The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-01-11

of heart He anticipated that
the day would bring him a summons
from his father. He had little doubt
that in the course of personal inter
view he could persuade the king TO
agree TO postponement OF his journey.
I OF Sophy he meant to say nothing-by
reservation necessary and not mex
cusable. IL was impossible not to take
into account the knowledge be had ac-
qulred OF the state OF the kings health.
The result Of that condition was that
his provision must in all likelihood he
for months only and not for years. The
/ task for the months WAS to avoid dis
turbing the kings mind so long as this
course was consistent with the mainte.
nance of his own favorable position. IL
must he remembered that no man In
the Kingdom built more on this latter
object than the king himself. No man
was less partisan of Countess Ellen
burg fnd OF Young Alexis than the hns-
baud Of the one and the father OF the
other The royal ine-the line which
boosted Bourbon blood-was for the
king the only line of Stefanovitch.
! OF the attack prepared against him
the prince knew nothing-nothing even
/ OF the kings mind having been turned
against the Baroness Dobraya. whom
so short time age he had delighted
to honor; nothing. Of course, of stat
nitz's audacious coup nor of the secret
plan which Stenovics and the colonel
had made and OF which Mistltch was
to be the instrument. OF all the salient
features of the situation. then, he was
Ignorant. and his ignorance was shared
by those about his person. on the 9th
er hand. Stenovics had his finger on
every thread save one-the Lepagc-
Zerkovitch thread. If 1t may SO be
called. That was important, but its i'm
portance might be nullified II Mistitch
made good speed.
On the whole, the odds were much In
favor Of the coterie. IL by any means
they could prevent the king from COM
ing alive ami free to Slavna the game
would be theirs. If he did come alive
and free. their game would probably be
up. His presence would mean a hard
fight or a surrender. and Slavna had no
stomach for such fight. though il
b. ould be piously thankful TO be rid OF
Sergus. whether rs prince or king, with
out the Necessity of an ordeal so severe.
As preliminary TO the summons he
anticipated, and TO a possible stay OF
some days with his father at Slavna,
the prince had details to discuss anG
routine business 10 transact with Luke
witch, the captain of his battery IN Vol
SEM. He was early on horseback. So
ply and Max Won Hollbrandt (Max's
stay at the castle was to end the next
day. rode with him as far as the gates
of the city. There they left him and
turned down into the plain to enjoy
canter on the banks Of Lake Talti. The
three were TO meet again for the mid
day meal at Praslok. Marie Zerko-
witch had been ailing and kept her bed
/ in the morning. The. princes mounted
guard rode behind him and his friends
to volseni for the sake Of exercising
their horses. In the castle there were
left only Marie Zerko-itch and the serv-
ants. The prince did rot anticipate
that any message would come from the
palace before noon at the earliest.
Morning avocations pursued their
usual peaceful and simple course at
the castle. Old Vassip. his wiss and
the maids did their cleaning. Peter
yassip saw 20 his masters clothes, and
then, to save his father labor. began TO
sluice the wooden causeway. The sta
blemen groomed their horses. They
had been warned that the prince might
want another mount later in the day.
Marie Zerkovitch lay I'm her bed. sleep
ing soundly after. a restless night.
There seemed no hint of trouble in the
air. IL must be confessed that up TO
now Il looked as though Praslok would
be caught mapping
Ii was Peter Yassip. busy on the
causeway, who first saw Zerkovitch.