Putnam patriot., 1910-08-05
CHAPTER IL =

THE YOUNG WINNER ~ ~ARMICuAEL thirstify drank his first tanknFd. thinking "Se this yintner k in love with 0 our goose girl? Gonfound my
 memory, would give n crowns to know where [ have seen him. X fine
 beer" he said aloud holding up the
 .eeond tankard
 The vlntner raised his. There was
 III unconscious grace in the movement.
 X covert glance At his hand satisfied
 Carmichael in regard 10 one thing. He
 might be il vintner. but the hand was as soft and well kept as woman :. Could a man with hands like these mean well toward Gretchen Gretchen
 was both innocent and unworldly. To the right man she might be easy prey. never to a man like Colonel von Wal eustein. whose power and high office
 were alike sinister to any girl Of the peasantry But man in the guise If her own class. of her own world md people. here was a snare Gretchen might not he able 10 foresee. \ tankard rapning a table nearby ialled Gretchen te her duties.
 "Gretehen is beautiful enough 10 be queen. and yet she is merely Hebe
 a tavern" remarked Carmichael.
 "IIebeT saspieieusly. "uebe vils cup bearer te the myth oloeical gods ln oldeu times Car michael explained He had set a trap but the vaitner had not fallen into it. "A fairy story" The vintner nodded He understood now.
 Carmichael would lay another trap. What happened to herr "oh." said Carmichael. ''she spilled
 wine en Il god enc day. and they ban ished her"
 .lt must have been rare vintage, , "I suppose you are familiar with all the valleys MesellF- "YeS That Is fine country" The old man in tatiers sat erect In
 his chair.
 "Yeu have seryedg' "A little. If could be an officer
 should like the army" The vintner sftNhS4 iNk ht> Rit'e, tteh sAe eA AAe table
 Try this@ urged Carmichael. offer, ing his pouch
 This vil he good tobacco. l know. The vintner filled his pipe, Carmichael followed this gift with
 many questions about wines and win tages, and hldden in these questions were dozen clever traps. But the other walked over them unhesiiant with T certainty of step which cha. rrinci the trapper.
 Ky aud hy The vintner rose and bade his table companion good night. He had not ofrerel te buy anything This frugallu was purely of the thrifty peasant But the vlutner expressed many thanks On his way to the door he stopped and whispered into Gretch. en's ear.
 The press in the room was thinning \ carter ssuntersd past and sat down unconecrneily al the table occupied hy the old man. whose face Carmichae' had not yet seen X little later a butcher approached the same table and seated himself IL was then dusty baker came along and repeated this procedure. and carInichaers curiosity was enliveaei Undoubtedly they were Socialists. and this was q little con
 clave. and the peculiar manner of their
 meeting. the snenee and mystery. were purely nciitionaL
 Had Carmichael no, fallen a-dreain- ing over hls pipe he would have seen
 the old man pass three slips of paper
 across the table He would have seen
 the carter. the butcher and the baker
 pocket these slips stolidly. He would
 have seen the maantsineer wave his
 hand sharply and the trio rise and dis
 perse. Carmiehael left the Black
 Eagle. nursing the sunkea emeer in
 bis pipe.
 lntermediateiy the uaoanfaineer paid
 his score and started for the stairs
 which led 10 the bedrooms above But
 he stopped q, the bar. A very old man
 wss having pan dlied with hcs cab
 baxe soup |, was tho ancient clock
 mender scrass the way. The noun
 taineer was startled cut of his habitnsl