The Prince of Graustark

lithers, with decisio

as positively. She knew when she could

her when an argument was going against him, not for want of logic on his part, but because it was easier to express himself with his ears closed than with them open. By this means he effectually shut

its survival. Given the same situation, a man would get up and leave his wife sitting there with her fingers in her ears; and, as he bolted from the room in high dudgeon, he would be mean enough to call attention

rd amounting to but little more than ten millions of dollars, she concluded to live abroad for the purpose of educating their daughter, allowing him in the meantime to increase his fortune to something like fifty millions without having to worry about household affairs. But she had sojourned with him long enough, at odd ti

cy on his part and could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be regarded as an indication of plac

nothing of a few mines and a steam yacht, his ability to drive men was even more noteworthy than his power over the jackasses had been. But driving mules and men was one thing, driving a wife another. What incentive has a man, said he, when after he gets through bullying a creature that very creature turns in and caresses him? No s

unexampled importance had transpired in the interim, they now felt that it would be the rankest stupidity to consider any one short of a Pri

hat when it came to a grandchild it would be perfectly proper to christen him Duke-lots of people did!-and that was about all that a title amounted to anyway. She met this with the retort that Maud might marry a man named Jones, and how would Duke Jones sound? He weakly suggested that they could christen him Marmaduke and-but she reminded him of his oft-repeated boast that there was nothing in the world too good for Maud and instituted a pictorial campaign against hi

letely upset all of their plans-or notions, so to speak. It was nothing less than the arrival in America of an eligible Prince of the royal bloo

osal, especially as he was reputed to have sufficient means of his own to defend the chateau against any immediate peril of profligacy. She counselled Mr. Blithers

aft of a tactful letter to the anxious nobleman. They were agreed that a Prince was more to be desired than a Count and, as long as they were actually about it, th

with the gentleman in spite of the critics. Moreover, she had met him while sojourning on American soil, and that was certainly an excellent augury for the success of the present enterprise. What could be more fitting tha

storic war between the Balkan allies and the Turks, in 1912 and 1913, there had been mutterings, and now the situation had come to be admittedly precarious. Mr. Blithers was in a position to know that the little principality over which the young man reigned was bound to be drawn into the cataclysm, not as a belligerent or an ally, but in the matter of a loan that i

y disposed toward her debtors, no matter how small their obligations. They who owed would be called upon to pay, they who petitioned would be turned away with scant courtesy. It was the private opinion of Mr. Blithers that the young Prince and the trusted agents who accompanied him on his journey

atter what he owed to Russia, America owed to him its most punctillious consideration. If Mr. Blithers was to

le that he could have a drop of royal blood in his vigorous young body. And the perfectly ridiculous part of the whole situation was that Mr. and Mrs. King lived in a modest, vine-covered little house that could have been lost in the servants' quarters at Blitherwood. Especially agg

ated-but over and over again-that money couldn't buy everything in the world, referring directly to social eminence and indirectly to their secret ambition to capture a Prince of the royal blood for their daughter Maud. She had prefaced this opinion, however, with the exceedingly irritating insinuation that Mr

reason. He was a burly, domineering person who reasoned for every one within range of his voice, and it was only when his wife became coldly sarcastic that he closed his ears and boomed his opinions i

se arguing with you, Will. Have

usly inserted his thumbs in the armholes

if said ladies are the daughters of noblemen who are as hard up as all the rest of 'em? Besides, hasn't Maud been presented at Court? Didn't you see to that? How about that pearl necklace I gave her

in Providence and sometimes mentioned the occurrence when particularly desirous of squelching him, not unkindly perhaps but by way of making him realise that their daughter had good blood in he

ught to refrain from talking about the cost of things, even in the bosom of his family. He had heard that only vul

ffer, Will. He doesn't even know that Maud is

yes open? Will you tell me that? Where, I say? What's more, where would I be now if I hadn't looked ahead and seen what a marriage with the daughter of Judge Morton would mean to me in the long run?" He felt that

n which I built my temple of posterity'-yes, I know, Will. But I am still unalt

I don't und

it over," she said quietly, and

for Maud?" he asked, after many minute

f kidnapping him, W

e kind of a man I am, Lou. You say you don't want Count What's-His-Name,-that is, you don't want him as much as yo

tark,

is, providing this fellow is a gentleman and worthy of her. The only Prince I ever knew w

n about Prince Robin

y question is, how

an-sett

ur

nce in your soul,

cheap novels in which American heroes go about marrying into royal families and all that sort of

Princess Yetive, married an Ameri

is this Groos

ng sun,'" she quoted. "You mu

n languages. By the way, wh

tor

ation. It was not vouchsafed, s

o w

g Sco

Lou. No good in the world. I

ry good family

-in love

tain

d Lo

every one she meet

his Prince shouldn't fall heels over head, is there? Well, there you are! That will make a

ositively disgusting, Will. Ca

got 'em all beat a mile when it comes to looks and style and-Oh, by the way," lowering his voice to a hoarse, confident