The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-16

personal valet, Schuler, the military secretary, Major Lentze, and Eckardt, the commissioner of secret police for his highness' personal protection.
 After a restless night-for there were many stoppages-I spent next day with the crown prince in long and tiring discussions on military affairs. I endeayored to obtain frcSn him some reason why We were proceeding to Nice. but to all my inquiries he was smilingly dumb.
 Only a fortnight before he had had q quarrel with his wife.
 "Cilli is a fool .'' he had declared openly to me, after she had left the room in anger.
 We had been busy arranging a pro- gram of official visits in eastern Ger many, when suddenly the crown prin- cess entered, pale with anger and de- manded fiereely an explanation of q certain anonymous letter which she held in her hand.
 Kindly read that ,' she said haugh- tily, land explain what it means"
 The crown prince grinned. that cold sinister expression oyerspreading his countenance, a look which is such marked characteristic of his.
 Then, almost snatching the letter from his young wife's fingers, he read it through, and with a sudden move ment tore it up and flung it upon the carpet, saying:
 T refuse to discuss any unsigned letter! Really, if we were to notice every letter written by the common scum we should, indeed, have sufficient to do.'
 His wife's arched brows narrowed. Her face betrayed fiercest anger.
 T happen to have inquired, and l now know that those allegations are correct i' she cried. This dark-haired singer-woman, Irene Speroni. has ob- tained great success on the variety stage in Italy. She is the star of the Sala Margherita in Rome."
 ''Well:n he asked in defiance. And what of it, pray?"
 That letter you have destroyed tells me the truth. I received it a few days ago. and sent an agent to Italy in order to learn the truth. He has returned tonight. Seer And sud- denly she produced a crumpled snap shot photograph of the crown prince in his polo-playing garb, and with him smartly-dressed young woman, whose features were in the shadow.
 "Yes," she cried bitterly. You re- fuse, of course, to look upon this piece of evidence I now know why you went to Wiesbaden. The woman was singing there, and you gave her pair of emerald and diamond earrings which you purchased from Vollgold in Unter den Linden. See. Here is the bill for them!"
 And again she produced a slip of paper.
 The scene ended in the poor woman, in a frantic paroxysm of despair, tear ing off the splendid necklet of dia- monds at her throat-his present to her on their marriage-ihhd casting it full into his face.
 Then, realizing that the scene had become too tragic, 1 took her small hand, and, with a word of sympathy, led her out of the room and along the corridor.
 As I left her she burst into sudden torrent of tears; yet when 1 returned again to the crown prince found his manner had entirely changed. He treated his wife's natural resentment and indignation as huge joke, and it was then that his imperial highness declared to me:
 "Cilli is fool!"
 Listen. Heltzendorff," his highness exclaimed suddenly. Tn Nice l may 1 disappear for day or two. l may be missing. But if 1 am, please don't raise a fuss about it. Ina incognito, and nobody will know. l may be ab- sent for seven days. If am not back by that time then you may make in quiry."
 But the Commissary of Police Eek ardt! He will surely know" l re- marked in surprise.
 l "No. He won't know. 1 shall eyade |
 piled his imperial highness. Il tell you of my intentions so that you may I curb the activities of our most estima- 1 bIe friend. Tell him not to worry, and he will be paid a thousand marks on the day Count yon Grnnau reappears. l I smiled, for I saw the influence of I the eternal feminine. No, Heltzendorff. You are quite ! mistaken" he said, reading my 1 thoughts. There Is no Lady in tnis case. I am out here for secret pa-- poses of my own. For that reason , take you into my confidence rather l than that unnecessary inquiry should 1 be made and some of those internal journalists get hold of the fact that i the Count von Grlnag and the crown prince are one ana the same person. was fool to take this salon. ought