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Show I A MINISTER of WAR: 1 consuming malice he .bears towarl Humbert, the pretender, who Is bold enough to aspire to seize the ery throne of Morania out from under Rupert. Ru-pert. It would be madness to appeal to him. If there were anyway to aav your brother, It would not be through the King." Kretschmar had no purpose of taking the girl Into hla confidence. He wanted no confidants in the thing he was about to do. It tore his very heart to; cay the cruel words he uttered, butt he steeled himself against her Buffering. By a mighty effort of hla will, he kept his Composure." in the atice of .this child's anguish. "Do not tell me there la no hope!" ehe cried. "There must be hope! There must be a way to save him!" She was. Indeed, little more than a child, a mere debutante, a Blip of a girl, and yet all the grief, all the agony of a lifetime was concentrated In that despairing cry. For one moment fher youth was"gone and her face bore! the stamp that comes from great suffering, long continued: Kretschmar turned his face toward her now. There was great pity lni his eyes. He could not reconcile himself to the part he was playing. He could not tell her of the plan he waa forming In the secret recesses of his brain. What he was to do could not be trusted trust-ed to a girl. He must go on deceiving her; he must go on playing on her ' agony. "Mademoiselle," he said, and hla tones were low and firm, "It would give me the greatest pleasure of my life to offer you hope, if I could do It. It (s a cruel thing "to tell you that hope s a forgotten word to those who find them- selves convicted of the offense proved against your brother. No man hasi yet ever escaped who committed or incited treason in Morania, once the law closed In upon him. You must consider (the magnitude of the offense, Mademoiselle. Mademoi-selle. Is it a pardonable thing for a man to come into a foreign country and go about preaching secret treason against the King? Would the Czar, upon whom you base your hopes of, interference, in-terference, condone it, were the tase reversed?" 1 j She listened with wide-open, staring eyes. His logic was unanswerable, and for a moment she had no reply. Then, with a woman's reasoning, she cried: "But Arthur Is still a boy not yet 2S. He did not know what he waa doing. It am sure he did not realize. He and Humbert were great friends in St. ;Pe-tersburg. ;Pe-tersburg. The Prince talked to him bo long and so continually that he came to see through the eyes of Humbert to believe in Humbert's cause. He I believed be-lieved that Humbert was entitled to the throne. Oh, your Excellency, tAr-. thur Is a victim merely; he Is not to blame. He thought he was acting: on the side -eX humanity and Justice. He was firmly convinced that the Mora-nlan Mora-nlan people were to benefit by his act. (Copyright, 1905. by Edward Mott Wool-ley.) Wool-ley.) , CHAPTER I. A Problem. William Kretschmar, Minister of War of the little kingdom of Morania, waa working one afternoon In his apartments in the royal castle at Stra-konetz, Stra-konetz, engaged upon documents of state, - Jfe had spent an hour In conference confer-ence with Col. Anthony Szedlak, chief of the secret service, and he had granted an audience with the Minister of Germany. He had gone through a bundle of mall and had disposed' of sundry matters of greater or less Importance.- At last he paused In his tasks and sat for a time with his arms resting idly on the table, while he gazed blankly into space. His contracted con-tracted brow and the absent look In his eyes were evidences that some perplexing perplex-ing problem occupied his thoughts. He was still Bitting in this attitude when -knock at the door aroused him. A young military officer entered, bearing in his hand a document. "Your pardon for the interruption!" said the visitor saluting. "The death warrant -of Lieut. Bellinzona still lacks your signature." Kretschmar took the grim paper from the other's fingers and laid It on the table before him. "How did the prisoner behave before the military court?" he asked. "He was composed -and self-reliant, your excellency, but he refused to testify tes-tify or to answer questions. When confronted con-fronted with the letter found upon his person showing him to be, beyond all doubt, an agent of Humbert, the pretender, pre-tender, he simply said that the honor of his -family forbade him to make disclosures disclo-sures which might Implicate others. He preferred to take his secrets to the grave, rather than court leniency by dragging other men to the gallows." "It is a pity," answered Kretschmar, "that a man so young and brave should come to such an end. His fate should be a warning that It Is quite as grave a crime to. come into Morania for the purpose of inciting treason against the crown as It Is to commit treason Itself. His execution, I see, has been set for sunrise tomorrow." "Yes, your excellency: he must die at dawn. The military court grants little time for preparation." The Minister of War took up a pen and wrote his name upon the document, which he handed back to the officer who had brought it. Twilight was settling fast over the royal Btructure, but Kretschmar sat for a long time, motionless motion-less and silent, while the shades of night gathered and the iusk faded Into deeper shadows. The ghosts that his memory brought back required no daylight day-light to be seen; the problem that confronted con-fronted him needed no lamp by which to work it out. Rising at last, Kretschmar went to a window. The moon was Just rising behind be-hind a range of snow-clad mountains, and Its silvery radiance revealed a vista of wood; valley and hill, enchanting In its subdued loveliness. His eyes rested for a time on the silent, moonlit landscape, land-scape, but he saw It through a mental film. Often had he felt the calm grandeur of that sweep of valley and mountain, but on this night his thoughts were far away. Beneath him were the royal gardens, drinking In the cool refreshment of the night after a day of 'dazzling light and heat, but Kretschmar was unconscious of their shadowy beauty. He was responsive, In a way, to the whole scone that stretched about him, so calm and benignant, be-nignant, but it was merely his sub-conscious self that felt its influence. His actual thinking, reasoning self was totally unconscious that the snowcapped snow-capped mountains were quietly radiant in the distance, or that the whole earth, within his range of vision, lay slumbering slum-bering under tho sable shades of a perfect per-fect night. Kretschmar's brain was on fire with a purpose he could not uuite focus, and yet his resolution was flxd. His memory mem-ory took him far back into the buried past, and as he stood there at the window win-dow of the royal castle he saw nothini? but the fact of a girl, who, though still living, hod been dead to him for a quarter of a century. He heard nothing noth-ing save the music of her voice, ns he had heard it that night for the last time. He saw her now as he had seen her then, as he had seen her with the moon shining through the chestnut trees upon her fair young face, aud the southern zephyrs caressing the golden curls that clustered about her forehead. He saw her once more as she raised her urtless lips for the good-night kiss the A Story of Adventure and Diplomacy in the Little Kingdom of Morania By Edward Mott Woolley Author of "Roland Of Altenburg," etc n 0 Hastily he replaced the letters and the picture In the receptacle and closed the panel. Then he threw open the door and confronted a servant. "Mademoiselle Marion Bellinzona, ' sister of the condemned Russian Lieutenant, Lieu-tenant, Is at the main sentry house," said the man. "She asked for an audience audi-ence with the King, but on being told that his Majesty was away upon the hunt ahe wept hysterically and begged to see the Minister of War." William Kretschmar was by nature a grave, calm man, little given to demonstration, demon-stration, hiding his emotions behind an inscrutable veil of stoicism. To the world he sometimes seemed cold and unimpressionable and now, to the servant, ser-vant, who stood awaiting orders, he appeared ap-peared no different than was his wont. There was nothing to Indicate that his blood had been turned Into Are, or that his heart had tightened suddenly at the word "Marlon," and then, relaxing, had fairly run away. "Very well," he eald, simply, "you may have her conducted here at once." After the servant was gone Kretschmar Kretsch-mar crossed the study to a small table and poured a swallow of brandy from a glass decanter, his hand trembling slightly. Suddenly, inspired by a quick resolution, he touched an electric button. but-ton. "I cannot see her," he muttered. "Why should I see her? No, no, they must not bring her here." The next moment, however, he found himself saying to the servant who an-swered an-swered his ring: "It is nothing: I have changed my mind. Let it go." CHAPTER II. THE SPELL HE WOVE. Kretschmar paced the floor In agitation, agita-tion, but when Marion Bellinzona was ushered Into the room he was the same grave, serene Minister of War which the world knew. The visitor, a fair, sweet maid of slight and graceful figure, fig-ure, "was all in black, with her heavy veil thrown back, partly- exposing a cluster of golden tresses. She was ghastly white, but around her deeD blue eyes a darker hue told of great nervous strain and physical exhaustion. exhaus-tion. "Be spated. Mademoiselle." Kretseh-mar Kretseh-mar said, speaking in French, for he was not sure how well she understood the Polish language. "I fear you are exhausted. Will you not allow me to offer you a taste of wine? It will give you strength." He placed a chair for her and she touched the glass to her Mps. For a moment his eyes, rested on her face. He was inexpressibly startled, for it was the living counterpart of the face on the photograph that Kretschmar had a moment before hidden behind the panel. " thank your Excellency," said the girl. "I fear I did, indeed, require a stimulant. My mission Is so terrible that if heaven had not given me superhuman super-human strength I should not have reached Strakonetz at all." She hid her face in her gloved hands, shuddering. "Calm yourself." said Kretschmar, quietly. "The gravest misfortune cannot can-not be remedied by grief. In what way-can way-can I serve you?" She dropped her hands quickly and looked up. ,-I scarcely need to tell you the errand er-rand that brought me here. I have come from my home in St. Petersburg to plead for the life of mv brother, Lieut. Arthur Bcllinzoua, condemned to die at dawn tomorrow for helng an apent of Humbert, the pretender." There was a tragic note In her voice, an unconscious accent of despair, that sank deep into Kretschmar's heart. Her resemblance to her mother, in face and tones, was so great that the minister minis-ter could have believed, without a strain upon his fancy, that he had gone hack a quarter of a century and was standing-faca to face with that other Marlon. With an effort, he pulled his faculties together. He did not find words on the instant to reply, and the eiil went on: e sacrificed himself for his lova of another. Will the Moranian people see him murdered?" I There was a wild note of passion and hopelessness In her voice. She had risen and stood facing the Minister of War with her face ablaze with excitement. excite-ment. Her pallor had given place to a bright crimson flush on either cheek. Kretschmar, still sitting with hist elbows el-bows on the table, saw her marvelous beauty and the unconscious tragedy of her pose. 1 "Mademoiselle." he said, calmly, though a tumult of emotions surged within him, "you must not give way to your feelings in so violent a manner. Hysterical grief cannot aid your fun-happy fun-happy brother and It merely exhausts yourself. You should" I "It must help him"' she interrupted. "It will help him!" She came a few steps nearer, 'her eyes flashing with the great purpose which lighted up her soul. Heroic motives mo-tives had brought her to Strakouetz that night motives worthy of an epic. "Save him!" she cried, her arms going go-ing out Instinctively in a gesture of passionate supplication. "Save him! save him! You are great and powerful. power-ful. The whole army is ready at an instant in-stant to do your bidding. You have but to say the word. One single command com-mand from you will open wide his pri-ton pri-ton door. Save him, for the sake of his mother! inu had a mother, too! If he were your boy you would not let him tile you, with all your power! You would find a way to save him! You would save him for his mother's sake if not for your own! Tell me that there is hope for him! Tell me! tell me'") She paused suddenly in her frentled outburst and stood silent In her Um-ploring Um-ploring attitude. Kretschmar, sitting like a statue, made, no answer. I He scarcely heard what she was saying for his brain was husv with ih. .v.' good-night kiss that was destined, all unforeboded. to be the end of his romance ro-mance and the beginning of his tragedy. trage-dy. And now, by some Ironical fwist of an avenging fate, her boy had been thrown in his path. This boy whose neck was in the noose was her boy-Marlon's boy-Marlon's boy! Kretschmar, gazing off vacantly into the solemn quiet of the evening, elmost fobbed in the violence of his distress. What strange decree of Providence had brought this thing to pass? Was it destiny, des-tiny, foreordained, that had caused the lives of himself and this woman to converge at last in so fateful a manner, man-ner, after going far astray for almost a generation? Kretchmar turned back from the window and touched the electric switch that Hooded the room with light. He wont to the door and locked It. Then, sliding back a small panel in the wall, he took from a secret receptacle a package of letters, brown with age. The missives were tied with a yellow ribbon, faded and rotten now, but Ft ill holding together. The Minister of War gazed at the packet for a time in silence, si-lence, as If hesitating to open it. Then Flowly he untied the ribbon, and. picking pick-ing ' a letter at random, he read It through. Strangely enough. It was written in Kngltsh. When he came to the concluding words he paused and read them over, half aloud: "With lots of love, Marion." "Ah! Marion," he muttered, ns he folded the letter and replaced it gently In the packet, "if you could have l ad 'a glimpse into the future when yeu penned these lines, what strange, fantastic fan-tastic visions you would have seen!" He sat for a time fingering the bundle bun-dle of 61d love letters. Then he went again to the receptacle and took out a photograph. It was stained and faded, but It still showed the face of a younp girl, fresh and buoyant with life and loveliness. Kretschmar brushed a mlFt from his eyes. "God knows I loved you, Marlon!" he murmured. "Gpd knows I suffered for you, too, but your boy shall not die if I can save him." A knock at the door startled him. i "Oh, your Excellency, he Is so good, so noble and so brave! Surely such a dreadful thing will not come to pass! The King will have compassion. He must have pity If not for my brother, then for me and for our mother!" "His Majesty." said Kretschmar, "is far away among the mountains. It will be impossible to reach him." The words seemed cold and cruel even to himself, and yet he had to tell her. In secret he rejoiced that Rupert, vindictive and hating the pretender with all the bitterness of his nature, was Indeed away from home. "Impossible to re.ich him?" echoed the girl, her voice ringing with despair. "But surely there is some one here at court vested with authority to grant a reprieve until the Czar can negotiate with Rupert for Arthur's release." To her Russia and the Czar seemed all powerful. "The power of reprieve and pardon rests solely with the King." he answered an-swered slowly. "Them we must reach him. Impossible Impossi-ble things are possible at such a time as this. Will not the telegraph and fast horses find his Majesty?" Kretschmar seated himself beside the table and, leaning on his elbows, looked across it toward the log fire, now reduced re-duced to glowing embers on the hearth. The nights In Strakonetz were cool, although al-though the season was midsummer. "Mademoiselle," he said, gravely, "It is a painful thing for me to discuss with you this wretched matter. You are a woman, and It Is hard for you to understand how Inexorably the machinery ma-chinery of Justice grinds, and how difficult dif-ficult It is to stay the wheels, once they begin to turn. In the case of Lieut. Bellinzona the military court this afternoon af-ternoon set the cogs In motion. Like a great time-clock, the machine began to move. The King alone has power to stop It, and as I have said, his Majesty is deep In the fastness of the mountains, moun-tains, where no telegraph extends, and where the swiftest horses would be of no avail whatever, for they could not penetrate the canyons nor surmount sur-mount the sloDes. But even were it possible to reach the King, the task would be useless. Tou little realize the ror his brain was busy with the problem prob-lem that had been thrust upon it. "You do not answer me!" she cried "You have not a single word! y0u have nothing to say to a girl who is brokenhearted nothing, nothing.".' In a burst of grief and despair she threw herself Into a chair and, leating forward upon the table, her face hidden in her arms, she gave vent to hysterical hysteri-cal sobs. j Kretschmar rose. He had reached! the limit of endurance. He could not go on as he had begun, wringing her heart. He could not bear It. She was Marion's girl, Marion s second self. He could have believed that time had turned back, and that she was Marlon herself the Marion of old. To all intents and purposes, she was Marion, whomi he had known, and whom he had lost The words of the girl were still ringing In his ears. "You would save him for his mother's sake." Yes, he would save him for his mother's sake, and for his sister's sake. His resolution had been taken before the coming of this sister He would not prolong the agony he would make her his confidante He would trust her with his life. He needed some one to help him; why not the girl herself? Kretschmar stepped to her side and ' put his hand lightly on her shoulder The contact seemed -to loosen within him all the pent-up emotions of a quarter quar-ter of a century. For a moment he was no longer the grim Minister of War but the youth of other days. This girl! upon whose arm his hand was resting was the maid who had kissed hliri good-bye under the chestnut tree. Then with a stupendous effort of self-control, he was the Minister of War aaraln "Hush!" he said softly. i ' The girl's sobs died away quickly. There seemed to be some subtle magnetism mag-netism In the pressure of his hand that quieted her. Some force or current from his powerful presence seemed to weave a spell about her. She made no effort to raise her head until he took his hand away. Then she looked i up. almost smiling through her tear-bllnded tear-bllnded eyes. , (To be continued.) f |