News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-08-22

cess visit to the Berlin court was due
to end, at about six o'clock in the eve
nlng, | passed the sentries and ascend
ed to the emperor's study with some
papers | had been going through re-
gardlng the reorganization of the Stet-
TN garrison. I was one of the very
few persons ever admitted to that
wing Of the palace.
AS l approached the door, treading
/noiselessly upon the soft carpet, 1
heard voices raised excitedly, the door
being slightly ajar.
Naturally l halted. In my position
was able to hear great deal of palace
intrigue, but never had l listened to a
conversation that held me more
GREATNESS than at that moment.
woman" cried the emperor, "do
you, then, openly defy'my authority?"
What that crafty sycophant, Won
Metzsch, has told you is, l repeat, a
| foul and abominable lie," was the re-
ply.
And | knew that the unfortunate
princess was defending her reputation,
which her enemies at the court of
Saxony had torn to shreds.
mo woman ever admits the truth,
of course" sneered the emperor. II
consider you disgrace to the Dresden
court"
$50 this is the manner in which you
openly insult your guests" was the
princess retort. "You, who believe
thn 81 af
exhibit yourself in your true light as
the traducer of defenseless woman"
"HOw dare you utter those words to
me!' cried the all-highest one, in fury.
II dare defend myself-even though
you may be emperor" replied Louisa,
in a cold, hard tone of defiance. II
repeat that your allegations are I'M
true, and that you have no right to
make them. Surely you can see that
my enemies, headed by the king of
Saxony, are all conspiring to effect my
downfall. 1 know it! l have written
proof of it !"
"Bosh! You say that because you
know that the statements are true"
"You lie!" she cried fiercely. "They |
are not true. You cannot prove them"
Every WELL" answered the emperor
in that tone Of cold determination that
1 knew too well. II will prove the
charges to my entire satisfaction"
Words That the Kaiser Would Never
Forgive.
1 was startled at the manner in
which the princess had dared to call
the emperor liar. Surely nobody
had ever done so before.
l drew long breath, for as I crept
away unseen / recollected the kaisers
unrelenting vindictiveness.
Poor princess! 1 knew that the red
talons of the Hohenzollern eagle would
her.
She left Berlin two hours later, but
half an hour before her departure l
found hurriedly scrubbed note upon
my table explaining that she had had
"a few unpleasant words with the en-
peror," and that she was leaving for
Dresden a day earlier than had been
arranged.
A fortnight passed. Twice Baron
Won Metzsch came to Potsdam, and
was on each occasion closely closeted
with the emperor, as well as having
frequent consultations with Judicial
Councillor Lohlein. / had strong sus-
picion that the conspiracy against the
lively daughter of the Hapsburgs was
still in progress, for felt assured that
the kaiser would never forgive those
words of defiance from wOman's lips,
and that his vengeance, slow and sub
tie, would assuredly fall upon her.
l did not know at the time-not, in
deed, until fully three years later
how the actions of Won Metzsch, who
was a creature of the kaiser, had from
he first been instigated by the all
highest, who, from the very day of the
princess marriage, had, notwithstand-
ng his apparent graciousness toward
Ter, determined that a Hapsburg
hould never become queen of Saxony. !
For that reason, namely, because
he emperor in his overweening vanity
Believed himself to be the heaven-sent
uler of the destinies of the German EN-
ire, was much opposed to an Austrian
rincess as a potential queen at Ores [
en-, and had set himself the task to ruin I
he poor woman's life and love and to {
rouse such a scandal concerning her [
hat she could not remain in Saxony
18th every finger pointing at her in /
pprobrium and scorn. 9
Decipher Message for the Kaiser. 1
A fresh light, however, was thrown I
pom what afterward realized to be b
n astounding conspiracy by the re- L
eipt of a cipher message late one No c
ember night at PotSdam. l was at a
ork alone with the emperor in the r
ale green upstairs room, reading and Ct
acing before him number of state a
to which he scrawled his I,
.ribbly signature, when the telegram W
as brought. II
''Decipher that, Heltzendorff," he n
and went on with the n
Ork of reading and signing the dOcu- 81
ents, while / sat down with the red in
! a