West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1907-03-14

- fAs haN nus ~ ONNENNuu III
other candidRteI As Gods alive. man.
the thrones lost IN the king show him
self not In Strelsau today. 1 know
Black Michael"
1--WE could carry him there" aid 1.
"And a very pretty picture he
makesv' sneered Sapt.
Fritz o Tarlenhelm buried his face
In his hands. The king breathed loud.
ly and heavily. Sapt stirred him again
with his foot.
THE drunken dogl" be said. but
he's an Elphberg and the son of his
father, and may / rot before Black
Michael sits i'm his placer
For a moment or two we we're all
silent. Then Sapt. knitting his bushy
gray brows. took his pipe from his
mouth ant said to me:
"A n man grows old he believes in
Fate. Fate sent you here. Fate sends
you now to Strelsau."
L staggered back. %murmuring, Good
GodP'
Fritz looked up with an eager, be-
wlldcred gaze.
"Impossibler' I muttered. 81 should
be known"
ITS n rlsk-against n certainty"
said Sapt. IF you shave, I'll wager
youIr not be known. Are you arraIdT'
"Slrg'
Come, lad-there, there. But It's
your life. you know. IL you're known
and mlne-and Fritz's here. But IL
you don't go l swear TO you Black
Michael will sit tonight on the throne
and the king lie In prison or his grave"
"The king would never forgive It," /
stammered.
"Are we women7 who cares for his
forgivenessT'
The clock licked fifty times. and six
ty and seventy times, as / stood In
thought. Then 1 suppose n look came
over my face, for old Sapt caught me
by the hand, crying:
you'll go?"
Eyes; I'll co. said /, and 1 turned
my eyes OH the PROSTATE figure OF the
king on the floor.
Tonight" Sapt went on In n hasty
whisper, I'VE are to lodge In the pal
ace. The moment they leave us you
and / will mou our horses-Frltz
must stay here and guard the kings
room-and ride here at u gallop. The
king will be ready-Josef will tell him
and he must ride back with me to
Strelsau, and you ride as II the devil
were behind you to the frontier"
/ took II all In In a second and nod
ded my head.
There's a chance" said Fritz, with
his first sign OF hopefulness.
IF 1 escape detection" said /.
IF were detected" said Sapt. "Pll
send Black Michael down below before
1 20 myself. so help me heaven! Sit
In that chair, man"
l obeyed him.
He darted from the ROOM, calling.
Josef, josef" In three minutes he
was back, and Josef with him. The
latter carried n jug OF hot water, soap
and razors. He was trembling as Sapt
told him how the land lay and babe
him shave me.
Suddenly Fritz smote on his thigh:
But the guard! They'll know!
They'll known
Pooh! We shan't wait for the guard.
Wen ride to Hofban and catch a train
there. When they come the bird III
be flown"
But the klng?'
THE king will be in the wine cellar.
I'm going to carry him there now.'
IF they find him?"
They won't. How should they?
josef will put them or"
But
Sapt stamped his foot.
We're not playing he roared.
Don't l know the risk? II they do
find him he's no worse on than II he
isn't crowned today in Strclsnu."
SO speaking, he flung tbs door open
and, STOPPING. put forth Il strength |
did not dream &c had and lifted the
king In his hands. And as he did so
the old woman, Johann, the keepers
mother. stood in the doorway. For u
moment she stood, then she turned on
her heel without n sign OF surprise and
clattercd down the passage.
Has she heard7" cried Fritz.
"IU shut her mouth" said Sapt
grimly, and he bore of the king in his
arms.
For me, I sat down In an armchair,
and as l sat there, half dazed, Josef
clipped and scraped me till my mus
tachc and imperial were things OF the
past and my face was as bare as the
kings. And when Fritz saw me thus
he drew a long breath and exclaimed:
by Jove, we shall do itv'
II was 9 o'clock now. and we had no
time TO lose. Sapt hurried me into the
kings room. and / dressed myself I'm
the uniform OF a colonel Of the guard,
finding time as I slipped on the kings
boots to ask Sapt what he had done
with the old woman.
"She wore she'd heard nothing"
said he, but to make sure I tied her
legs together md put a handkerchief
In her mouth and bound her hands and
locked her up in the coal cellar next
door TO the king. Josef II look after
them both later on"
Then / burst out laughing, and even
old Sapt grimly smiled.
Il fancy" said he, that when Josef
tells them the king Is gone they'll think
II is because we smelt a rat. For you
may swear Black Michael doesn't ex-
pect 10 see him IN Strelsau today"
] put the kings helmet on my head.
Old Sapt handed me the kings sword,
looking az me long and carefully.
Thank God, he shaved his bcard9'
he exclaimed.
"Nhy did her I asked.
Because Princess Flavla said he
grazed her cheek when he was gra
cIously pleased 20 give her n cousinly
kiss Come. though. we must ride"
rs ali safe here r"
"Nothing's safe anywhere" said
Sapt. but we can make Il no safer"
Fritz now rejoined MS in the uniform
OF n captain in the same regiment as
that TO which my dress belonged I'm