Page:Czecho-Slovak Student Life, Volume 18.djvu/432

AMAU.: One blow, Conrad; swift and sure. I’ll watch these mastiffs, lest they wake, (Aside.) Whether Richard slays Conrad, or Conrad Richard, I care not a straw.—I’ll slip out while slipping out is good.(Exit.)

CON.: Conrad, this hour makes thee, or mars thee. (He raises his sword to strike, when a trumpet blows. He pauses a moment, and when he is about to spring on Richard, enter Kenneth, who strikes him down.)

KEN.: Traitors, my liege! Arouse thee! Conrad of Montserrat! God! a Christian prince and knight turns a foul midnight assassin!

RICH: (Scarcely disturbed by the occurrence.) Conrad, we did suspect thy enmity towards my person. But that thou wouldst dishonor thy princely rank and knightly valor by so foul a deed I had not believed, had thy best friend taken an oath on it. Conrad, thou rat, thou vermin—but no! Conrad, thou art a dying man. So I shall rather bless thy soul, than revile it. As I feared not thy arm, so I forgive thy treachery.—Here is my hand.

CON.: Theodoric, thou wert a true prophet—the lion hath sprung and stricken the hound! Richard, thou art true to thy noble self. Two fiends—the fiend of ambition urging within my heart, and an infernal fiend whispering in my ear—have brought me to this pass.—Richard, let thy blood be not on my head! Beware of the Knight Templar!—My hour is come!—Fetch the Father Confessor!—Haste ye! (Exit a soldier.)

RICH.: And you, Sir Knight, how come you in the nick of time?—whilst my sentinels there were drunk asleep?

KEN.: By the Providence of God, your Majesty. Scouts have but now returned with the announcement that Saladin is massing his troops at Damascus. I came hither directly to bid you call the Council into assembly to prepare plans of strategy.

RICH.: Glory be to Sion! This is news indeed. Then, St. George for Merry England—and on to Jerusalem! On to the Holy Sepulchre thru Saladin’s thirty thousand serried ranks!

A special Czecho-Slovak number of the Westwaco Inspirations for Printers has just been published by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co., of New York City. It contains colorful samples of artistic illustrations of Czech folk tales and children’s books in vivid colors by Czech artists, lithographicaly printed, splendid examples of posters and advertising circulars, printed by the three color process. The purpose of this publication is to show to American printers and publishers what Czechoslovakia has done and is capable of doing in the way of picturesque lithography and artistic topography.

A successful exposition of Czech graphic art was conducted at Shedd Park, Chicago, on April 21st and 22nd. The following Czech artists were represented: Aleš, Mucha, Max Švabinský, Peter Delinger, Fr. Bílek, T. F. Šiml, Stretti, V. Fiala, B. Jaroněk, and Chas. Vilímovský. The exhibition was under the auspices of Anton Broshe, 2255 S. Clifton Park Ave., Chicago, Ill., who is the American representative of the Czech graphic artists.