The Washington weekly post., 1899-07-04

appeared TO be the intention of the au-
thorities % avoid all publicity. The rela-
tives and the betrothss of the dead sol-
der had been warned 10 keep silence, and
seek no further Information II was not
till several days after her lovers death
that Gretlich. anxious because he did not
keep his appointment with fsr and not
hearing from him, fearing that he was III,
began TO make inquiries. Tksn she re-
csived together the information and the
caution.
In the presence of death all CONSIDERS
are futile, and Jennie realized this az she
endeavored az well as she could 20 COM
fort the girl Her heart was so much en-
listed in this that perhaps her intellect
was the less active. but here she stood On
the very threshold " the secret she had
come to Vienna to discover and yet had
not the slightest suspicion that the girls
tragedy and her own mission were inter-
woven. Jennie had wondered at the stu
pidity OF Cadbury Taylor, who failed 10
sea what seemed so plainly before him,
yet here was Jennie herself come l,o0
miles, more or less, 10 obtain certain in
formation, and here a sobbing girl was
narrating the very item of news that she
had come so far 10 learn. all of which
would seem TO show that none of US are
so bright and clever as we imagine our
selves 10 be
In the afternoon the Princess entered
Jennie's sitting-room carrying in her
hand a bunch Of letters
THERE she cried while you have
been resting have been working, and we
are not going to allow any time TO be
/ lest. / have written with my own hand
| invitations to about two dozen people
/ 10 our tea on Thursday. among others
! the wife of the Premier. Countess Stron.
/ expect you 10 devote yourself to that
/ lady and tell me the result of the con-
/ versation after it is over. Have you been
/ talking consolation to GretliCh? l came
I up here half an hour ago. and it seemed
to me | heard the sound Of crying In this
/ room.
"Oh. yesr' said Jennie. "She has been
/ telling NE all her trouble. 1t seems she
I had a lover in the army. and he has
been killed in some accident in the treas
/ ury."
What kind Of an accident?'
/ "Gretlich said there was an explosion
| there"
Dear me! I hadn't heard Of 1t. II
! IS curious thing that one must come
| from London to tell us our own news.
! M NhpipoiOl III llit titdGuiS anu ~
! serious that a soldier was killed, That
arouses my curiosity, so I shall just sit
down and write another invitation to
the wife of the Master Of the Treasury"
~ wish you would. because | should
like to know something further about
| this myself. Gretiich seems to have had
but scant information regarding the oc-
currence, and l would like to know more
about 1t, so that | might tell her."
1--WE shall learn all about it from mad
anne. and l must write that note at once
| for fear l shall forget it,
| On Thursday afternoon there was a
| brilliant assemblage in the spacious sa-
| Ion of the Princess Won Steinheimer The
rich attire of the laGies formed a series
| OF vitascopic pictures that were dazzling
for Viennese women are adopts in the art
of dress. as are their Partisan sisters
Tea was served, not in cups and saucers
I as Jennie had been accustomed to- but in
goblets of clear thin Venetian glass, each
! set in holder of incrusted filigree gold
! There were all n6Lner Of delicious cakes
for which the city is celebrated. The tea
itself had come overland through Rus
| sia from China. ana had not suffered
| the deterioration which an ocean voyage
! produces. The decoction was served
clear, with sugar, If desired. and a slice
of lemon, and Jennie thought it the mosi
delicious brew she had ever tasted.
81 am so sorry" whispered the Princess
to Jennie when an opportunity occurr ed
''but Countess Stron has cent a n1essenge!
to say that she cannot be present thi:
afternoon. 1t seems her husband, tht
Premier, is i'll, and she, like go7i wife
remains at home To Aurse him. Thi:
rather upsets our plans doesn't it?''
"Oh, | don't know" replied Jennie 'I
is more than likely that the wife of tht
Premier would be exceedingly careful no
TO discuss any political question in thl.
company. l have counted more upon tn,
wife of a lesser official than upon Coun
tess StrOn."
You are right" said the Princess. "Ant
now come with me. | want to introduce
you to the wife of the Master OF TIL
Treasury, and from her perhaps you cal
learn something of the accident that be
fell the lover of poor Gretlich."
The wife Of the Master of the Treasur,
proved to be a garrulous Did lady. win,
evidently prided herself on knowing ev
erything that was taking place about her
Jennie and she became quite cOnlidentiA
over their g0blets of tea, a beverage o
; which the old lady seemed inoI dinatel,
7 fond. As the conversation between tfen
drifted on, Jennie saw that here was
person that would take a delight in teIIinj
! everything she knew, and the only cues
= tiOn which now arose was whether sh
: knew anything Jennie wished to learn
But before she tried her on high polite
! the girl determined TO find cut more akou
the disaster that had made such al
Z f.Hr
II have been veg much interested,
she said, ''in one of the mails here VIII
lost her lover some weeks ago in an aC
, cident that occurred in the treasury. Tn
maid doesn't seem to know very nucl
about what happened, and was pcrcl
. told that her lover, a soldier who ha,
been on guard there that night. va
: dead"
"Oh, dear, yes" whispered the old lady
lowering her voice. What d drcadfu
thing that was! Four men killed an
eight or nine are now in the hospital! NJ
poor husband has hardly had 4 wIni, o
sleep since the event and the Premier
. III in bed through the worry
Because of the loss of lfe?" sske
Jennie. iEnOcently.
: "Oh, no. no, The loss of life wouldn'
I, | matter II II the lOSS OF lnt money ina
> Is the serious thing, and how they ar
T going TO replace II or account for its dis
4 appearance l am sure l don't know. Til
deficiency is something over 10000, q
flOrins. Was it not awful?''
4 Was the building shattered 10 such A
Q eXtent?" inquired Jennie who did not sto
to think that such a sum would repIaC
n ! any edifice in Vienna. even IL n had bee
wiped off the face of the eartn.
: The treasury was damaged, of eours.
but the repairs Will not cost much. ~,
I my child. il Is a much more disturhin
\ affair than the destruction Of any state
: house in the empire. What has made III
, | Premier i'll and what is worrying my poe
, husband into an untimely grave is nothin
|, less than the loss OF the war Chestr'
. THE war chest!' echoed Jennie. "Wha
!, | is that?'
Y My dear, every great nati1n has a wa
chest. England has one, France, Ger
7 many. Russia-no matter how poor a M
tiOn may be, nor how difficult il is 10 co
I lect the taxes, that nation must have
B, war chest. IL war were TO break out SUI
% denly. even with the most prosperol
country, there would be instant financi;
, panic; ready money would be difficult I
. obtain; a loan would be practically in
= possible, and what war calls for the ver
instant IL begins is meney-not promis.
3, of MONEY, not paper money, not sIlY,