Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-06-11

| me as our train ran through the pleas
ant, fertile plains of Saxony
What would deter you, Summers"
he said, lis the rank of the persons
most intimately concerned. Now to
my mind that is the best guarantee
of success for our undertaking. You
can strike at kings and queens where
| you cannot with impunity attack those
Of lower rank. Why? Because these
persons, being themselves outside the
| law, are loath to have recourse to it.
! We take our lives in our hands. 1t is
true, but we revert to the old condi-
! tions when each man was law unto
| himself. | think we can succeed just
| because of the improbability of such
an attempt. And we can hold her to
ucavy ransom for the cause"
But a princess." urged. Where
can we hold herr"
IF once we get her into our auto
mobile" said Nikolai, no power on
earth can hinder us. We take her
direct to the old castle that We have
rented for the summer; it is two miles
from any habitation and escape would
be impossible.
"Rut admit" he added, modi,ative-
IS, that an accOmplice within the cas-
lie would help us materially" He fell
10 thinking and would speak no more.
Our plans were as follows: The
Princess of CasselWeXel was to be
married to the Polish Prince Ponia-
towski. The marriage was viewed
with great aversion hy the subjects
of the tiny prncipa(ity of eastern
Germany, Nhile the princess herself
was rumored to cherish no unkindly
feeling toward handsome but impe-
cunious guards officer, whose aspra-
tons were. of course, destined to re-
main unfulflled Possibly, in these
days of democracy. the king might
in the end have given his consent;
but the Polish marriage was necessary
in the interests Of state, and czar and
kaiser had set their hearts on it, SO
it seemed improbable that anything
could avert the approaching nuptialS.
But two weeks were to intervene
before their Consummation. Nikolai's
scheme was to obtain admittance 10
the castle in the guise of an under-ser-
want or of an American chauffeur, the
supply of whom, for the many royal
automobiles, was constantly beneath
the demand. Then, with me as his as
sistant, we were to entice the prin-
cess for a ride, to kidnap her, and to
secrete her in our castle, twenty.tour
miles away, and well within the bor-
ders of an unfriendly state, until ran
som could be arranged.
We put up at the little capital town,
dominated by the castle of the king
of Cassel.Wexel, which seemed entire
" to oyershadow the narrow streets
that engirdle it. In spite Of the popu-
lar prejudice against the marriage,
Hoch Cassel was en- fete, and flags,
bearing the Russian and German arms,
hung from every window. Neverthe-
less, scraps of conversation that we
overheard, contemptuous references TO
the Polak," whose carriage driven by
magnificent bays, raced through the
streets at all hours to the imminent
danger of worthy citizens necks, bore
witness to the condition of the public
mind.
"A chauffeur and a mechanician'"
exclaimed our landlord when we
broached to him the fact that we de.
| sired position. And Germans born,
returning from America to the father
| land? Young men, your fortunes are
made. His Highness Prince Rudolph
loves all Americans since his return
from that country last spring. And
he is installing innumerable automo-
biles in place of his old carriages. Go
up to the castle at once and ask for
| the Herr Chamberlain; he will take
you on. Oh, the salary is liberal; two
marks a day and everything found
That morning we succeeded in OBJ
tanning an interview with the Cham.
berlain. Both of us were thoroughly
proficient in the running of automo-
| bles and we were Immediately as
signed positions in the royal stables
-Nikolai as a chauffeur, | as a clean.
| er.
Each of the chauffeurs had two au.
tomobiles in his charge; it was his
duty to have them always in good re-
pair, and when any Of the royal family
desired to ride, the chauffeur went
with the vehicle that was selected.
| The other men were of the mechanic
type and regarded us with animosity.
except young Schmidt, splendid spe
cimen of man, and of bearing
which would have consorted rather
with patrician stock than with the
humble family from which he had
sprung We three roomed together
in a quaint oldfashioned apartment at
the back of the stable, and all nighs
long when our confidence had been es
tablished he raved of the princess u
would have become exceedingly mo.
notonous, but for the fact that Nike,
lai and | saw in him a possible tool
for the fulfillment of our design
You have not seen herr? he exr
claimed, as he got into bed "Ah, the
! universe was not completed until God
made her. Such eyes-they would
melt the candles upon our lady's al.
tar. Such hair-radiant as the sun.
And when she smiles! And they
| would marry her to an insolent low
hrowpd poIak whom she deeDieos"