| Show ww OF TO ES 5 R C I 1 ZO C K E M 11 10 a ol 01 7 e e A maln zer Cop copilot Copil lilli tt t ikea 1000 by 8 it r k tt I 1 CHAPTER V johann the secretary te ten 7 miles outside the boundary of the little hill state of Keins the of plaggenburg plassenburg Plass enburg was mt mot by anoche cavalcade caval raie cale bearing baring additional instructions from tho the i ene the leader was as it a youth t of middle height ill the ot of wb chobe abe torin form gave ild id nf n t r agility ile he was vas daik of an olivo olive complexion anti aal with mith black hair which curled burld crisall about aboul ills nl mall bend ills his UPS cues wro aire lark aul cooki looking na atra straight ight and boldly out oui upon all comenti your lit h bald to the Amb ambassador asador I 1 bring you tho the MOM recent from th tb li ii alrh nesses hugo tin and luiene of 0 Pi plasen alisen burg sojourn th alln lim HIT hi h ing frig in tin thi in i of chuin thuin her ill hi y build a ix w w for IN tit it IV I 1 wai vas brought front from hamburg to 0 o be i 1 of the manair builders I 1 have skill in plans and 1 I 1 n ing you voll thi flit 10 40 for your approval and in ili r to go the rate of cost coil with vou von OH as treat freal uror of th ili Pla isenburg anil and till tl Wolf it tool took with ith vi v okeith or of dere inot tin slnar of paper rs so HO cartful Iv and dialed s aled iab with tin sop BI cl of I 1 gasn I 1 thank wi for our nour diligence goo gool master h said I 1 shall peruse thone these at my 1 asure and I 1 doubt not all upon ou oil for explanations the man blodi on at his stile side modestly ailing to lie be questioned what la Is your name sir air asked von lissaur Is so BO that all the escort might hi h at ai I 1 arn am called calad johann said the he bouth ll and with engage frig frankness my Is it a ham burg merchant trading to the ports porta tor for oil an wine mno but I 1 follow him not I 1 had ever a turn for draw ing and tho the art ot of dosi doslyn gril also for having bour own way as Is common irth the he loung joung said bald the ambassador an illing shrewdly Adly so against bour our fathers fattier a will aill iou ticen your yourself seir to an architect tho the young man dian bowed na sir lie he said bald but my rood good father roul coul I 1 deny me nothing on which I 1 had set my mind I 1 not ho bo 11 muttered DeSS dessauer under his breath no nor anyone elsel it had been a favorite scheme achele of dead princes of courtland Courtia nd to unite to their heir tat fat acres and populous nier mer cantile cities the hardy bardy and pastoral uplands of Kern aberg abere hud come to joan a father henry rYo called the uon lion blid the late prince michael of courtland Cou rlland a thought one hall had a daughter the other a son so with that frank care of the fee feelings lingi of the individual which has eyer distin great politicians they decreed that as a condition ot of their male bed and female heirs should marry each other this bond of heritage its AS it was called had received the sanction of the in full diet and now it wanted only that the duch ena join ot of bauld be of ago age in order that the provinces might at last be united anil and tho the long wars of highland and lowland at an end the plan has taken everything lato into ration except the private char altera ot of the persons persona principally at fectea loula of Coutt courtland land aad ad the boung duchess joan it was the last day of the famous tournament of the black baglo in tho the princely cita of houi aland prince J I 1 I 1 my brother youl cried margaret of Courtl courtland aind in astonishment louls louis had sent out an escort to brill bring g in the travelers traveler and condu conduct 1 tl it ern ni with ith honor to the ilia ipacs reserved tor for them the iho ambassador and wish Council councillor lr of Plass plassenburg enburg must bo be received with all observance lie had ho he aade avo notice brought a Bo creary with him for so sa lile young architect was now mow staled in order to give alvo him on an in the mission the surrounded the llie areat great oval space of the tha lla in n own asua terca myr myriads myri ads tails anil and their eyes henn it was the crisis of tha beril ami Scirce ly an eye in nu all ably wa turned toward tha th a pa sc d junob ayr ryr wo pt esth I 1 I 1 prince acos a empt ox F lit Z a oil high a Q ain vt A beauty looked down don upon then them A esith ith Inter tat seeing that they hey were men who iio canu canic anil and that one at least was couig oung fifty knights with ith whit hit plumis or helmet had charge 1 fifty wear ng black arid and th arnbal still bill raged the blai k havi hav it if aid des dea hance art aali 1 i garding iho ili melee mclee with in t rast I 1 V hav omi in time to tc L the end of the fray would that he had also wen the thock and lnell the blicka seemed to har ha carrh d all before them they are ra mostly and sti onier built a nin in of the land landward ikard brov il and thier lh ir boises areat rc at solid cecel boned d saxon harpers hargers had by sheer wight boine bobinc tin ir way aay through the light ranks of the baltic knights on the hit h r it inot n oi 01 than halt half a don of the these ie r wi dim in th tan saddle addle and all al over it hi ili ll 11 id air r to lo bo be se it black 1 I iiii r f iving the of 0 I 1 I 1 os I 1 I 1 roki rolan n ipen p art and tar far i ih iad d phim s showed that thai they had it II in it IH hario harge to super in loi ft IK ig i of taj arx tal lal por so HO soon as a anith hit stid bicarme the properly v of his hl vl victorious corlous toe foe and he ani ither arrid or limpet limped at ah best lie ho could to the hie pavilion of ain part tb h rt re to 10 ri movi his armour and dmd nd it also alno to lo th victor letor to whom in altna fact belon belonged gd the spoils of tho thi hall to do n white knights W who still haipt ki pt up tho ho ili uRgle ono one shone preeminent pro for dashing valor sol set upon by more than a acore of lie still managed to evade them and yen ven when all bl his side had submitted and h IK alone rt maltice at the end of lh lit lists to lo which it IK had been driven drilen he mado andy n ariy for a final chargo charge into ill UK h arc blokin brok n afriay an ay or of his foes vt whom moro more than toty remained still on hors hersback back in the field but though thoi iRli his spear biniok true in the middle of his immediate aniag onest b belld and this opponent went down it availed the brave white nothing for at the same mo mant halt it a arojo of lances struck him on oil on the breastplate on the visor bars of his helmet and he be fell li lacily to the earth never th thel eless had ho he touched the ground when i hen he was again oil nihls his feet sword in hand band lie he stood tor for a mo mint unscathed and undaunted while tila hin foes momentarily disordered hy by the energy of tho the charge reined in their steeds ere they could return to the attack but at this moment the princess margarct slake of the reigning prince rose roae in her place and threw down the truncheon which in such cases stops the combat the blick knights have won so she gave her verdict but there Is no need to humiliate or injure a knight who ho har ha fought so well against so ao many let the white knight come hither though he be of the losing side elde ills Is tho the reward renard ol of highest lionor bonor give him a steed that he may come and receive the inott of bravest in the tour nayl the knights of the black man a little disappointed that after their victory one of their opponents should be selected for or honor dut iceie was no appeal from the decision of tho the an quen en of lone iove and beauty for that day she reigned alone with out council or diet imperial the white knight came near and said something in a low voice un tin heard by the general crowd croad to the princess I 1 lilt she said aloud you must that all may seo aee the face of him who hns has won the prize whereat tho the knight bowed and un tin did hla his helmet A closely cropped fair haired head bead was mas revealed the features ch atly chiseled and yot yet of it a massive beauty the head of a mar hlo ble emperor my brother broth eryou cited margaret I 1 ol 01 1 in asmont astonishment aliment iho ambassador looked curiously at hla his lie he waa nas standing with eyes brilliant as those of a man in fever ills ilia face paled even under its ita dusky tan ills ilia lips quivered lie bad himself up tip as bravo and generous pe nerous men no do when they see BOO a deed of bravery done by another or like a woman who inho sees the man she loves honored the prince said johann mont in a hoarse and broken it la Is tho lie prince himself and on hla his high scat the stated councilor leopold von dissauer well oil pleased after tho the tournay of the black baglo I 1 apold von dessauer De sHauer had gone to bed early feeling younger and lighter lakhter than he had dono done tor for years part of his scheme tor for nor northern thirn provinces of his f itherland consisted in gradual substitution of a few litro narong ing states for many weak ones for this I 1 reason he smiled when he saw the oyes eye of bli Recie tary shining like mai ajaib 1 von dessauer was lying awake and i ibin inking king ot of tin at range chances alich help or mar the lives of men and wamen when it a sudden sense of shock a 3 spreading upward through hla his limbs the rising of rheum to hip es and a humming in hla his ears care announced the tha approach ot of one ot of those attacks to which lie he had been subject ever pance he be had heen een wounded pt u L luel sorie bono years afore ia a duel in which hit his pro present ent prince tand and ht tat master marter karl the ml MI 11 r son non jad had both been engaged l or in i J 4 sol y ans irad I 1 hi him in div for clae n W J mald bald the old man that in the ahe bag of rc rough u gh lealan Sl leather sol so I 1 fuel foe I 1 my old attack coming upon me it will be three dais before I 1 can stir clr vt t must these papers be put in the hands of the prince early this morn ing ali ah there Is roy my little johann I 1 was aa thinking about her him I 1 mean well lie he shall have bi bla chance ile he made a wry face as a twinge of pain caught him it passed and he be resumed go borlan he said tap light upon his hamber bamber door there la Is much to order ere at nine nice 0 clock he must adjourn to the summer palace to meet the prince borlan rapped low with more rever pace ence than Is common from captains cap tans to secre of the sound johann Prin ormont ont cfall V 8 h hand and to the he hip where Abc robIs hla abor should have been ji i Y who Is he iello d tu turning a bout about with ith keen alerc ad sd and tn in a voice oice which seemed tit at once nce sweeter and more comman qin than even yen the thad most mont imperious mast ba r would naturally natural use to lo hla his u dev anz rigs I 1 borlan tits hla la Is taken fallen hu suddenly III and bade me come for you immediately tho the secretary opened the door and in a few seconds stood at the old man a bedside here they talha low to lo each cuch other the lie bourg nian man with its hla hand laid ten derly on tho the forehead of his elder only their last koide concern us at present this ibis will servo serve to begin my bust busl 0 N 11 I 1 am secretary of the noble ambassador of ness cess and to finish yours thereafter the sooner you return to heinsberg Ke insberg tho the better remember the moon can not long he be lost out of the sky with out cut causing remark the young man took the Am bassit dors papers and went out ont dessauer took a COMPO composing bing draught and lay back with a sigh I 1 it Is humbling lie he said to jorian that to compose your wits mits you must do it through the heart but in the case of the old through the stomach 11 als a strange draught he hath bath gotten said the soldier indicating the door by which tho the secretary had gone cone forth it if I 1 be not mistaken much water hall flow under bridge ere his sickness be cured As soon boon as aa he had reached his own chamber johann laid the papers upon the table without glancing at them lie went again to the window and looked across the city today to day I 1 shall see the princel he be said it was aa exactly nine of the clock when he set out for the palace lie ile was nas attlies in the plain black dress of a secie tary with aith only the narrow est eat corded odge edge and collar of rough scrolled told at the great door of the outer pa villon he intimated his desire to the officer in charge of the guard to be continued |
