The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-07-15

been carefully arming himself against
| personal attack from any one of sew
eral directions. He sat pointing the
sharp ends OF his mustache one after
the other and trying to remember
some striking incident with which to
adorn n more or less accurate nara
tive.
"What would you call uscful2" he
inquired at last.
The chancellor answered, but Indi-
rectly. "IIas the emperor been play
Ing the fool at Lyndalberg these last
few days?"
do you want to make me guilty Of
leze majestyW Egon raised his eye.
brows, but he was recovering presence
of mind. "If by playing the fool,
though, you mean falling in love, why,
then, brother, l should say he had
done little else during the three days,
and perhaps even the first Of those
was not the beginning"
The chancellor growled out n word
which he would hardly have uttered
In the imperial presence, particularly
in the connection he suggested. Let
me hear exactly what has been going
on from days end to days end" he
commanded.
Egon grew thoughtful once more.
Clearly here was the explanation Of
the summons. He was to be let off
easily, 1t appeared But, suspense re-
lieved, he was not ready to be salts
fed with negative blessings.
"Are you sure 1t isn't bit like tell
ing tales out Of school? he objected.
"Schoolboys with empty pockets
have been known to do that" said the
chancellor. "But perhaps your pockets
aren't empty-ehf"
They're IN n chronic state of empti-
ness" groaned Egon.
"On the 18th day Of October your
quarterly allowance will be paid" re-
marked his brother. II would increase
the installment by the amount Of
5000 gulden IL that would make 1t
worth your while to falkland forget
nothing but your scruples."
"Oh, you know I'm always delighted
TO please your exclaimed Egon. Its
only natural, living the monotonous
life you do when you're not busy with
the affairs Of state, that you should
like to hear what goes on in the world
outside. or course I'll gladly do my
best aS q raconteur."
"My dear young man, don't le," said
the chancellor. "The habit is growing
on you. You lie even to yourself BY
and by you'll believe yourself, and
then all hope for your soul will be over
What / want to know is how far the
emperor has gone in his infatuation for
this English girl. I'm not afraid to
speak plainly to you, so you may safe
ly-and profitably-do the same with
me. In the first place, I'll put YOU at
your ease by making humiliating
confession. The other night the wom-
an Won Lyndal tried to draw me- rs
she would express it, on this subject
and I'm bitterly mortified to say she
partly succeeded. She suggested an
ENHANCEMENT between Leopold and
the girl. / replied that Leopold wasn't
the man to pull down n hornets nest
of gossip around the ears of q young
woman who had saved his life. No
matter what his inclinations might be,
| Insisted that he would pay her no
repeated visits.
This thrust the fair Mechtilde par
rled rs If repeating n mere rumor by
saying that she believed the girl was
to stay at the country house of some
old friend of the emperor At the time
| attached little Importance to her
chatter, believing that she merely
wished to give me q spiteful slap or
two, rs is her habit when she has the
chance. For once, though, she has
succeeded In stealing march upon
me, ana she kept the secret of her plan
until too late for me to have any hope
OF preventing Leopold from fulfilling
his engagement at her house After
That was safely arranged / don't doubt
she was overjoyed that should guess
her plot"
do you think that even IL you'd
known sooner you could have stopped
the emperor from visiting at Lyndal-
berg" asked Egon. "T know that YOU
are iron, but he Is steel"
II would have stopped him." return
cd the chancellor. IL should have
made no bones about the reason, for
I've found that the best way with
Leopold Is to blurt out the whole
truth and fight him-my experience
against his will. If advice and warn
Ing hadn't sutliced to restrain him
from insulting the girl who Is to be
his wife and injurlng tho reputation
OF the girl who never can be, / would
have devised some expedient to thwart
him for his own good. I'm not a man
10 give up when / feel that 1 am
right"
Neither is he" Egon added, "but