Beverly of Graustark

Beverly of Graustark

Project Gutenberg's Beverly of Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon
#19 in our series by George Barr McCutcheon
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Title: Beverly of Graustark
Author: George Barr McCutcheon
Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6801] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on January 26,
2003]
Edition: 10

Language: English
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BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK
BY GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON

CONTENTS
I East of the Setting Sun II Beverly Calhoun III On the Road from
Balak IV The Ragged Retinue V The Inn of the Hawk and Raven VI
The Home of the Lion VII Some Facts and Fancies VIII Through the
Ganlook Gates IX The Redoutable Dangloss X Inside the Castle Walls
XI The Royal Coach of Graustark XII In Service XIII The Three
Princes XIV A Visit and Its Consequences XV The Testing of Baldos
XVI On the Way to St. Valentine's XVII A Note Translated XVIII
Confessions and Concessions XIX The Night Fires XX Gossip of Some
Consequence XXI The Rose XXII A Proposal XXIII A Shot in the
Darkness XXIV Beneath the Ground XXV The Valor of the South
XXVI The Degradation of Marlanx XXVII The Prince of Dawsbergen
XXVIII A Boy Disappears XXIX The Capture of Gabriel XXX In the
Grotto XXXI Clear Skies

BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK

CHAPTER I
EAST OF THE SETTING SUN
Far off in the mountain lands, somewhere to the east of the setting sun,

lies the principality of Graustark, serene relic of rare old feudal days.
The traveler reaches the little domain after an arduous, sometimes
perilous journey from the great European capitals, whether they be
north or south or west--never east. He crosses great rivers and wide
plains; he winds through fertile valleys and over barren plateaus; he
twists and turns and climbs among sombre gorges and rugged
mountains; he touches the cold clouds in one day and the placid
warmth of the valley in the next. One does not go to Graustark for a
pleasure jaunt. It is too far from the rest of the world and the ways are
often dangerous because of the strife among the tribes of the
intervening mountains. If one hungers for excitement and peril he finds
it in the journey from the north or the south into the land of the
Graustarkians. From Vienna and other places almost directly west the
way is not so full of thrills, for the railroad skirts the darkest of the
dangerlands.
Once in the heart of Graustark, however, the traveler is charmed into
dreams of peace and happiness and--paradise. The peasants and the
poets sing in one voice and accord, their psalm being of never-ending
love. Down in the lowlands and up in the hills, the simple worker of the
soil rejoices that he lives in Graustark; in the towns and villages the
humble merchant and his thrifty customer unite to sing the song of
peace and contentment; in the palaces of the noble the same patriotism
warms its heart with thoughts of Graustark, the ancient. Prince and
pauper strike hands for the love of the land, while outside the great,
heartless world goes rumbling on without a thought of the rare little
principality among the eastern mountains.
In point of area, Graustark is but a mite in the great galaxy of nations.
Glancing over the map of the world, one is almost sure to miss the
infinitesimal patch of green that marks its location. One could not be
blamed if he regarded the spot as a typographical or topographical
illusion. Yet the people of this quaint little land hold in their hearts a
love and a confidence that is not surpassed by any of the lordly
monarchs who measure their patriotism by miles and millions. The
Graustarkians are