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Show I The Edge of Mazabd I I BY GEORGE HORTON Copyrighted, 1906, by The Bobbe Merrill Companj. 1 I am nursing you. Can you not imagine that there are those who wouhl envy your preHent position? You are not grateful I even for the favors that you do lecelve. I Think of your wound, which Is really I fjulle ferious." "Well. then, you he serious for once.'' said Romanoff, smiling In spile of himself, "and tell me that you love me. Surely, you cannot douht my devotion "Io you think It quite fair to bring that subject up here''" she asked, "when you know that you have me at a disadvantage?" disadvan-tage?" "Hut you alwas find some excuse for not talking to n-.e about It. You always i eade me In some way But I am not a man." he tried fiercely, "to be evaded' or escaped. I love vou as only a Roman-orf Roman-orf an love. 1 shall not gle up suing I for your hand while I live, and woe to i the man who crosses my path! Oh. if I I oouM only right for you. I would uade through seas of blood., hut I would har you! I would have vou!" itomanovna shudder. hut she came j nearer loving hlni at that Instant than at j any other moment of her life. "If vou" will not talk of these matters now. will ou. after we get to Moscow!"" (To He Continued. ) Let Kelly A Co. print it. CHAPTER XXIV. Romanoff's Wooing. - "I tell you I can go! I can get through, somehow! Men have gone greater distances dis-tances worse wounded than 1 " It was Romanoff who was speaking. He sat up and turned, facing the General a though he would rise. His wound luul stiffened and the pain consequent on the exertion caused him to turn pale, but he did not wince. He was lying In the dln-Ir.g-room. on one of the upholstered cushions that extended around three sides of It. "The current Is at lea-st alx miles an hour " ho Insisted, "and with something to cling to 1 could float the entire distance dis-tance " The heat was stifling, and the poit-holes poit-holes were milky with bmoke "I shall be better off. my dear General, Gen-eral, out In the air than In this men. and the cool water will do my leg good. I wish." he groaned, smiling as he made another move, "that I had that Chinaman China-man to kill over again. What a ptty It Is that a Chinaman has not so many lives as a cat "' The General laid a det.dnlng hand on his shoulder. "For the purpose of xengennce. nine lives might do ery well." he replied. g'od-humored I v. "but In the present case 1 am glad thev have only one. or we should be fighting yet. You really must lie down, my dear Prince. It is preposterous prepos-terous for vou een to think of going, and If vou do. "it will be against my express orders. Indeed. I hope you will not oblige me to constrain vou by fori e At this moment the Prime's entered "Ikm't ex'-lte yourself. Boris " she a:1 anxlouslv, "or you will neutralise a'.l tr I good effects of my nursing. I Think i" u - x grateful of you not to lie .s'Hl and let me show what I can do." i "Yes. and leae you lieie o :are m be burned up. or perhaps be earned off j bv the Manchurians w lien 'lo return. I which they are certain to do when the tlie j subsides." "There." said the General "ou have your commands from an ami "ri'v whnh j jou ought to respect. If you do not heed mine. I shall have another talk with th men. 1 am sure thev are ashamed of j themselves hv this time." "It will be unneees-.ai v for vou to trouble trou-ble vourse'.f further about the matt-r " : said the Princess, blushing s'lghth and looking down, "for a a man- some one has alreadv gone " Romanoff started violently and f.ed his eves oji her '"Who was It? " asked tt. G'reial The Prill' ess threw her head h.. k ai d regarded him defiantly. "The A met . an . " who rnlled "Ten thous.itul devils ' .-x. lal-iiM Romanoff. Ro-manoff. "Tho inediHesotne ,loK-' ' "But I refuse,! to let him c. sal, I toe Cenoral. "It is a disKra' e to the Russian name "I take all I he rrypnnslMMt v. said the Romanov na Piavelv "Me Hsked me as a favor to write the dipat'-i for him. and I did so He has pla ed me under certain oMiKations. and I felt I ,'ou!d not refuse." "And I suppose." sneered Romanoff, "that if In- were to ask vou for a kiss, vou would think it voiu dutv tr. mai't even that Vr.rr Kratltude. no doubt, will he ij nd u MC "Vou fotK-'' yourself sir'' 'Tied Ro-tr.anovni. Ro-tr.anovni. tutni-'K on him wi'h PashmR e' e on presume p.o tnu li on your t ej;t ir'tishlp. i me more sur h sp'-erh and 1 stia!! r-ani'd '.our name from the list of mv speak InK lo-'iu-ontan. e Oeral, I await v"i;r sentence I heg that vou will not pas? over my offense lischOv Oh. this is all nonsense. ' growled the Genera! "You know that 1 rnrnot punish vr,,i would not tf I rouM If one of the men had done this. I should know slut o do with him Hut no wav hi ever beer devised fn' manrg'nK an t.nrulv worn. wo-rn. m or preventing her having her wav'" With this ungracious speech, he turned and left the r""-n The I'lumess gazed aft"r him si l'.v This. the.,, was her pun-Ishment pun-Ishment the brave old 'lenenl's dis-ph dis-ph asure and it was not isv tr. bear "I , Iiih.vp to forget vi'iii extraordinary remark. Boris." she said, sitting down bv ),er cousin "I shall remember 'ha' vou are wounded. at,rl that vou mils' he suffering, suf-fering, here in this h"t. smnkv air I sympathize with youi irritation, too. and think 1' nr. hie of you I would mic h rather rath-er that a Russian had gone" -and she Ulrl her hand srx.t hlng'y on his "Wl'v did vou not encourage mv going, go-ing, then?" he .asked. sM'.l sul'et- I t,iiee with 'he General tha' vou S'-e unable to go that the effort would almost certainly have resulted in vour death " "And vnii d"n'' want me tn die. I sup-pos'e'' sup-pos'e'' You would be desolated by my departure de-parture for another sphere"" "Now. Boris, don't be sarc.as'lr- Of course. I should be desolate. 1. as ' on call It. if anvthinK happened to you." "Elizabeths. " said Romanoff eareply, "you know why I endure It so II! when others perform services for you You know that 1 would undertake any task that mlgrht win vour regard, tour love, that I would K'-idly fa. e any danger In vour behalf. And now tha' thlf-thls Americ an - has aved v our life. I ruuld kill him for if " "You did not want my life saved, then'" she asked sweetly. "Oh. you are enough to try the temper of an angel: You know what I mean I did not want him to do tt You are under no obligation to him for hav ing saved your life Y'ou know that there Is not a man In your circle of acquaintance who would not consider it the grea.'est luck In the world to have a chance to brave dan- ger for you: ard that such an opportunl- ty hould have come to this, trvs "lie generous. Boris. If you w ish to win mv esteem." Interrupted the Princess, "and don't be unreasonable In your envy. You have braved danger for me. and are now wounded, fighting In my behalf, and I |