The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-05-03

boat steamed slowly out. The Hungarian or
chestra struck up a lively csardas.
Elizabeth tainted. The Countess Sztaray
cut her corset strings and found tiny TIL
angular wound below the left breast:
''Quick, doctor. The empress Is wounded!
There was no DOCTOR and the boat put back
to Geneva: Opening her eyes Elizabeth asked:
what Is the matter?"
do you suffer-" .faltered the countess
Elizabeth smiled mo- and feebly waved her
hand in time to the jaunty music of the csar
das. There was melancholy smile on nel
face as she slowly shut her eyes.
Elizabeth had died in beauty.
An aged emperor dimes alone on gold plate
from the famous service whose central decora'
tive piece Is worth $15,000 There Is but one
guest-a general aide-de-camp or high omclal
of the court. The proudest monarch OF Europe
is alone with one guest Etiquette demands It.
Five gorgeous flunkeys in pale blue, buh'
pink and gold, serve the two men. There have
been no flowers on the table since the tragic
death Of the Empress Elizabeth; but the lights
of wax candles CLINT the golden service and the
rare wines in cut glass. They fit from his
toric tapestries to carved wood furniture and
panels such as no museum possesses and
make dancing shadows in the distant corner.
Silence
The aged emperor is dreaming of the gor-
geous gala dinners of the past. He sees the
ideal throngs of other days. Again he hears
the three taps of the grand chamberlains
cane to announce the entrance OF their I'M
perial and royal ma jesties. How lonely 1s the
immense palace, full of hiding courtiers. func-
tionaries. servants. 1t is still early. not yet
seven.
monious leave and the sovereign goes to his
study.
His real life begins.
A confidential valet helps him into hat and
overcoat. BY bijou elevator whose door 1m1-
tates a bookcase, he descends to the ground
floor.
He walks twenty steps across the little court
yard to the door, where autolmousine
awaits him. There is no special secrecy-it is
to avoid ceremony merely. He gives no direc-
tons; the chauffeur knows where to go.
Quitting the frigid, solemn Hofburg, out into
the brightlit bustlng early evening Of Vienna,
past crowds Fastening to theater and music
nall, into fair streets of residence, the auto
stops at comfortable villa. The old sovereign
enters the gate alone. The front door opens
as he mounts the three marble steps. When
the door shuts he is no longer the dread lone
ly emperor and apostolic king, but Herr
Schratt, regularly called the colonel" careless
and easy, negligent and slouchy, bright warm.
coy, snug among old friends.
Years ago, when the Burg theater. was a
wing of the Hofburg, the great actress Katha-
rina Schratt-the Sarah Bernhard and Rejane
of Vienna-was presented to Francis-Joseph by
Empress Elizabeth herself. For long, she too
has lived retired; and the mourning emperor
found her so intelligent, SO fine and also good,
that old loves and sorrows having burnt out.
an ahectionate friendship grew up to give him
kind Of peaceful solace.
Leaving crown and scepter on the hat rack.
he enters the bright little cardroom that I'D.
joins two btjou little parlors and takes the
best easy chair, while Madame Katharine has
tens with the foot~warmer.
Herr Schratt aprawls in unspeakable content
The bell rings. and the partners Of intermin-
able games Of tarok-a sort of Austrian bridge
arrive. They are two ancient friends of the
great actress, become friends of Herr Schratt
always the same; Herr Palmer, director of the
Bank des Pays Autrichiens, and an interna-
tional private banker SO extremely illustrious
that his name is az well known as Franz-Jo-
SETS, and-a thing that never ceases to upset
the court-an 1sraelite by race, birth and reli-
gion In the strict sense!
The Jewish banker and Monsieur Schratt-
not the head Of the Holy Roman empire-are
fast old cronies to the sorrow and scandal Of
the Countess Chotek morganatic' but directing
wife Of Archduke Francis-F erdinand. heir to
the dual crown.
Often the emperor loses all the money in hia
purse-a dozen dorins-at the nightly game of
tarok. He plays badly. None wants him for
partner; SO they cut to see who takes him. He
laughs bQisterously. Meanwhile tea ia prepared
in the adjoining dining room.
AT ten O'Clock the auto-limousine is an
nounced, and Madame Kathrina helps the "col.
onel" into hat and overcoat. '~rt
The auto rolls through the streets Of
Vienna. ltill bright and boisterous. to the
cold. solemn Hofburg. It stops mt the little
door Of the small courtyard. The old man on.
tiers, and silent valet meets him. Up the
bttou elevator they ride. to the study he hac
left three hours ago. The confidential vale;
takes his hat and coat. *. i !.
r. The emperor has returned -