Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1917-06-30
=" HE emperor commands you
- to audience at once in the
private dining roOm," said

one of the Imperial SerV-
ants, entering the kaiser's study, where
was awaiting him.
AS l passed downstairs to the room,
to which entrance was forbidden even
to the crown prince himself, / natur-
ally wondered why had been COM
manded to audience there.
"Have you any knowledge of the
contents Of the letter which you have
brought from the crown prince?" the
emperor asked bluntly.
I replied in the negative.
"Where are you going now?" he ask
ed suddenly.
ITO Thorn. His imperial highness
inspects the garrison there on Thurs
day." said.
"Ah! OF course. intended to go,
but it is impossible"
Then after pause, the emperor
looked me straight in the face and
suddenly said:
"Heltzendorff, have you any knowl-
edge of any man called Minckwitz?'
| reflected.
81 know Count Won MinckwitZ. grand
master of the court of the duke of
c-Altenburg," was my reply.
mo This is a man, Wilhelm Minck-
WITT, who poses as musician"
shook my head.
"You are quite certain that YOU have
never heard the name? Try to rccol-
lcct whether the crown prince has
ever mentioned him in your presence
underworld to recall the circum-
stance. for somehow very gradually |
felt a distinct recollection of having
once heard that name before.
"At the moment l fail TO recall any
thing. your majesty" was my answer.
The emperor knit his brows as
though annoyed at my reply, and then
grunted deeply in dissatisfaction.
"Remain here in Potsdam," he said.
telegraph to the crown prince re-
calling him at my orders, and l will
cancel the inspection ut Thorn. Tell
the crown prince that l wish to see
him tonight Immediately upon his re-
turn"
Then, noticing for the first time that
the emperor held q paper in his hand,
realized by its color that 1t was one
of those secret reports furnished for
the kaiser's eye alone-a report of one
of the thousands of spies of Germany
spread everywhere.
Minckwitz! I impressed that name
upon my memory, and, being dismissed
bowed myself out of the imperial pres
ence.
Returning to the Marmor palace
sent 4 long and urgent message over
the private wire to "Willie" at AL
tona, repeating his majesty's orders,
and recalling him at once. Quite we'll
/ knew that such an unusual message
would arouse his highness' apprehen-
sion that for some Offense or other he
was about to receive paternal cas-
tigation But I could not be explicit,
because l had no knowledge of the
reason the emperor was canceling our
engagement at Thorn.
"Did He Ask You That?"
At nine O'Clock tlAlt night the crown
prince burst into the room wherein
was attending to the correspondence.
"IVhat in the name Of fate does all
this mean, HeltZendorff?'' he demand
ed. "Why did the emperor fail to re-
ply to my message?"
81 delivered it," l said. And then I
described what took place in the en-
peror's private dining room. When
mentioned the name of Minckwitz the
crown princes cheeks blanched.
did he ask you that?' he gasped.
eyes. l told him that the only per-
son l knew of that name was Count
Won Minckwitz"
"Ah, that little fat, old master of the
court. Oh! The emperor knows him
well enough. 1t is somebody else he
Is referring to-"
His majesty wishes to see you at
once" | urged, full of wonder.
I could plainly see that his imperial
highness had been much upset at men
ton of the mysterious person called
MinckwitZ. What could the emperor
know of him? Was there some scan
dial at the root of it ALL some facts
which the crown prince feared might
be revealed?
Travel-stained and without changing
his tunic, willie" went to the teie-
phone and ordered knot to bring back