The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-10-21
lcopyright, 1915, by w. q. chapman.)

| tumbling up the stairs and calling her
| by her childish diminutive. Finding
her in tears, he surmised at once that
his mission was going to be hard
one He found maid of honor in the
corridor, and grasping her by the
wrist. dragged her into the queens
apartment, and stood by, his rugged
face wrinkled with anxiety, while she
applied eau de cologne and smelling
salts. Nothing ever satisfied old Mix
las during his visits to Rome unless
her majesty evidenced signs of faint
ing. a high-bred accomplishment, In
! the old fellows opinion, unknown in
Montenegro, and proof positive of gen.
tie manners.
l have spoken of the acute Italian
mind of Pietro Della Campagna, my
| friend At that time he had an affair
with a certain maid of honor = the
same whom old Niklas had dragged so
unceremoniously into his daughters
| rooms. Whether she Tilted him or
married him I do not know; perhaps
the affair is still dragging its slow
length along. Anyway, about ten min
utes after the application of the smell
! ing salts, Pietro, ignorant of what is
| happening inside, goes on duty outside
her majesty's apartments. Then out
comes the maid of honor, stops, con-
siders, and, in turn, drags the valiant
sentryman bodily inside the queens
drawing room.
There he found old Niklas pacing up
and down and glancing anxiously at
an inner door, behind which, he I'M
| derstood, her majesty was resting.
This gentleman and I, sir are her
majesty's most faithful servants" said
the maid of honor to the prince.
"That doesn't help" stormed the old
man. who's going to make the king
see that he's on the wrong track?
Who's going to stop him from losing
his crown if the queen can't?"
His language was simpler and more
/ elementary than that, but l translate
it automatically.
Then he sat down and explained the
| entire situation to the maid of honor
and the young officer. Naturally Pie
tro felt proud. When a man thinks
good deal of himself ideas flow quick
ly. 1t did not take Pietro long before
he got the germ which was to prove
the undoing of the Germanic confeder-
alton!
When he expounded 1t Niklas was
at first aghast. Then he swore and
| blew his nose, and clapped the young
| fellow on the shoulder and offered him
i the premiership Of Montenegro il his
scheme succeeded. So the three sat
| down at a table, and soon three in
ventive minds were running along the
same groove.
Niklas learned from Pietro that
King Victor was determined to draw
the sword in aid of Austria. The idea
of the cipher, as have said, was Pie
tro's, but the maid Of honor gave IL
the touches of verisimilitude. It was
a bold thing and clever one, and
Pietro said that it made his head feel
like a mill-race for days afterward.
However, the scheme was practically
worked out when page tapped at the
door and announced that his majesty
would be pleased to see Prince Niklas
| in the audience room in the west
wing.
| Prince Niklas snatched up the pa
per, which had just been completed.
and bestowed kiss upon the cheek
| of my friend Pietro. Pietro went down
on his knee and kissed the princes
| hand. Then, after the door had closed
| upon them, he kissed the maid or
| honor, but not on the hand. After
this had been done, since the maid OF
| honor was growing anxious to attend
upon her mistress, Pietro resumed his
post outside the apartment, looking, as
can be imagined, unusually well
| pleased with himself Meanwhile Mix
las was on his way to the audience
room.
There a stormy scene ensued. King
Victor. conscious that he was being
| pressed on all sides against his will
and conscience, stood as stiff as a
poker when Prince Niklas saluted him.
| He took the offensive, too, like good
tactician, and poured hot shot into
the arguments which the old man
pressed upon him, that he should de-
clare his neutrality.
''My duty lies where my conscience
lies" declared his majesty. Il am
bound by treaty to support Germany
and Austria, and If fail now | shall
deserve to be called poltroon, as
we'll as faithless. Besides" he added
| irritably, what the devil do you come
to me with arguments about the affairs
of Italy for?"
Because the balance of power is at
stake" answered Prince Nik1as. 1t
may be doubted whether he knew what
that was, or whether he did not have
| in his mind a scale loaded with gold
pieces. However, he had not become
a constitutional sovereign during the
past few years for nothing.