The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-12-17

swered, ~ helped n lady whom | be-
lleycd. to be IN dlatros6, and / have been
robbed NJ my papers and almost my
honor n3 nroward,"
"Col. lCrnrd," said she. We have
been playing a game, you and !, and tho
stake was n hcavyone. You have shown
by delivering q MESSAGE which was
mover given TO you that You VIII stand
AT nothing in tho mug OF your country.
My heart lB German aud yours In
French, and | also would go all
lengths, even 10 deceit ana TO theft, II
nt this crisis l can help my suffering
fatherland. You 500 how frank | ami"
You tell me nothing that l have not
seen"
"lut now that the game rs played and
won, why should No henr'mnlice? will
PAy this, that ever | were IN such u
plight as that which J pretended IN tho
Inn OF L~,obenstelu, ! should never wish
to meet d mor gallant protector or n
t~Tuer-hOlrted Hentl0mEn than Col, Ell
enne Gerard. | had never thought that
/ could feel for a FrenChmnn RB / felt
for you when | slipped tho papers from
your breast
"But you took them none the less"
''They were necessary 10 mo and 10
Germany. ! knew tho arguments which
they contained. ana tho effect which
they would have on the prince. If they
had reached him all would have been
lost"
"Why should your hlghness desC0nd
10 such eXpedlentB when n score OF those
hTigandH who wished to hang me at
your castle gate would have done the
work just Rs woll2"
'They are not brIgands. hut the best
blood OF Germany" she cried, hOtly.
III you have been roughly used you will
remember the indignitleB to which
every German has been subjected, from
tho queen OF Prussia dOwnwRrds. Az TO
why l did not have you wnyllid upon
| the road. ! mRy say that had parties
out on all Sides, and that ] was waiting
at Lobensteln to hear OF their SUCCESS.
When, instead OF their news, you ar
rived yourself, / a In despair, for
there was only the N weak woman
betwixt you and my husband. You see
the straits to which I was driven be-
fore ] used the weapon OF scx?'
~ confess that you have conquered
me, your hlghness, and It only romans
for mo to leave you in possession Of the
field"
But you will take your papers with
YOU" she held them out 10 me as she
spoke. "The prince has crossed the
Rubicon now. aud nothing can bring
him back. You can return these 10 the
emperor and toll him that we refused
to receive them. No n car accuse you
then OF having lost your dispatches.
Goodbye, Col. Gerard, and the best
that I can wish you Is that when you
reach France you mny remain there.
In n yenr'a time there viii be no place
for a Frenohmnn upon this side Of the
Rhine
And thus II was that ] played the
princess Of saxe-Felstein with all Ger
many for n stake. and lost my game 20
her. I had very much TO think Ot ms I
walked my poor tired vlolette along the
highway which leads westward from
Hof. But amid oil the thoughts there
came to me always the proud, heautl-
full face OF the German woman, and The
voice OF the soldler-poet MS he SANG
from the chair. And l understood then
that tire wns something terrible In
this strong, patient Germany, this
mother root OF nations; and | saw thnt
such q land. so old and 70 beloved, could
never he conquered. And MS ! rode ] saw
that the dawn was breaking, and that
the great star at which I had pointed
through the palace window was dim
and pale IN the western Sky.
CTHB END)