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Show JOANfiSHDH)1 , (Copyright, 18i8, 1800, by 8. It, Crockett.) CHAPTER XXVII. Continued. Tho only ono of tho party wliolly .n without a Bottled plan was tho woman 15' most deeply Interested. Theresa von Lynur simply rodo 'to Courtland to savo her son or to die with him. She olono had no lnfluenco with Prince Louis, no weapon to use against him excopt her woman's wit. When In tho morning light of the second day they canto In sight of Courtlnnd, and saw on the green plain of tho Alia a great concourse, It did not need Alt Wicker's shout to urge thorn forward at a gallop, lest after all thoy should arrive too late. "They havo Drought him out to tile," cried Joan. "Itldo for tho young man's life!" But all tholr careful plans and scrupulous Intents were In a moment cast to tho winds hy tho urgency of tho need. Expecting to find themselves them-selves Instantly captives, thoy found themselves Instead among a stout and Independent people, stirred to tho highest point of hatred and excited disgust by the cruelty of tho scene and tho horror which they know must too certainly ensue. Tho sight of their favorite Prlnco Conrad rcilscd tho highest hopes, not only among tho populaco, hut in tho army of Courtland Itself. It had long 1 j-fc been a standing toast In every gunrd-room, gunrd-room, "To tho succession of tho cowl!" For they looked to their ideal knight, Conrad, that hero without stain, to deliver their country from tho degrading weakness and subservience subserv-ience of tho reign of Louis, and especially es-pecially from tho intruding Muscovlto and hated Cossack who had supplanted sup-planted themselves as guards In tho ivory palnco of their Prlnco. Hcnco tho shouts of "Prlnco Conrad!" Con-rad!" "Our delivered!" "Tho truo Prince!" "Down with Louis!" "Drive out tho Russ!" which saluted them evcrywhero ns tho cavalcado advanced advanc-ed slowly through the press. CHAPTER XXVIII The Truth-Speaking of Boris and Jorlan. Tlilo Is tho report of Captains Boris and Jcrlan, which they gave In face ; of their sovereigns In tho garden pleasauuco of tho palace of Plasseu-, Plasseu-, burg. ' "Speak out your minds, good lads!" said Hugo, leaning a little further back, 1'"Ay, toll us all," nssentod Heleno, "tell us how you delivered tho Spar-hawk, Spar-hawk, as you call him, tho officer of tho Duchess Joan!" So Boris saluted and began. "Tho talo Is a long ono, Prlnco and Princess," ho said. "Of our many and j difficult endeavors to keep the peace i nnd provent quarreling I will say no- f thing" 1 "Better so!" Intorjccted Hugo with a gleam in his oye. Jorlan coughed and growled to himself, 'That long ' fool will mako a mess of it!" "I will paEs on to our entry Into Courtlnnd. It was like tho home-coming of a long-lost true prlnco. There j was no fighting alack, not so much 1 1 as a stroke after all that bother of L shouting!" II "Boris!" said tho Princess warning- 1 "Give him rope!" muttcrod Prlnco II Hugo. "Ho will tanglo himself raroly 1 1 or ho bo done!" II "I mean tho blessing of Heaven l there was no bloodshed," Boris cor- l rectcd himself. "There was, as I say, ! no fighting. Thoro was nono to fight 1 1 with. Prlnco Louis had not a friend I In his own capital city, saving the j Muscovlto. And at that moment II Prlnco Ivan tho Wasp was glad I enough to win clear off to the front-I front-I m icr with his Cossacks at his tall. It I was u Qod's pity wo could not ride '"I am his wlfel' said the Princess." 1 II 'A ihom down. But though Jorlan nnd 1 1 I did all that men could " "Ahom!" said Jorlan, as If n fly hnd I I flown into his mouth nnd tickled his throat. "I mtyin, your Highnesses, wo did whatever men could to keep tho pop- j ula'co within bounds. But thoy broko j through nnd leaped upon us, throwing l tholr arms about our horses' necks, ' crying, 'Our saviors!' 'Our dollvor- II . era!' Ood wot, wo might ns woll jl havo tried to chargo through tho bit- l lows of tho Baltic when it blows n I r.orthor right from tho Gulf of Both- I nla! But It almost broko my licart I to see them ride ult with novor a spear-thrust through one sluglo Muscovite Mus-covite belly-bund!" Hero Jorlan had a fit of coughing which caused the Princess to look severely upon him. Boris, recalled to himself, proceeded more carefully. "It was all wo could do to open up a way to whoro the young mnn Maurice lay stretched on the Cross of Death. They had loosed tho wild horses bo-fore bo-fore wo arrived, nnd thoso had galloped gallop-ed off nftor their companions. A pity! Oh, a great pity! "Then came tho young man's moth-or moth-or nenr, she who was our hostess at Isle Hitgcu " "Why did you not abide at Kerns-berg, Kerns-berg, as you were Instructed?" put In Hugo at this point. "Never mind go on tell the tale!" said Helene, who wai listening breathlessly. breath-lessly. "Tho young man's mother came near nnd threw a cloak across his naked body. Then Jorlan and I unbound un-bound him nnd chafed his limbs, first romovlng the gag from his mouth; but so tightly hnd the cords been bound about him that for long ho could not stand upright. Then, from tho royal pavilion, where sho had been brought for cruel sport to see tho death, tho Princess Margaret canto running " "Oh, wickedness!" cried Helene, "to mako her look on her lover's death!" "Sho came furiously, though n dainty princess, thrusting strong men aside. 'Way there!' sho cried, 'on your lives mnko way! I will go to him. I am tho Princess Margaret. Glvo me a dagger and I will prlclc mo a way.' "And, by Saint Stephen tho holy martyr! If she did not snatch a bodkin from tho belt of a tailor of tho High Streot and with It open her way ns featly as though she were handling a Cossack lance." "And what happened when she got to him when she found her husband?" hus-band?" cried Helene, her eyes sparkling. spark-ling. And she put out a hand to touch her own, Just to bo sure that he was thoro. "Well," said Boils, quickly sobered, "it was In truth a mighty quaint thing to see. Tho Princess Mnrgaret took tho young mnn In her arms nnd caught him to her. The Lady The-resa The-resa kept his wrist. They looked ut each other a moment without speech, eye countering eyo llko knights nt n " "Go on!" the Princess thundered, if indeed a fcllvern voice can bo said to thunder. "'Give him up to mo! lie Is mine!' cried tho Princess. "'Ho 16 mine!' answered very haughtily tho ludy of the Isle llugcn. 'Who are you?' 'And you?' cried both at once, flinging their heads back, but never a moment letting go with their hands. The youth, being dazed, said nothing, nor so much as moved. "'I nm his mother,' snld tho Lady Theresa, speaking first. "'I am his wifo!' said the Princess. "Then the woman who had homo the young man gave him Into his wife's arms without n word, and tho mucosa gntucrcu mm to iter uosom and crooned over him, that being her right But his mother stepped back among tho crowd nnd drow tho hood of her cloak over her head that no man might look upon her face." "Bravo!" cried Helene, clapping her hands, "It was her right!" "Little ono," said her husband, pointing to tho boy on tho terraco beneath, who was lashing a toy horso of wood with nil his might, "I wonder if you will think so when anothor woman takes him from you!" Tho Princess Helene caught hor breath sharply. "That would bo very different!" sho said, "yes, very different!" "Ah!" said Hugo, the Prlnco, her husband. Thus tho climax came about In tho twinkling of an eye, but the universal tnrmoll nnd wild jubilation In which Prlnco Louis's power and govermnt wero swept away had renlly boon preparing pre-paring for years, though tho ond fell sharp as tho thunderclap. For nil that, the trouhlo was only deferred, not removed. Tho cruel death of Maurlco von Lynnr had boon rendered Impossible by tho opportuno arrival of Prlnco Conrad ami tho mid-don mid-don revolution which tho sight of his uoblo nnd beloved form, clad In armor, arm-or, produced among the disgusted and Impulsive Courtlunders. Yot tho arch-foo had only recoiled In order that he might tho further leap, Tho great army of tho White Czar was encamped Just ncross tho frontier, nomlnnlly on tho march to Poland, but capable- of being In a moment mo-ment dlvorted upon tho Princedom of Courtlnnd. Hero was a protext of Invasion In-vasion ripe to Prlnco Ivan's hnnd. So ho kept Louis, thu dethroned and extruded ex-truded prince, close beside him. Ho urged his father, by every tie of frletidohlp and Interest, to replace that prince upon his throne. And tho Czar Paul, woll knowing that tho restoration of Louis meant nothing less than the Incorporation of Court-laud Court-laud with his empire, hastened to carry out his son's ndvlce. In Courtland ltsolf there was uo confusion. A certain grim determination determin-ation took possession of tho peoplo. Thoy had mado their choice, nnd thoy would abide by It. Thoy had choson Conrad to bo tholr ruler, as ho hnd long been their hopo; nnd they knew that uow Louis was for over Impos sible, savo as a cloak for tho Muscovite Musco-vite dominion. The country rose behind tfc jetlr-lng jetlr-lng Muscovite, nnd Prince Louis was conducted across the boundary of his princedom under tho bitter thunder of cannon nnd the hiss of Courtland arrows. Meanwhile Joan, cnstlng nsldo with an exultant leap of tho heart hpr Intent In-tent to make of herself nn obedient wife, rodo back to Kernsberg In order to organize all the forces to meet tho common foe. It was to bo tho last fight of tho Teuton Northlaud for freedom free-dom nnd faith. Tho Muscovite does not go back, and If Courtlnnd wero conquered Kernsberg could not long stand. To PlasBcnburg (ns wo havo seen) rodo Boris and Jorlan to plead for help from their Prince nnd Princess. Des-sutler Des-sutler hud already preceded them, nnd tho armies, disciplined nnd equipped by Prlnco Karl, wero already on the march to defend tholr frontiers It might ho to go fnrthor nnd fight shoulder to shoulder with Courtlnnd and Kernsberg against the common foe. Tho presenco of Prlnco Conrnd In tho city of Courtlnnd seomcd tc change entirely tho character of the people. From being somewhat frlv- "I will got" said Margaret wilfully, olous they became devolcd to tho severest se-verest military discipline. Nothing was heard but words of command and tho ordered tramp of marching fcot. Tho country barons nnd knights brought in their forces, nnd their tents, nil gay with banners nnd fluttering flut-tering pennons, stretched whlto along tho Alia for a mile nnd moro. The word wns on ovcry lip, "When will they come?" The day after tho dellvorance of the Sparhnwk, Joan announced hor Intention of riding on tho morrow to Kernsberg. Maurlco von Lynar nnd Von Orson would accompany her. "Then," cried Margaret Instantly, "I will go, too!" "The rldo would bo over toilsome for you," Eald Joan. "I will go!" said Margaret wilfully. "I shall novor let him out of my sight again!" "Wo shall be back within the week! You will bo both safer and more cora-fortnblo cora-fortnblo hero!" Tho Princess Mnrgaret withdrew her head from the open window, momentarily mo-mentarily losing sight of her husband and making vain her last words. "Ah, Joan," sho said reproachfully, "you aro wlso and strong thoro is no ono llko you. But you do not know what it is to bo married. You nover wero In love. How, then, enn you understand the feelings of a wlfo?" She looked out of tho window again and waved a kerchief. "Oh, Joan," sho looked back again with a mournful coiiuteunnco, "I do bcllcvo that Maurlco does not lovo mo as I lovo him. Ho never took tho least notice of mo when I waved to him!" (To bo continued.) |
