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Show S-R-CROCKETT. (Copyright. 1898, 1900, by 8. 11, Ciockctt ) .CHAPTER .XXIX. Continued. "Madam," sati! Werner, with dignity, "go to Kerns you must. The on-1 on-1 emy Is near to tho city, and your High-' High-' noa night fall Into their hands." "You have heard what I have said!" Jann tapped the oaken floor with her foot. "But, madam, let mo beseech u " Joan turned from her chief captain Impatiently and walked toward the door of her private apartments. Werner Wer-ner followed his mistress, with his hands a llttlo outstretched and a look of eager entreaty on his face "My lady," he said, "thirty years I was the falMul servant of your father t"n I have served you. By tho momory of those years, If I have sorved you faithfully" " "My father taught you little, If after thirty years you have not learned learn-ed to obey. ' Go to your post!" Werner von Orseln drew himself up and saluted. Then ho wheeled about and clanked out without adding a word more. For a moment after the door closed upon the men, Joan and Margaret stood In sllenco regarding each other. Suddenly Margaret ran Impulsively to Joan, clasping her about the neck. "I know!" she said, looking up Into her face. With a great leap the blood flow to Joan's neck and brow, then as slowly faded away, leaving her paler than before. be-fore. "What do you know?" sho faltored, , and sho feared, yet desired to hear. "That you love Conrad!" said Margaret, Mar-garet, very low. "Joan, I am so glad so glad!" "Margaret, I am shamed for over-It over-It Is sin!" whispered Joan, with her arms about her friend. "Joan, you will yet be happy." Tho Duchess shook her head. "It were best for us both that I should die that Is what I pray for." "May heaven avert this thing you know not what you say." And tho two women went Into the attiring room with arms still locked about each other's waists. And as often as their eyes encountered they lingered a llttlo, as if tasting tho now knowlcdgo which they had In common. Then those of Joan of the Sword Hand wcro averted, and she blushed. It was night In the city of Courtland, and a tlmo of groat fear. Ever and anon from tho east, where were tho camps of tho opposed forces, there came a sound, heavy and sonorous, llko distant thunder. Whereat the frighted wives of tho burghors of Courtland said, "I wonder what mother's moth-er's son lies a-dylng now. Hearken to tho talking of Great Peg, tho Mar-grat's Mar-grat's cannon!" At tho wostern or Brandenburg gato thoro was yet greater fear. For tho news had spread athwart tho city that a great body of horsemen had paused In front of It, and were being held In parley by tho guard on duty, till tho Lady Joan, Governor of tho city, should ; bo mado aware. Tho Governor of tho city, roused ; from a rare slumber, leaped on her ' horso and went clattering with an escort through tho unsleeping streets. Looking out, Joan could see a dark mass of horsomon, whllo abovo them glinted In tho pale starlight a forest or spearheads. "Whence como you, strangers?" cried Joan. "From Plassonburg wo arc!" camo back the answer. "Who leads you?" "Captains Boris and Jorlnn officers of tho Prlnco's bodyguard." "Lot Captains Boris and Jorlan ap-proach ap-proach and dollvor their message" "With whom aro wo In speech?" "And what of Prince Conrad?" cried tho unmistakable volco of long Boris, "With tho Princess Joan of Hohen-stein, Hohen-stein, Govornor of tho city of Court-land," Court-land," said Joan, firmly. "Come on, Boris; thoso Courtland knaves will not shoot lis now. That Is tho volco of Joan of tho Sword Hand. Thoro enn bo no treachery whoro sho Is." "Ho, below there!" cried Joan. "Shlno n light on them from tho upper sally port." Tho lantern Hashed out, and there, Immediately bolow hor, Joan behold Boris and Jorlan snlutlng as of old, with tho simultaneous gesture which had grown so futnlllar to her during tho davs of l"1" Jiuci'ii, Shu was moved to smllo In spite of tho soberness sober-ness of tho circumstances. "What news' bring you, good envoys?" en-voys?" "We havo brought tho most part of tho Palace Guard with us five hundred hun-dred good lances and all hungry-bellied for victuals and all monstrously thirsty In their thronts. Besides which, Prince Hugo raises Plassenburg and the Mark, and In ten days ho will be on the march for Courtland." "God send him speed! I fear mo In ten days It will bo over Indeed," said Joan. "What, does the Muscovite press you so hard?" "He has thousands to our hundreds, so that he can hem us In on every side." "Never fear," cried Boris confidently; confident-ly; "wo will hold him In check for you till our good Hugo comes to take him on tho flank." Then Joan bade tho gates bo opened and tho horsemen of Plassenburg, strong men on great horses, trampled In. Then, without resting, sho went to uio wool market, which had been turned Into a soldiers' hospital. Here sho found Theresa von Lynar, going from bed to bed smoothing pillows, anointing wounded limbs, and assisting assist-ing tho surgeons in the caro of those who had been brought back from tho fatal battlefields of tho Alia. Theresa von Lynar roso to meet Joan as sho entored. Silently tho young girl beckoned her to follow, and they went out between long lines of pallets. "Remember, when all Is over I shall keep my vow!" Joan began, as they paused, "And I also will keep mine!" responded re-sponded Theresa briefly. "I am Duchess and clty Governor onf.r till tho Invader Is driven out," Joan continued. "Then Islo Itugen Is to bo mine, and your son shall sit In tho seat of Henry tho I.lon!" "And what of Prlnco Conrad?" asked Theresa quietly. Joan was silent for a space, then sho answered with her eyes on tho ground. "Prlnco Conrad shall rtilo thin land as Is his duty Cardinal, Archbishop, Prlnco; there shall bo none to deny him so soon ns the power of the Muscovite Mus-covite Is broken. Ho will bo In full alliance with Hohensteln. He will form a blood bond with Plassenburg. And when ho dies, all that Is his shall belong to tho children of Duke Maurice and his wife Mnrgarct! 1 nhall nover marry!" "God forbid," said Theresa, looking nt her, "that such a woman ns you should dlo without living!" CHAPTER XXX. the Wooing of Boris and Jorian. "Jorlan," said Boris, adjusting his soft under-Jerken before putting on Ills body armor, "thou art the greatest fool In tho world 1" "Hold hard, Boris," answered Jorlan. "Honor to whom honor thou art greater by a foot than I!" "Well," said tho long man, "let us not quarrel about tho breadth of a finger nnll. At any rate, wo are tho greatest fools In tho world." "There aro others," said Jorlan, Jerking Jerk-ing his thumb over his shoulder In the direction of tho women's apartments. apart-ments. ' "A plcguo on all women!" growled tho llttlo fat man, his rubicund and shining faco lined with unaccustomed discontent. "A plaguo on nil women, I say! What can this Theresa von Lynar want in tho Muscovlto camp, that wo must promlso to convey her safe through the fortifications, and then put her Into Prlnco Wasp's hands?" "Think you that for somo hatred of our Joan you remember that night at Islo Rugen or somo purpose of her own (sho loves not tho Princess Margaret Mar-garet either), this Theresa would betray be-tray tho city to tho enomy?" "Tush!" Jorlan had lost his temper and answered crossly. "In that case, would sho havo called us In? It wore easy enough to find somo traitor among theso Courtlandcrs, who, to obtain the favor of Prlnco Louis, would holp to bring tho Muscovlto In." "Well," sighed his companion, " 'tis woll enough said, my excellent Jorlnn, but all this does not navanco us an Inch, Wo havo promised, and nt,elovon o tho clock wo must go. What hinders, hin-ders, though, that wo havo a bottlo of Rhenish now?" Thus In tho hall of tho men-at-arms In tho Cnstlo of Courtland spoko tho Uvo captains of Plassenburg. All tho tlmo they woro busy with their attiring, attir-ing, Boris In especial making great play with n tortolscshell comb among his tangled locks. Somcwhnt moro spruce was tho arraying of our twin comrades-in-arms than wo havo seen It. Perhaps It was tho thought of tho dangerous escort duty upon which they had promised to venturo forth that night; perhaps "May wo como In?" cried an nrch volco from tho doorway. "Ah, we havo caught you. Thoro wo know It! So snld I to my sinter not nn hour ngono Womon may bo vain as peacocks, but for prinking, dandifying vanity, commend com-mend mo to a pair of forolgn war captains, cap-tains, My lords, havo you blacked your oyolashes yet, touched your oyo-brows, oyo-brows, scented and waxed those beautiful beau-tiful mustaches? Sister, can you look and livo?" And to tho two soldiers, standing stiff at at attention, with their combs In their hands, enter tho sisters Anna nnd Martha Pnvr.enholm. more full of mischief than ever, and entlroly unsubdued unsub-dued by tho presenco of tho Invader at their gates, "Russ or Turk, Courtlander or Fran-conlan, Fran-conlan, Jew proselyto or dwoller In Mesopotamia, all Is ono to us. So bo thoy nro men, wo will tlo them nbout our little fingers!" "Why," cried Martha, "whenco this grand toilet? Wo knew not thW you had friends In tte city. And yet thoy toll mo you have been In Courtland before, Sir Boris?" "Marthe," cried Anna Pappenhelm, with vast pretence of Indignation, "what has gotten Into you, girl? Can you havo forgotten that martial carriage, car-riage, those limbs Incomparably knit, that readiness of retort nnd dcllcato sparkle of Wendlsh wit, which set all tho table In a roar, and yet never bring tho blush to maiden's cheek? For shame, Marthol" "Ha! ha!" laughed Jorlan suddenly, short and sharp, ns If a string had been pulled somewhere. "Ho! ho!" thus more sonorously Boris. Anna Pappenhelm caught her skirts In her hand, nnd spun round on her heel on pretenso of looking behind her. "Slstor, what was that?" sho cried, looking beneath tho settles and up tho "My lords, have you blacked your eyelashes eye-lashes yet?" wldo throat of tho chimney. "Mo-thotight "Mo-thotight n dog barked," "Or a gray gooso cackledl" "Or a donkey sang!" "Ladles," said Jorlan, who, being vnstly discomposed, must perforce try to speak with an affectation of being be-ing nt his ease, "you aro pleased to bo witty." "Heaven mend our wit on your Judgment!" Judg-ment!" "And wo nro right glad to bo your butts. Yet havo wo been accounted fellows of somo humor In our own country and among men " "Why, then, did you not stay there?" Inquired Martho pointedly. "It was not Burls nnd I who could not stay without," retorted Jorlan, somewhat nettled, nodding towards tho door of tho guard room. "Well snldl" cried frank Anna. "Ho had you theru, Mnrthe. Pricked In tho white! Faith, Sir Jorlnn pinked ns both, for Indeed It was we who Intruded In-truded Into tho gentlemen's dressing room. Our excuso la that we aro tirewomen, tire-women, nnd would fain practlso our ofllco when and whero we can. Our Princess hath been wedded, nnd needs us but onco a week. Noblo Wendlsh gentlemen, will not you engage us?" (To bo continued.) |
