The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-06-30
:" HE emperor commands you
ee to audience at once in the
private dining roOm," said
- ono tho cory.

ants, entering the kaiSer'S study, where
I was awaiting him.
AS 1 passed downstairs to the room
TO which entrance was forbidden ever
to the crown prince himself, 1 natur
ally wondered why 1 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.
1 replied in the negative.
"Where are you going nOw?" he ask
ed suddenly
ITO Thorn. His imperial highness
fnspects the garrison there on Thurs
day." I said.
"Ah! OF course. I intended to go,
but it is impossible"
Then after a pause, the emperor
looked me straight in the face and
suddenly said:
"Heltzendorff. have you any knowl-
edge of any man called Minckwitz?"
I reflected.
81 know Count Won Minckwitz. grand
master of the court of the duke of
Saxe-Altenburg," was my reply.
NO. This is a man, Wilhelm A1inck-
WITT, who poses as a musician"
shook my head.
''You are quite certain that you have
never heard the name? Try to recOl-
lect whether the crown prince has
ever mentioned him in your presence"
1 endeavored to recall the circum-
stance, for somehow very gradually
felt a distinct recollection of having
once heard that name before.
''At the moment I 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 will
cancel the inspection at. Thorn. Tell
the crown prince that wish to see
him tonight Immediately upon his re-
turn"
Then, noticing for the first time that
the emperor held paper in his hand
realized by it's color that it was one
Of those secret reports furnished foI
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 a long and urgent message over
the private wire TO willie" at Al
=;
and recalling him at once. Quite well
knew that such an unusual message
would arouse his highneSs' apprehen
sion that for some offense or other he
was about to receive a paternal cas-
tigation. But I could not be explicit
because I had no knowledge of the
reason the emperor was canceling oul
engagement at Thorn.
"Did He Ask You That?"
At nine o'clock that night the crown
prince burst into the room wherein
was attending to the correspondence
what In the name OF fate does al
this mean, Heltzendorff?' he demand
ed 'Why did the emperor fail to re
ply to my messenger"
81 delivered it." I said. And then
described what took place in the EN-
peror's private dining room. Wher
mentioned the name of Minckwitz. tn,
crown princes cheeks blanched.
did he ask you that?'' he gasped.
'Yes. 1 told him that the only per
son I knew Of that name was Coun
Won Minckwitz"
"Ah, that little fat, old master of tn,
court Oh! The emperor knows hin
well enough. It is somebody else b.
is referring to-
His majesty wishes to see You q
once" urged. full OF wonder.
could plainly see that his imperia
llighness had been much upset at men
tion OF the mysterious person caIIe,
Ninckwitz. What could the empero
know OF him7 Was there some scan
dial at the root Of 1t all some fact
which the crown prince feared Nigh
be revealed?
TrayeI-stained and without changing
his tunic. Willie went to the tele
nhone and ordered Knot to bring bac