The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-05-11
KING OF SERBIA IS
STILL UNCONQUERED
Aged Peter Spends Days His
Dreaming Of Reconquest of
His Lost Kingdom.

Is gathering strength to march again
at the head of his men," as he puts 1t,
might be one Of the Greek church mon
asteries on Mt. Athos, for all the touch
1t has with the rest Of the world. Never
easy OF access, Aedypsos in winter is
completely cut Off save by the inter-
mittent services OF & Greek government
tug which runs from Stylis, on the
main land opposite, to Aedypsos on the
Island of Eubea.
Occasionally smaller coasting steam
ers visiting the tiny ports Of the Gulf
OF Eubea and bound from Pireus or
Chalcis to Volo, stop at the wharf in
front of King Peters hotel. Now and
then a French or British destroyer
noses the shore long enough to disem-
bark a messenger, or a British mine
seeker anchors for an hour or two
while It's commander gets a whisky
and soda in the deserted summer hotel.
Nothing could be lonelier than the
life Of the king without a country. His
suite consists Of three Of his country
men: big, genial Colonel Todorovitch,
his aid de camp; black bearded, silent
Captain Jukanovitch. his secretary, and
jolly old DR.. Simonovitch, the royal
physician. In addition, there are, on
behalf Of the Greek government, Lieu
tenant Kolokotronis and Sergeant Ko-
ressi and 20 Greek policemen. And
that is ALL The little collection of
summer villas and summer hotels
grouped around the hot springs of
Aedypsos are empty. Their windows
are boarded up. They have that for
lorn air OF houses never really lived in
like Coney Island in midwinter.
The routine Of each of the kings days
is IN deadly monotony. Regularly, as
punctual as any clock he rises at half
past every morning, takes his
alkaline bath, and returns to bed until
half past 4. At his day begins
the habits Of campaigner," he says
apologetically Il suppose l am too
old to change!" He goes over the
newspapers and reports that are sent
any to answer, and reads such COM
muniques Of the progress Of the war
as reach him by telegraph.
Il wish people wouldn't write so legi-
bly!" he complains. Their letters are
80 quickly read!"
Fights Battles Again.
When the morning post Is over (and
as the post arrives only at rare uncer-
tain intervals 1t is often over before II
Is begun), out come the various maps
of the theaters of the world war. and
the king without country who is also
a general without an army, and Colonel
Todorovitch and Captain Jukanovitch
pore over the hills and rivers and plains
of France and Belgium and Poland and
America and the Trentino, following
the armies step by step.
But the maps Of Serbia are in a heap
at one side. No one unfolds them.
There are no military movements to
follow in Serbia. Serbia's battles ire
all fought. Finally every advance and
retreat and engagement, great and
small, recounted in the communicates
has been marked out and discussed. A
silence falls on the three men who sit
about the chart covered table, as If 1t
were the staff table at army headquar-
tiers, he night before a battle. The old
kim clears his throat and slowly rises.
Leaning on his cane, he hobbies to the
trunk on which the maps Of his coun-
try lie piled. His trembling, eager fin
gers unfold them, and spread them out
one by one, above the others, covering
over, blotting out the maps of all the
rest of the world. Serbia!
"I-ah-I was just thinking last night
about that little skirmish at Cuprija-
you remember, Berislav?" he says to
Colonel Todorovitch. There was a hill
over here, and the road went up this
way" But he uoeS not look at the
map. And his blind old eyes could not
make 1t out If he did. He needs no map
it is all therein his head, every bat
tie, every regiment, every shape Of
ground or turn of waterway-the very
names Of the men who fought and the
villages they came from. Adroitly he
leads the others into a discussion that
regenerates the long row OF days Of
triumph and despair that have made
his life.
Slowly he leads the talk around from
the past to the future. Now, you see,
he says, I'VE could send 10000 men up
from this direction. The French could
send six divisions and eight batteries Of
three-inch guns from here to here. And
the British, by making a wide detour
:" And he fumbles over the
map he cannot see,> asking Captain
Jukanovitch to point out this place and
that, concentrating his men, himself
again leading his worn and ghostly
legions to the reconquest of the liberty
of Serbia.
An Unconquered King.
The color comes in his high boned
cheeks; his strident voice-the voice
of a deaf man, who shouts always
echoes through the empty rooms and
corridors Of the hotel. Outside, the
Greek policeman, pacing up and down
in the warm winter sun, stops under
conquered" he says to himself, short
ly. And he presents arms.
Colonel Todorovitch, aide de camp of
his majesty King Peter, Of Serbia,
clapped his heels together and bowed
from the hips.
His majesty would be glad" he
said in German, If you would walk
with him this afternoon"
The way leads past some shallow
quarries where peasants, men and
women, rough-hew the porous, vol
canic stone for their building. AS the
little party advances. they stop their
work and put down their tools. The
men stand bareheaded, the women bow,
while fallen majesty passes them by
Soldier fashion, King Peter salutes the
simple folk who love him.
They are sorry for me-" he explains,
and they try to tell me that they are
sorry for me. in their kindly, wordless
way. They have great hearts, sir, like
the people Of your country: plain peo-
pie, as l am a plain man."
You are wrong, sire" says Jivoin
Balougdgitch, the Serbian minister to
Greece, who for many years was King
Peters secretary. Those simple folk
MT ont nP ToifU hut