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Show The Awakening of Princess Valerie. BYCURRAN RICHARD GnERNLEY. (Copyright. 1502. by Dally Story I'ub. Co.) Pretty Princess Valerie, they had called her, back In tho little kingdom of Arstadt, when Duke Fritz had wooed and won her In tho gulso of the Count of Nelnhelm, nnd with tho wily old Prime Minister had plotted against a girl's willfulness to glvo her tho sweetest of lovo marriages. Well! That was years ago. Slnco then, only yesterday, u weary truth had como to Princess Valerie thnt men may lovo; but men will tire, and tho newest faco has ever a charm. It was a bitter smllo that curved tho proud red lips, as sho watched Duko Fritz stroll under tho lindens, murmuring pretty speeches Into tho dainty ear of tho Countess Isobcl. Countess Isobel of Hohenhnuffcn, tho veriest flirt over seril to overturn tho peaco of tho littlo court of Auer-stadt. Auer-stadt. Valerlo rested her hot cheek In her hand nnd gazed down at tho sleeping boy, heir to tho duchy, child of her love, all that was left of that love, Valorio told herself, as the countess' gay laugh rang up beneath tho window. Sho had been eo happy, only last night, when thnt littlo vixen, Knth-crlno Knth-crlno do Grnffenrled, hnd spoken lightly in her hearing of Countess lsobol's latest conquest. Kntherlno had seemed properly dismayed when tho duchess' angry faco nppeared between be-tween tho portlers nnd bado her say out her meaning. Sho had wept and sobbed with a pretty reluctance, and then had como tho story of the moonlight moon-light walks, of tho rides in tho forest and tho littlo notes that went to nnd fro, nnd Vnlerio listened with death in her heart and a proud smllo on her lips. "Is that nil?" sho hnd nsked. Then, nt her bidding, the girl crept nway, tho mallco half hid In her sleepy green eyes. Kntherlno hated tho duchess, as her small soul hated nil things gracious nnd lovely. Poor, proud Vnlerio. All that night sho lay In her great state bed with wide staring eyes "facing tho future." sho called it, with alt n girl's high .tragedy, with all n loving woman's pnln. At breakfast, tho duko camo in to join her, with a Bong on his ps, and a roso in bis buttonhole; but Valerie thought sho knew whoso fingers hnd plucked that roso, nnd sho would havo none ot him, and tho duko went nway with n scowl on his handsome faco and found tho Countess Count-ess Isobcl upon tho terrace, whero n littlo later Valerlo saw them tnlklng together. She could lmaglno what thoy wero saying, and her Jealous heart throbbed nigh to bursting. "Fool! fool!" sho told herself. "Is not this tho portion of royal women, tho cross that goes with tho crown?" but sho had loved him eo. A dry sob arose In her throat nnd ft blackness wna before her eyes, all tho day, as eIio moved through tho Btatcly rooms. Duko Fritz had carefully care-fully kept nway from her. Ho was puzzled, hurt and a littlo resentful, "Highness, tho prince Is 111 and should havo tho Herr doctor immediately." yet he glanced wistfully toward her onco or twice; but that inscrutable, cold imllo lay on tho lovely lips, repelling re-pelling all approach, ml unfortunately, unfortunate-ly, Valerlo never caught that look, only suffered and wound tho scourge closer to her lared bosom. When her women camo to robo her for tho evening sho tnrust nsido tho gay tissue, tho shlmmerlrg satins, nnd bado them, put on n trailing-black trailing-black gown of some, misty material, cloudlike, sombre, from which tho white marhlo of throat and bosom gleamed like frost. I Duko Fritz stood at her eldo until the tedious ceremony was ended; then ho made his way to tho Countess Isobel, nnd Valerie, glancing up, met tho eyes of Katherlno do Graffcnrcld filled with mocking laughter. The ebb and flow of the music, tho glide of tho feet over tho polished floor, tho murmer of voices, with their sot speeches, came to her ns through a mist. She had somo wild thought, of leaving It all and rushing out Into tho white night, of going to Rudolph, her brother, the king of Arstadt. She would claim his protection. Th6n a thought gripped her heartstrings her child. She could not leave him, "Valerlo!" nnd tho peoplo of Auerstadt would never suffer their littlo prince to bo raised in another land. No, sho must stay and bear her martyrdom. Rudolph Ru-dolph would bo tho first to bid her return, and Princess Vnlerio could have risen then and there, nnd beat her hands against tho wall In sheer despair. Across tho room, she could see tho duke's fair head bent low above- Countess iEobcl; It was maddening. mad-dening. A littlo pago came hurrying down the long room nnd bowed before her, his faco white and anxious. "Hlch- ncss, the little prince Is 111, and should have tho herr doctor Immediately." Immedi-ately." Valerlo sprang to her feet, nnd an Instant hush fell over tho audience chamber, as sho swept past tho littlo knots of courtiers nnd laughing women, wom-en, ti princess, but yet a woman, who has heard tho cry of her child In need ot her. A group of frightened attendants made way for her, as sho fell on her knees besldo the low, whlto bed. The rosy limbs, that sho had kissed so short a tlmo before, wero rigid, and ft blue shadow grew around tho tightly tight-ly drawn lips, as tho child lny locked In ono convulsion after another. To tho end of her life sho never know whenco camo tho strength that enabled en-abled her, when tho doctor called for assistance, to brush asldo tho panic-stricken panic-stricken nurses, and herself forco tho clenched mouth open, whllo ho poured pour-ed tho medlclno down. What mat-tor mat-tor that tho littlo whlto teeth ground upon her delicate fingers until tho blood trickled down, tho child had ceased to struggle, and tho warm pink csme back to tho littlo faco, and the tense limbs relaxed. With a burst of tears, she gathered tho sleeping baby to her breast, and the old doctor's eyes were misty, as ho laid a kindly hand upon tho rebellious rebel-lious curls that had somehow slipped their fastening and tumbled In headlong head-long beauty to her waist. The minutes slipped by, ns Valerlo knelt with tho child's cheek pressed ngalnst her own, then someone entered enter-ed and colsed the door, very gently. Valorio never stirred, scarcely con-Mlous con-Mlous of anything but tho fact that the child was given back to her arms a thankfulness tnnt almost blotted out tho other crcat sorrow fnr n tlmn ' " "nici Kiuui muruw lor a nmo. Duko Fritz knelt down besldo his wlfo, nnd drew tho darK head to his brcst. For a moment sho ylolded to tho sonso of rest and peace, then prldo owoko, nnd sho drew haughtily awny from him. "Why como to mo? Whero Is tho Countess Isobel? Is sho Indisposed that you should turn to me and the child?" Tho duko sprang to his foot, his fair faco IliiBhlrig llko a girl's. "Valorio!" "Val-orio!" There was a world of reproach re-proach In the mero word, nnd Vnlerio winced, halt-guiltily, a long sllenco fell between husband nnd wlfo. Afar oft Ib tho distance, tho midnight bell ' proclaimed tho passing ot nnothci dny, and tho quiet lay over the city llko a, pall; only, here In the palace wero flashing lights and anxious faces lingering In tho corridors to know how fared the littlo prince. A long time, the blue eyes of tho duko ' held tho brown ones of Princess Valerie Val-erie with that proud repronch; thri, woman-like, sho fell to sobbing tipon his breast, knowing, without a word, that tho wrong was right; and tho duko nsked no questions, but presently, present-ly, stroking her curls, told her how the Countess Isobel, who had laughed down lovo and many suitors, was at last caught In the web of her own devising, de-vising, and that the mattsr was a difficult one, ns tho man In question was a mero officer In tho guards, tho bare mention of whom as a husband for their Imperious beauty had set tho whole Hobcnhauffen clan by the ears. In desperate case, tho lovers had appealed to no less a person than tho hereditary duke, and, though hereditary dukes aro mighty in tholr small worlds, there are some things In which it Is not safe to meddle, hence, all tho walks and talks, in which tho young ofTlcer had formed an anxious third, nnd which tho littlo Do Graffenrled had forgotten to mention men-tion when relating the story to tie princess. "Why didn't they como to mo?" demanded de-manded Valerie. Thcro Is nothing so provoking to the nverage woman than to find out that an Interesting lovo affair, with all of Its propor complications, has been going forward for-ward under her very noso and sho not aware ot It. The duko pulled his long, fair mustache helplessly. "The truth is, tho countess tried to tell you, but after you had left tho terrace the little lit-tle Do Graffenrold camo back and told her that you did not approve of her cholco; In fact, desired that tho subject should not be alluded to In your presence, and, naturally, she could not expect any sympathy from I'uum uui expect any sympamy irom you." "Oh!" sold Valerie. Ten minutes later, in tho presence of the court that was still assembled In tho audlcnco chamber, Princess Valerie summoned Frauleln De Oraf-fenried Oraf-fenried and bado her return nt the earliest possible moment to her father's fath-er's schloss. Thus, the awakening of Princess Valerie. |
