Evening Star Newspaper, September 20, 1931, Page 78

HE Prince of Pfabsten was w in fancy dress. His costume was mevely an everyday affair to him. At home he was inserted into it, or one like it, every evening before dinner; and here in Americd it was the outfit he- ordinarily donned for any formal function, The gold braid on it, and the vermili>a plume on his admiral’s hat, were probably what got him entree to the First Ward Pirates’ ball. Maybe the red silk lining of the cape ¢loak heiped, too. Not ‘that Prince Heider III had any desire to gain admission to the First Ward Pirates' ball The fact that the ball was being held in ome of the banquet halls of the great hotel in which the prince and his suite were staying was not ‘ even known to the royal pariy. The prince had a very unplessant assign- ment for that evening. He was to make & speech dedicating the memorial tablet in the natatorium of the Loyal Sons of Pfabsten Gym- nasium over on the North Side. Prince Heider would gladly have side-stepped the honor. Speech-making made the p:ince nervous. Even after he had descended from the royal suite of the Sitz-Arlheim Hotel and was waiting at the side entrance for the car, provided by the Loyal Sons of Pfabsten, he wondered if maybe ‘he ought not to go back and get a drink of water. W He even spoke of his desre to. Count Mordeuvre, his comparicn, who was also the captain of his bodyguard. “The smoking room is right at the end of Whis corridor,” suggested Mordeuvre. : “Of ‘course.” Ill be right back.” Prinee Heide hurried away. - Irummumgpflmwevgmm familiar as he was with such things, this white- tiled retreat into which he made his. way seemed rather colorful for democratic America. The place was full of men in sailor costumes ' fesque eras, past, present and pted another, “no gent at this er refuse a drink of any other Yikker. You know whit we all agreed on—nothing but bonded goods. You're as safe with old Dick Dead-eye's soothing syrup as if #t was Jersey miilk.” Just for the moment Prince Heider could 1] £ think of nothing to do but accept the invita- tion. He put his tongue against the mouth of the hand-hammered silver flask—to act as an emergency cork—and upended it in what seem- ed to be a long, hearty drink. i “eThanke” said Prince Heider, and would bhave gone on.- “But Dick Dead-eye grabbed him by one arm, and one peg-legged sallor fastened onto the “Not =o fast, Little Red Robbing Hide,” said the peg-leg man, “not so fast. We just need you for our quartet. We're shy two tenors, and you can be both of ’em. Sound your A, and let's give ’em the undertakers’ theme song, ‘Crazy Over Hearses, Hearses, Hearses'.” “No, not that one, Long John,” vetced Dick Dead-eye. “Let’s sing ‘Love Made a Daicy Out of Me'” Another seafaring gentleman joined the party, and he wanted to harmonize “Anchors Aweigh,” so they compromised and sang “The Gang's All Here.”» Even the prince made a go of that. Flushed by his success, Prince Heider next did an imitation of a muted cornet as an obbligato to “Moonlight on the River.” .“A knockout,” was the verdict of Dick Dead- eye, “that’s what you are, young fella. I let you dance with my girl. One drink and we'll go.” ¥ The prince allowed a few drops io get past his tongue this time. Wham! ‘There was something besides juniper-juice in that liquor. ‘After that he made no resistance when the party started away by an entirely different @dor from the one by which he had entered. These new acquaintances of his seemed headed for a good time, and Prince Heider had seldom had a really good time. At the double door of a hall down another corridor, they were stopped by a policeman. ‘“] know you two—but who is this?” he asked, indicating the prince. “That’s ‘Gummy’ Schaefer,” offered Dead- eye glibly. “He’s from Chicago. Probably you've heard of him.” “Maybe. Did I get your ticket, son?” “Somchody did.” The prince was thorough- 1y in the mood to go through with anything which would prevent him from making that specch, and so he contributed his bit to the confusion. “All right. You can go in.. Ain’t got a gun on you, have you?” “No,” the prince replied; and just to show that he trusted him, the officer patted his pockets and felt under his arms. “0. K.” checked the policeman. “How about swords?” asked his highness. The officer laughed. - “They’re all right. No- body here knows how to use a sword.” His mistake. Prince Heider was perhaps the best all-around swordsman in Europe of that day and date. The officer at the door was the only obstacle to. b passed. TInslde, all the colorful and care-free abandon of a costume party held full sway. It was not often that the beer barons, the alky-cookers, the gamblers, the runness, “peddlers and jackers of a American metropolis lald aside the cares of business rivalry snd mingled all as one big heappy fami'y. s “Cciie ¢, Kid,” urged Dead-eye. “We're - It Is the Strange Tale of a Prince on | @ Rampage, a Daughter in Rebellion and - |- an U, nexpectéd Riot—All With a Sur= prise Ending. g R ‘going over now to sing that song for my _you kmow, the one where you do the call without the aid of wig or beard.” T was a iremendous room, and a decorator had been given carte blanche to transform #t by scenic investiture and decorations into a pirate’s cave. The lighting fixtures were all “Your Highness,” she mur- “Governor of Pennsylvania?” he asked in- with three sons, but no daughter.” “Nevertheless, Your Highness, that is my story; if you are going to stick to yours, I shall stick to mine.” “All right,” sighed the Prince. “At least I should be glad that you do not insist on saying thee and thou, as thou shouldst, to be in character.” “Oh,” said the gi:l in some dismay. “I had forgotten that. How do you know so much about my father anyway?” “Your grandfather, Admiral Penn, was a re- mote ancestor of mine also.” “These sailors!” “It’s a long story, not to be told when there is dance music like this being played. May I, Miss Penn?” “Thou mayest.” It was a waltz—fittingly so. “Your first name,” he suggested as they danced, —“is it, by any chanee, Wilhelmina?” “No, Highness. My name is Euphemia; it really is, on and off the screen—after a great- My friends call me Fame.” He said nothing. “Thanks for not mentioning it.” *“What?” “That Fame is fleeting.” “Oh! I teke very credit for that. I was thinking how won ul it is that you, who are not like any other woman I have ever met, should also have a name like no one else.” “Your Highness travels fast.” “It is necessary, I think, that there should be speed. Mine is a very little moment, and soon it will be over.” “Your pumpkin coach is coming at 13, perhaps?” “Perhaps. But your own Dick Dead-eye is arriving even sooner than that.” He indicated the pirate, who was standing at the door craning his neck to see over the crowd, looking for them, no doubt. “I think he has seen us.” “IwWill be all right to finish’ this waltz, I believe,” the girl told Prince Heider. “Isn't your escort rather inclined to be lgus?” “I don't know, I'm sure.” That was a cryptic remark. Prince Heider did not quite know how to interpret it. She ought. to know. To be in love, or even mildly interested, in a maiden like the alleged Fame Penn, would give a man an opportunity to exercise’ the emotion of jealousy if. anything would. But'so long as she seemed inclined to “fihish the dance, he emlfi not, in commen politencss, do anything else, . . me when I say that I have daniced with " girl less than a dozen times in my lfe, and never With any one who can waltz'like your- “No, I will not believe you. But I like apple- “this guy ain’t got any girl.” “Yes he has,” Mr. Pilk pointed out. “What's the matter with the dame he just won his num- ber with in the preliminary?” “That’s my girl.” y _ “It makes no difference 40 us. Officially she’s ~ this bird's partner until the contest is over. There goes the music. Step out, folks, and =~ strut your stuff.” 2 Slightly dazed, Prince Heider found himself wtih his arm around-this girl who was known as Fame, with music again setting the tempo for his heartbeats, and Dick Dead-eye fading into the You can’t dance four waltzes in a row with - & girl you’'ve begun to like already, without end- ing up murmuring her name in a pleasant mad- house of your own devising. With each dance Fame and the Prince came closer to one an- other. No one knew that but themselves, - All that the on-lookers saw, including Dead-eye, was that Couple 13, without using any fancy steps, were music, grace, movement, romance and beauty. v For the last dance they and one other cou- ple only were on the floor; all the others had been relegated to the circle of spectators. The rival team was pretty good, too, but in a more _spectacular way. They were out to win that cup and were working at it. Fame and her partner were not aware that a contest was on. They were thinking only that heaven was, after all, merely a path of melody. At first, during the final heat, the spectators applauded vigorously when their favorite cou- ple passed. But little by little the audible signs of approval died away. Rhythm laid its spell even on those who were standing still. ‘The music went on and on, every one watching spellbound. Then '» strange thing happened. The other couple stopped dancing. They, too, joined the ranks of spectators. Fame and the Prince had the floor all to themselves. 3 ; The music grew fainter. It died away com- pletely. They danced on for a few turns more. . No one knew that the orchestra had stopped. ‘Then finally the Prince stepped back and - gazed at the dream he had been having. The other couple, their only rivals, were the first to applaud. Every one joined in; the rafters rang in approved style. ‘There was, naturally, no question as to who - had won the cup. The judges handed it to Prince Heider, who in turn gave it to Fame— from whom it was snatched by Dick Dead-eye and hurled to a far corner of the room. . That seemed a trifie rude, and the Prince " Jooked inquiringly at the girl. She shook her head. He smiled, not with relief, because the Prince was not afraid of anything, but with appreciation of the fact that the whole affair was to Fame a huge joke. - & But it was no laughing matter to Dead-eye. He was advancing toward the Prince when his " and every one else’s attention was distracted momentarily by a disturbance at the doors. The - on duty there was arguing with an irate gentleman who seemed to wish to gain’ entrance. > The ,newcomer was a snall man who was” beginning to be elderly, but not in spirit. He™ had more vigor, vitality and voice than any- ' body in the baliroom. This was evidenced by - the fact that what he was saying could be héard above everything else. - FEN ently to some one on & fefghboring “Alp, “and . #epry daughter is here,” he Yémarked, appar- <. . - THE SUNDAY ' STAR, WAS As the freeboot !hfimbfleuwm of iniquity. ringly toward his daughter. reached Fare, she stood alone. the entire throng, had not stepped back s or so before the fury of his advance. TANDING there unflinchingly, she Prince Heider of somecthing; he co decide whether it was Joan of Arc or Sir had—anyway, a splendid person, unafrs “You!” accused her father. “Right,” she conceded. 3 “Where,” he continued, “is the whippe per who has dared to bring you to this dr brawl?” A growl of resentment ran through sgmbly. Nobody likes to be labeled “drun no matter how many drinks he has had. “Where is he? . Who is this man?” Dick Dead-eye did not press the claim he had asserted so positively a few mo: earlier., And most of the spectators dig know that he had any.claim. They had Fame dancing with the Prince, and nat supposed that he had brought her to the Some of them shoved the Prince forw “So!” said Senator Borrow. That foundation word upon which he built an e of invective that he had never equaled b upon the floor of the Senate, on the pla of a public meeting, or on the parlor T his own home. It was a marvelous speech. Even the of it at first stunned his listeners. Later, the crowd realized that it was only one talking, they began to pay attention to wi was saying. The more they understood greater the resentment grew. He attacked only their characters, but he stigmatized very means of livelihood. 4 The men of the audience stepped fo