The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-12-21

ond I did not know; but in the third
l recognized, in spite of the shaver
face. no less a person than the en-
peror-the real emperor himself.
Diminishing my landlord, whose fear
was now changed into curses and
grumblings, only quieted by a gold
piece from the counts pocket, led
the visitors into my room.
Dress yourself instantly" said the
count. There is no moment to lose.
This is Herr Obaldstein Won Stuerm,
chief of police of the city of Vienna.
Your majesty" he continued, bowling
before the third, permit ME to pre-
sent to you Captain Adams, of his
Britannia majesty's service and a de
voted servitor of yours"
I think we were all too ashamed to
look into the placid face of the old
emperor. He had seen so many troub-
lous events in his long reign-thc
loss of territory, the tragic deaths of
his son and the empress, that it did
seem inhuman that he should be made
The sport of this Yankee ad%venturer.
While was dressing Count Lichten-
stein explained the situation to me.
Peter Rowlatt has changed his
mind" he said. "His madness has
evidently taken a new form. Hardly
had you left when he summoned me
to his presence and, not knowing that
| was acquainted with you, issued in.
structions for your instant arrest.
When l explained that as an envoy of
his majesty you were immune against
arrest, he instructed me to have you
arrested in secrecy and promptly as
sassinated in such a manner that your
disappearance might forever remain
a mystery. Then it was that I re-
solved to %acquaint Herr Obaldstein
Won Stuerm with all the facts in the
case. I found that he had already
come to the conclusion that his pris-
oner was none other than his majesty
himself, and had been detained from
acting upon this conviction only by
the fear that none would believe the
story.
Now" he concluded, 1--WE three
must. restore his majesty to his throne
before the hired emissaries and assas-
sins of Peter Rowlatt can make an
end of us. For, rest assured, the i'm
poster has decided TO retain his po-
sition of kingship. He bitterly re.
grets his indiscretion with you this
afternoon, and will leave no stone un.
turned to compass your death, or that
of his majesty. How, then, can we
restore him to his own before day
break?"
"How did his majesty leave the pal.
ace?" 1 asked.
Through the window" L~ichtenstein
returned.
That way he must return" I re-
Joined. "That is the only way in
which we a take Rowlatt at a dis
advantage. By any other route we
would have to face the entire guard.
Can we elude the sentry outside the
WALTZ"
There is a secret door in the WALL"
his majesty interposed. ut was let
in for safety during the Revolution of
1913. when the mobs threatened the
palace, and l have the secret Of its
combination. Once within and we
can scale the wall unobservcd."
1t was an arduous undertaking for
an old gentleman of seventy years and
more And yet J knew that the en-
peror had been a soldier all his life,
and that, in spite Of his years, his
muscles were like bars Of steel. So
l did not hesitate, and we four stepped
out into the street. Hardly had we
turned the corner, however. before I
heard footsteps behind and, turning
my head, saw two men burst from
the shadows and leap toward us. l
did not wait to question their purpose.
My revolver was ready in my coat
pocket, and I fired through the cloth
from the hip. The first fell dead in
his tracks; the second tumbled, a
writhing heap, into the gutter.
Gomez" whispered the count, ia
king me by the arm.
We FASTENED away, as fast as we
could convey the aged emperor, who
was somewhat cramped from his con-
finement. When we had satisfied our
selves that we were not observed, we
turned in toward the palace. The
count pulled US into the shelter OF a
hallway as the sentry tramped past;
then, creeping up softly in his wake,
the emperor stopped and pressed his
finger against a large, irregular stone
in the wall. 1t turned on an axis, re-
vealing a little wooden door. Quick"
the emperor whispered, standing aside
for US. But the count seized him and
thrust him in unceremoniously.
The bedroom was on a level with
the top of the wall, and thus shell
tered from view from the sentry in
the street below. I Skinned up the