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Show B ,S -R; CRQCKEXT.slt6ar of F,t&fctYu?o Uorlsht till, 1W bi 8 It Crurkrtt) CHAPTER XXXI. Theresa's Lait Secret. It was approaching ten of the clock tlorls and JotUn had already visited alt the posts, and were now ready to make their venture with Theresa ton I.ynar "No foola llko old fools'" crumbled Jorlan k'-. intlously. as he buckled on lila carnaud bretstplalc, that could abed as'rte uolts quarrels and oven liul let! froji powder guns n the prow of a vessel sheds the wnei to cither aide In a good northerly wind. "Tla you should know," retorted llorls, "being both old and a fool." "A man la known by tho company be kcepat" anawtred Jorlan "Aht" sighed bla companion, "1 would that I had the choosing of the company I am to keep thla night'" "And II" nsscnlod Jorlan, looking aolemn for once ai ho thought of pretty pret-ty Martha l'aprenhelm "Well, wo do It from n good motle." aald Uorli, "that la one comfort. And If wo loaouur lives, I'rlnce Conrnd will order many masses (they will need to ibe very many) for )our amd'a peaco and good quittance from purgatory!" "Humph!" raid Jorlan, ns If ho did not arc much comfort In that, "I would rather hsto a bos on the ear from Martha Mar-tha I'aprwnhelm than all the matin of all tho priests that over nunc laud!" "Cant hao that and welcome It as the two men went out Into tho long atone passago "Oh! I have hurt my hand against that hard helmet It serves mo rlqht for listening! Martho'" she looked bout for her slater beforo turning to tho aoldlera. "See, I havo hurt my hand," aha added. Then aha made tho tear well up in tier oyea by an art of tho tonguo aha had. "Kill It well, Marthel" alio aald, looking up at her alater na ah came alone tho paaaage swinging a lantern aa carelessly aa If there wcro not a Muscovite In tho world. Hut llorta foreatalled tho newcomer and caught tho small whlto hand In tht soft Jcaltvrn grip of hla palm whera the mall alopped "f will do that better than any alater!" ala-ter!" he aald. "That, Indeed, )ou cannot; for only the klsa of lore can makn a hurt better!" bet-ter!" "Well, then, I loo you!" said Ilorla, .. who did hla wooing plainly. And did not klsa ticj- hand, w . aaaBaMaMajaiaRaaBjaiaMMeanwhlleltiethcrahadandered ! to tbo end of tho passage and now , stood at tho turnpike atalrcase, tho 1 light of Martha I'appVnhclm's lantern n making a dim haio of light about I them. I Anna looked at Ilorla as often aa alio B could. "Vou really love mcT" ahe ques-I ques-I tloned "No, you cannot, you havo I known mo ton brief a time Ilcaldes, I thla Is mi tlmo tu apenk of lovo, with I the enemy nt tho galea!" I ' "Tush!" aald llorls. with tho rough. I nets which Anna had looked for In tain among all the jouth of Courtland, I "I tell )ou girl It la the tlmo. You and fl I aro no Courtlandera, Clod be thanked! I In a llttlu while I aha!) ride away bock I to l'lneaenburg, which la a plnco where H men live I shall not go alone. You, H Ditto Anna, ahall come, too!" "You nro not deceiving mo?" abo H murmured, looking up upon occasion, "Thero la none at Platscnburg whom H you lovo at all?" "I havo noer loved any woman but H you!" said llorls, settling hla con-U con-U aclcnco by adding menially, "though I H may havo thought I did when 1 told H them so " BJ "Nor I nny man!" aald Anna, aoftly H meditative, making, however, a similar addition Thus tlreek met Greek, and both H were very happy In tho belief that JB De patient." IJbH their own was tho only mental reser- jtB vatlon. ypH Attired In her cloak of blue, with tho ipH hood pulled low over her face, Ther- UlH csa von I.ynar waa waiting for llorls jH and Jorlan at tho door of tho market- hospital jpM "I thank you for Tour fidelity," she H aald quickly. "I hare great need of HB you. I put a great tecret In jour jjB hands I could not ask one of the fol- B lowcri of I'rlnce Conrad, nor jet a sol- dler of the Ductieu Joan, leat when B that la done which ahall be done to- VBM night, the I'rlnce or the Duchess 'B should be held blameworthy having flH most to gain or lose Hut )ou are of nkf P'.aasenburg acd will bear ire wit- . i llorls and Jorlan silently signified their obedience and readiness to serve her Then she gave them their In atructlona "u lll conduct me past the city guards, out through the galea, and take me towards tho camp of the I'rlnce of Muscovy There )u will leave me. and I shall be met by one who In llko manner will lead me through the enemy'a poats" 'And when shall vou return, my lJiily Theresa? We will wait for )ou'' "Thank jnu gentlemen. You need not wait I shall not return'" "Not return? ' cried Jorlan and llorls together, greatly astonished "No," said Theresa, very alowly and quietly, her o)e set on the darkness "Hear ye. Captains of I'lnascnburg. 1 will give you my mind You arc trusty men, and can. aa I have proved, hold )our own counsel" llorls and Jdrlan nodded There was no difficulty about that 'flood'" they aald together aa of old "Mstcn, then," Thereto went on "You know, and t know, that unless quick succor come, the city la doomed You aro men and soldiers mid whether o make an end nmld the din of battle or escape for thla lime, la n matter wherewith )n do not trouble your mlnda till tho time cornea Hut tor me, be It known to )ou that I am the wld on' of Henry the l.lnn of Kcrnsberg, My son Maurice la the true heir to the Dukedom. Yet, being bound by an oath nuin iii iiiu mull i.iiii iiiuiiu iiiw ma wife, I have never claimed tho throno for htm. Hut now Joan hla alstcr knows, and out of her great heart alio awenra that alio will give up the Duchy to him If, therefore, tho city la taken, the Muscovite will shy my son, slay him by their hellish tortures, as they havo sworn to do for the despite he put upon I'rlnce Ivan. And hla wife, the l'rlnceaa Margaret, will die of grief when they carry her to Moscow to irake a bride of a widow. Joan will bo a prisoner, Conrad either dead or a prleat. and Kcrnsberg, the herllago of Henry the l.lon, n flcf of the Czar. Thero la no help In any Your I'rlnce would succor, but It takes time to raise tho country, and long ere ho can cross tho frontier tho Russian wilt havu worked his will In Courtland Now I see a way a woman's way And If I fall In tho doing of It, well I but go to meet him for tho sake of whose children I freely giro my life. In this bear mo witness " "Madam," aald llorls. gravely, "wo aro but plain aoldlera. Wo pretend not to understand the great mattera of statu of which you speak. Hut rest assured as-sured that wo will servo you with our Uvea, bear true witness, and In all things obey lour word Implicitly" Without difficulty they passed through the streets and warded gates They plunged Iqtn tho darkness of the outer night. At first In the swirl of the storm the threa could see nothing, but gradually tho wutchflres of the Muscovlto cama out-thick sown llko stars on tbo rising grounds on both aldea of tho Alia. Presently they began to descend Into the valley, tho Iron-shod Iron-shod feet of tho men clinking upon the atones Theresa walked silently, atecped In thought, laying n hand on arm or shoulder as sho had occuslon. Suddenly tall llorls stopped dead and with a awciy of Ills arm hnlted tho others. "Thero!" he whispered, pointing upward up-ward t And against tho glow thrown from behind a rldgo they could see a pair of Cossacks riding to and fro ceaselessly, dark against tho rudd) iky. "Captains Doris and Jorlan," Theresa Ther-esa was speaking with quietness, raising rais-ing her volco just enough to make herself her-self heard over tho roar of tho wind overhead, for tho nook In which they presently found themseltj' waa shelter shel-ter i "I bid j ou ndlou It may bo far 'ell. You have dnno nobly and like two vnllant captains who were fit to war with Henry the l.lon I thank )ou Ymi will bear me faithful witness wit-ness In the thing of which I have spoken spo-ken to )ou Take thla ring from mo, not In recompense, but In memory. It Is a bauble worth any lady's acceptance accept-ance And you this dagger." She took two from within her mantle, ami gavo ono In Jorlan "It la rood steel and will not full you The fellow of It I will keep!" "aa )ou havo commanded, so will wo do!" i And aa they had been bidden they withdraw Into a clump of willow and alder "Yonder woman Is braver than you or I, Jorlan," said Hnrle, ns crouching thoy watched her climb tho rldgo. "Which of us would do aa much for any on tho earll ?" "After all, It Is for her son. It )ou had children, who can any 1" "Whether I may havo children or no concerns jou not," returned Doris, who seemed unaccountably ruffled "I only know that 1 would not throw away my life for a baker's doien of them!" Upon the skjllno Theresa von I.vnar stood a moment looking backward to Slip motioned them backward with her hand "Abide there among bullies till )ou see a man come out to meet mo. Then depart, and till jou have good reason keep the laat secret of Theresa, wife of Henry the l.lon of Kcrnsberg and Ho-henttolnl" Ho-henttolnl" llorls and Jorlan bowed themselves as low aa the slraltntsa of their armor would permit 'We tbank ou. madam " they said, make sure that her late escort was bidden Then ahe took a whistle from her gown and blew upon It shrilly In lull of the storm. At tho sound the war-captalna could see the CoiMtcks drop their lajtra and pause In their unwearying- tl!a They appeard to listen eagirly, nod lipon -be whlatlo being ref ntad one of then. iirer up hand Then b iween litem and or. "et tht watchers saw another own standi a dark shadow agalnai the watchflres. lie tatrie straight towarda Theresa ns If he I'jpectcit n visitor The two men In hiding ew him lake her hand aa a host might that ot an honored guest, kiss It reverently and then lead her up the little hill to where 'he aintlncla waited motionless on their horses, Bo soon i the pair had passed wllhlu the lines, their figures nnd the Cossack salute momentarily silhouetted against tho walchflrae tte horsemen resumed their monotonoiii ride lly thla tlmo Jorlan'a head was above the bushes and hla eyes stood well nigh out of his head "Down, fool'" growled llorls taking him by the legs nnd pulling blm flat; "the Cossacks will see vou" "llorls." gasped Jorlan. who had descended de-scended so rapldl) that the full and the weight of his plate had driven ih wind out of him ' I know that f. t'ow 1 havo seen him before It In I'dnca Wasp'a physlclsn Alcila tho I) aron. . i Came straight toward Theresa. I remember blm In Courtland when flrat wo ennio thither'" "Well, nnd what of that?" grunted llorls. atarlng at the llltlo detached tongues of willow leaf flame which wcro blown upward from tho Muscovite Musco-vite watchflres, "What of that, man?" retorted llorls. "Why, only this Wo havo been duped. Hhe waa a traitress, after all. Thla haa been planned a long while." "Traitress or saint. It la nono of our business," mild Horla grimly. "Wo had bitter get ourselres within lh walls of Courtland, and say nothing to any of this night's work'" "At nny rate," added the long man as an afterthought, "I have the ring. It will bo a rnro gift for Anna" Jorlan looked ruefully at hla dagger, holding It between tho rustling alder leaves, so as to catch tho light from tho watchflres. Tho red Blow fell on a Jowel In tho hilt "TIs a pretty toy enough, hut how can I glvo that to Msrthe? It Is not a fit keepsako for a lady!" "Wril," said llorls. suddenly ap. pc:JW7"l will barter vou for It I am not so auro that my rretly apltrlro would not rather havu It than any ring I could glvo her. Shall wo exchange' "Hut wo promised to keep them as nouvcnlrs!" urged Jorlan, whoso con aclenco smote him slightly "Ono does not tell Ilea to a lady at least where ono can help It." "It depends upon tho lady I " said Horla, pracllcolly. "You can tell )our Martho tho truth. I will pleaso myself with Anna, Hand over tho dagger." So wholly devoid of sentiment are war-captains when thoy dell with keepsakes. (To he continued.) |