The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-09-22
The Kind
Of Government He
Liked
BY JOHN c. LARNED

self to the world"
The reply was made by Count Ester.
hoff. on whose person had been found
a pack of marked cards. A party of
young noblemen and the prince had
been playing bacclrat His royal
highness had lost heavily. and Ester
hOff had won. In order to force the
latter to return his winnings the
prince. who sat near the winner slip
ped the marked pack into his pocket
and then accused him of having won
his money by cheating. To prove his
accusation he demanded that Esterhoff
be searched, and the cards were found.
No one was deceived, nor was it in
tended that any one should be deceiv-
ed. The scheme was to effect the re-
turn Of the money the prince had lost
to Esterhoff without the heir apparent
being Obliged to demean himself by
accepting it as a gift.
There is a way out of 1t II you
choose to avail yourself of it." said
Bernstein.
What wayT
Give up what you have won to the
prince and the matter will be hushed
up"
THAT would be to acknowledge my
self guilty. prefer to appear guilty
to the world and preserve my own self
respect"
Nonsense. count II is our duty to
preserve the sovereign from reproach
He belongs to the people. Let them
lose confidence In him and what fol-
lows7 Anarchy"
Esterhoff stood firm He was ex-
cluded from the princes set on the
ground that be had used marked cards.
He gave his winnings to the poor.
which was considered a proof that bis
conscience had in the end got the bet
ter OF him Under the name of Peter
Esterhoff he went to America. His
family estates had been lost by his ia
ther, and it was his ambition to make
money and redeem them.
Twenty years rolled by. The crown
prince had become king under the title
of Oscar VIII. He had remained u
gambler and a spendthrift, though the
I'll success to recoup his losses with
Count Esterhoff mad kept him from
trying such a method again. During
the two decades that had since passed
he had become personally bankrupt
All that saved him was that the
wealthy nobility. fearing that If be col
iapsed he would carry the government
and them down with him, kept him
| afloat
A wealthy American came to the
capital and took residence. He was
unmarried and lived entirely alone.
Nobody knew why he had come, why
he remained or what he did with him
self Bankers knew that he had
brought with him unlimited credit
from America, and 1t seemed to them
that the money he drew was expended
for something. though they did not
know what
One day the king received notice
from a lawyer that one of his notes
which was due must be paid at once
Oscar forwarded the note through his
chamberlain to a noble who had been
| ny lnC OlnCl hODlCc " Ndhe
care OF the kings debts. The amount
was paid, but other similar notices
came pouring In SO fast that II was
found impossible to take care OF them
His majesty was Informed that there
was danger OF a public scandal. Many
OF these claims were for money ad
vanced for illegitimate purposes The
king asked who was pressing them
and was told that an American multi
millionaire was supposed to be at the
bottom OF it all.
One morning the American received
command" 10 appear at the palace
He replied that he had no wish to visit
the king: if the king wished to see hin
he would find him at home. The mex
day the royal carriage stopped at the
Americans house; the king alightet
and was received In the drawing room
Il have called" said Oscar. Ito learT
the meaning OF your having bought NJ
claims against me and pressing then
for payment"
Perhaps your majesty may remem
ber when you were crown prince slip
ping pack OF marked cards into IN!
pocket"
''YOur nocretT'
Il am Count Esterhofr."
The king blanched.
Il have kept those cards." continue'
EsterhOff. "and would like to sell then
, TO your majesty"
"EOw much do you ask for them
inquired Oscar after collecting his fac
ulties-
Two hundred thousand American
dollars for each card"
Great heavens. man. What do yo
mean?"
Il mean that In my youth l live
under a system wherein the chief me
. and women found it to their interest {
support injustice. IL your people sti
feel the same In this matter let ther
raise $lO,4O0OO0 and buy the cards.
hold your notes to that amount. an
the notes will go with the cards"
After a great effort those whose foI
tunes depended on the stability OF th
government raised the amount a
fast as The O,Onav came In they wOul