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GRADY COUNTY PROGRESS—PAGE
PROLOGUE.
This romantic tale, recounting
Vhe adventures of a plucky and
resourceful young American in
•ihe Balkans, is full of genuine
humor and exciting incidents
from the very first line to the
last. The story very closely fol
lows the successful play from
•which it is novelized. When a
hustling American has not only
broken the bank at Monte Carlo,
but is in love with a princess
and is doing his level best to
save the throne for her father,
ihe king, and frustrate the plot
ting of a villainous prince, there
is little chance for interest to
lag.
CHAPTER I.
The Princess and the Yankee,
f'"^"^NTHONY HAMILTON HAW-
I J THORNE was an optimist,
fisaassi Ulspouragement never entered
into his philosophy, no matter
how clouded the prospect. He lived the
typically energetic life of the young
■American, accepting good fortune and
ill fortune alike with the smile that in
his schoolboy days had .saved him
,many a chastisement and in business
lhad proved a distinct aid on various
important occasions.
As our story opens we find Haw
thorne In a place where he hnd abso
lutely no right to be. And he knew it.
But, to do him Justice, he had uo idea
Just how little right he had to be where
he was.
He was lounging beside a mossy sun
dial in a tumbledown old garden near
Oberou, capital of the tiny Balkan
kingdom of Borrovina. Hawthorne’s
jtastes did not run to solitude nor to
imoldy gardens. Which made his pres
ence there the struuger.
. Kicked out of a snug political job by
a shift of administration, he had left
America nnd, with his friend. Rodney
Blake, hud made a whirlwind tour of
Europe. The two chums had paused at
Monte Carlo. There, by a wondrous
freak of luck and by carefully backing
the fortune of k ‘No. 5” at roulette,
Hawthorne had annexed a sum of
something over $100,000.
The continental papers were full of
stories of the American who had
broken the bank at Monte Carlo. They
bailed Hawthorne as a multimillion-
Laire und as several other laudatory but
Hawthorno Had Climbed the Wall.
ibjpotionable things. And to escape
loiuriety he had packed his winnings
u a suitcase and, with Blake, hnd mo
ored to Borrovina until the sensation
hould evaporate. There, under an ns-
uiiind name, he had registered at Obe-
ou’s defunct Casino, which was also
be city’s only hotel.,
On the first day of his stay in the
lown at heel, bnnkrupt little capital
Hawthorne had gone for a stroll in its
luburhs. Curiosity had led him to
ilirah a garden wall. What he hnd
leen there had brought him hack every
ifternoon.19 the disgust of Blnke whn
was sick' ’of the deaiT nnCHailve little
kingdom and who wanted to see what
would happen when Hawthorne and
himself and $100,000 should strike
Paris simultaneously.
A few minutes before the stroke of 5
in the afternoon Hawthorne hnd climb
ed the wall. The sound of steps on
the path from the house beyond sent
him into hiding behind u dilapidated
summer house just us a very young
and very pretty girl entered the. gar
den. The girl moved forward eagerly,
as If expecting some one. A sbnde of
wistfnlness crossed her face as she
found the place seemingly deserted.
Ileuching the sundial, she leaned down
nnd kissed its numbered face. Then,
turning quietly, she discovered Haw
thorne coming out of his hiding place.
"I hope 1 didn't frighten you,” be
stammered. "You—you were expecting
me, weren’t you ?’’
“Why should I be expecting you?”
she asked, with au effort at aloofness.
“1 can’t Imagine," he returned meek
ly, “except perhaps because 1 said I'd
be here. Why—why were you kissing
that sundial?”
“Becnuse it said it was 5 o’clock,”
was the odd reply.
"Gee!" he murmured. "In my time
I’ve wished 1 was a lot of things. But
this is the first time I ever wished 1
wns 5 o’clock. But why does that espe
cial hour make such a hit with you?"
“Oh," evaded the girl, "it’s—it’s as
good an hour as any, isn’t It?”
"A million times better. I’ve known
thnt ever since you told me you walk
in this garden every afternoon at 5.
Over in our country we call a sundial
a Movers' clock.’ You see, when lovers
meet they forget there’s such a thing
as time. And. a sundial’s too sympa
thetic to bawl out the hours at them
the way a regular clock does. It doesn't
tick a pious warning that the seconds
are passing. It never wakes lovers
from their fond dreams. Good old sun
dial!”
“Then,” laughed the girl, “I’m glad I
kissed it. 1 hate to hear It’s time to
go. Don’t you?’*
"It’s the one thing I do hnte—today.
Say—not thnt it’s any business of mine,
as you were about to repnrtee—why
were you standing by the sundial the
first day I came here? Were you kiss
ing at 5 o’clock then?”
“No. I was giving audience.”
“Giving which?”
"Audience. It’s a foolish little game
I play sometimes. Don’t laugh at me.
1 was pretending this was my court. I
was giving audience to n hero—a pre
server of our country. Then 1 looked
up and saw”—
“Me. You looked like a princess out
of a story book. 1 wondered why you
spoke as you did. Say, it’s a dandy
game. Let’s play it again. You can
pretend you’re a royal princess—the
Princess of Borrovina, if there is one—
and I’ll be—I’ll be—let’s see! What sort
of a face card shall 1 be?",
“The minister of foreign affairs!" she
cried delightedly, entering Into the
spirit of the game. “I’ve sent you
around the world to report on other
nations, and you’ve just returned. Now,
enter the royal presence.”
Hawthorne started forward with as
much of an ambassadorial air as he
could summon.
“Hello, princess!" said he. “How are
they running? I’m just back from
around the world. Thought I’d drop in
to report’’—
“No, uo!" laughed the girl In comic
despair. “That isn’t the way at all.
You must advance and kneel'before me
and kiss my hand and—no, no! Not like
thnt!” she broke off, ns Hawthorne
promptly flung himself gn his knees
and covered her little outstretched-hand
with kisses.
“That’s all wrong.”
“Is it?” ho sighed. “What a pity! I
liked thnt part best of all. What do I
do next?”
“You have our gracious leave to
make your report," she said in pretty
stateliness.
“Well.” declaimed Hawthorne, “at
your royal command I’ve encircled the
globe. I’ve sure traveled some. And I
have to report that from Kamchatka
to Kalamazoo and from Peru to Pomp-
ton I’ve seen not one soul that is a
patch on your royal highness.- Not an
other girl anywhere is a tenth so beau
tiful, so’’—
"I—I must not play the game If
you’re going to talk like this." she in-
ternolated hastily. Then, dronnlnp back
fnlo uer idle oi princess, she continued!
“Proceed with your report, sir. Speak
first of thnt great country—America.”
“Well, your royal highness," answer
ed Hawthorne solemnly, “I’m violating
no confidence when I tell you America
has every country beaten both ways
from the Jack.”
“And it compares with Borrovina?"
"It doesn’t. Nothing compares to the
Httlo U. S. A. As-for this hole in the
corner burg of Borrovina, it needs a
tonic—new- blood. There’s only one
thing in Borrovina that makes a hit
with me. Say, let’s drop this game,
shan’t we? I’ve something more im
portant to tell you. I love you. 1 loved
you the first minute I"— -
"Your royal highness!” interrupted a
woman’s voice from the nearby house.
“Presently, mademoiselle,” called the
girl In reply. "It’s Miss Smythe, my
English governess,” she explained to
Hawthorne. “1 must go now. I"—
“Royal highness!” echoed the Ameri
can. thunderstruck. "Royal highness?
You ?"
The flutter of a skirt through the
shrubbery sent him scampering back
toward the wall before his amazed
question could be answered. Then he
saw the newcomer was nearer than he
had thought und thnt escape by means
of the wall was Impossible at this late
moment. So he dived behind the pro
tection of the summer house; At the
“That’s a good, brave little girl."
same moment the governess earhe out
into the cleared space beside the sun
dial.
“Princess,” she exclaimed. “I have
been looking everywhere for you. His
majesty wishes— Oh!"
She stopped short, conrtesied to the
ground nnd backed out of the gardeu
as n slender, elderly little man strolled
forward.
Augustus III., king of Borrovina, was
royal only In his manners and in his
capacity for spending money that did
not belong to him. This latter accom
plishment had helped to bnnkrupt his
country nnd to make him the most un
popular man In it.
It had also greatly smoothed the way
for a very promising little conspiracy
on the part of ills relative. Prince Vla
dimir Halberstadt. pretender to the
Borrovina throne. For a century the
Oberitches and the Halberstadts bad
warred, intrigued nnd angled in turn
for the throne of Borrovina. The two
families hated each other bitterly. And
the fact an Oberitch—Augustus III.—
chanced just now to wear the crown
did not mean at all that he was going
to keep o» wearing it.
The king greeted his daughter with
absent minded affection, quite oblivious
of her scan-d glance in the direction of
the summer house,
“Sit down. Irma,"-lie said. “I have
come to speak to you on a serious mat
ter—a matter that will change your
whole future and Borrovlnn’s too.”
The princess looked at him in puz
zled eagerness. He meandered on.
“Borrovina Is facing a crisis,.. The
treasury iff empty. Thsrpeopre nro mur
muring. The spirit of unrest seems to
have crept abroad In a most dangerous
nnd lnslduous manner.”
"Because the country is poor?" quer
ied Irma. "Surely money isn’t neces
sary to happiness."
Sho clasped her pretty hands and
gnzed inquiringly at her father.
"I can’t say from personal experi
ence," grimly retorted the king. "But
there’s a general Impression to that ef
fect. However, money is not our only
trouble. Thero Is n growing dnnger
from the house of Uallierstndt. Prince
Vladimir has never censod intriguing
for’’-
"Prince Vladimir!" sho broke in an
grily. “How 1 hnte him! I hnte him ns
bitterly ns If I'd really seen him instead
of only beurlng how ubomlnuble he Is."
"Why,” faltered the king in confu
sion, "thnt makes It very awkward,
Irma: for, the fact Is, everything Is
changed now. Prince Vladimir and 1
are dear friends."
"Friends?” gnsped Irma, incredu
lously.
"The very best of friends,” her father
assured her. "And you mustn’t hnte
him any longer, my dear, because, you
see, you, are going to be Prince Vludl-
mir’s wife."
"Oh, no! It’s—you're joking! It isn’t
possible!" the princess cried, her faco
paling.
“In diplomacy everything is possible.
A treaty was signed today between
myself und Vladimir—between the
house of Oberitch aud the house of
Hnlberstndt. And after spending a
century at each other’s throats we're
falling on each other's necks.”
"And 1 am to marry him? Marry a
man I hate? A than I've been taught
to hate because he is the enemy of our
bouse?"
"Can you imagine a more fitting re
venge?"
"But I don’t want to marry lilm. I
don’t want to marry anybody!"
"You inherit thnt from me, Irma. I
didn’t want to marry, either. But 1
did It. And my only child Is a daugh
ter, which makes my sacrifice useless.
It is your turn now. dear, to sacrifice.
You enn do your country a tremendous
service. You can suve it from blood
shed and revolution. This treaty is a
great btmetlt to Borrovina. It Insures
us perpetual peace and security. It
makes Vladimir and yourself my suc
cessors on the throne.”
' The princess dropped her head sadly.
Tears came into her eyes.
"But," she suddenly cried, with de
termination. "If I hnd to marry at all
why couldn’t 1 murry some one I love?”
And her glance again strayed towurd
the summer bouse.
"That is the price of royalty, my
dear," answered the king. "The seat
of royal affections is not In the heart,
but in the foreign office. Come, come,
little girl! You mustn't cry. Prince
Vladimir and the chancellor will be
here in a moment. I told them to wait
until 1 had brokeu the news to you.
They mustn't find you crying. There,
there! Remember, this marriage is not
forced on us. We consent to it will
ingly, proudly, royally.”
"For the snke of our country,” she
whispered more to herself than to the
king, “to bring peace and safety and
happiness to the dear land I love, to
serve the kingdom thnt Is dearer to me
than all the world—yes, it is worth the
sacrifice, no matter how terrible thnt
sacrifice must be."
"That's right,” approved the king.
“That’s a good, brave little girl. So!
They’re comimr.”
He took her by tho hand aud stood
beside her in the gardeu walk, a cer
tain dignity ennobling his meager fig
ure., The girl, too, forced herself to
choke back the tears thnt blinded her
and tt stand proudly at her father's
side to receive the group of men who
were coming forward from tho palace.
Anthony Hamilton Hawthorne took a
quick step forward from his hiding
place behind the summer house. His
bronzed face had gone dead white. His
alert eyes were uCilaze. And his mus-
cnlar body wns tense.
"History Is going to bo mndo hero in
a minute or two," lie muttered under
his breath. "And maybe trouble too.
And. as usual, the U. S. A. is'going to
be right on the spot when things begin
to'liuppen. Now for It!"
CHAPTER II. "* i
“Remember your promise!”
A *""GROUP of men.!n court dress
were coming from a palace.
QmSE in the lead was u large, benv-
sSEil Hy made muu, with a gross
face. Front muuy pictures the princess
recognized him as Prince Vludlmlr of
the bouse of Halberstadt. Behind him
on one side walked his equerry, Radul-
ski. On the other were Count Ivan
Puulovlc, state chancellor of Borrovina,
and General Hohenloe, commander In
chief of the urmy.
“His highness Prince Vladimir Hal
berstadt!” pompously announced Ho
henloe.
"Ah, prince," snid the king pleasant
ly. “You enjoyed your drive out here
to the summer palace?”
"I had plenty of time to enjoy It,”
yawned the prince. “Your majesty’s
horses move like snails."
“A lover’s impatience, sire," put in
the equerry, Radulskl, npologeticnlly,
as the king's sallow old face flushed a
little at his guest’s boorish rudeness.
Augustus III. smiled civil acquiescence
nud turned to the prince, still holding
his daughter’s hnud.
“Irma," said he, "let me present to
you his highness. Prince Vladimir
Peter Joseph Bojidar Halberstadt."
Turning formally to the prince, ne
added:
“Her royal highness the Princess
Irma Augusta Elisabeth of Borrovina.”
The prince slouched surlily forward,
eyeing Irma critically. Then, as eti
quette demanded, he knelt and kissed
her icb cold hand.
“Princess." he said in brusque fnsh-
lon, as though closing a business deal,
"the diplomats have settled it that you
and I are to marry. If you are willing
so am I. I think there’s nothing more
to be said.”
Without waiting for the terror strick
en girl to reply he left her abruptly
nnd slouched over to the king.
“Your daughter is good looking,” he
commented, "but she’s small. You
Oberitches are n race of little people.”
“Your highness.” whispered RadulskL
“Tnet! More tact, I beg of you."
The king at the same moment was
muttering angrily to his chancellor.
“The fellow is impossible—a boor!
We have swallowed fifteen such insults,
since lunch."
"I’m goinp to inspect the army to
morrow,” answered the prince. "How
many troops have you in Borrovina?
And is it true you haven’t paid any of
them for more than a year?, I’m told
not an official in the government has
hnd his pay for months except the
chancellor, who also happens to be
treasurer.”
“Prince.” interposed the king, ignor-
coiirse HI)P(V-I). "Jllir. ar-
Do you know what we need in booming this town?
WE NEED STEAM.
• We should organize all the men into a GREAT ENGINE OF PROGRESS
and then get enough steam in our boilers to muke the thing go. ~ Wftwfflrf
The locomotive has transformed the world, has peopled the wilderness,
built great cities, carried civilization to the ends of the earth, made trade
boom all around the planet
It has done these things because it has POWER, because it MOVES. It
is an iron and steel harness placed on the force of steam, it is organized to
go In definite directions and perform definite tasks.
We need to HARNESS HUMAN STEAM, to give it the same definite di
rections and tasks to perform.
To build a human engine that will pull this town up the road of progress
we must all work together. We must organize so thnt each man will have
his allotted port of the load: then we must get up tho steam of energy, pull
open the throttle and move things.
Toot-toot! All aboard the boosting train!
Now, all togetherl Pull for new people, new business! 1 ‘ j-
Mi