Motion Picture Classic (Jan-Dec 1920)

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MOTION PICTURE The Grand Duchess sat at not recall liearine such a phrase, Sh/'tloVcTVoomn^'lt ?,'" H F.xal.e.I Highness, the the wooden retainers, 1 rince ot Kutabagia, at moments whose neatest pride was of extreme irritation, used some not to show the faintest times to remark, 'Tut ! Tut''" symptom of bemg human ..^01 strong enough." Maria Louise rebelled. "I'm not irritated. Jennings; I'm something much worse — I'm bored. Just think, out there." she flung out a reckless arm toward the window, "beyond that ten-foot wall, life is going on. and I'm not there to see it! Just because I happened to be born on the wrong side of that fence. I have to live with a lot of rusty armor and moth-eaten tapestries and never, never have any fun!" "Fun — oh, V'our Grace !" the governess spoke the plebeian word with loathing, folding her outraged lips tightly about her bluish-china teeth. "A Duchess must not desire fun; she must be above such common things; she must remember that her great-great-great-great-grandfather was a King!" Maria Louise arose with what, in a less blue-blooded young woman, would have been called a pout, and passed out of the dining salon between rows of motionless footmen. She found a moment's amusement in wondering what would happen if she should suddenly shout "Boo!" at them; then grey lassitude de scended u])on her. Listlessly she allowed her ladies-in-waiting to assist her into her riding habit, which, in spite of impeccable cut and tailoring, gave her slim little figure the apjiearance of a rather rowdyish boy ; she allowed the I'irst Groom of the Royal Stables to help her mount her staid horse, which was quite aware of his place as bearer of a Sublime Cirace and moved with the circumspect self-consciousness of a steed on a stained glass window. The retinue left the palace gates, turned down the Mall and entered the Royal Park. The rehellion smouldering under the black curls of the small Grand Duchess flared higher into seething flame. Always, every pleasant day since she was able to sit upon a horse, she had ridden at jirecisely the same hour along precisely the same dull, uninteresting avenue, to be stared at by owl-eyed tourists, clutching Baedekers and huzzaed by the populace with stereotyped cheers, like the chorus in a musical comedy. On either side small, wooded paths beckoned her imagination into the realms of romance and adventure, but. being a poor, unfortunate Grand Duchess, .she must ride past them The thread of Maria Louise's ruminations broke off with a snap. Lender the hanging branches of one of these by-paths she saw .something that held her fascinated gaze — a sVnall. knockkneed donkey, ridden by a loutish youth whose long legs dragged upon the ground on either side. She cast a quick glance around, tugging on the reins — no, Grafin Schmidt was engrossed in looking haughty, and Griifin Oppe was occupied in looking indifferent, and the others were too far ahead to notice her defection. With a jerk Maria Louise swerved her disapproving mount aside into the by-path, running completely over the remonstrant .shade of her great-great-great-grandfather, the King. "Quick!" she jjanted. sliding to the ground and laying violent hands upon the bewildered owner of the donkey. "I want that donkey! I never rode on one before, and I'll never have a chance to again. Hold my horse, and if any one asks where I am, tell them I've run away." Sheer amazement at her impudence led the donkey to carry the Grand Duchess .some distance before he knew exactly what was going on. then he stopped. Stopped with such suddenness that the Duchess shot neatly over his head, reached wildly for his ears and missed them, and landed in a very unroyal position indeed, facing him. uix)n the ground. They regarded each other appraisingly. Maria Louise's chin grew grim. She arose laboriously. In the long line of her progenitors was one Knight Geoffrey of the Iron Will, who, it was legended, fought with a dragon and overcame. Knight Geoffrey looked out of her dark, defiant young eyes now, as stealthily she approached the donkey. "I'm going to ride you," she declared; "you cant do that to me again." It was five minutes before this long-eared dragon knew that (Forty)