Williams news., 1917-08-30

to end, at about six o'clock in the eve ming, I passed the sentries and ascend ed to the emperor's study with some papers I had been going through re- garding the reorganization of the Stet- tin garrison. I was one of the very few persons ever admitted to that wing of the palace.
 As I approached the door, treading noiselessly upon the soft carpet, I heard voices raised eXcitedly, the door being slightly ajar.
 Naturally halted. In my position I was able to hear a great deal of palace intrigue, but never had listened to conversation that held me more breathless 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, I repeat, a foul and abominable lie," was the re- ply.
 And I knew that the unfortunate princess was defending her reputation, which her enemies at the court of Saxony had torn to shreds.
 "No woman ever admits the truth, of course," sneered the emperor. 'I consider you disgrace to the Dresden court"
 "So this is the manner in which you openly insult your guests!" was the princess retort. "You, who believe yourself the idol of your people, now exhibit yourself in your true light as the traducer of defenseless woman!"
 "How dare you utter those words to mel" cried the all-highest one, in fury.
 q dare defend myself-even though you may be emperor" replied Louisa, in a cold, hard tone of defiance. q repeat that your allegations are un- 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. I know it! I have written proof of it!"
 "Bosh! You say that because you know that the statements are true"
 "You lie i'' she cried fiercely. '"They are not true. You cannot prove them."
 every weIl," answered the emperor in that tone of cold determination that I knew too well. q will prove the charges to my entire satisfaction" Words That the Kaiser Would Never
 Forgive.
 was startled at the manner in which the princess had dared to call the emperor a liar. Surely nobody had ever done so before.
 drew long breath, for as crept away unseen I recollected the kaiser's unrelenting vindictiveness.
 Poor princess! I knew that the red talons of the Hohenzollern eagle would sooner or later be laid heavily upon her.
 She left Berlin two hours later, but half an hour before her departure I found hurriedly scrubbed note upon my table explaining that she had had ca few unpleasant words with the em- peror," and that she was leaving for Dresden a day earlier than had been arranged.
 A fortnight passed. Twice Baron von Metzsch came to Potsdam, and was on each occasion closely closeted with the emperor, as well as having frequent consultations with Judicial Councillor Lohlein. I 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 a woman's lips, and that his vengeance, slow and sub- tie, would assuredly fall upon her.
 I 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 the first been instgated by the all- highest, who, from the very day of the princess marriage, had, notwithstand- ing his apparent graciOusness toward her, determined that a HapSburg should never become queen of Saxony.
 For that reason, namely, because | the emperor in his overweening vanity | believed himself to be the heaven-sent | ruler of the destinies of the German en- | pire, was much opposed to an Austrian | princess as a potential queen at Dres- 1 den, and had set himself the task to ruin | the poor woman's life and love and Go arouse such a scandal concerning her that she could not remain in Saxony with every finger pointing at her in opprobrium and Scorn.
 l Decipher Message for the Kaiser.
 A fresh light, however, was thrown upon what I afterward realized to be an astounding conspiracy by the re- ceipt of a cipher message late one No vember night at Potsdam. I was at work alone with the emperor in the pale green upstairs room, reading and placing before him a number of state documents to which he Scrawled his scribbly signature, when the telegram was brought.
 "Decipher that, Heltzendorff," he commanded, and went on with the work of reading and signing the docu- ments, while I sat down with the red laathar-couared coda hook and nreS-