Gunnison news-champion., 1909-04-02

plan that had formed sapk shaoR
his head over "
WAY can't you waltz he asked.
The King NAV die
M hael viii le forced to asH bessse
that
Then said I. '-tbe King may hve-
We'll and II he a"cs,~
'fW a fortnight" I asked simply.
And sart hit his mu~tacbe.
euddenly Fritz Won Tarlcnheim laid
his hand oa my shoulder.
Let Us go and make the attcmyk.-
said he
Il mean yeu 10 go-siont lie afraid"
said 1
AYE. hut do You stay here and take
care OF the princess.-
A gleam came into old Sapts eye.
We should have Michael one way
or the other then " he chucklcd. where
rs II you go and are killed with the
king what viii become 81 those OF Us
who are lefty"
They VIII serve Queen Flavia" said
I. "and ! would TO God could be one
OF them
pause followed. old Sapt broke it
by saying sadly. yet with an unmeant
drollory that set Fritz and me laugh
ing.
why didn't old Rudolf Ill. marry
your great grandmother. was it,"
'Cpme." said 1; lit is the king we
are thinking about"
1T Is true" said Tritz
Moreover" I went on Il have been
an impostor for the profit Of another.
but I viii not be one for my own. and
II the king is not alive and ON his
throne before the day Of betrothal
comes | viii tell the truth. come what
may"
You shall go, lad" said Sapt
Here is the plan | had made. A
strong party under sapt's command
was 20 steal up 70 the door Of the
chateau. IL discovered prematurely,
they were to kill anyone who found
them with their swords. for wanted
no noise of firing. II all went well.
they would he at the door when JO-
ham opened IT, They were to rush in
and secure the servants IL their mere
presence and the use of the kings
name were not enough. At the same
moment-and ON this hinged the plan
a woman's cry was to ring out loud
and shrill from Antoinette de Mau-
bans chamber. Again and again she
was to cry: Help. help, Michael.
help" and then TO utter the name Of
young Rupert IIentzau. Then. as we
hoped. Michael. in fury. would rush
out of his apartments opposite and
fall alive into the hands of Sapt. Still
the cries would go ON. My men would
Act down the drawbridge, and it would
he strange If Rupert, hearing his name
thus taken in vain, did not descend
from where he slept and seek to cross
De Gautet might or might not come
with him. That must he left 10
chance
And when Rupert set his foot on the
drawbridge? There was my part. for
l was minded for another swim in the
moat; and, lest l should grow weary,
l had resolved to take with me small
wooden ladder on which ! could rest
my arms in the watcr-and my feet
when ! left it. | would rear it against
the wall just by the bridge, and when
the bridge was across l would STEALTH
ly creep on to it-and then il Rupert
or De Gautet crossed in safety it would
be my misfortune not my fault. They
dead, two men only would remain, and
for them we must trust TO the CON
fusion we had created and to sud
den rush. We should have the keys
of bA 10. Ia
tant rooms. Perhaps they would rush
out II they stood by their orders:
then the kings life hung on the swift
ness with which we could force the
outer door, and thanked God that not
Rupert Hentzau watched. but Detch-
ard. For though Detchard was a cool
man. relentless and no coward, he had
neither the dash nor the ecklessness
of Rupert. Moreover. he. If any one
Of them. really loved Black Michael.
and it might be that he would leave
Bersonin to guard the king and rush
across the bridge TO take part in the
ARRAY on the other side.
So l planned d-desperately. And that
our enemy might be the better lulled TO
security | gave orders that our resi-
dence should be brilliantly lighted
from top TO bottom, as though we were
engaged in revelry. and should - be
kept all night with music playing and
people moving to and fro. Strakencz
would he there. and he was to conceal
our departure. if he could froIil Fla
Via. And if we came not again by the
morning he was TO march. openly and
In force. to the castle and demand the
person of the king. II Black Michael
were not there. as ! did not think he
would be, the marshal would take Fla
via with him. as swiftly as he could.
to Strelsau and there proclaim Black
Michaers treachery and the probable
death of the king and rally all that
there was honest and true round the
banner of the princess. And. to say
truth. this was what I thought NEST
likely TO happen.