Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-05-11
KING OF SERBIA IS
STILL %UNC0NQUERED
Aged Peter Spends Days His
Dreaming of Reconquest of
His Lost Kingdom.

The spot where King Peter of Serbia
is gathering strength to march again
at the head Of his men" as he puts it,
might be one OF the Greek church mon
a%steries 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
mlttent services Of &c 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 Its commander gets a whisky
ana soda in the deserted summer hotel.
Nothing could be lonelier han the
life OF the king without a country. His
suite consists of three Of his country
mem: big, genial Colonel Todorovitch,
his aid de camp; black bearded. silent
captain Jukanovitch, his secretary, and
Jolly Old DIR. 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 n summer hotels
grouped around the hot springs of
Aedypsos are empty. Their windows
are boarded Up. They nave h 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 m clock, he rises at half
past 3 every morning. takes his
alkaline bath, and returns to bed until
half past 4. At s his day begins
the habits of a campaigner," he says
apologetlcally. Il suppose 1 am too
old to ~change!" He goes over the
newspapers and reports that are sent
TO him, answers letters when there are
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
so quickly read!"
Fights Battles Again.
When the morning post is over (and
as the post arrives only at rare uncer-
tain intervals it is often over before it
is begun) out come the various maps
of the theaters of the world war, and
the king without a country who is also
a general without an army, and Colonel
I~odorovitch and Captain Jukanovitch
pore over the hills and rivers and plains
Of France and Belgium and Poland and
America and the Trentino, following
he armies step by step.
But the maps of Serbia are in a heap
at n 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, in the ommuniuu
has been marked out and discussed. A
silence falls on the three men who sit
about the ~chart-covered table, as If it
were the staff table at army headuuar-
tiers. the night before a battle. The old
king 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, plotting out tae maps Of all the
rest of the world. Serbia!
l-ah|I was just thinking last night
about that little skirmish at Cuprija-|
you remember, Berislav?" he says to
Colonel T~odorovitch. There was a hill
over here. and the road went up this
way But he uoes not look 1T the
map. And his blind old eyes could not
make 1t out If he did. He needs no map
1t 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
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 20, 900 men up
there and two divisions over here,
from this direction. The French could
send six divisions and eight batteries Of
.hree,lnch 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
les1ons to h reconquest Of the liberty
of Serbia.
An ~Unconquered King.
The color comes in his high boned
cheeks; his. strident voice-the voice
OF o deaf 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
the open windows and listens. I'm
conquered" he says to himself, short
ly. And he presents arms.
Colonel T~odorovitch. aide de camp Of
his majesty, King Peter. of Serbia, !
clapped his heels together and bowed
AAoAA lAc 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 b~areheaded. 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 / 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
stand uncovered. not out OF pity, but
out of admiration. They aren't sorry |
for ~you-they respect YOU
The monarch puts his arm around
the companion of his years OF exile in
Switzerland.
|&+ 81 a u 100. $50 ..N. ill., FL ENH