Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-11-13

the brim of his hat.
"Sit up by the coachman, PAUL."
said the princess.
It was less than an hour after Paurs
installment in the castle when the
princess bell rang, and, passing
through the swing door, he emerged
upon a magnificent hall Of marble.
with a richly carpeted grand stairway
descending toward the splendid en-
trance way and state banqueting
rooms on the ground floor. At the
head of the stairway, in the wide hall,
was the emperor's suite, and at the
door stood the princess. When Paul
came up to her she clasped his hands
warmly.
"Henceforward you are groom no
longer" she said, with rather anx.
ious smile. Come in, Monsieur Paul.
My uncle is In good condition now,
and understands something Of the
plot against him. Two of his gen.
tlemen are here, also. Come in"
This is the gentleman, uncle, Of
whom l spoke to you." said the prin-
cess "I can vouch for his honor and
devotion"
The old man nodded and smiled gra-
ciously.
Excellent! Excellent" he num-
blcd in French What does he want
then-a commission in the Guards?
How many quarterings are on his
shield?"
mo, uncle, you have forgotten"
said Clothilde fretfully. you want a
gentleman whom you can rely upon
to convey summons to the loyal
legiueul III rrleDurg to hasten hlth-
er."
1T Is on this paper, sir. 1t Is only
necessary to sign it," said one OF the
aides.
YEARLY the old man signed the
much coveted order; then sank back
in his chair, exhausted, and presently
nodded into slumber.
Gentlemen, let me introduce you to
Monsieur Lane" said the princess has
tily. Monsieur Lane-Count Won Arm
i'm, Captain Zeller Won Thurn. Mon
sieur Lane is fully acquainted with
the desperate situation and guaran-
tees to reach Freiburg before mid
night and have the troops brought
here at once"
"Or else" said Won Thurn pessimis-
tically, there will be another tragedy
of st. Bartholomew day"
Does Monsieur Lane comprehend
fully how desperate the situation
really is?" broke in Won Arnim. Here
we are, six loyal 'gentlem NJ, the sole
bulwark of Austria against destruc-
ton. Even the flunkeys know what
Is to take place and are impudent to
US. We can rely on none of them;
we must be satisfied that the servil-
ity of their natures forbids them to
offer active aid to our enemies. Well,
here are we, six, the emperor's sole
friends, and our enemies are so sure
of success that they can calmly wait
till tomorrow night to make sure of
their enterprise. We are beleaguered
here. Monsieur Lane; news has just
come that guards have been posted
outside the castle since the early aft
ernoon, with instructions to let none
in or out The telephone wires have
been cut: we have no loyal regiment
that can be reached except at Frie-
burg So you must leave at once,
I Monsieur You know the way?"
Five minutes later, accompanied by
Won Arnim, Paul was threading a by
way through the forest which emerg-
ed upon an unfrequented road In a
suburban district upon the way to
Freiburg. At this point the great wall
which surrounded the castle was
broken by swift stream, fringed with
thick reeds and underground. Won
Arnim pressed Paul's hand
"Once safe beyond the river" he
said, "you will come upon the Frei-
burg road. Horses and automobiles
! pass continually. leave the rest to
you. Watch for the sentries! Good
luck!" He pressed his hand and was
| gone.
Paul crouched among the reeds, en-
! tered the stream noiselessly, and
struck out toward the opposite shore.
! Five minutes later, under cover Of twi-
light, he had passed the besieging out
posts and gained the Freiburg road.
He waited, dripping with water, shiv-
ering in the cool of the evening. Pres
emily a slowly trotting pair Of horses
came along, drawing barouche IN
which a stout elderly lady was seat
| ed. On the box was an apopleetic
coachman. Paul drew pistol from
his pocket, walked up, and extended
his hand. The man reined in.
"Well, what now? What now?" he
commanded. "This is the carriage of
the Baroness Blankenburg. What do
you want?"
"Your horses" answered Paul. and
showed the pistol under his nose.
Run for your life. my good fellow,
or"
But the coachman needed no second
invitation. AS he leaped to the
ground and began running away, Paul
cut the traces and selected the bet
ter and swifter Of the two fat beasts.
From it he removed the harness; he
sprang on the animals bare back and
drew it out from the wreckage OF the
equipment just as the Baroness awoke
from her nap.
Home, Friedrich" she said GROSSLY.
II shall be late, you good-for-noth-
ing"
Her remarks ended in a shrill
scream as she grasped the situation.
But Paul was already cantering away
through the darkness in the direction
of Freiburg. At ten o'clock, and with
out further incident, he rode into the
military cantonment and demanded
immediate audience with the COM
mander.