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Show S R: CROCKETT. fcv c obcscfo (CopTlght. 1898, 1900, by 8. It. Crockett.) I CHAPTER XXIII. Prince Wasp' 8tlngs. fl Margaret did not answer her tor- lWJHv' mpntor's taunt. Her arms wero about ; Wm Maurice's nock, and her lips, satt with QBf 1 tears, sought his In a last Hiss. Tho V officer of tho Prince's guard touched V her on tho shoulder. She shook him haughtily off, ami then, having com-f com-f pleted, her farowolls,, she loosened her hands and wont slowly backward towards to-wards tho, further ond of tho hall with her oyea still upon tho man she loved. "So," cried Prince Louis, In the I curiously uneven voice of a coward lashing himself Into a fury, "you have played out your treachery upon a reigning Prince of Courtland. You cheated mo at Castle, Kernsberg, ypu fiavo mado me a laughing-stock throughout the empire. You havo shamed a maiden of my house, my sister, sis-ter, tho daughter of my father. What havo you to say ere I order you to bo flung but from the battloments of the western towert" "Gcntlemon and Princes," Maurice von Lynar answered, "that which I havo dono I havo done for tho sako of my mistress, tho Lady -Joan, and I am not afraid. Princo Louis, It was her will and Intent novor to come to Courtland as your wife. Sho would y V. not havo been taken alive. It was thereforo tho duty of her servants to presorvo her life, and I offered myself In her Btcad. My life was hers already, al-ready, for sho had preserved It. She had given. It was hers to take. With tho chief captains of Kernsberg I plotted that sho should be seized and carried to a place of refuge wherein no foe could over find her. Thero she ' abides with chosen men to guard her. I took her placo and was "delivered up that Kernsberg might bo cleared of Its enemies. Gladly I came that I might pay a little of my debt to my sovran lady and Uego mistress, Joan, Duchess of Kernsberg and Hohen-ateln." Hohen-ateln." "Nobly perorated!" cried Princo Ivan, clapping his hands. "Right sonorously so-norously ended. But, listen, Sir Mummer, Mum-mer, in all this thero Is no word of Itho Princess Margaret. How comes It that you loudly proclaim having given yourself a noblo sacrifice for one fair lady, when at the samo tlmo you aro secretly married to another? Aro you a dellvorer of ladles by wholesale? Spoak to this point. Let us have an-j an-j other noble period Its subject my affl- I anced brldo. Already wo havo heard 1 lik of your high dovotlon to Prince Louis -P wlfo. Well next!" But It was tho Princess who spoko from where sho stood bohltid the i' crossed swords of her guards. S "That I will answer. I am a woman ! and weak In your hands, princes both. You havo sot tho grasp of rude men- ' at-nrms upon tho wrists of a Princess ;i of Courtland. But you can never com- pel her soul. Brother Louis, my fatlier 5 committed mo to you as a little child havo I not been a loving and faith-; faith-; ful sister to you? And till this Musco- i vlto camo botween wero you not good -j to mo? Whereforo have you'ehanged? Why has ho made you cruel to your j little Margaret?" Princo Louis turned towards his i plater, moving his hands uncertainly i and oven deprecatlngly. Ivan moved quickly to his side and whUpcred something, which rekindled tho light of anger In tho weakling's , eyes. "You aro no sister of mine," he said; "you havo disgraced your family and yourself. Whether It bo true or 1 not that you aro married to this man M matters little!" "It Is true; I do not lie!" said Mar-kgb Mar-kgb garct, recovering herself. Wj . v, "It Is tho worse, then, and ho shall 1 est (iSj I "You are no sister of mine." suffer for It. At leust I can hide I . ' cannot prevent your shamo!" I "I will never give him up; nothing m on earth shall part our love." L Princo Ivaij Hinllod sweetly, turning L ' f ' .''w'l0ro s'10 8'0d a' '10 olu ' Hi ' (Mi'Swcot Princess," ho said, "divorce HJ UTI understand, contrary to your holy HJ c2omnn faith. But In my land wo have HJ WdUjcovorod a readier way than any HJ ftljififal bull. Bo good enough to ob- HJ MfTO this" ho held a dagger In his I j ikMd. "It Is a little blado of steol, but ' iftlpftn 'onK' alu' narrow ns nQ ot i 'jfa)rsdalnty fingers, yet it will dlvorco m I tkelbeut married pair In tho world." mm i Fil . ' no"nor dagger nor tho hate of Un MMMnlcs can sever love," Margaret an- V iwtrod proudly. "You may slay my MY hi;band, but ho is mine still, You HH Manot twain our The Prince shrugged his shoulder and opoued his palms deprecatlngly. "Madam," he said, "I shall ho satisfied satis-fied with twalnlng your bodies. In holy Russia wo aro plain men. We havo a saying, 'No one hath ever seen a soul. Lot the body content you!' When this gentleman Is what I shall make him, he Is welcome to any communion com-munion of spirits to which ho enn attain at-tain with you. I promise you that, en far as he is concerned, you shall tlnd mo neither exigent lover nor Jcalour husband!" And the Prince of Muscovy laughed loud and long. But Prince Louis did not laugh. His eyes glared upon the prisoner like those of a wild beast caught In a corner when It wishes to flee but cannot. "He shall die this day shall bo his last. I swear It!" ho cried. "Ho hath mocked mo, and I will slay him with my hand." He drew the dagger from his belt But In the center of the hall the Sparhawk stood so still and quiet that Prince Louts hesitated. Ivan laid a soft hand upon his wrist and as gently drew the dagger out of his grasp. "Nay, my Prince, he will glvo him a worthier passing than that. So noble no-ble a knight-errant must die no com mon death. What say you to the Ukraine Cross, tho Cross of Steeds? 1 have here four horses, all wild from the steppes. This squire of dames, this woman-mummer, hath, as now we know, four soveral limbs. By a, strange coincidence I havo a' wild horso for each of these. Let limbs and steeds be severally attached, my Cossacks know how. Upon each flank lot the lash be laid and woll, tho Princess Margaret Is welcome to her Ilego lord's soul.' I warrant sho will not deslro his body any raoro." At this Margaret tottered, her knees giving way beneath her, so that her guards stood nearer to catch her If she should fall. "Louis my brother," she cried, "do not listen to the monster. Kill my husband If you will becauso I love him. But do not torturo him. By the last words of our mother, by tho memory of our father, by your faith In the Most Pitiful Son ot God, I, charge you do not this, devilry." Prince Ivan did not give Louis of Courtland tlmo to reply to his sister's appeal. "The most noblo Princess mistakes," he murmured, suavely. "Death by the Cross of Steeds Is no torturo. It Is tho easiest of death. I havo witnessed wit-nessed It often. In my country It Is reserved for the greatest and most distinguished. dis-tinguished. No common felon dies by the Cross of Steeds, but men whoso pride It Is to dlo greatly. We will show you to-morrow on tho plain across the river that I speak tho truth. It Is a noble sight and all Courtland shall bo there. What say you, Louis? Shall this sprlngald seat himself In your prlncoly chair, or shall wo try tho Cross of the Ukralno?" "Have It your own way, Princo Ivan!" said Louis, and went out without with-out another word. Tho Muscovite stood a moment looking from Maurlco to Margaret and back again. Ho was smiling his Inscrutable Oriental smile. "Let the Princess pass," ho cried. Tho guards dropped tholr swords to their sides. Instantly the Princess Margaret ran forward with eager appeal on her face. She dropped on her knees before the Princo of Muscovy and clasped her hands In supplication. "Princo Ivan," sho said, "I pray you for tho love of God to spare him, to lot him go. I promlso nover to seo htm, more, I will go to a nunnory. I will look no more upon tho face of day." "That, above all things, I cannot allow," al-low," said the Prince. "So fair a face must seo many suns soon, I trust, in Moscow and by my side." "Margnrot," said tho Sparhawk, "it Is useless to plead. Do not abnso your, self In tho presence of our enemy. Yon cannot touch a mon's heart when his breast covers a Htone. Bid mo good-by good-by and bo bravo. Tho tlmo wfi. not bo long." Like a child after Its bedsldo prayor she lifted up liar face to bo kissed. "Good-ulght, Maurice," sho said, simply. "Walt for mo; I shall not bo long after!" Sho laid her brow a momont on his breast. Then she lifted her head and walked slowly and proudly out of tho hall. Tho guard fell In behind hor, and Maurlco von Lynar was left alone with tho Princo of Muscovy. As tho door closed upon tho Princess Prin-cess a sudden devilish grimace of fury distorted the countenance of tho Princo Ivan, Hitherto ho had been studiously and oven caressingly courteous, cour-teous, But now ho strodo swiftly up to his captlvo and smoto him across tho mouth with tho back of his gaunt-leted gaunt-leted hand. "Thnt!" ho said furiously, "that for tho Hps which havo klssod hers. Tomorrow To-morrow I will pay tho rest of my debt. Yes, I will pay It rlth usury thereto!" there-to!" A thin thread of scarlet showed upon tho white of Maurlco von Lynar's chin and trickled slowly dow;nwards. But ho uttered no word. Only ho looked his enemy very stralghtly In tho oyes, and thoso of tho Muscovlto dropped boforo that manful regard. CHAPTER XXIV. The Ukraine Cross. Upon tho green plain bosldo the Ala a great multitude was ossemblod. Thoy had come together to witness a sight nover seen In Courtland b re,1 tho dread punishment ot the Ukraine Cross. It was to bo done, they said, upon the body of the handsorao youth, with whom tho Princess Margaret was In love some even whispered married to him. At ten a great green squaro of riverside river-side grass wns held by tho archers ot Courtland. The people oxtended as far back as tho shrine ot tho Virgin, where at tho city entranco travelers wero. wont to glvo thanks for a favor-able favor-able Journey. At eleven tho lances ot Princo Ivan's Cossacks wero seen topping top-ping tho city wall. On tho high bank of tho Alia tho people wero craning their necks nud looking over each other's shoulders. Through1 tho lane by which tho gate communicated with tho tapostrled stand set apart for the greater spectators, specta-tors, tho Princes Louis and Ivan, fool and knavo, servant and master, took tholr way. And they had scarce passed -tBf-i. "The Ukraine cross. when tho people, mutinous and sllentj surged back behind tho archers' guard! "Back there stand back! Way for their excellencies way!" "Stand back yourselves," came the growling answer. "We bo tree men oi Courtland. You will find us no Muscovlto Mus-covlto serfs, and that or tho day be done. Karl Wcndclln, think shame thou that art my sister's son to be aiding and abetting such heathen' cruelty to a Christian man, all that you may eat a great man's meat and wear a Jerkin purfled with gold." Thus angrily ran tho taunt and Jeer, till the Courtland guard, mostly young follows with relatives and sweethearts among tho crowd, grow well-nigh Iran-tic Iran-tic with rage and shame. "See yonder! What aro they doing? Peter Altmaar, what aro they doing?' Tell us, long man! Of whnt uso is your great fathom of purap-wutcr? Can you do nothing for your meat but reach down black puddings from the rafters?" At this all eyes turned to Peter, a lanky, overgrown lad with a keen eye, a weak mouth and the gift of wc b. "They aro bringing up four horses from the Muscovlto camp. Tho folk' aro getting as far off as thoy can from their heels," began Peter Altmaar, looking under his hand over tho people's peo-ple's heads. "Half a score of men are nt each brute's head. How thoy plunge! Thoy will never stand still a moment. Ah, they are tethering thorn to tho four great posts ot stone In tho mlddlo of the green squaro. Between, thero Is a table no, a wooden squaro stand llko a priest's platform In Lent, when ho tolls us our sins outside the church. "Tho Princes aro sitting their horses watching. Bravo, that was well done. Wo came near to seeing tho "color ot tho Muscovite brains that time. One ot the wild horses spread his hoofs on cither sldo of Princo Ivan's head!" "God send him a better aim next tlmo! Tell on, Peter! Ayo, go on, good Peter!" (To bo continued.) |