged within her. Sho felt strangoly weak. Her prldo was not tho snmo us of old, for tho heart of a woman had grown tip within hor a heart of flesh, Surely Hint could not bo a tear In hor eye? No; tho wind blow shrewdly out of the weit, to which they woro riding. J "I thank you, noblo gentlotncn." ' snld Joan. "Now, ns jou sny, let u Jf rldo Into KcniBberg." , 'm "And pull down that flag!" cried II Maurice, pointing to tho blnck Court w Lay waiting on the slopes of the Ja-Wl Ja-Wl tjernbergen. ti land Kaglo which flow so stoadlly be-Ill be-Ill sldo tho rnronnted lion of Kermbcrg tP and Hohenstoln. J "And pray, sir, why?" said Join of I i tho Bword Hand. "Am I not also Princess of Courtlatid?" J From woman's wilfulness all things J somenow havo their beginning. To I woumr.'a wantlrg may he traced all .' restrnlntR and. Judgments, from the sword flnmlng erery way about lWen- gate to tho last merehaut declared I bankrupt nnd "dvoMr iipa the ex I change flags of Hamburg town. Iv I did not eat the apple when oho pet I It. Sho hasted to give It away. She only wanted It bemuse It had been forbidden. So nlso Jonn of Hohenstoln desired to go down with Dcssnuer that she might look upon the muti betrothed to her from birth Sho went. Sho looked, nnd within hor there grt w up a heart of flesh. Then when the stroke fell, that heart uprose In quirk, intemperate revolt, and what might havo IsMicd In tho dtill compllnneo of a Princess, whpto whole life was settled set-tled for her hi enmo tho ImperlouH revolt of n womnn ngnlusi an intoler-n intoler-n lo and loathsome Impossibility. So In her Castlo of Kontsborg Joan waited. lint not ldl All day long and every day Maurice von l.jnnr rode on her set vice. The lilllmon gath erod to his word, nnd In the court-turd court-turd tho siorinv voices of George the Hus'-ltc tind Peter llnltii were never nev-er hushed. The shepherds from tho hills went to Htul fro, matching nnd countermarching, wheeling nntl ehnrg Ini!. porting musket nnd thnmilng pike, till nil Kcroshorg wits little bot tor than n, liRrntcl.. Hut there wero two, at least, within with-in tho realm of the Duchess Joan who Knew no drawbacks to their Jo), who nibbed palm on palm ami nudxed each other fur pure gladness. These (it Is nail to say) w ie tho military attaches of the neighboring peaceful Statu or Plasscnburg. Yet they had been specially spe-cially cautioned by their Prlnco Hugo. In tho presence of his wlfo Helcnc. the hereditary princess, that they were mot carefully to avoid nil International Interna-tional complications. They wero on no nccoutit to take fide In any quarrel. quar-rel. They must doj nothing prejudicial prejudi-cial to the peace, neiitrnlit), and unl-vcisnl unl-vcisnl nmlty of the State and Pi luce-dom luce-dom of Plnssonburg. Such were their Instructions. They promised faithfully. Yet theso two soldiers of fortune lay waiting on tho slopes of ihu Jn-gernbergen, Jn-gernbergen, talking over the situation. "A man surely htui a right to. his own wlfo!" snld Jorlnn, taking for tho sako of nrgutnenl tho conventional side. "Narron-Posson, Jorlnn!" cried Ilorls, raising his voice lo the Indignation Indigna-tion point. "Clotted nonsense! Who Is going to keep a man's wlfo for him If ho cannot do It himself?" "Tho troublo Is that so far sho feels no necessity to bo any one's wife," snld Jorlnn. "That nlso Is nonsense," said Doris, who, splto his defenso of Joan, held tho usual masculine views. "Kvory wnmnn wishes to marry. It sho can ouly havo first choice" 'Thoro they como!" whlsporod Jo rlau. Ilorls roo to hit feet and looked long beneath his hand. Very far away there a roso from tho lord green plain first ono Inll column of dense black smoke nnd then another, till ns far as they could co to tho left tho plain was .full of them. "(lod's truth!" cried Jorlnn, "Ihey are bunting tho farms and herds' houses. Tho Muscovite Is out! Theso nro Co sack tires. HrntoM Wo shall yet hnvo our Hugo horo with hit nxol Ha will novcr suffer tho bear to near lilt borders." , "Let us go down," said Ilorls, "or wo shntl miss miiuo of thu fun, In two hours they will bo at tho fords of tho Alln!" "What do )ou horo? (Jo back!" shouted Werner ton Onoln, who with his men lay walling behind tho flood-1 banks of tho Alia. "This Is not vnur quarrel! Oo back, Plnssenlmrgcrsl" "Wo hnvo for tho time being do milled our ofllco." exclaimed Ilorls. "Tho envoys of Plassenbtirg nro at home In bed, sick of n imM sanguinary sanguin-ary fever. Wo offer )ou our swords us fret fighting men nnd good Touts, The Muscovite aro over yonder. tard to think that I havo lived to forty eight ami neter jet killed een one bearded Itust!" "You may inetid that rword shortly, to all appearance, If you bate luokt" said Von Orsuln grimly. Now this Is the retort whirl. Captain Cap-tain Doris and Jorlitu eutoy (er) extraordinary from the Prince and Princes of I'luMeiiburg lo the relgu. nig Duchess of Hohensieln niadu, upon iholr return from tho fords of the Ada. to their home government. Jnrlan. being of the rotund and com plaliant faction, acquiesced In tho pro-poial pro-poial that ho should do the writing Hut ns ho neter got hP)ond, "To our honored Uird and luidy Hugo and Helene, these " there needs not to bo any particularity as to hi manner of acting the scribe. Then he remembered that he knew where a secretary was In waiting, llu w4iTld go and Ixirrow him. Jorlsn re enterel their bedroom with a beam lug smile, and the secretary held by the sleeve to prevent his eeea. Hot! ft It that the rojort was as good as 'rltteti It began thus: "With great assiduity (a word tug geeted by the secretary) wr eavojs remembered jnir HlahnesM' princely prince-ly adtlee HHd command that we ImmjIiI liitolve oursultea In no warfare or other local tUsKreemen'. when w heard thar IlohenetelR was to b Invaded by the treope of the Prince of Cotirtlsad, we were deefdy arleved. "Ntertkeis. iudwlpg l( to be for the ih4 f A4tr eMtatrV that we should have a near (ew of the MiMg. we left mr arms aa4 armor bbld us. and went mi to make w.et la the IhIwmi rf yaur Htgajiitwiit' arK'tee. "Wo found tho soldiers of too Duch esa Joan waiting nl the fords of the Alln, which Is the eastern bcrdcr ol their protlnce There wero not man of them inn nil ti iod toldlera. Tin Couttlnr.i'oro cnu on in myriads with .Miico!tes without tiuuiber Tlie-o last burned and slew ull In Uitlr parii "Tlio men of Hobettsteln being sc few nnd those of Courtlnnd with thelt nlllea to manj, tho river wns over passed both lihoto and below the fords. Whereupon I pressed It upon Werner ton Orseln that he should ro treat to a place of greater hopo and safety, being thus in danger on loth llanKs "This Werner ton Orscln had fought all tho da.t, and. though most reckless-Iv reckless-Iv ovposliiK himself, wns Btlll unhurt Ills armor was covered with blood and black with powder after tho fashion fash-ion of theso wild hot-bloods. Ills fnce alto was stained, nnd when he spoke It wns In a hoarse whisper Tho matter mat-ter of his dl.Miourso to us was tills: " 'I can do no more. My people nr dead, my powder spent. Thoy urc Jorlan and Doris" dictate a diplomatic report, moro numerous thnn the sea sands. They are behind us nnd beforo, also outranking us on either sldo.' "Then wo advised hltn to act his face to Hohcnsteln and with those who were left to hi in to retreat In thnt direction. We accompanied him, bean lug In mind your royal commands, nnd ongor lo do nil that In us Iny to ad-vnnco ad-vnnco tho Interests of amity. "In this tnnnnor tho remnnnt of tho soldiers of tho Duchess Jonn renched Kernsberg In snfety a result which, wo finlter ourselves, was as much duo lo Uio ical and porsiinslvoness of jour envoys ns lo Iho skill nnd bravery bra-very of Werner von Orseln and tho roldlors of tho Duchess. "And our humblo servant Vlll ever pray for tho triumph -i!--;!! and concord, nnd also for an undisturbed undis-turbed rolgn lo your Highnesses through countless years. In token whereof wo append our signatures and seals, "110KIS. "J Oft I AN." "Is not thnt last somwhat over Mrnlnod about peace nndConcord and so forth?" asked Jorlan anxiously. "Not a whit not n tvhll!" crlod Ilorls. "Oiu- dcfciro to promoto penco need lo bo put strongly. In order to carry persuasion to their Highnesses In PlnsKcnlmrg. In fact. I nm not suro thnt It has been put strongly enough!" "I am troubled with some .w doubt myrelf!" said Jorlan, under hi brouth. And a the secretary Jorkod tho Ink from hit pen ho smiled. (To bo continued.) |