The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-08-28

AS IL Is, lneTS are lIOuSdHuS OF OtueT
offices worth getting-why not?"
II tell you not to be a fool. You are
young and fairly clever"
Armitage laughed at the reluctance
Of the counts praise
'Thank you. with all my heart"
go back where you belong and you
will have no regrets. Something may
happen-who can tell? Events-events
if a man will watch and wait and
study events. But"-he gulped down
more of the brandy-"where and how
do you live?
where? / own cattle ranch in
Montana, and since the archdukes
death l have lived there. He carried
about $4,000 to America with him.
He took care that l should get what
was left when he died, and l am al
most afraid to tell you that have actu-
ally augmented my inheritance. Just
before l left l bought place in Vir-
ginia to be near Washington when
got tired of the ranch"
Washington" snorted the count
'In due course it will be the storm
center of the world"
You read the wrong American news
papers," laughed Armitage.
They were silent for a moment, in
which each was busy with his own
thoughts. Then the count remarked
in as amiable tone as he ever used:
"Your French is first rate Do you
speak English as well?"
"As readily as German, think. You
may recall that had an English tutor,
and maybe | did not tell you in that
interview at Paris that l had spent a
year at Harvard university"
What the devil did you do that forT
growed Won Stroebe.
"From curiosity or ambition, as you
like. | was in Cambridge at the law
school for Il year before the archduke
died. That was three years ago. l am
twenty-eight. as you may remember.
l am OBTAINING you; have no wish to
rake over the past, but l am sOrry-I
am very sorry-we can't meet on some
common ground"
II ask you to abandon this democrat
ic nonsense and come back and make
a man of yourself You might go far
very far-but this democracy has hold
of you like a disease"
what you ask is impossible. 1t is
just as impossible now as it was when
we discussed it in Paris last year. To
sit down in Vienna and learn how TO
keep that leaning tower of an empire
from tumbling down like a stack of
bricks-it does not appeal to me-"
Don't talk to me like that. 1t is not
amusing
"No; 1t is not funny. To see men like
you fetching and carrying for dull
gallows or go to planting turnips with
out your brains-it does not appeal to
my sense of humor or to my magma
ton. If l were going to furnish the
brains for an empire I should ride in
the state carriage myself and not be
merely the driver on the box, who
keeps the middle of the road and looks
out for sharp corners. Here is a plan
ready to my hand. Let me find that
lost document, appear in Vienna and
announce myself Frederick Augustus,
the son of the Archduke Karl! / knew
both men intimately. You may remem-
Der that Frederick and / were born in
the same month. l, too, am Frederick
Augustus! We passed commonly in
America as brothers. Many of the per-
sonal effects of Karl and Augustus are
in my keeping-by the archduke's own
wish. You have spent your life study
ing human nature, and you know as
well as / do that half the world would
believe my story If / said l was the
emperors nephew. In the uneasy and
unstable condition of your absurd en-
pire l should be hailed as a diversion,
and then-events, events!'
Count Won Stroebel listened with mar
rowing eyes, and his lips moved in an
effort to find words with which to
break in upon this impious declara-
ton. When Armitage ceased speaking,
the old man sank back and glared at
him.
Karl did his work well. You are
quite mad. You will do well to go back
to America before the police discover
you"
Armitage rose, and his manner
changed abruptly.
II do not mean to trouble or annoy
you. Please pardon Inc! Let us be
friends If we can be nothing more"
at is too late. The chasm Is too deep.
/ have given my life-my whole life, as
you have said-to one service, to up
hold one idea. You have spoken Of that
work with contempt. History, l be-
lieve, will reckon it justly"
"Your place is secure. No one can
gainsay that" broke in Armitage.
'If you would do something for me
for me-do something for Austria, do
something for my country and yours!
You have wits. dare say you have
courage. don't care what that serv-
ice may be. l don't care where or
how you perform it. l am not so near
gone as you may think. know well
enough that they are waiting for me
to die. But l am in no hurry to af-
ford my enemies that pleasure. But
stop this babble of yours about de-
mocracy. Do something for Austria
for the empire that l have held here
under my hand these difficult years
then take your name again. and you
will find that kings can be as just and
xvSca "a pnobc