Show THE PRINCE 0 Of f ARK By GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON NEW YORK YOEK DODD MEAD AND COMPANY 1914 1314 Wait I Wait 1 n minute young youn man said I Mr r. r Blithers cooIl coolly He was never neer a but cool when under fire tiro Why n Wh not wait until YOU TOU have bavo met my mr dau daughter before mak making n a st statement like liko that After all am I not theone the theone theone one who is taking chances 1 Well Pm Im willing rolling to risk risk my girls girl's hap happiness iness with ith and that's er e when hell you ou saying everything you como coma right down dO to it She Se will make you you- happy in toI to- to I am not no lor for sal sale Mr tIr Blithers said Robin abruptly I Good Good morn morn- ing Ho He turned turnell into the a w wood od and andas was as sauntering awa away with his hia in the tho air nir when Mr II Blithers rs call called cd out outto outto outto to him from behind c I I shall expect you jou tonight just the same Robin hal halted d amazed by the mans man's assurance Ho He retraced his steps to IP the roadside Will you pardon a slight feeling lots ot curiosity on m my part Mr r. r Blithers Blither if I II ask whether your your our daughter consents to tho the arrangement you pro propose iose Does she approve of or tb the scheme I Mr Blithers was honest II No X she ehe doesn't he said Eaid s succinctly II At t At least riot not at present Ill I'll b btu be honest with you rou Sho She stayed away from the ball last night simply because she ahe did not want to meet meet you JOU That's the kina of a girl rI she is Bv By Novo joyo I take off my hat to her cried Robin U She She is a n brick orick after all Take it from me Mr Blithers you Jou will not be be able ablo to land hand over twenty millions mil millions lions without her consent I believe that t I should enjoy meeting her hor now I that I come to tot think ink of it It would be a a. pleasure to exchange confidences es with a girl of that sort Mr Blithers betrayed agitation C Sec Seo C Seo here prince ante I dont don't wan want her to t know that I Ive I've vo a said anything to you ou about this matter he be said con consciously s lowering lo his voice oice as if fearing that e Mauri Ia r might be within hearing distance This is between n you and me Don Dont Don't t breathe a word of ot it to to her Gad shod shed shad shed she'd skin me mc alive ot At the tho very ery thought of it he wiped his forehead with unusual vigor Robin Hobin laughed heartily Rest pas pasy Mr Ir Bl Blithers I shall not even en think o of f your pour proposition again much less les spec speak peak k of it Come now no prince n wait wait until your youve rou e e. e seen her 1 r I know kno you'll got get on famously fa fa fa- mou mouses l' l I HC should hould like her to know that 1 d consider her hor a brick Mr Blithers I Is Isit it too much to ask of you 1 Just ten tell 1 her that I think she she's a brick Tell her yourself growled Mr Ir Blithers looking h Yen very black You You Tot will see seo her this cn c evening ng he ho added adds levelly Shall I instruct your chauffeur t to o como come for lor you JOU your up her or will you on walk wal k b back cl to to- to Cl Ill PH walk to R Tied Red d Roof said Mr Bl doggedly Im Im I'm going to as ask k Mrs King to let you Vou off oD for toni tonight bt CHAPTER CHAPTER- VII A Letter From Maud Mr Blithers rs triumphant left Red Roof shortly after luncheon Mr Blithers dismayed arrived ed at Blither wood a quarter of an hour later He lIe had had his hisa is w a iy with Robin who after I Ian an all was coming comini to dinner that c evening ening with uh Count The prince after a few words in with wit the thc count od his bis mind and accepted Mr Blithers Blithers' invitation in with 1 a liveliness that was mistaken for eagerness by that tha gentleman who Lad bad ad made mado madoery very ery short ebor work of subduing Mrs Irs Jin King when she bo tried to tell him that her own dinner party Jart would be bo rui ruined netI if the tho l principal guest nest defaulted defaulted He was gloating over his hi s victory ictor up to the tha instant ho bo reached bis wn ms own J lodge gates There dismay sa sat fiat patiently patient waiting for him in the shape of otta a messenger from the tho local telegraph office in the village below Hn Un had seen Mr Ir Blithers approaching approach n in tb the distance and aud with an astuteness that tha I ar argued well ell for his bis future futuro success in life calmly sat down to walt waft instead pt ot of pedaling his decrepit bicycle up tb the 1011 long slope to the villa illa Ho delivered a telegram and kindly vouchsafed tho information that it wa was from New ew ow York Mr Ir Blithers experienced a queer luter sinking of the heart as ns be lie gazed gaz a il 11 a at it tb the tho envelope cn warned him hint that tha i if he open opened d it in t tho o presence of th the messenger ho he would say ar som something that thata a young oun bo boy ou ought bt not to hear hoar Its I Its It's from Maud J aud said tho the o obliging boy oy beaming food good nature It cost him hima a a quarter that bit of ot gentility for Mr Blithers at onto said something that a messenger boy ought to hear and or dered Jackson to go o ahead It was from Maud and it said I Ishall 1 shall stav stay in town a a few days longer It It is Li delightfully c cool ol here Dear ol oM obi Miranda is at the time Ritz with mo ma and w ware we wa arc are ha having vin a fine fiDe spree Dont Don't worry y about bout mone money I find I have a sta stagger a r- r ln ing balance in in the bank The cashier cashio showed me rte where I had made wado a in subtraction of an even eD ten thousand I was amazed to find what a bi big differ difference ence a little figure makes makee Have o n no definite plans but will win write mothe mother r toni tonight ht Please g give ga a m my p love lo to the th prince Have o you soon today's Town Truth 1 Or w worse has hns bo he seen scon it 1 Your lo in loving dau daughter MAUD The butler was sure ence it was was apoplexy but the tiro chauffeur ont out of n wide expert ence announced behind his b hand nd that he h would be bo all atI right the tho instant th tho e words word ceased to stick in his throat And ad Sit d he was right Mr Blithers was aUr all aU r right bt Not even the chauffeur had seen cen him when wIlen he was moro more so 50 A later Inter on on after ho he had cooled 1 I loff our off to toa ji a J quito quite extent Mr Ir Blithers lighted lighte a cigar and nd sa sat at t down in iu tho the hall call outside his wife's bed chamber door She Sho was baying haT bay having ing her beauty nap Not ot even be he po possessed the t temerity moritT to break in n upon that hat He sat and li listened listened for the first sound that would indicate the tho appeasement appeasement appeasement appease appease- ment of beauty occasionally hitching g ghis his chair a trine nearer to the tho door in inthe in 10 tho the agony of impatience By Bytho tho the time Jackson son returned from the village with word that a n copy of oC Town To Truth was not to be had until the next day daJ he lie was so ISO o close to the door that if any anyone one had hap ened to stick a hat pin through tho the keyhole at nt precisely tho the rj right ht instant Instant in instant stant it would have ha punctured his left ear with appalling results II What aro we ire going to do o about it iU he demanded three minutes after entering enter in lug ing the chamber His Isis wife was prostrate pros pros' on all the tho luxurious couch from which situ she had bad failed to arise when whoa ho bur burst burstin t tin in upon her with tho the telegram in his baud hand Oh the tho foolish child sho she moaned If she only knew how bow adorable ho is she sho wouldn't bo be acting in this perfectly absurd manner Every en girl irl who was hero lat last night is madly in love lore with with hi him n. n Why Wh must Maud bo be s 60 obstinate Mr fr B Blithers was very r c careful reful not to mention his roadside experience with it h the prince and you IOU ma may be bo sure that be he said nothing about lt his proposition to the tho young oun man He merel merely declared with a alst vast bitterness in his soul that the prince was 38 coming to dinner but what the deuce douce was the use She Sho ou ought ht to bo ho spoken soundly spoken to said Baid be lie breaking the sentence with witha a hasty hast gulp lp Now Now Lou Iou theres there's just one thing thin to do I must go to to New York on the midnight train and get et her That woman was all nIl ri right ht as a tutor but hanged if I like liko to see a daughter of mine mino traipsing around New ew York with a 1 school school teacher She She She- You You forget forret that she has hass retired on ona ona a a. competence She is not lot in active em cm employment Will You for forget et that she isone is isone isono one ono of the tho Van V II There you go o talking about good old families again Why is it that so eo m bh blamed d many o of y your Ur t fin fins nA old blue bluestocking bluestockings stockings stocking s are hunting fobs fobs- I ow e Now dont don't be vulgar Will she lle i cut in in Maud is quite quito safo safe with with Mi Mi- randa and you know it Jt perfectly well so 50 lop don't dont t talk like liko that I think it it would Sankt bo o a fearful fearful mistake for you to go o to New hew 1 York ork She Sho woul would never for give ye you you and what hat is U more mOlO to the point eho ehe wouldn't t h budge o a step if it you ou tried to b bully her into coming home with f vou ou You know it quite as well as I do i To fo be continued tomorrow |