blood and rank he was the equal of any King or must divide my crust with them. If we offend King her till she slapped his face Then he laughed and Prince east of the Rhine. August, there will be no crust; for I am powerless to cried out. 'Ah, my little beauty! you are fit to be Though the old Margrave was, in a way. a mimic compel him to hold to the treaty. Still, 1 cannot bear Queen of Queens!'.'Not with you as King of Prince, because Bayreuth was small, he was not a that you should marry this painted courtesan of Kings!' she replied. The Czar was so delighted with mimic man. He was a man in the fullest, rarest, Dresden." her spirit and her quick retort that he would have and best sense of the word; for his long life had been " I shall marry her, father," said Prince Henry embraced her again: but she fled in childish indig¬ one of truth to himself, kindness to his friends, and after a long pause, "if my refusal will bring mis¬ nation. Ah. my son! if you could have this beautiful justice to all with whom he came in contact In fortune to you. It would be hard and life would be Wilhelmina for your wife, how happy I should be! his old age he lived happily in his little castle of a dreary prospect afterward; hut I'll gladly do it, But she is for England or Dresden, or for some one Bayreuth. nestled among the mountain peaks, father, if it is your wish." that will aid King Frederick William in his Prussian reaped the harvest of a manhood well tilled, and "You shall not marry her, even though your re¬ policy, or, perhaps I should say. that will answer watched the sun as it set tranquilly on a life's win¬ fusal may cost me my State' There is but one way Grumkow's purposes. 1 should be content with her ter of sweet content to evade refusal or marriage You must disappear younger sister for your wife, and am willing to run No small part of the Margrave's reward was his .run away.before King August sends word of his the risk of her disposition." son. Prince Henry, or "Fritz Henry," as he was intention Go at once and do not tell me where you "I want neither." said Henry. "I want no wife, familiarly known bv his friends. are going When Dresden's envoys arrive, 1 can not I! I'll be faithful to my sword; and who knows The fact that Prince Henry was over six feet tall then say with truth that 1 do not know where you but I may some day win a wife whom I shall want, soon played an important part in shaping his destiny. are After you have gone I shall immediately cause who will want me? When I find her, I'll bring her He had spent several years in the armies of England, it to be known in Dresden that you are away from home to dear old Bayreuth for your blessing." Italy, and France, when of course he had learned the home and I may be able to prevent the offer, at "You and she shall have it, my son, if she is ways of the world: but, notwithstanding this ques¬ least for a time You have lived-so much away naught but the virtuous daughter of a burgher." tionable wisdom, had retained much of his father's from home that your absence will not seem un¬ gentleness of nature and purity of heart. At a time usual." "PRINCE HENRY rose from his chair and stood when nearly every man was a drunken rou£, Fritz "I'll take your advice within an hour, father If with his back to the fire while the old Margrave Henry seemed to have taken disgust from the evil King August sends his message offering me the hand walked over to the window and gazed out on the snow¬ about him, and had profited by the ill example. of his fine daughter, you will eagerly give your con¬ storm. After five minutes of silence. Prince Henry The old Margrave, too, differed from his princely sent, subject, of course, to my approval, and I'll rang a bell, and a page from an anteroom responded. brothers in many respects. He had in his youtn give my approval when.when they find me." * "Tell Peter to come to me at once!" said the made a marriage for love, and later in life had not Prince tried to strengthen his position by forcing his chil¬ '"PHE old Margrave sat musing and gazing into the Henry remained by the fireside, and his father dren into repugnant marriages for State purposes * fire Presently he said, " I have sometimes hoped continued to gaze out the window. The old Mar¬ that King Frederick William of Prussia and Bran¬ grave knew what the summons for Peter meant. AT the time of this discussion between Fritz Henry denburg might give you his second daughter, Char¬ Peter was Prince Henry's body servant. and his father, August the Stark was King of lotte Thev say she is very beautiful; but she is very "Will you be running away from me so soon?*' Poland and Elector of Saxony. He was the most dis¬ young, wilful and thoughtless. I am told. Her dis¬ asked the Margrave, turning his face toward his son. solute of men. His family, it was said, consisted of position may improve with age; but. on the other "You have been home less than a fortnight, and one hundred and sixty-five sons and daughters who hand, it may grow to be like her father's in which the storm has an ugly look." were true children of a bad father. case. " the. Margrave held up his Hand warningly. 'I am not running away from you, father," said For many years August the Stark had been a and after a brief pause, continued."in which case Henry, going to the Margrave's side and resting hi» kindly guardian to the small State of Bayreuth. I should not want her for'a daughter in law." hand gently on the old man's shoulder "I am run¬ paying to the Margrave a liberal pension in accord¬ "She is probably better than report paints her." ning away from this Princess of Dresden. Your ad¬ ance with the terms of an old treaty vice, as usual, is good. There is but one way to Having many daughters to dispose of. King "She may be. she may be! I believe the King avoid this marriage, and that is to lose myself in some out of the way corner of the world. I cannot do it too quickly To-morrow may be too late: so I'll go at once " "True." answered the Margrave "I'm sorry to say you are right, and I must not let my love detain you ' Peter soon came, and Prince Henry said: ' Arrange my saddles and bags for a journey. I'll wear the breastplate and steel cap, and carry my hand guns and sword Make haste, Peter, and bring the horses to the drawbridge as quickly as pos¬ sible' I'll be in the courtyard, ready to start, in half an hour You of course, will go with me."

UALF an hour later the Prince and Peter were riding out beneath the castle gates, bound for any place that would save Henry from King August's daughter Soon after they had departed. Henry said, "We will ride off into the mountains, and I'll let chance determine our route I wish to be unknown. From now on, Peter, remember that I am Captain Henry Churchill. I speak English as if English born, and, you being of English birth, we may, if I take an English name, easily pass for Englishmen. We are Captain Henry Churc hill and servant Peier, London, England." * Cheapside," * Not Cheapside, your Highness," suggested Peter. "Cheapside is no place for a gentleman to hail from. We'll say Westminster." "Very well," returned Henry. "We're from Westminster; but you must not say 'your High¬ ness.' It must be 'Captain Churchill.'" "Ah. yes," returned Peter. "I'll remember, your Highness.that is, Captain Churchill." "They Think You a Fool," Said the Old Lady. "Because They Judge by Your Foolish Grin." Captain Henry and old Peter soon left the main road and took a mountain path over which their August one day suggested to his ministers a scheme might be induced to give her to you, if we were to horses plowed through the snow till near sunset, for relieving his family congestion, and at the same allow him time to make up his stubborn mind, or if when they came to the main highway between Kol- time honoring his old friend of Bayreuth, by giving we could in some manner convince him that we do berg and Chemnitz As they turned into the road to the hereditary Prince a fair daughter of Saxony not want her. The subject was once broached by they saw six men, heavily armed and roughly to wife. King August selected one of his daughters, Grumkow; but nothing came of it." The Margrave dressed, approaching from the west. One of the and asked his advisers to take the subject of her sat musing for a moment, then continued, "If even men hailed in German, and Henry waited till the marriage to Fritz Henry under consideration For¬ a small part of what is said about the Prussian King little company came up to him. The Captain or tunately, affairs of State moved slowly in Saxony, is true, ne must be an old devil, stark mad. Prince leader of the party seemed to be a Frenchman; Jor being constantly interrupted by matters of more Fritz, I hear, is a fine boy, and the world is full of when he addressed Henry it was in French, freely importance that promoted the King's pleasure and Wilhelmina's praises. But I am told the King hates mingled with English and German. entertainment. them, and it is feared at Berlin he will work some "Slay I ask, are we on the right road to Chem¬ A hint of King August's kindly intentions had great injury to them one of these fine days, in a fit nitz?" the French Captain inquired. been privately sent by a friend in Dresden to Fritz of madness. It is said the King dotes on his daugh¬ "The way to Chemnitz is a crooked one," an¬ Henry's father at Bayreuth and had brought con¬ ter Charlotte, who defies him, disobeys him, and has swered Henry, smiling and speaking English, which sternation in its wake to father and son. her own way in everything. Her father has given he was sure the fellow would understand, "and it is The morals of King August's court were not con¬ her the nickname ' Don't Care,' because that is her hard to say when one is on the right road. There ducive to the growth of perfect womanhood, and, as one answer when he grows angry and threatens her." are so many turnings and forkings in the mountains the daughter about to be proposed by his Majesty Henry laughed and said, "She must be interest¬ that you will lose your way if you are not xamiliar was neither good, handsome, nor rich. Prince Henry ing." and after a long, thoughtful pause the Margrave with the route. We are traveling to Chemnitz, and quite naturally did not want her for a wife, nor did resumed: shall be glad to show the way if you wish to accom¬ the Margrave want her for a daughter in law. "The Princess Wilhelmina must be a rare, lovable pany us." character. Those who know her say that in all the Henry hoped he might be able to induce the rough HILE the wind howled and screamed among the world there is no Princess who equals her in beauty, but stout band of warriors, who were all well armed turrets and towers of Bayreuth, the Margrave gentleness, and wit. You know our friend. King and well mounted, to enlist under his banner, and and Prince Henry sat in their armchairs before the August, fell desperately in love with her on his re¬ with so goodly a company he was sure he would be fire, greatly troubled by the kindly intentions of their cent visit to Berlin, and doubtless would have mar¬ welcomed into any army of Europe. His offer of powerful friend and neighbor. ried her at once had she not been betrothed to guidance, therefore, was not entirely disinterested. "If we refuse King August's daughter, we shall Prince Frederick of England. She may yet become The French Captain, who seemed grateful for the offend him,-' said the Margrave. "He will with¬ King August's bride, if the English treaty falls. It proffered help, promptly accepted Henry's offer, and draw his support from Bayreuth. and will cut off our has long been tottering. Did you ever hear of her the party at once started forward toward Chemnitz. allowance under the treaty. If he ceases payment, meeting with the Great Bear of the North, Peter of Soon the storm increased and became so violent how shall we support our old retainers? We cannot Russia?" that the travelers readily agreed to stop for the night turn them out into the bleak winds. I am not deeply "No, father." at a small village inn, where Henry offered to pay concerned for myself; but I must care for these old " When Peter first clapped eyes on the little Prin¬ the cost of entertainment. men and women who have been my friends and cess, then a child, he was so charmed by her fresh When Prince Henry sprang from his horse, one helpers all through life, and, though I am poor, I young beauty that he took her in his arms and kissed Continued cn page 13