The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-12-02
HE rebuked him quite iustlylr

''What does the king spend? Come,
nowr'
They're always calling him so gen.
erous."
"He gives thousands and thousands to
the poor every year"
|, "He's enormously rich
swell, he more than halves his in
come"
"Oh, bahr'
''Did you ever hear of anyone who
sought him for help going away empty
handed?''
And he spends hours each week Wis
iting the poor
Anyway, Philibert deserved just
what he got"
1.-THE emperor may take this up"
81 hope he will. Philibert's his
friend"
1.-The emperor can do nothing"
'Oh, absurd!''
''Preposterousr'
81 should say it was! That king as
noble and good as ours should be brow
beaten in his own palace!'
And thus the talk buzzed on, finally
dying into complete silence. The doors
had closed behind the last retreating
figure. Not even a servant remained.
The princess was still seated. Her son
stood before her, looking down into her
face. And his own face was far sterner
than she had ever before seen it.
"At last | can speak," he said,
measuredly breaking the silence, land
tell you what long ago you should have
heard from me-" .l
"And that is?" she queried, with an
intonation of hauteur, though secretly
not a little alarmed.
''It is this: Your reign has now
ceased, and mine, if you please, must
begin"
"Your reign, Clarimond? If only you
;oould reign
"Oh, 1 shall, never fenr." And he
lifted one hand with a telling gesture
that seemed to add: Swat and see."
"But l shall reign, be sure of it, in my
way, not yours"
my son! AS if had sought to in
terfere with your rulershipl"
"You have sought in every way to in
terfere with it. Yes, of late even politi-
cally-bqt now all such folly is at an
end. / have been far too lenient with
you. shall show you henceforth how,
in playing with fire, one may sometimes
singe ones fingers"
"Clarimondl Have you forgotten that
/ am your mother?''
''No; remember it too well; other
wise 1 would have you past my from
tier inside the next two hours"
"Ah!'' walled the princess, equally
swayed by rage and fright, ''it is too
plain that you have forgottenI'
mo; but it was you that for many
chances of a throne overshadowed me
then you remembered my existence"
"You-you insult meI'
81 have no wish to do so, but, believe
me, have both the wish and the in
tention of restraining you. Since you
came into my territory, weeks ago,
nothing but discord has resulted. In a
hundred minor ways you have opposed
me. My disliles have been set at
naught; my detractors have been en-
couraged; my allies and supporters have
been treated with contempt. Appoint
ing yourself royal chatelaine of the pal
ace without my permission, you have
invested that dignity with continuous,
if covert, revolt. 1 need define myself
no further. / owe you no explanation
of your own deplorable conduct. From
this time forward you are under the
strict surveillance. Every act of yours
will be watched"
''You-you threaten me!''
81 do not threaten, 1 warn you.
There will be no threats. The instant
that you show the least rebellious
spirit, the least desire to set your own
tastes, convictions, formulas of deport-
ment, against my own, that instant the
carriage will be waiting, state coach,
with outriders and all the royal phara-
phernalia that you so love, to convey
you outside of my domain"
'Such treatmentr' burst from the
princess. sit is inhuman."
''It is deserved. You thought to con-
tinue this amazing policy of making my
little land an abode for disrespect to its
sovereign. The silly insubordination of
Philibert tonight is merely an effect of
your many imprudent and ill-advised
counsels. For long time you have
been trespassing with strange boldness
upon my royal prerogative. You have
now reached the limit of your unhappy
imprudence. Your further residence in
Saltravia depends upon your complete
courtesy to me and your complete recog-
milton of my place at the headof my own
government. More than this, it de-
pends upon your acceptance of my So
termed democracy. Still more, it de-
ponds upon your graciousness toward
my friends, and in particular toward
my dear and honored American friend,
Eric Thaxter, concerning whom you
have spread idle and hurtful reports,
and on whom you have endeavored to
cast odium by excluding him from en-
tertainments which you have daringly
given, as may be said, with the full ap-
parent sanction of the crown"
All these words of Clarimond were
spoken with a simple repose which
finely became him. His manner, his
voice, never once lost that serenity and
equipoise without which he would have
seemed less commandant than accusa-
tive. He seemed both to thelady, who
now rose half tottering to her feet and
said, in accents choked with passion:
IL had best go at once, then. You
exile me, as you threatened to exile
poor Philibertr'
"You exile yourself if so you prefer
replied the king. There was bell-rope
within a few yards of him, and he
moved toward it, with hand lifted as if
in the act of summoning servant, as
he went on: