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Show I ; Princess I Elopes H I By HAROLD McGRATII f BH I Author of fj MM 1 "Ths Man on tho Dox," I B "llearla and Masks," Etc S (Oowtliibt, IMC. IMibn-MvtlillC' fl 8YNOP3I8. BB Arthur Warrington, Amrrtcnn rniisul to llnmcliclt, tcllH limv rHimlnir (Irund Duko ntti-mpln to force IiIm iu-1 , J'lln-cess J'lln-cess lllldcKnrilo, to rimrry I'rlnen Dopiilp-klnn, Dopiilp-klnn, mi old widower. WurrliiKton tloi-s not know tint print-cH oven liy hIkIiI. "Wldlii rtdliiK liornchuck In tlio ooimtry nlKlit overtaken him iiml I hi seeks ai-mm-modntlonH In n illluplilutril iHinlln. Hero tin llndH two women ami nn "Id innn nervnnt. One woniiin Is I'rlnrmw Illldc-Knnlu Illldc-Knnlu iind tho other u friend. Hon. llolty Moore, of lCiiRliiiid. They clctiiln dim to witness n mock mnrrliiKo tiolwcon tho lirlnress nnd n dlsKracud urnfy olllccr, Htelnliock, ilnnn for tho pur pone, of follliiK the Kraud duke. Htolnliock utteinpts to J kiss tho princess unit sho I rescued liy H Wnrrlncton. Htnlntiock dUappeurs for B Kood. Mux Hclinrfenstcln, t.n old Amcrl- can friend of Warrington's ronchrH ltnr-ncliolt. ltnr-ncliolt. Warrlimton tells him of the prln-cess. prln-cess. Hchnrfoustoln shows Wurrlimton n locket with a plcturo of a womnn In-side. In-side. It was on Ida neck when lie, as a boy, was picked up nnd adopted by his foitcr father, whose nuina ho was Ktven. Ho bcllaves It to be n plcturo of his mother. Tho Knind duko announces to m the princess thut Hha Is to marry Dopplo- klnn tho following week. Durlim a morn-InK'B morn-InK'B ride, she plans to escape. Hlio meets Hcliarfcnstoln. Ho finds n purse sho tins dropped but does not dlucovor her Idcn- BB tlty. B CHAPTER VII. "Tho ono fault I hnvo to And with Bfl European llfu Is tho poor quality ot MM tobacco used." B It wan olght o'clock, Thursday night, Bfl tho night of tho dlnnor at Muller's. I MM was dressing wlion Max ontcrod. with MM a miserable choroot botwocn lit wt teeth. MM "They say," ho wont on, "that In MM Russia thoy drink tho fluent tea In tho Bfl world, simply bocauBo It Is brought MM overland and not by sea. Unfortunate- MM ly, tobacco wo Americans rocognlzo MM no leaf as tobacco unless it comes MM from Cuba has to cross tho sea, and Bfl Is, In somy unaccountablo mannor, Bfl woakonod In tiro transit. There aro Mm worso clears In Oormany than In IB ' France, and I wouldn't havo bollavcd Bfl It posslblo, If I had not gone to tho BH troublo ot proving It. Fine country! Bfl For a week I'vo bcon trying to sraoko BE tho Gorimui quality of tho weed, as a fl preventive, but I boo I must glvo It up BJ on account or my throat. My boy, I BJ havo nows for you," tossing tho cho- BJ root Into tho grate. "Flro away," said I, struggling with BJ a collar. BJ "I havo a box of Havanns over at tho custom houso that I forgot to ball BJ "No!" said I Joyfully. A Havana, BJ nnd ono of Scharfonstoln's! Mt- "I'vo nn Idea that thoy would go BJ; well with tho dlnnor. So, It you don't BJ ' mind, I'll trot ovor and got 'om." "Ho euro and got nround to Mullcr's BJ' at half-past eight, then," said I. Hi 1 "I'll bo thoro." Ho know whero to BJ And tho place. BJ Mullor's rntliskcllor was tho rondcz- BJ vou8 of BtudqntB, olllccra nnd nil thoso BJ persons of quality who lilted music J with tliolr meat. Tho placo was low- J colllngod, but roomy, and tho vontlla- J tlon wns excellent, consldorlng. Tho H, smoko novcr got bo thick that ono BJ couldn't bco tho wny to tho door when PJ. tho students started In "to elenn up H tho place," to uso tho happy Idiom of H mlno own country. Thoro woro mar. J bio tables and floors and arches BJ nnd light, cano-bottomcd chairs from J Kolm'u. It was at onco Ilohunilan nnd J cosmopolitan, and, onco Insldo, It was J easy to lmaglno oneself In Vlonna. A H. Hungarian orchostrn occupied an In- Hi closed platform, and every night tho H' wall of tho violin and tho pom-pom of BJ' tho wool-tipped liamniorH on tho Hun- H' garlan "piano" might bo heard. BJ It was essentially a man's placo of BJ cntortaltiinont; fow women ovor had HJ , tho cotirago or tho Inclination to cntor. HJ' In America It would havo boon tho BJ fashion; but In tho capital of Itarschelt BJ ! tho women uto In tho restaurant abovo, BJ which was attached to tho hotel, nnd BR depended upon tho VolkBgarton band BJ for their ovculng's dlvcrElan. BE You had to ordor your table hours HJ nhead that Is, If you wero a civilian. HJ 1' you woro lucky enough to bo nn of- HJ. Acer, you woro privileged to tako any HJ. " vacant chair you saw. Hut heaven aid ' , you If you attempted to do this not bo- BJL Ing an ofTlcerl In Harscholt thoro woro n nlso many unwritten lawB, and you K wero obliged to obsorvo thoso with all ! HJ; tho fidelity nnd attention that you gave ' BJ to tho onumelod signs. Only tho mill-1 jp tary had tho right to request tho or-' Hjl , chostra to ropcat a plcco of music. I Bjj i( Somotlmcs tho lloutcnants, seizod with i HJk'J; that gay humor known only to cubs, HJj' would forco tho orchestra In Mutter's Hi to play tho Hungarian, war song till HJ ' tho oars cried out In pain. This was Hf always tho caso when any Austrlana i-i liapponcd to bo proBont. Hut ordlnarl- Hi-, ly tho crowds woro good-natured, bols- Wl'tti terous, but orderly. H b It was hero, then, that I had ur- Ml ranged to glvo my llttlo dinner. Tho Hk' orchestra had agreed for' a liberal tip HF to play "Tho Star-spangled Ilnnnor," HJf and there wus a cuso of Doppclkluu'a HJ sparkling Moselle. 1 ron.v an well state right hero that wo neither heard onr national nnthem nor ilrnnk tho vintage. You will Boon learn why. I can laugh now, I can treat tho wholo affair with becoming levity, but at the time I gained sovornl extra gray hairs, If the princess hadn't turned around nnd If Max hadn't wanted that box of , Havanns! When I arrived at Mullor's I found ! my boys In a morry mood. Thoy woro Hinging softly from "Itobln Hood" with flnocollego hnrmony, and an I entered thoy swarmed about mo llko so many ( young dogs. Truth to tell, none of I thorn was under 20, and two or three ! wero older than myself. Uut to them I represented ofTlcla.1 protection for whntovor they might do. I assumed all tho dignity I dared. I had kept Schnrfensteln's nnmo hack as a aur-prlBO. aur-prlBO. Kills for whom I had the passports I -Immediately struck mo ns being bo I nearly llko Max that thoy might easily ' havo been brothers. Kills was slight-( slight-( or; that was nil tho difference I gavo i him his papers nnd examined his tickets. tick-ets. All wns well; barring accidents, ho would bo In Dresden tho noxt day. "You go through Doppclklnn, then?" Bald 1. "Yes. I lmvo friends In Dresden whom I wlBh to seo beforo going homo." , "Well, good luck to you I" Then I nnnounced thnt Max Schar-fonsteln, Schar-fonsteln, an old college comrado, would Join us presently. This wns greeted with hurrahs. At that tlmo thoro wasn't an American studont who did not recollect Mnx's grent run from tho ten-yard lino. (Hut whero tho douco wns Max?) I took n llttlo llag from my pocket nnd Btuck It Into tho vnBo of popples, nnd tho boys clapped their hands. You nover reallzo how beauti ha had been sprinting up bark streets, llio boys crowded around him, and thoro was much ado over the lnggard. Unfortunately tho waiter had forgotten forgot-ten to bring a chair for his plate. With a gonial smile on his face. Max Innocently Inno-cently Btcpped over to the officers' tnblo and plucked f:irth tho vacant chair. For a wondci tho ofllcors appeared ap-peared to give this action no heed, and I was secretly vatlfled. It wns something to bo u consul, after all. Hut I counted my chickens too cnrly. "Where aro tho cigars?" I askod as Max sat down complacently. "Cigars?" blankly. "Hnng me. I'vo clean forgotten them!" And then, oblivious ob-livious of tho probablo storm that was at that moment gathering for a downpour down-pour over his luckless head, ho told us tho rcanoti of his delay. "There was a crowd around tho palace," pal-ace," ho began. "It seems that tho Princess Hlldcgnrdo has run away, and thoy believe thnt sho has ridden to-ward to-ward tho Pass In a closed carriage. Tho police aro at this very moment scouring tho country lu thnt direction. Sho lias eloped." "Kloped?" we all cried, being more or less familiar with tho state of affairs af-fairs at tho palace. "Clood by to Doppelklnn's frau!" "Oood girl!" "Sho Iijb been missing slnco seven o'clock, when sho drovo away on the pretenso of visiting her father's ole steward, who Is 111," wont on Mnx, feel Ing tho Importance of his nows. "The traced her thoro. From tho stewards tho carriage was driven south, nnd that's tho last seen of her. There won't bo nny wedding at tho cathedral noxt Tuesday," laughing. Queries and answers wero going crisscross ovor tho tnbld, when I ol sorved with drend that Lieut, von Storor had risen and was coming oui "He Tranquilly Pulled Out a Murderous-Looking Colt and Laid It Bealdfi Hit Plate." ful your tlag Is till you sco It In a foreign for-eign land. I apologized for Max's ab-Bonce, ab-Bonce, explaining tho cnuso, and ordered or-dered dlnnor to bo served. Wo hadn't much time, as Kills' train departed at ton. It was now a quarter of nine. Wo had cotno to tho relishes when n party of four olllcers took tho tablo nearest us, Thoy hung up their sabers on tho wall-pegs, and Bat down, ordor-Ing ordor-Ing a bottlo of light wlno. Usually thoro wero flvo chairs to tho tablo, but oven If only two woro being used no ono had tho right to withdraw ono of tho vacant chairs without tho most elaborate apologies. This Is tho law of courtesy In Ilarscholt. In America It la different; If you sco anything you want, take It. Presently ono of tho otrtcors I know nono of thorn savo by Bight roso and approached. Ho touched tho llag In-solontly In-solontly nnd Inquired what right It had In a public restaurant In Ilarscholt. Ordinarily his question would not havo been put without somo Justification. Hut ho knew very woll who 1 wns and what my rights wero In this Instance. "Herr Lloutennnt," said I coldly, though my chcoks woro warm enough, "I represent that Hag lu this country, and I am accredited with cortaln privileges, priv-ileges, us doubtless you aro awaro. You will do mo tho courtesy ot returning return-ing to your own tablo." I bowed. Ho glared at mo for a brief porlbd, then turned on his heel. This was tho first act In tho play. At tho fellow's tablo sat I.Iout. von Storor, Doppol-klnn's Doppol-klnn's nophow nnd holr-prosumptlvo, Ho was, to speak plainly, a rako, a spendthrift nnd wholly untrustworthy. Ho was not Ill-looking, howover. I My spirits Hooted botwoon anger and tho fear that tho otllcors might ruin tho dlnnor which thoy eventually eventual-ly did. I Things wout on smoothly for a tlmo. ! Tho orchestra was pom-pommlng tho popular airs from "Faust." (Whero tho douco was that tow-headed Dutchman?) Dutch-man?) Laughter roso and fell; tho cllnklo of glass was hoard; voices called. And then Max camo In, looking look-ing ns cool as you please, though I , could read by his honvlng chest that way. Ho stopped at Max's sldo. Max looked up U) receive Von Storer's glovo full on tho check. It wns no gentle gen-tle stroko. Von Storer at onco returned re-turned to his tnblo and sat down. For a moment wo woro all absolutely absolute-ly without power of motion or of Bpecch, Mnx's faco grew as whlto as tho tobk-cloth, and tho print of tho glovo glowed red agnlnst tho white. I was horrified, for I know his tromon-dous tromon-dous strength. If ho allowed light, Von Storor would cnlmly saber him. It was tho custom. Hut .Max surprised mo. Ho wus tho coolest nmong us, but of that quality of coolness which did not renssuro mo. Ho took up his Btoiy whero ho had loft off and finished it. For his romurkablo control I could lmvo taken him in my arms and huggod him. Tho otllcors scowled, while- Von Storer bit his mustache norvously. Tho Amorlcan had Ignored his Insult. Presently ho roso again and np-proached. np-proached. Ho thrust a card undor Max's noso. "Can you undoretnnd that?" ho asked contemptuously. Max took tho card, ripped It Into quartors and droppod theso to tho tloor. Thon, to my torror and tho tor-ror tor-ror of thoso with mo, ho tranquilly pulled out u murdorous looking Colt and laid It bosldo his pluto. Ho wont on talking, but nono of us heard a word ho said. Wo woro fearfully waiting wait-ing to seo him kill somo ono or be killed. No ono wns klllod. Tho ofllcors hurriedly hur-riedly took down tholr sabers and made a boo-llno for tho door of which I have spokon. Max roturned tho revolver to his hip-pocket and gavo vent to nn Homeric Hom-eric laugh. "You tow-hcaded Dutchman I" 1 cried, when I found volco for my words, "what havo you dono?" "Dono? Why, It looks as It we had all tho downs this half," ho ropllod Bmartly. "Oh, tho gun Isn't loaded," confidentially. Kills fumblod in his pocket and produced pro-duced his passports and tickets. Thoso ho shoved over to Max. (TO BV CONTINUED.) |