Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-12-04

1871 arrived military attache
of the Spanish legation. lie had
drawn his guests largely from his for
/ eign acquaintances in Washington be-
cause the Spanish spoke little English,
and Dick knew Washington well enough
| to understand that, while a girl and
man who speak different languages may
sit comfortably together at table, men
| In like predicament grow morose and
are likely to quarrel with their eyes be-
fore the cigars are passed. 1t was Fri
day, and the whole party had witness
ed the drill at Fort Myer that after
noon. with nine girls to listen to their
explanation of the maneuvers and the
earliest spring bride for chaperon.
Shirley had been of the party and
somewhat the heroine of it, too, for it
was Dick who sat on his horse out in
the tanbark with the little whistle to
his lips and manipulated the troop.
Here's confusion of tongues.
may need you to interpret" laughed
Dick, indicating chair at his left, and
when Armitage sat down he faced
Chauvenet across the round table
With the first filling of glasses it was
found that every one could speak
French, and the talk went forward
spiritedly. The discussion of military
matters naturally occupied first place
Then they fell to talking about in
dividuals, chiefly men in the public
eye, and as the Austro-H Hungarian EN-
bassy was in mourning and unrepre-
sented at the table the new emperor
king was discussed with considerable
frankneSS.
He has not old Stroebel's right hand
to hold him up" remarked a young
German officer.
Thereby hangs a dark tale" re-
marked Claiborne. Somebody stuck
knife into Count Won Stroebel ut
singularly inopportune moment. | saw
him in Geneva two days before he was
assassinated, and he was very feeble
and seemed harassed. 1t gives a man
the shudders to think of what might
happen if his majesty Charles Louis
should go by the board. His only child
died year ago-after him his cousin
Francis, and then the deluge."
bah! Francis is not as dark as he's
painted. He's the most lied about
prince in Europe" remarked Chau-
venet HE would most certainly be
an improvement on Charles Louis. But,
alas, Charles Louis will undoubtedly
live on forever, like his lamented fa-
Their. The king is dead. Long live the
king
Nothing can happen" remarked the
~
money betting on upheavals in that di-
rection. If there were a man in Hun
gary it would be different. But riots
are not revolutions"
"That is quite true" said Armitage
quietly.
But" observed the Spaniard "if
the Archduke Karl had not gone out
of his head and died in two or three
dozen places, so that no one is sure
he is dead at all, things at Vienna
might be rather more interesting Karl
took son with him into exile. Sup
pose one or the other of them should
reappear stir up strife and incite re-
bellion."
such speculations are quite idle"
commented Chauvenet There is no
doubt whatever that Karl is dead or
we should hear of him."
"Of course" said the German. "If
he were not the death of the old en-
peror would have brought him to life
again"
''The same applies to the boy he
carried away with Internationally
dead, or we should hear of him. Karl
disappeared soon after his son Francis
was born. 1t was said
"a pretty tale 1t is" commented the
German, that the child wasn't ex-
actly Karl's own. He took 1t quite
hard-went away to hide his shame in
exile, taking his son, Frederick Au-
gustus, with him."
"IIe was surely mad" remarked
Chauvenet, slipping a cordial HE is
much better dead and out of the way
for the good of Austria. Francis. as
say. is good fellow. We have hunted
together, and know him we'll"
They fell to talking about the lost
sons of royal houses-and a goodly num-
Der there have been, even in these
later centuries-and then of the latest
marriages between American women
and titled foreigners. Chauvenet was
now leading the conversation. 1t might
even have seemed to a critical listener
that he was guiding it with a certain
intention.
He laughed as though at the remem-
brance of something amusing and held
the little company while he bent over
candle TO light a cigar.
with all due respect TO our Ameri-
can host, | must say that title in
America goes further than anywhere
else in the whole. | was at Bar Har-
Dor three years ago when the Baron
Won kissel devastated that region He
made sad havoc among the ladies' that
summer The rest of us simply had no
place to stand. You remember gentle
men'-and Chauvenet looked slowly