The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-09-19

the cover upon the tablc-clOth, and
dashed IL mad haste from the room
Wondering somewhat at this prccipi,atn
conduct, l was about to fill my plate,
when | was arrested in the act by q
great noise of hurry.ns feet upon the
pavement without. People were lun-
mig and calling to each other, and al
together there was so much tumult that
I said to myself, "Ah, another mob"
Then |, toe, left the parlor, and hast
encd to the street door OF the inn.
There l discovered honest Strumpf
and honest Mrs. St,umpf. supported by
the entire personnel Of their establish
ment, from the boots to the billiard
marker, all aSape with establishment, as
three loquacious citizens poured news
into their ears.
lotto is dead" said the first citizen.
He died at sixteen minutes past six
more than an hour ago"
But that is nothing" cried the sec
ond citizen. "Thc great news is this.
Listen to me-
"No, to ne, interposcd third. Il
have it directly from one of the scnti
nels at the palace. The pretcndcr, Con-
rad, has been knitted like pig; and jolly
wcll he deserved it, too. 1t was be-
tween four and five o'clock this after
noon. A monk, a young monk, a Fran
ciscan, presented himself at the Mar
morhof, and demanded an audience OF
the Prince. The palace guard-and it
is straight from one Of them that I have
the story-of course refused him ad-
mittance; but he was determined, and
so at last the Princes chamberlain gave
him a hearing. The upshot was he
wrote a word or two upon a slip of pa
per, scaled it up with wax, and begged
that it might be delivered to his high
ness forthwith, swearing that it con-
tanned information of the utmost impor-
lance to his welfare. The chamberlain
conveyed his pape: to the Prince, who,
directly he had read it, uttered great
oath, and ordered that the monk be ush-
cred into his presence and that they be
left alone together. Alone accordingly
they were left. More than an hour
passed. At a little after six arrived the
news of the death Of the old Duke. An
officer entered the Princes chamber to
report it him. There, if you please, he
found his highness stretched out dead
upon the floor, with a knife in his
heart; the monk had vanished. They
could find no trace whatever of his
whereabouts. Also had vanished the
paper he had sent in to the Prince, but,
what the police regard rs an important
clue, he had left another paper, twisted
around the handle of the dagger, whcrcon
was scrawicd in disguised hand: In
the country of the blind the one-eyed
men may be kings, but Conrad only
sQuinted!'
The grand point of it all you have
omitted, put in the second citizen. 1T
is this. Shut up in an inner apartment
of the Marmorhof they have found the
hereditary Grand Duchess Mathiide
alive and well! Conrad has been keep
ing her prisoner there these two
weeks
The tidinss thus delivered by these
worthless proved to be substantially cor
rect.
The Duke is dead! Long live the
Duchess" cried the populace.
1t was like delightful old-fashioned
Observation-Disclosures opera, and l was
almost behind the scenes But oh! that
hyrOcritical young ribald monk, Sc
bastian Roch! What had become OF
him? Wonld he keep his promise tc
look me up? The police were said to be
prosecuting diligent endeayor to loob