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Show The Story of a Christmas Peacemaker By A. M. CONSTANTINE I- I Her IIIhIiiichh jitiiiioil off (lie piano . stool and inn to lit in eagerly. "You arc vory Into, sir knight," bIio t said, reprovingly. "Oli. two three hours lute!" '. "Kuto Ih tin- offender. Your JIIsli-noss JIIsli-noss .!' tliu young follow replied, with n deprecating w-nvo of IiIh urm. ".My . , train was delayed two hours, mid In the accident several people woic killed. So I'm rortunntti to bo hero ni ..II." I "Oh!" murmured the child. ' "Hut I triiNt ,our highness la In good j In;, dlli," hu milled, with grave cour- I tesy, "and nil jour royal brothers mid , her majesty the iiueon?" Then ho kissed the outstretched lit-! tie lingers with gieut dignity mid laid I a Htiiull package in 0110 palm and a , hiiudful or bonbons In the other. And ' then ho wished I lor Highness 11 vory merry Christmas and ugiiln added li Ih courteous felicitations for all tho royal , relatives. Her Highness roood delightedly, nnd 1 "Indeed," brenthod the knight, Htmid- lag vory rigidly. After a tlmo hn eat down a'nln. The silence lengthened until. It became oppressive to tho ' ohlld. She observed that tho bonbons oio all gone, hut he Hcemcd loHt In i. rovorlo, so Iter I UkIiuohh begged 1 his pardon, and told him again that , they wero "all gone." Ho funililod In his pocket, and nb-(toutly nb-(toutly handed her auothor tribute, and apologized," and then hi! gulped and1 told hor hlghuoss that sho mustn't tor-. get him whon h" wan manv islles 1. TOSS tho ocean. , .. Anil and you will he away a Ioiik. itng time? Away la London and Paris '-way off In ICuropu?" "Yen." ho mumbled. "And nobody will hrlni; mo pres-' pres-' n'.B," sighed tho child "Hut,, then," hIiu added, "I don't want nobody to bring 1110 presents till you como 1 li.iuk." Tho Knight stroked hor golden hair affectionately. "I don't think," ho said, slowly, "that I'm coming buck." Tho child looked up with wldo eyes. "Never?" she deniamled, wonder- Hi HI "N'ovor," ' "Novor any nioro?" "No, dear," Hor Highness regarded him with testification. "Nover comln' hack? A11J I won't boo you nay more over, and and she won't seo you any more?" "No." "Hut I want you In " she fnltorod. " 'CaiiKO " Thtm tho tears came, and ho gathered her In li Ih artiiH and klKsed t hum away mid told her that n1ie muHtn'l cry, since hIio mado li 1 111 feel badly, too, and he didn't wish to go awny fooling badly. "llesldoB," ho added, Boiillilti;ly, "somebody else will come and bring you presents, and you can call him your knight." "1 won't," declared a stilled small -roloe from his shoulder. "Only you me our knight. Only you!" After she said this lie held hor more tightly than over and tried not to groan, hut ho made surh a failure of his effort that tho child detected the break, and sobbed harder. "You inns' como back," she walled. "You inns' promise." lie gritted his teeth, and forced down tho lump, and then he kissed Stroked Her Golden Hair. IoUed and nli-ed vory softly, ami when alio had fensted her eyes, on tho tiny golden pin and had read several times tlio inscription: "To Her Highness, from her devoted subject," she relaxed re-laxed Iter royal gravity and throw two j .. noft little arms around his neck and . kissed hliu. ' "Oh thank you very much, sir 1 knight!" she lisped, "and thank you, 1 Coo, for your good wishes," . Thun she sat herself 011 his knees ami looked unendingly at the dainty . . iioic and Its golden pin and nibbled ' hor bonbons In great content. "I'm " said he, presently. "Isn't her majesty at court to-day?" "No," Hor Highness answered, po- -lltely. "She she went out for a drive In tho park. Kverybody rides there in the afternoon, don't they? And she's going to dinner at aunt- her again and put hrr down on the throne and smiled at her reassuringly. "it Is so fur away, Your Highness," j he pleaded. "One can't como back In n day, you know, can ono?" "No," murmured her highness, uncertainly. un-certainly. "And then," ho went on, with deceiving de-ceiving gayety, "there Is so much to do there. And I've always wanted to go, really and tuily anil seo all the things there. Ami my plans are all made. It would cost lots of money to change them. You wouldn't have me spoil everything, would yon-dear?" yon-dear?" "Hut some day" began the child. "Somo day Is very far ahead, Your Highness." Ho went to the window and looked up the avenue a long time and down the avenue a long time, and then ii)i the avenue again. I lei Highness still drooped on her throne and gazf ' at him out of wet oyos. "Is she comln'?" HecniiKo ho was studying the figures In tho avenue Intently, ho didn't hear her; so ho spoke louder "Is sho comln'?" "No, dear," lie answered, finally. Tho child sighed. "I guess she went truly to the park, 1 then." I "Yes," said the man between his ' teeth. 1 He began to walk up and down rap- 1 Idly. Her Highness looked from him ' to the floor In great perplexity. "Hut I should like lo luive seen her ! before I sailed," lie observed, presently, pres-ently, In a strange, strained voice. Her Highness glanced up quickly and lisped: "Sho thought you weie comln' you know. Then she-thought she-thought you weren't comln'. Hynnd by she thought again you you wen; comln'." lie leaned forward with a Jerk and stood tciihcly over her. "Yes, yes, Dottle, and" "Then she looked out of the window awhile and said you weren't comln'." "I was delayed by the acrldont," he hastened to say. Her Highness clapped her hands. "I I said you were comlp'," she cried, triumphantly. " 'Causo 'cause you piouilsed to bring me something to-day. You was goln' to keep yout promise, wasn't you?" He seized the chubby hands tenderly. tender-ly. "Heforo God I Intended to come." hu said, in n solemn voice. "I knew It," Her Highness chirped. "I knew It, 'cause you wouldn't, go awny and not keep your word. 1 told her that. Maybe If you had promised to bring her a Christmas something, she would hnvo believed, too, that you was comln'." "She kissed 1110 nil awful lot and said sho wished you would come," lisped (lie small ! voice. 1 He wheeled iind stared at her; then lie rushed across the room toward her I throne and picked her Highness up In his nrniH and kissed her many ' times, ami stroked her hair, and tic- , mantled excitedly to know what she said. Her Highness, much confused, nestled her head on his shoulder and ' murmtiietl again: ' "She kissed me lots of times, and said she wished you would come. Then when you didn't slio put rose water on her face and dressed and went out. And sho didn't say any nioro 'copt when -I told her you was comln' to I bring 1110 something, nnd how nice you look to-day, sir knight!" Ho Imprisoned both her hands, "(lo on go on!" ho eutieated so feverishly (hut tho blue eyes opened wide. "Wlint more did sho say dearest?" dear-est?" "She only said you was sallln' away to-day, and perhaps you'd never see her again. Hut you wanted to seo us 'fore yon went, didn't you?" "I should hope so," ho cried, fervently. fer-vently. "Hut dltl sho Bay anything more?" "If you glxe 1110 another " He thrust the entire box of bonbons Into her hands. "Hid she?" he demanded. "Plense tell mo, Dottle?" "No-o," sho didn't say anythln' more 'cause 'cause " He waltetl Impatiently. " 'Cnuse she inns' cryln', I guess. She really wanted you to come, yon know. Didn't she tell?" "Lord, I wish site had!" he groaned. "She told inc." Her Highness whispered. whis-pered. sortl, "she told me that If you illiln'l come, you were you were a big brute. Ami then she Jumped up and snld you didn't love her, and I said you loved me. Don't you?" asked the child, seriously. "Are you goln' lo cry? What makes your motif pucker so? And you're hurryln' right away?" . "Yes." ho said, verj gently, kissing the upturned, liitpilrlug face. "Hut I'm only going to auntie's. And then I'm coming back to see Your Highness again." The child plucked IiIh sleeve conlld-1 conlld-1 Ingly. "Then you'll all come back together, won't you you and her innjesty?" . Ho stooped and kissed her again. : Ami then he straightened to his full , height and smiled happily and cried, I gayly: "I promlue. Your Highness" 1 YPW&Wa i "There's a wmderful tree, 1 J - P&ff??! a wonderful tree. SQ&frig I The happy 'hlldren re- , , 11 li uixaa Spreading lt branches .ttfjWft? 1 A ' It comes frorr the forest v'WaUV ' y .1- J -J, to flourish here: iW&fM WCt iTuvitriL 0nl thls wonderful tree, i wlth lts branches wide MfefS ''Ft 'rX?3 Chrlstmastlde." |