Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1913-09-12
Diplomacy
By F.. TOWNSEND SMITH

Count Rudolph Breitstein, secretary
Of the German embassy ia. the United
States at Washington, was called one
afternoon to the private Office Of his
chief. who said to him:
There is the paper you are to take
to Berlin. Take 1t home with you and
Keep it in your hiding place for impor.
ant documents till your departure.
III he careful. If the French Office
soil'd get hold OF it we would be ruin
!. 1t refers to payment for sthe
,vnch work on the Panama canal.''
count Rudolph took the paper. at
:. saline time saying to the ambassa.
IL: ...,-..--. sI-1. .z..s
1t is said that no spying is done in
aShingtOn. but l do not believe 1t.
have reason to suspect that my hid
ing pIace-a little safe in a wall in my
home-is known. Let the place where
! keep the key be known as we'll and
a document might as we'll be laid out
on table. l will hide this paper till
Saturday. the day leave''
Miss Agnes Winterton, the daughter
of an admiral of the United States
navy. but whose father was dead.
maintained social position in Wash
ington that she had inherited, but
which she could not have retained in
poverty in any other city except
Washington. Miss Winterton was Sit
ting in the drawing room Of Count
Breitstein. having sent up her card
to the counts mother, with whom he
lived, when latchkey was put in the
front door lock, and Count Rudolph
himself entered the house.
The rain was coming down in tor
rents. and the room in which Miss
Winterton sat was quite dark from the
storm and the heavy window curtains.
The count came into the room, where
she was sitting in shaded corner,
and, though he looked about the room.
did not see her. But he wore glasses
and had not wiped the moisture from
them after entering the house. Going
to bookcase, he took down q volume
from the left hand corner Of the top
shelf. opened the volume, put a paper
in it, closed the case and left the room
unconscious Of having been observed.
Mounting to his room, he threw him
self on a lounge for a brief rest be-
fore dressing for dinner.
The countess, who was changing
from street to dinner costume, kept
Miss Winterton waiting some time.
After Count Rudolph left the drawing
room the young lady, yielding to a
natural feminine curiosity. went to
the bookcase and took down the book in
which Rudolph had placed the paper
and. opening the former. took out a
document which she read. =.
''The information contained In that
few pages Of NATTER" she said to her
self. If used by me would make Us
all rich" Then. folding it, she put
it back in its place and resumed her
seat.
1t is singular that one who could
yield to temptation to crafty Gu
riosity she had no right to indulge
could have had the fortitude to resist
the temptation to make q fortune by
means Of the information derived. But
we are all bundles of inconsistencies,
and women, though more likely than
men to yield to some petty foible, are
by no means behind the sterner sex in
resisting great ones.
The countess did not mention to her
son Miss Winterton having called, and
he remained in ignorance of the young
lady's having been in the house at the
same time as himself. He left for
Berlin in few days and was not
back in Washington again for several
weeks. On the night after his return
he met Miss Winterton at a reception
given by member Of the cabinet. He
chatted with her for a. few minutes.
not for moment suspectng that she
held secret that would make her
rich and secure his dismissal from the
German diplomatic corps in disgrace.
Time wore on. The diplomatic bust
ness bearing upon the building Of the
canal was settled, the necessary trea-
lies "clS S1Sucu 0uu Tic "OlA COlus
menoed. Meanwhile Count Rudolph
and Miss Winterton were thrown oc.
casionally together. The countess was
especially pleased with her and often
invited her to her house. The count
had no idea Of; marrying an American
wife, but felt that If he were so inclin-
ed Miss Winterton would be his choice.
Washington gossip had it that Miss
Winterton had set her cap for the Ger
man secretary of legation. but there
was not word of truth in the report.
The count was a man Of the world
and. above all. diplomat He asked
her to be his wife simply because he
made up his mind that he couldn't very
we'll get on without her Added to this,
he knew that when he introduced her
in Berlin she would take high social
rank there She was quite clever and
passably comely. But. above all. there
was a high bred air about her that
would always make her prominent in
any society in which she might be in
troduced. So he proposed to her and
=