Putnam patriot., 1909-01-15

V 7. upon mischief
 and treason. He
 nus ts tn'aH'ouss has eontrived an attempt against the noble ruler of our aation. He is menace to the throne
 Who Is her" demanded Marhof i'm patiently. and his eyes and the eyes of all fell upon Armitage- "l tell you we found him lurking about in Europe. waiting his chance. and we drove him away-droye him here to watch him. See these things that sword-those erdersl They be- ionged to the Arehduke Karl Look at them and see that it Is true. tell you, we have rendered Austria a high serv- lee. One death. one death at Vienna. and this son of madman would be kingl He is Frederick Augustus, the son of the Archduke karlr'
 The room was very still as the last words rang out The old ambassadors gaze chung to Armitage He stepped nearer. the precipitation breaking out upon his brow. and his lips tremhled as he faltered:
 He would be kingl He would be king,r
 Then Armitage spoke sharply to Clai- borne.
 That will do. The gentleman may retire now"
 As Claiborne thrust Chauyenet out of the room Armitage turned to the lit tie company. smiling. "I am not Frederick Augustus, the son of the Archduke Karl" he said quietly. nor did l ever pretend that was except to lead those men on In their conspiracy. The cigarette case that caused so much trouble at Mir. Claiborne's supper party belongs to me. Here It ls."
 The old ambassador snatched 1t from him eagerly.
 This device. the falcon poised upon a silver helmet, You have much to ex- plain. monsieur"
 "It is the coat of arms of the house of Schomburg The case belonged to Frederick Augustus. Karfs son. and this sword was his. and these orders and that cloak lying yonder-all were his. They were gifts from his father. And. believe me. my friends. came by them honestly"
 The baron bent over the table and spilled the orders from their silver box and scanned them eagerly The col ored ribbons. the glittering jewels, held the eyes of all Many of them were the insignia of rare orders no longer conferred There were the crown and pendant cross of the lnvincible Knights of Zarincer: the white falcon upon a silver helmet swung from ribbon oi cloth of gold. the familiar device of the house of Schomburg. the gold Nal tese cross of the Chevaliers of the Blessed Sacrament; the crossed swords aboye an iron crown of the Ancient Legion of Saint Michael and All An gels. and the full rigged ship pendant from triple anchors. the decoration of the rare Spanish order of the Star of the Seven Seas. Silence held the com pany as the ambassadors fine old hands touched one after another. It seemed to Shirley that these baubles again bound the new world, the fa- niliar hills of home, the Virginia shores. to the wallowing caravels of rolumbus.
 The ambassador closed the silver box he better to examine the white falcon upon its lid. Then he swung about and confronted Armitage.
 "W here is he monsieurf' he asked. his voice sunk to whisper. his eyes sweeping the doors and windows.
 ."The Arehduke Karl Is dead; his son. Frederick Augustus. whom these con spirators have imagined me to be-he. too. is dead"
 You are quite sure-you are quite sure, Mir. Armitage?"
 "I am quite sure"
 "That is not enough, We have a right to ask more than your wordr'
 No. 1t is not enough" replied Armi- tage quietly. Let me make my story brief. I need not recite the peculiari- ties of the archduke-his dislike of con- ventional society. his contempt for sham and pretense. After living her init life at one of the smallest and most obscure of the royal estates for several years he vanished utterly. That was fifteen years ago"
 "Yes: be was mad. quite mad" burt cd the baron
 That was the common impression He took his oldest son and went into exile. Conjectures as to his where abouts have filled the newspapers sporadicaIiy ever since. He has been reported as appearing in the south sea islands in India. in Australia. in yart- ous parts of this country In truth. he came directly to America and estab- lished himself as farmer in western Canada His son was killed h an ac- cident, the archduke died within the year.
 Judge Claiborne bent forward in his chair as Armitage paused
 What proof have you of this story. Mir. Armitagef"
 T am prepared for such a question. gentlemen His Identity 1 may estab- iish by various documents which he gave me for the purpose For greater security 1 locked them ln a safety box of the Bronx Loan and Trust company In New York To guard against acei- dents named you jointly with myself