Oxford Democrat., 1908-05-05

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"Can you see, old bear?" she would
ask sayly. Are you spying over therei
Do you think yourself all wise and all
powerful7 Do you see what's In my
mind now, and do you guess partly
why I've taken all this trouble? Are
you racking your brain for some way
Of spelling my little plans7 But you
can't do 1t, you know. It's too late.
There's nothing you can do except sit
still and growl and glare at your own
claws, which woman has clipped.
How do you like the outlook, old bear?
Do you lie awake at night and study
how to save your scheme for the en-
peror's marriage2 All your grumpy old
life you've despised women, but now
you're beginning at last to find out
that, powerful as you are, there are
some things q woman with tact and
money, nice houses and good natured
husband can do which the highest
statesman in the land can't undo.
How soon shall make you admit that,
Chancellor BearW
Thus the baroness, standing at her
drawing room window, would amuse
herself in odd moments when she was
not arranging original and elaborate
entertainments for her guests. And
she congratulated herself particularly
on having had the forethought to in
vite Egon Won Breitstein, the chancel-
lor's half brother.
There was barrier Of thirty-six
years difference in age between the
two and they had never been friends
In the true sense Of the word, for the
old man was temperamentally unable
to sympathize with the tastes or un-
derstand the temptations Of the young
er brother, and the younger man was
mentally unable to appreciate the quail
tiles Of the elder.
| Nevertheless it was rumored at court
that Iron Heart had more than once
used the gay and good looking captain
| Of cavalry for catspaw In pulling
some very big and hot chestnuts out OF
| the fire. At all events, Handsome
Egon" $50 known among his followers),
1.-THE chancellOr's jackal" thus nick.
named by his encmies). would have
found difficulty In keeping up appear
ances without the allowance granted
by his powerful half brother. The II
assorted pair were often In commune
cation, and the baroness liked to think
| that news fresh from Lyndalberg must
sooner or later be waited like wind
blown scent Of roses across the water
to Schloss Breitstein.
She was still less displeased than sur
prised, therefore, when. the emperor
having been three days at Lyndalberg
with two more days of his visit to run
an urgent message arrived for Captain
Won Breitstein from his brother.
Poor old Lorenz was wrestling With
his enemy, gout, it appeared, and wish
ed for Egon's immediate presence.
| Such summons could not he neg
lected. Egon's whole future depended
upon his half brothers caprice, he hint
ed to the baroness in asking leave tc
desert her pleasant party for few
hours. So Of course she sent the chan.
| cellor her regrets, with the baron's
and Egon went off charged with a
friendly message from the emperor as
! well.
When the captain Of cavalry had SET
out from Lyndalberg to Schloss Brett
stein by the shortest way-across the
| lake in smart little motor boat
promising to be back in time for din
| ner and q concert, the baroness spent
all her energy In getting up an i'm
promptu riding party. which would
| give Leopold the chance Of another
tete-a-tete with Miss Mowbray.
Already many such chances had been
arranged, so cleverly as not to excite
gossip, and If the Irritation. destined
by the hostess to disgust Leopold with
his chancellor's matrimonial projects.
did not advance by leaps and bounds
1t was certainly not the fault Of Baron
ess Won Lyndal.
"Egon has been told to use his eyes
and ears for all they're worth at Lyn
| dalberg, and now he's called upon to
hand in his first report" she said to
herself when the younger Won Brett
stein was off on his mission across the
lake.
But for once, at least, the 'chan,
cellor's jackal" was wronged by un.
| Just suspicion. He arrived at Schloss
| Breitstein ignorant Of his brothers mo.
! tive in sending for him, though he
shrewdly suspected 1t to be something
quite different from the one alleged.
The chancellor was In his study,
deep windowed tower room, with
walls book lined nearly to the cross
beamcd ceiling. He sat reading a
budget Of letters when Egon was an
nounced. and II he were really Ill he
did not betray his suffering. The
square face, with Its beetling brows,
eyes Of somber fire and forehead i'm
pressive as a cathedral dome, showed
no new lines craven by pain.
"Sit down, Egon," he said abruptly.
tearing In half an envelope stamped
with the head of Hungaria's king.
"I'll be ready for you in moment"
The young man took the least un-
comfortable chair in the room, which
from his point Of view was to say lit
tie in its favor, because the newest
piece of furniture there had been made
a hundred wears before the world un-
derstood that lounglng was not a
crime. Over the high stone mantel
hung a shield, so brightly polished as
to fulfill the office Of mirror, and
from where Egon sat, perforce upright
and rigid, he could see himself vi
gnetted in reflection.
He admired his fresh color, which
was like a girls, pointed the waxed
ends Of his mustache with nervous
cigarette stained fingers, and, thinking
of many agreeable things, from bac-
carat to roulette, from roulette to races
and races to pretty women, he wonder
ed which he had to thank for this sum-
mons to the chancellor. Unfortunately
Brother Lorenz knew everything.
Ones pleasant peccadillos buzzed to
his ears like flies. There was little
hope of deceiving him.
Egon sighed, and his eyes turned me-
chanically from his own visage on
shining steel 10 the letter held in an
old hand SO veined that 1t reminded the
ouuNA