The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-12-04
CHAPTER LXXV.
The Last sIeoe.

uech WneIe ffeueflCk sun sat WIN
the young American-"E Excellency,
intrude, but perhaps"
What Is it?' demanded the noble
man calmly. Are they calling us
from our own port?"
Precisely that, excellency We
have a wireless call. We were sum
moned out, and now are summoned
back again. They demand that we
shall come quickly
What Is wrong?' demanded Count
Frederick, springIng to his feet
Everything. excellency! Word has
come that Grahoffen is marching
against us once more-even now our
city may be besieged'
For a moment Count Frederick
stood silent. Il see" said he. That
faithless tyrant Cortislaw has forgot
his treaty and is going to war against
us when he thinks us unprepared His
traitor and spy, Sachio, has kept him
well advised warrant that. How
are they coming this time?"
In part by land, but also in q
strong fleet by sea"
so they are attacking on what they
think the weaker side OF our works
Is there no such thing as faith among
kings-is there nowhere honesty in
all the worlds there no man OF
faithfulness and power any more?"
Sire said the prime minister, un-
covering and bowing to him, there is
one such in our own country"
Michael our king-that MANI
mo, sire, not Michael, our king. 1t
is none other than yourself ! mean. In
you only can our kingdom have any
hope-that Is palmer now than 1t has
ever been in all our history Times
must change or we are undone We
must dethrone our king at last. Take
the place, ! beseech you, excellency,
which belongs to you, the place which
you only can hold, for, believe me. it
is only in you that Gretzhuifen may
have any hope.
Il trust that you will remember
that it was myself that first made
this plain to your excellency," he
added thoughtfully.
Time for all that later said Count
Frederick hastily First we must
get back to port and pull together
such forces as we can"
Excellency, l. myself, attempted
something of that before we left
said the prime minister Il attempted
to carry out such orders as | fancied
you would have given had you been
there Some of the regiments, no
doubt, have assembled. The guns
may be ready on our sea-front now"
Very wei. Full speed ahead then.
We may not be in time"
They were but barely in time. Be
fore the Adelina docked in Gretzhof-
fen port there might have been seen
in the bay the smoke of the advanc-
ing Aeet-the Grahoffen expeditionary !
force already was crowding in for the
landing. At the same time, upon the ,
opposite side of the city, the army of +
Grahoffen, in full force, was advancing s
over the route which heretofore had }
carried the assault. Already this col ;
umn, composed Of cavalry, infantry
and the full artillery of Grahofen, :
had passed the neutral strip, and was /
the suburbs below the castle :
walls Of the Gretzhoffen citadel. h
They came exultantly, confident of n
heir victory, and swept on as though
eager to begin the sacking of the city. h
And the sacking of Gretzhoffen surely
had begun but for the arrival of one h
man -
The prime minister was right. The
of the people OF Gretzhof- "
en- as much of it as was left for any o
me man, now rested solely in the 80
lobleman who held 80 prominent
)art in the countrys affairs of late n
'ount Frederick of Gretzhoffen. Swift U
y enough passed from lip to lip the w
Jews that Count Frederick had come, q
hat he would lead the army, that he d,
would direct the defense Of the city. n
nat his mind was organizing the re-
lstance. And as this word passed OF
heers followed it. The men flocked ia
eadlly to the standards, and once fl,
4N4 ebiuCu tue SuUCk Oh arms. In
In this strained moment Count tb
achio of Grahoffen made good his
ronise to his king-he fought in the M
ront rank of his own troops, and not @,
ven the jealous eyes of Cortislaw IN
imself could find fault with his cour- M
&c or his judgment. He himself led de
le last assault against the walls. hs
hich finally broke through the outer
efenses The forces of Grahoffen ad. =,
anced so rapidly that it seemed in =.
eed as though Cortislaw would make -,
ood his threat to leave standing not -,
ne stone upon another in this capital q,
his enemy %
This was Sachio's opportunity, and ~,
q knew tit was his crucial hour. I.
ne thought even more potent than
s ambition for military glory still -,
He'd the soul of this warlike noble :.
an. Sachio fought that he might
lin one thing-the treasurers of the ~;
ng, buried deep somewhere in this s l-
.adel That treasure was the cause 10
this war Without its discovery the W
ar itself was worthless.
He stole away from the head of sn'
S troops as finally they broke in oli'