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Show fr- The Princess Elopes By HAROLD McGRATH 1 Author of "Tho Mn on tho Doi," I M "Heart and Masks," Eta. I (ComllbUlWu. Dobbt-MerrlUCo.) SYNOPSIS. Arthur Warrington, American consul to llarschclt, tells how reigning Clrnnd Duke attempts to force his nelco. Princess Prin-cess Hlldcgnrde, In marry I'rlnco Dopple-klnn. Dopple-klnn. nn old widower, While riding horseback In the country night overtnkeH him mill ho seeks iiecnnimoilatlnnH In 11 dilapidated ciiHtle. Here he llnilH Princess Prin-cess Hlldcgarde anil a friend, Hon. Hetty Moore, of ICngland. They delnln him to witness n mock mtirriiiRO between tho Brlncess nnd a illsRruced nrmy officer, telnbock, done for the tnirporo of foiling the. grand duke. Htelnbock attcmptn to kins the princes anil slio In rescued by WnrrlnRton. Htelnbock disappears for Kood. Mnx SchnrfenHteln, an old American Ameri-can friend of Wnrrlnjrton'B reaches llnr-ichelt, llnr-ichelt, 'W'urrlnBton tells him of the prln-:csh. prln-:csh. Schnrfcnsteln hIiows WarrltiRton & locket with a picture of a woman In-Ida, In-Ida, It was on Ills neck when he, as a boy. was picked up and adopted by his foster father, whoso name, ho was Klvcn. He bcllcvcH It to bo a picture of his mother. The crand duko announces to the princess that she Is to marry Dopplo-klnn Dopplo-klnn the following week. During a morn ing s ride, sho plans to cscapo, Slio meets Hchnrfensteln. He finds a purse sho has dropped but does not discover her Iden-Ity. Iden-Ity. Warrington cntertnlns nt a public restaurant for a number of American medical students. Mux arrives lato and relates an Interesting bit of gossip to the effect that tho princess hns run away from riarschelt. Ho unwittingly offends a nntlvo olllcer nnd subjects himself to ' certain arrest. Max Is persuaded to tnko one of tho American student's passports and erenpo. Tho grand duko discovers tho escape nt the princess. Sho leaves a noto saying sho hns eloped. Kfforts nro made to stop tho princess at tho frontier. Hetty Mooro asks for her passport. Hha aBks Warrington for nsslstn,nco In leaving leav-ing Ilarsclielt, and Invites lilm to call on her In London. Mnx finds tho princess In tho rnllwny cnrrloge. Bho accuses lilm of following her. Ho returns to her tho purso ho had found. It contained n thousand thou-sand pounds In bank notes. At tho frontier fron-tier Mnx nnd tho princess nro arrested and taken to Dopplcklnn's palace. CHAPTER X. Continued. "When you listen to reason, prlnco," replied tho girl cnlmly, "you will apol-oglzo apol-oglzo to the gontlcman nnd givo him his liberty." "Oh, ho Is n gentleman, Is ho?" "You might lonrn from him many of tho common rules of courtesy," tranquilly. tran-quilly. "Who tho ilovll nro you?" tho prlnco demanded of Max. "I should ho nfrnld to tell you. I hold that I am Mnx Scharfcnstcln, hut tho colonel hero declares that my nnmo Is Kills, Who nro you?" Mnx wasn't tho least bit frightened. Thoso wero no feudal times. Tho prlnco stared at lilm. Tho Insolent In-solent puppy! "I am tho prlnco." "Ah, your sercno highness," began Mnx, bowing. "I nm not called 'sercno'," rudely. "Tho grand duko Is 'sorono.' " "Permit mo to doubt that," Interposed Inter-posed tho girl, smiling. Max laughed aloud, which dldut im-provo im-provo his dllllcultles any. "I havo asked you who you aro!" bawled tho prlnco, his noso turning purple. "Mj name Is Max Scharfcnstcln. I am an Amorlcnn. If you will wlro tho American consulate nt Darsclieit, you will learn that I havo spoken tho truth. All this Is n mistake. Tho princess did not olopo with mo." "Ills papers givo tho nnmo of Ellis," said tho colonel, touching his cap, "Humph! We'll soon find out who ho Is nnd what may bo dono with him. I'll wait for tho duko. Tnko him Into tho library nnd lock tho door. It's a hundred feet out of tho window, nnd If ho wants to break his neck, ho may do so. It will savo us so much trouble. Tnko him away! tako him nway!" his rago boiling to tho surface. Tho princess shrugged. "I can't talk to you elthor," said tho prlnco, turning his gloworing eyes upon tho girl. "I can't trust myself." "Oh, do not mind mo. I understand that your commnnd of explotlves Is rnthor orlglnnl. Go on; It will bo my only opportunity." Tho princess rocked backward and forward on Urc divan. Wasn't It funny! "Lord holp mo, nnd I was porfectly willing to marry this girl!" Tho prlnco suddenly calmed down. "What hnvo I over dono to offond you?" "Nothing," sho was forced to admit. "I was lonely. I wanted youth about. I wanted to hear laughter that camo from tho heart and not from tho mind. I do not sco whero I am to bo blamed. Tho duko suggested you to mo; I bo-Moved bo-Moved you to bo willing. Why did you not say to mo thnt I was not ngree-able? ngree-able? It would hnvo simplified everything." every-thing." "1 nm sorry," sho said contritely. When h epoko llko this ho wasn't so unlovable. " "People say," ho wont on, "that I tpend most of my tlmu In my wine-cellars. Woll," dcflnutly, "what elso Is thero for mo to do? I am alone." Mnx tame within his rnnge of vision. "Tnko Mm nway, I tell you!" And the colonel hustled Mnx Into the library. . "Don't try tho window," he wnrned, Vut with rather a pleasant smllo. Ho was only two or three yenrs older than Max. "If you do, you'll break your neck." "I promlso not to try," replied Mnx. "My neck will servo mo many yenrs yet." "It will not If you have tho habit of running away with persons nbovo you In quality. Actions llko that nre not permissible In Kuropp." Tho cclonel spoke rnthor grimly, for nil his sialic. Tho door slammed, there wns n grinding of tho key In the lock, nnd Mnx wns nlone. The library at Doppolklnn wns nil tho name Implied. Tho enses wero low nnd- ran around the room, nnd wero filled with romance, history, biography nnd even poetry. Tho great circular reading tnblo was littered with new books, periodicals nnd Illustrated weeklies. week-lies. Onco Doppolklnn hnd been threatened threat-ened with n lltcrnry iiirn of mind, but n bad vlntngo coming nlong nt the same time, hnd effected n pcrmnncnt cure. Max slid Into a chair nn;l took up n paper, turning tho pages nt random. What was tho matter with tho room? Certainly It wns not close, nor dnmp, nor chill. Whnt wns It? Ho let tho paper fall to tho floor, nnd his eyes roved from ono object to another. Whero hnd he seen that Chinese mnsk before, nnd thnt grcnt sllvor-faccd clock 7 Somehow, mysterious nnd strange ns It seemed, nil this wns vaguely familiar to him. Doubtless ho had seen n picture of tho room somewhere. some-where. Ho rose nnd wnndercd about. In one corner of tho bookshelves stood n pile of boy's books nnd somo broken toys with tho dust of nges upon them. Ho picked up n row of painted soldiers, nnd balanced them thoughtfully thought-fully on his hand. Then ho looked Into ono of the picture-books. It wns n Santa Clnus story; somo of tho pictures pic-tures wero torn nnd sonic stuck together, to-gether, a reminder of sticky, candled hands. Ho gently replaced tho book and toys, nnd stnrcd absently 'Into space. How long ho stood that way ho "I eloped with no mnn. That was simply sim-ply n little prevarication to worry you, my uncle, nfter tho manner In which you hnvo worried mo. I was on my wny to Dresden, It Is true, but only to hldo with my old governess. This gen-tlemnn gen-tlemnn Jumped Into my compartment ns tho train drew out of tho station." "Hut you know him I" bawled the prince, walug bis arms. "Do you know him?" asked tho duko coldly. "I met lilm nut riding. Ho nddrcsscd me, nnd I replied out of common politeness," polite-ness," with n sidelong glnnco nt Mnx, who stood with folded nrms, watching her gravely. Tho duko threw his hands nbovo his head ns If to cnll heaven to witness thnt ho was a very much wronged man. "Arnholm," ho snld to tho young colonel, "go nt onco for a priest." "A priest!" echoed tho prlnco. "Yes; tho girl shall mnrry you tonight," to-night," declnrcd his sercno hlghnoss, "Not If I llvo to bo a thousand!" Doppolklnn struck tho tnblo with his list. . Tho girl smiled nt Mnx. "Whnt?" cried tho duko, nil tho coldness cold-ness gono from his tones. "You re-fuso?" re-fuso?" Ho wns thunderstruck. "Refuse? Of course I refusol" And tho prlnco thumped tho tnblo ngnln. "Whnt do you think 1 nm In my old nge, nn nss? If you have nny llllles to hrenk, uso your own pastures. I'm a vintner." Ho banged tho tnblo yet ngnln. "Why, I wouldn't mnrry tho Princess Hllcdgnrdo If sho was the last womnn on enrth!" "Thank you!" snld tho princess sweetly. "You'ro welcome," snld tho prlnco. "Sllcnco!" bellowed tho duko. "Doppolklnn, "Dop-polklnn, tnko caro; this Is an affront, not ono to bo lightly Ignored. It Is International nows that you nro to wed my nleco." "To-morrow It will bo Intcrnnttonnl news that I'm not!" Tho omphnsls "'Take Him Away I" did not recollect, but ho was finally nrouscd by tho sound of slamming doors nnd now voices. Ho returned to his chair nnd wnlted for tho denouement, denoue-ment, which tho marrow In his bones told him wns nbout to approach. It seemed tncredtblo that ho, of all persons, should bo plucked out of tho practical ways of men and thrust Into tho unreal fantasies of romance. A hubbub In n restaurant, a headlong dash Into n carrlago compartment, n long rldo with n princess, nnd nil within with-in threo short hours! It wns llko somo wolrd dream. And how tho douco would It end? Ho gazed nt tho toys again. And thon tho door opened nnd ho was told to como out. Tho grand duko had arrived. "This will bo thu final round-up," ho laughed quietly, his thought whlmslcnl-ly whlmslcnl-ly trnvollng back to tho great plains and tho long rides under tho starry night. CHAPTER XI. Tho Grand Duko of Ilarscholt wns tall and nngulnr and woather-bcaton, and tho whites of his oyes bespoke a constitution as sound nnd hard as IiIb common senso. As Max entered ho was standing at tho side of Doppel-klnn. Doppel-klnn. "Thoro ho Is!" shouted tho prlnco. "Do you know who ho Is?" Tho duko took n rapid Inventory. "Novor sot oyes upon him before." Tho duko thon addressed hor highness. "Illldegnrde, who Is this follow? No evasions; I want tho truth. I havo, In tho main, found you truthful." "I know nothing of him nt nil," snld tho princess curtly. Mnx wondered whero tho chill In tho room enmo from. "Ho says that his namo is Scharfen-stein," Scharfen-stein," continued tho prlncoss, "and ho hns proved himself to ho a courteous gontlomnn." Mnx found thnt tho room wnsn't so chill us It might hnvo been. "Vet you oloped with him, nnd wero on tho way to Dresden," suggested tho duko pointedly. Tho princess faced them nil proudly this timo threatened to crack tho tablo leaf. "I'm not going to risk my liberty with n girl who has no moro senso ol dignity thnn sho hns." "It Is very kind of you," murmured tho princess. "She'd mnko a fino wifo," went on tho prlnco, ignoring tho Interruption. "No, n thousand times no! Tnko her nway life's too short; tako her away! Lot her marry tho follow; ho's young nnd may got ovor It." Tho duko was furious. Ho looked around for something to strlko, nnd nothing but tho tablo being convenient, ho smashed a leaf and sont a vaso cluttering clut-tering to tho floor. Ho wns strongor thnn tho prlnco, othorwlso thero wouldn't havo been n tnblo to thwack. "That's right; go on! Ilrcak all tho furniture, If It will do yon nny good; but mnrk mo, you'll foot tho bill." Tho prlnco began to danco around. "I will not mnrry tho girl. That's ns final nB I can mnko It. Tho boo nor you calm down tho better." (TO DB CONTINUED.) |