The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 3, 1901, Page 16

j THE SUNDAY CALL. Synopsis. two mage su equen: his g clever time. renewled fully opinions, te of I books. le that left t ed & dinner fla- he To- he p club oved him for otically, he dear? ringing himself up es, mothe h the trair have Mary S d so forth? to New York—for a day only ¢k to-morrow! Important bus! ou know—ahem! He had he hall before she clean I'm see arms into the and he was The door slammed New York. was only by a platform, ust twenty-four Washington and had smiled and m to come to o time to secure as fortunately taking the train. sleep feeling both dis- gusted. Disappointed i ion to sentiment, ted because of the man who occu- he next section. A man who is In has no patience with h who can sleep so in New York he mship company’s sked the time of sailing for the being informed that usual hour ed a cab and was soon sy waterway. ight, rigid and himself more awakened to abs ction. Again fatuated head that he the veriest schoolboy to 2 steamship pler in the hope of catching a final, and at, best, un. satisfactory glimpse of a young woman who had appealed to his sensitive admir. stion. A lovesick boy could be excused for such a display of imbecility, but a man—e man of the world! Never! "Th? idea of chasing down to the water's edge to see that girl is -enough to make you ashamed of yourself for life Grenfall Lorry,” he apostrophized. Tt worse than eny love-sick fool ever dreamed of doing. I am blushing, I'll be bound. The idiocy of the thing! And suppose she should see me staring at h:r fixkzm;re on the pier? What would she think of me? I'll not go an ! [ T St 3 €0 another foot He .;g excited and self-conscious and thoroughly ashamed of the trip into which his impetuous adoration had driven him Just as he was tugging at the door in thé effort to open it that he might order the driver to take him back to the hotel, a sly tempter whispered something in his ear; his fancy was and he listened not go down to the pler and look over the passenger list, just to see if she 3, been booked safely? That would be perfectly proper and sensible, and besides it will be 2 satisfaction to know that she gets off all right. Certainly! There's nothing foolish in that. Especially as I am right on the way there. : And as I have come so far . . no sense in going back without whether she has secured passage. . . . I can find out in a minute and then go home. There won't be anything wrong in that. And then I may have a mpse of her before the ship leaves the p was to cas ightway cal there's seeing not see me, of course. laugh at me! How I'd r laughing at me!” Then, inking back again with a smile of justi- fication on his face, he muttered: “‘We t turn back; wi go right ahead. We'll be a kind of a fool, but mot so oclish as to allow her to see us and cognize.us as one.” fore long they arrived at the whart, he hurried to the office near by. lerk permitted him to look over the First he ran through the first-class sengers, and was surprised to find that there was no such name as Gug- genslocker in list. Then he went over the second class, but still no Guggen- slocker. 1 “Hasn’'t Mr. Gugegenslocker taken pas sage?”’ he demanded, unwilling to be- his eves ot on the Kaiser Wilhelm, sir. ‘Then, by George, the boat!” Lorry exclaimed, be here in a few minutes. ““They 't get anvthing but steerage now, sir. Everything else is gone.” ‘Are you sure they haven't taken pa: asked the bewildered Lorry, akly You c youn Lorry time the 1 cion th: He wandered aimlessly of speculation. n see for yourself,” answered man curtl was again in a perspiration, th It of a vague, growing suspi- ad forced itself into his mind away, his b a The suspicion to he had given co enance grew, it enlarged he suffered torment Gradually he came to the conclu- 1d fooled him, 1 lied to chaos which d told as she iim. She did not intend to sail on the WAlhelm at all. It was all very clear to h'm now, that strangeness in her manner, those odd oc onal s W What weet-faced coquette, a liar? He ved cold with the thought. Nor w alone in her duplicity. Had not her and aunt been as ready to deceive Were they try to throw him off track for some subtle purpose? Had done something for which they were elled to fly the country as quick No! Not that! They tainly were not fleeing from justice why were they not on board the Wilhelm? Suddenly he started as if he had been truck, and an involuntary exclamation in and horror escaped hi nforeseen had nappencd ilness—even' death! of bells broke upon his he knew that the great sh it to depart. Mechanically, discons lately he walked out and paced the broad, rowded wharf. Al was excitement. There was the rush of peoplé, the shouts cheers, the puffing of tugs, the churn- of water, and the Kaiser Wilhelm was long voyage. Half-heartedly, nd in a da condition he found a place in the front row along the rail. There were tears in his eves, tears shame and mortification. Sh; had played with him! Moodily he watched the ? An adventur Th a little ordinary tur she uncle comj possible? abeu o miserably crowd of vo; gers hanging over the rails of the mov- of the deep. A faint smile to his lips. This was the at on which his heart was to have been freighted from native shores. The craft was salling, but it was not carrying the cargo that he had, in very good faith consigned to Graustark. His heart was not on board the Kaiser Wil- helm der Grosse. 3loomily disappointed eyes swept g the rail of the big steamer, ha:f interested in spite of themselves. Twice passed a certain point on the Jor of a force that that direc ward deck. unconscio attracting The third time for wa them in he allowed them to se an instant on the group of fac es and then stray off to other part ship. Some strange power dr- again to the forward deck, and th he was startled into an intent st Could he believe those eyes? Surely was her figure at the rail—there betwe:n the two young women who were wav! t handkerchiefs frantically. heart began to jump up and down, > gly, impatientiy. - Why could ' face be turned toward the wha others were? There was the coat but not the blue cap. A jaunty sa hat sat where the never-to-be-forgotte cap had perched. The change was siight but it was sufficient to throw him i} the most feverish state of uncertaint: An insane desire to shout a command to m do this strange young woman came over him The ship slowly epening a gap be- tween herself and the wharf, and he knew that in a few moments recognition would be impossible. Just as he lo: hope and was ready to.groan with d spair the Jace beneath the sailor hat was turned squarely in his direction. A glaze obscured his eyes, a numbness attacked his brain. It was Miss Guggenslocker! Why was her name omitted from the passenger list? That question was the first to whirl through his addled brain. He forgot the questionings, forgot every thing a moment later, for to his amaz ment and delight and discomfiture he saw that she was peering intently at him. A pair of big glasses was leveled at him for a second and then lowered. He plain- ly saw the smile on her face, and the fluttering” cambric in her hand. She had seen him, after all—had caught him in a sllly exhibition of weakness. Her laut impression of him, then, was to be one of which he could not feel proud. Whi his heart burned with shame, it could not have been suspected from the appearance of his face. His eyes were dancing, his mouth was wide open with joy, his lips were quivering with a suppressed, shout, his cheeks were flushed and his wh aspect bespoke ecstacy. He waved b hat and then his handkerchief, obtaining from her vigorous and unrestrained of approbation. Her face was wreathed in smiles as she leaned far over the rail, the picture of animated pleasure. Making sure that her uncle and aunt were not visible, he boldly placed his fin- gers to his lips and wafted a Kkiss out over the water! “Now she’ll crush me,” be cried to him- self, regretting the rash act and pray- ing that she had not observed it. Her handkerchief ceased fluttering in an instant, and, with sinking heart, he real- ized that she had observed. There was a moment of indecision on the part of the fair one going out to sea, and then the little finger tips of both hands went to her lips and his kiss came back to him! The pgople near him were surprised to hear a wild yell from his lips and then to see him wave his hat so madly that there was some danger of its being knocked to vieces against the railing or upon the persons of those who stood too close to escape the whirling consequences. So un- expected had been her reception of what he considered & calamitous indiscretion that he was to be pardoned for the ebul- lition of relief and joy that followed. Had she drawn a revolver and fired angrily at him he could not have been more as- tounded. But, to actually throw a kiss to him—to meet his imprudence in the same spirit that had insplred it! Too much to believe! In the midst of his elation, however, there came a reminder that she did not expect to see him agin, that she was playing with him, that it was a merry jest and not a heartache that filled her bosom at the parting. ‘While he was still waving his handker- chief, debating savagely and joyously the wisdom of the act, she became a part of the distant color scheme; the blue figure faded and blended into the general tone and could no longer be distinguished. She was gone, but she had tossed him a kiss from lips that he should always see. As he turned away from the water he found himself wondering if there had been tears in her eyes, but the probability was 80 remote that he laughed foolishly and aloud. A couple of girls heard the laugh and giggled in sympathy, but he turned a scowling face upon them and disappeared in the throng. Uppermost in his bewildered mind was the question: Why is she not in the pas- senger list? Acting on a sudden impulse, he again sought out the clerk in charge and made a most thorough inspection, Tucre was no Guggenslocker among the names. As a last resort ‘he asked: ““They could not have sailed under an assumed name, could they?” say as to that. Where are they austark the young man Lorry shaking But slowly, accord. re you sure that you saw the young on board?” shook his head in unconscious lady exclaimed Lorry, em- ph 4 ‘I was going to say there are a lot of Italian and German «ingers on the ship, and you might have been mistaken. But since you are so positive, it seems very strange that your friends are not on the list.”” So Lorry went away discouraged and with a vague fear that she ht have been a prima donna whose real name was Guggenslocker. but whose stage name was something more euphonious. He instantly put away the thought and the fear. She was certainly not an op- era singer.—imnossibie! He drove back to his hotel, and made preparations for his return to Washington. Glancing cas- ually over the register he came to the name that had been haunting him—Gug- genslocker! There were the names, “Cas- par Guggenslocker and four, Graustark.” Without hesitation he began to question the clerk. “They sailed cn the Kaiser Wilhelm to- da aid that worthy. “That's all I know about them. Th: and left to-day.” Mr. Grenfall Lorry returned to Wash- ington as in a dream—a fairy dream. The air of mystery that had grown from the first was now an impenetrable wall, the top of which his curiosity could not scale. Even his fancy, his imagination, served him not. There was but one point on which he was satisfied: he was in love. His own condition was no mystery. Several weeks later he went to New York to question the captailn of the Wil- helm, hoping io clear away the clouds satisfactorily. To his amazement the cap- tain said there had been no Guggenslock- ers on board nor had there been persons answering the description, so far as he could tell. Through th: long hot summer he worked and worried and wondered. In the first, he did little that was satisfac- tory to himself or to his uncle; in the second, he did so much that he was ad- vised by his physician to take a rest; in the last, he indulged himiself so exten- sively that it had become unbearable. He must know all about her! But how? The early months of autumn found him pale and tired and indifferent alike to work and play. He found no pleasure in scclety that had known him as a lion. ‘Women bored him; men annoyed him; the play suffocated him; the tiresome club ‘was ruining his temper; the whole world was going wrong. The doctor told him he was approaching nervous prostration; his mother’s anxious eyes could no longer be denied, so he realized grimly that there was but one course left open to him. He suggested it to the doctor, to his mother and to his uncle, and they agreed with him. It involved Europe. Having fully decided again to cross the sea his spirits revived. He became more cheerful, took an interest in things that were going on and by the time the Kaiser ‘Wilhelm sailed in September was the pic- ture of health and life. He was off for Edelweiss—to the strange Miss Guggenslocker who had thrown him 2 kiss from the deck that sailing day, VI-GRAUSTARK. Two weeks later Grenfall Lorry was landed and enjoying the sensations, the delights of that wonderful world called by the name of Paris. The second day after his arrival he met a Harvard man of his time on the street, Harry Anguish Yy came yesterday had been a pseudo art student for two years. When at college he was a hail- fellow-well-met, a leader in athletics and in matters upon which faculties frown. He and Lorry were warm friends, al- though utterly unlike in temperament. To know either of these men was to like him; between the two one found all that was admirable and interesting in man. The faults and virtues of each were along such different lines that they balanced perfectly when lumped upon the scale of personal estimation. Their unexpected meeting in Paris was an exhilarating pleasure to both, and for the next week or so they were inseparable. Together they sipped absinther at the cafes and strolled into the theaters, the opera, the dance halls and the homes of some of Anguish’s friends, French and American. Lorry did not speak to his friend of Graustark until nearly two weeks after his arrival in the city. He had discussed with himself the advisability of revealing his plans to Anguish, fearing the latter’s ridicule with all the cowardice of a man who knows that scoffing is, in a large measure, justifiable. Growing impatient to begin the search for the unheard of country, its capital and at least one of its inhabitants, he was at last compelled to inform Anguish, to a certain extent, of his plans for the fueure. He began by telling him of his intention to take a run over toward Vienna, Buda Pesth and some of the Eastern cities, expecting to be gone a couple of months. To his surprise and consternation, Anguish enthusiastically volunteered to take the trip with him, having had the same project in view for nearly a yea¥. There was nothing left for Lorry but to make a clean breast of it, which he did shamefacedly, expecting the laughter and raillery of his light hearted friend as pay- ment for his connaence. instead, however, Anguish, who possessed a lively and romantic nature, was charmed by the story and proclaimed it to begthe most delightful adventure that had “ever ‘hap- pened outside of a story book. “Tell me all about her,” he urged, his eyes sparkling with boyish enthusiasm. And Lorry proceeded to give him a per- sonal description of the mysterious beauty, introducing him in the same man- ner to the distigguished uncle and aunt, adding all those details which had con- founded and upset him during his own investigations. “This is rich!” exclaimed Anguish. “Beats any novel written, I declare. Be- gad, old man, I don’t blame you for hunt- ing down this wonderful bit of femininity. ‘With a curiosity and an admiration that had been sharpened so keenly as yours, I'd go to the end @f the world myself to have them satisfied.” “I may be able to satisfy but one—curi- osity. And maybe not that. But who knows of Graustark?” “Don’t give up before you've tried. If these people live in such a place, why, it is to be found, of course. Any railroad guide book can locate this land ot mystery. There are so many infernal little kingdoms and principalities over here that it would take a lifetime to get ’em all straightened out in one's head. To-mor- row morning we will go to one of the big railway stations and make inquiries. We'll locate Graustark and then we’ll go over and pluck the flower that grows there. All you need, my boy, is a manager. I'll do the arranging and your little act will be the plucking.” “Easier said than don She threw a kiss to you, didn’t she?” “Certainly, but, confound it, that was because she never expected to see me again.” ““‘Same reason why you threw a kiss to her, 1 suppose?”’ “I know why; I wasn't accountable.” ““Well, if she did it any more wittingly than you did, she is accountable, and I'd hunt her up and demand an explanation.” Lorry laughed at his apparent fervor, but was glad that he had.confided in his THE PEOPLE NEAR HIM WERE SURPRISED TO HEAR A WILD YELL FROM HIS LIPS. Two heads wdke forced to her liked the Not energetic countryman. better than one, and he w admit to himself that he idea of company in the underiaking. that he expected to encounter any par- ticular difficulty, but that he saw a strange lonelinéss ahead. Therefore he welcomed his friend’s avowed intention to accompany him to Hdelweiss as a relief ead of an annoyance. Until late in dght they discussed the coming trip, uish finally startling him with a ques- just; as he Was stretchin, imself preparatoty to the walk to his Hotel. “What are you going®to do with her after you find her, Gren, old man?" Grenfall's brow puckered and he brought himself up with a jerk, puzzled uncer- tainty’ expressing itself in his posture as well as in his face. “I'll think about. that found her,” he replied. Think you'll marry her other. “How do I know?” exclaimed the wo- man hunter, savagely. . 'Oh, of course you don't know—how could you?” apologized Anguish. “Maybe she won't have you—maybe she is mar- ried—all sorts of contingencies, you know. . If you'll pardon my inquisitiveness, L. like to ask why you are making this wild goose chase half around the world? Just to have another look at her?” ““You asked me if I thought—" Here he stopped. “I take it for granted, then, that you'd like to. Well, I'm glad that I've got something definite on which to base oper- :f\lunsA The one object of our endeavors from now on, is to exchange Guggen after I have persistéd the locker for Lorry—certainly no robbery. A charity, I should say. Good night! See you in the morning.” The next morning the two friends took a cab to several railway stations and in- quired about Graustark and Edelw: “She was stringing you, old man, Anguish. after they haa turned from the third station. He spoke miseratingly, as he really felt sorry. “No!"” exclaimed Lorr: “She told me the truth. There is a Graustark and sie lives there. I'll stake my life on those eyes of hers.” Are you sure she sald it was in Eu- rope?” asked Harry, looking up and down the street as fi he would not have been surprised to see her in Peris. In his heart he Lelieved that she and her precious rela- tives had deceived old Gren. Perhaps their home was in Paris, and nowhere else. But for Lorry's positiveness he would have laughed heartily at the other’s simple credulity or branded him a dolt, the victim of some merry actress’ whim. Still, he was forced to admit, he was not in a position to see matters as they ap- peared and was charitable enough to bide his time and to humor the faith that was leading them from place to place in the effort to find a land that they knew nothing about. Lorry seemed so sure, so positive, that he was loath to see his dream dispelled, his ideal shattered. There was certainly no Graustark; neither had the Guggenslockers sailed on the Wil- helm, all apparent evidence to the con- trary notwithstanding. Lorry had been in a delirflum and had imagined he saw her on the ship. If there, why was not her name in the list? But that problem tortured the sanguine searcher himself. At last, in despair, after a fruitless search of two days, Lorry was willing to submit. With the perverseness common to half-defeated fighters, Anguish at once protested, forgett{ng that he had sought to dissuade his friend the day before. “We’ll go to the library of Paris and take a look through the books and maps,” he said. “Or, better still, let us go to the postoffice. There! Why have we not thought of that? What there is of Grau- sark they'll know in the postal service. Together they visited the chief post- office, where, after being directed to yari- ous deputies and clerks, they at lengt found the department in which the infor- mation was obtainable. Inside of five minutes they were in possession of facts that vindicated Miss Guggenslocker, lifted Lorry to the seventh heaven, and put Mr. Anguish into an agony of impatience. Graustark was a small principality away oft to the east and Edelweiss was a city of some seventy-five thousand inhabit- ants, according to the postal guidebook. The Americans could learn no more there, so they went to Baedecker's office. Here they found a great map, and, after a diligent and almost microscopic search, succeeded in discovering the principality of Graustark. Then they looked at each other in dismay. “It's a devil of a distance to that little red blot on the map,” mused Lorry, pull- ing his nose reflectively. ‘“What an c;g:. landish place for a girl ! her rto live in,” he continued. “And that sweet-faced old lady and noble Uncle Caspar! Ye &dds: one would think barbarians existed there and not such people as the Gus- genslockers, refined, cul smart. rich. I'm more interested than e in the place.” “So am I' I'm willing and ready to make the trip. old n, if you are sti of a mind. It's a lark. and, besid nd gracious may not be the only pretty o P ork to find girl there. We've had b it on the map, let's not stop till we see Edelweiss on the earth itself : They made hasty preparatic the journ Anguish, romantic f adventurs ed the purc of pistols 1 a knif tha, as they were goirg into and nountai they prepare for b of danger. Lor gestio of br mood by buying some usly volvers and inviting the something really thrilling in adventure. With their traps they were soon whirling through France, bound a certain great city, on the one filled with exci ness and boyish zeal, the othe by the somber fear that a g pointment was in store for h the glamour the ¢ the adventure there always conquerable ‘fee that he ! fool's errand, that hie was committin deed so weak and brainless sure to make him a veritable stock when it bec who was Mi baker, ga ner or s Traveling, of course, this time of the vear ad to Edel- ement, eager hara and that wa and the pleasant two Amer- ic saw much that interested t along the w Their French, especially sh's, was of great value to them, fc un on to use it at all times and in all Both spoke German v well took every opportun to_brush up in that language, Lorry remembering that the Guggenslocke used many expres- sions tha how a preference f{ the Teutonic. The blithe Anguish, confident and in high feather, was heart and soul in the odd expedition of love, and talked incessantly of their reception by the far- away hostess, their impressions and the final result. His camera and sketching materials were packed away with his traps. It was his avowed intention to im- mortalizé the trip by means of plate, pal- ette and brush. At the end of two days they reached a certain large city,~the first change, and then 700 miles to another. The distance from this point to the capital of Graus- tark was 200 miles or more, chiefly through mountainous lands. Somewhat elated by the cheerful information there received, they resumed the journey to Ed- clweiss, the city of vale, slope and park —summer, fall and winter. Changing cars at the end of the second day out, they sat back in the dusty seats of their carriage and sighed with relief. “Unless we jump the track, this train will land us in the city we are looking said Anguish, stretching out his legs comfortably. “I'll admit it has been a tiresome journey, and I'll be glad when we can step into a decent hotel, have a rub and feel like white men once more. 1 am beginning to feel like these dirty Slavs and, Huns we saw way back there.” ““There’s one thing certain,” said Lorry, looking out of the window. “The people and the habitations are different and the whole world seems changed since we left that station. Look at those fellows on horseback over there.” ‘““What did I tell you about brigands and robbers!” exclaimed Anguish. “If those fellows are not bandits I'll lose fafth in every novel I ever read.” The train rolled slowly past three mounteq men whose steeds stood like statues upon a little knoll to the right of the track, men and beasts engaged in si- lent contemplation of the cars. The men, picturesquely attired and looking flerce, carrying long rifles, certainly bore an as- pect that suggested the brigand. When the guard entered the carriage Anguish asked in German for some information concerning the riders. “Dey're frontier police guards,” re- sponded the man in English, smiling at their astonishment. Both Americans arose and shook hands with him. By George, it’s good to hear a man talk white man's language,” cried An- guish. “How do you come to be holding a job on this road? An Englishman?” demand- ed Lorry, He looked anything but Eng- lish. “I'm not an Englishman,™ guard, flushing slightly. * Sitzky, and I'm an American, sir. “An American!” exclaimed Lorry. ky grew loquacious. “Sure! I used to be a sailor on a United States man-o'-war. A couple of yearsdgo I got into trouble down at Constantinople and had to get out of de service. After dat I drifted up dis way and went to rail- roadi He hadn’t exactly the manner of a man-o'-warsman. “How long have you been on this road?” asked Grenfall. ‘““Bout a year, I should t'ink. Been on dis branch only two months, dough.” “Are you pretty well acquainted in Ed- elweiss ?"" “Oh, I run In dere every other day—in an’ out ag'in. It's a fine place—purtiest you ever saw in your life. The town runs right up the mountain to the tip-top where the monks are—clear up in & clouds. Dey say it snows up dere almost all @' time.” Later on, from the loquacious guard, the two Americans learned quite a good bit about the country and city to which they were going. His knowledge was somewhat limited along certain lines, but quite clear as to others. “Dis Graustark, 's fer as I know, is eeder a sort o’ state or somet’ing belong- in’ to de umpire, governed by its own rul- ers. Edelweiss is d' capital; @ big guns of d' land lives dere. I've walked out and saw d' castle where d' Princess and ¢ royalty hangs out. D’ people speak a language of deir own, and I can’t get next to a t'ing dey say. But once In a while you find some guy dat talks French or Geyman. Dey've got a little standin’ ar of two or t'ree t'ousand men an’ dey've got de hottest uniforms you ever did see—red an’ black an’ gold. I don't see why &' United States can't get up somethin’ foxy fer her soldiers to wear, Had &war over here not long ago, I un. derstand—somethin’ like ten or fifteen years ago. Dere's another little country up north of Graustark, and dey got in a wrangle 'bout somethin’, and dey tell ma in Edelweiss dat _for 'bout a year dey ' fought like Sam Patch.” “Which was victorious?” g Lorry, deeply interested. o ‘“I'm not sure. To hear & E people talk you'd t'ink dey lickeddt:!v:;ai;— lights out of @ other slobs, but somehe I got next to &' fact dat dem other fel. lows captured de city an' went after a slaghin’ big war indemnity. I don't know much 'bout it, an' maybe I'm elear of, but I tink d' Graustark army wag trashed. Every t'ing is prosperous now dough, an’ you'd never know dere'd been a war. It's de most peaceable town I ever saw.” “Did you ever hear. of the Guggen- slockers?” asked the irrepressible An- sald the name’s Sitz- RBERT. S STONE & CO. guish, and Lorry fel: like kicking him. “In ?» Never did. Friends of interposed Lorry, »wning at Anguish wen't have any trouble fin em if dere anybedy at all,”” said Sitzky, eas ght to be able now. An 10 matter k an’ ‘at's llow coun and we'll swell j y h but I'Il not eat t a rallroad guard inside de royal Once saw that prevailed et they ean st weits was truly a eity of the mountain- Th had expected something wonde e prepared for what th nd. Th y a ally ran » into the clouds. There was something so gra so -improbable, so unusual in lhv.gvv . confronting them that they n. aghast and stup artling impression mountain was ad; it was impo nes il had the huinan-do stared sach tall- ible upon i to subdue the sensation of diz toppling town inspired. w how you feel,” observed Sitzky, “I was just @’ same at first. w you walk a little ways up d mountain an’ yow'll see how city dere is on level ground jown here. Dem buildings up dere ain't fhore'n one-fiftieth part of 4’ town. Dey're mostly summer homes. It gets hot.as blazes down here in @' valley in &' middie of & summer and &' rich ones gitve up & mountain.” “How and down fr Anguish. Mule: “Say! horseback—wid &' white un dat’s de Chief of Police, an behind him are police guards. side of d much of d junder do people get up to m those houses?” demanded specifically. er comin’ on rm? Well, @ fellers At's old answered Sitzky, dat Dangloss himseif. He's a peach, dey s A short, whi low zzly faced man, attired in a uniform with red trimmings, d by three men similarly garbed, rode going in the direction of the passenger station. Dangloss, Sitzky had called him, was quite small in stature, rather stout, gray bearded and eagle nosed. His face was keen and re¢, and not at all the kind to invite familiarity. As he passed them the railroad guerd of America citizenship touched h 2p, the two travelers doing like vhereupon the Chiet of Police gave a a most pro- found salutation, fairiy sweeping his saddleskirts with his white cap. “Polite old codger,” observed Anguish. “His company manners. Just let him get you in 4’ sweat box, if you t'ink he's polite.” “Ever been there?” “Well,” a little confusedly, “T pasted a Graustark bagsage master down in & yards two weeks ago, an’ dey had me up. I proved @ feller insulted a lady, an old Dangloss let me off, sayin’ I'd ought to have a medal. Dese guys are great on gallantry when ladies is concerned. If it hadn’t been fer dat, I'd be in @ lock-up now. An’ say, you ought to see & lock-up! It's a tower, wid dungeons an’ all dat sort of t'ing. A man couldn’t no more get out 'n’ he could fiy up to a* monastery. Dey’re great on law an’ order here, too. D’ Princess has issued strictest kind of rules an’ everybody has to live up to 'em as if dey was real gospel. I t'ought I'd put you next, gents, so’s you wouldn’t be doin’ anyt'ing crooked here.” “Thanks,” said Lorry, dryly. “We shall try to conduct ourselves discreetly in the city.” Probably a quarter mile farther down the narrow, level street they came to the bazaars, the gaudy stores, and then the hotel. It was truly a hostelry to Inspire respect and admiration in the mind of such as Sitzky, for it was huge and well equipped with the modern appointments. As soon as the two Americans had been given their rooms they sent for their luggage. Then they went out to the broad piazza, with its columns and marbie balustrades, and looked for Sitzky, re- membering their invitation to drink. The guard had refused to enter the hotel with them, urging them to allow him ta re- main on the piazza: He was not there when they returned, but they soon saw him. On the sidewalk he was arguing with a white uniformed police guard, and they realized that he had been ejected from sacred precinets. They promptly rescued him from the officer, who bowed and strode away as soon as théy interceded. “Dese fellers is slick enough to see you are swells and I'm not,” said Sitzky, not & bit annoyed by his encounter. “I'll bet my head ‘at inside ten minutes old Dan- gloss will know who you are, where you come from an' what you're doin’ here.” “T'll bet fifty heads he won't find out what we're doing here,” grinned Anguish, looking at Lorry. ““Well, let's hunt up the thirst devartment. They found the little apartment in which drinks were served at tables, and before they said good-by to Sitzky im front of the hotel, a half hour later, that worthy was in exceeding good humor and very much flushed in the face. He said he would be back in two days, and it they needed him for any purpose what- ever, they could reach him by a note at the railway station. “Funny how you run across an Ameri- can in every mook and cormer of t world,” mused Lorry, as they watched the stocky ex-man-o'-warsman stroll off toward his hotel. “If we can run across the Guggenslock- ers as easily we'll be ‘n luck. When shall Wwe begin the hunt? To-night?” “We can make a few inquiries conce ing them. They certainly are people o importance here.” “I don't see the name on any of the brewery signs around town,” observed Anguish, consolingly. “There's evidently no Guggenslocker here.’ They strolled through the streets near the hotel until after 6 o’clock, wondering at the quaint architecture, the pretty gardens and the pastoral atmosphere tha enveloped the city. Everybody was busy. contented, quiet and happy. There was no bustle or strife, no rush, no beggars. At 6 they saw hundreds of workingmen on the streets going to their homes shops were closed and there came tor their ears the distant boom of cannon evidently fired from different peints of the compass, and from the highiand as well as the lowland. fol- (Continued next week.)