Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1915-04-23

palace.
Il drove straight to the telegram
Office, whence dispatched the follow.
ing message to Lord Soames:
"'You have been misinformed. Tbera
is no such letter.
And was right. For on the NOV
from the palace had torn I'D the no.
per into hundred fragments, and had
swallowed them every one.
The ambassador stopped abrupt,v
and made as If he would turn his ~.
tention to the stage.
Surely that is not all?" said. "Csn
you not tell me what occurred on the
Saturday,"
His excellency smiled pleasantly.
II had the account some time after
through my friend Soames, who got it
from his colleague in Berlin. It an.
pears that Bismarck never once looked
inside the envelope till he and the Eng.
lish ambassador met in the kaiser's
presence at the time appointed.
"The old chancellor had not in.
formed his master of the precise ma.
ture of the business to be transacted
Prince Bismarck opened the inter.
view, therefore, by explaining to the
kaiser the purpose for which he had
summoned the meeting. Then turn
ing to the British envoy, he added
with confidence:
Well, sir, what is your answer?
Will England join us?'
"The Englishman kept perfectly
cool. He had, of course, been warned
by Lord Soames how matters stood.
Before you have any right to de-
mand my answer he said, you must
fulfill your undertaking. to produce
some evidence that France contem-
plates an attack on u.s.
"Thereupon the prince tapped his
famous yellow box.
81 have here, he returned, a writ
ten proposal from the French govern.
ment for an offensive alliance against
you
"This was the first hint to the kaiser
of the real significance of the mysteri-
GUS document he had allowed me to
recover. He drew back in his CT air
and began to gnaw his mustache.
'But the Englishman merely smiled.
Excuse me, prince, but l really
think you have been imposed upon,'
he replied quietly. I cannot believe
that the government of the republic
would be guilty of such folly
Bismarck now smiled in his turn,
and with an air of triumph took out
the paper from its envelope, and
passed it to the other. The kaiser
looked on, helpless, and divided, no
doubt, between anger at the manner
in which l had outwitted him, and
pleasure at the modification in store
for his overbearing minister.
"The Englishman unfolded the pa
per and read aloud:
Proposal for an Offensive Alliance
Between France and Germany
cha! What did say!" interrupted
the chancellor.
"-The French government, after
according due consideration to the pro-
posal laid before it on behalf of the
German government, has decided to
absolutely decline entering into any
such alliance as
"He had got to there when the over
Whelmed chancellor, uttering cry OF
rage, snatched the paper from his
hand and fastened upon its contents,
with his eyes starting from his head.
and his features wrinkled up in a look
of positively ludicrous CONSERVATION.
"Then Wilhelm II saw his chance.
"'Herr Prince he said sternly,
what is the meaning of this comedy?
What are these proposals which you
have made without my authority, for
an alliance against the government OF
country which / regard with friend
ship?'
"The prince flung down the paper
with growl like that of an Infatuated
mastiff.
For the first time in my life, sire,
my dispatch-box has been tempered
with he raped out in surly tones.
AL ILLS UuOuSuL CdA OO1J oLooAAN w.
and the ambassador here that the pro-
posal came, not from me, but from the
French government
"At this point the kaiser turned
away and ceased to listen. The Eng
lishman shrugged his shoulders with
an incredulous air, and rose to go.
"The audience broke up. England
remained outside the triple alliance
and before month was over all Eu-
rope was astonished to hear that
Prince Bismarck was no longer chan
cellor of the German empire.
"You understand" added my friend,
after minute, that it is only because
of the years that have passed since
the death of poor Soames that | am
able to tell you all this
II understand perfectly"
AS / was helping his eycellency on
with his overcoat at the concIusion OF
tho vrou oun honn0nn6 IN