New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-08-17

Wiz. ltil MN ! llusl See nm, III }
dread daily lest the truth of the
kaiser's real intentions be known at
the Quai d'Orsay."
"Certainly," was my reply. ~ will
deliver your message this evening"
"Tell him that my sole desire is to
net in the interests of the emperor and
himself" she urged.
But, forgive me-" l said, 81 cannot
see why you should interest yourself
in the crown prince if he declines to
communicate with you"
Il have my reasons, Count Won Helt-
zendorff,' was her rather naughty re-
ply. please tell him that the matter
will not brook further delay"
/ had seen in the London newspa-
pers during the past week how eagerly
the English journalists, with the dust
cast into their eyes, were hlindly advO-
cnting that the British public should
welcome the great German national
movement, headed by Baron Won Cess
Ter, supported by Ballin, Delbruck
and Won Wedel, with the hearty coop
Grafton of the emperor and the imperi-
al chancellor-the movement to estab-
fish better relations with Great Bri-
tain.
! knew that the secret should at all
hazards be kept, and that night | told
the crown prince of my second meet
Ing with the pretty woman in black
and her urgent request.
He laughed, but made no remark.
Yet ] knew by his tone that he was not
so easy in his mind as he desired me to
believe.
1t also seemed strange why, If the
young Frenchwoman was so DESTROYS
of meeting him, she did not call ut the
villa.
About a week later it suddenly oc-
Cured to me to endeavor to discover
the real identity of the lady In black,
but as ! was not certain whether she
actually lived in Nice it was rather
difficult. Nevertheless, by invoking
the aid of my friend Belabre, inspector
of the Surete of Nice. and after wait
Ing n few days | made an astounding
discovery, namely, that the lady who
called herself De ROuville was an TIA
lian cafe concert singer named Irene
SperOni-the wOman who had aroused
the jealousy of the crown princess!
And she knew that important state Sc
cret of Germany!
The situation was n most serious
one ] felt 1t my duty to mention my
discovery TO his h%ighness, when, to my
surprise, he was o in the least angry.
He merely said:
ut is true, Heltzendorff-true what
the crown princess declared-that l
went to Wiesbnden and that | gave
the woman a pair of emerald earrings
which | ordered from old VollgOld.
But there was no reason for jealousy.
l saw the woman and gave her the
present in the hope Of closing her
lips"
In n moment l understood. The
pretty variety artistic was endeavOring
to levy blackmail. But how could she.
in her position, have learned the secret
of the emperor's intentions?
She was, l found, living as Signorina
Speroni, with her maid, ut the Hotel
Bristol over at Beaulieu, just across the
blue bay Of Villefranche, and as the
days went on l realized the imminent
danger Of exposure, and wondered If
the kaiser knew OF 1t.
made a remark to that effect to his
highness II morning, %whereupon he
replied:
"Don't disturb yourself, my dear
H~eltZendOrnf | have not overlooked the
matter. for II is one that closely con-
Germs both the emperor and myself.
The wOman obtained the secret by
opening the dispatch box of one who
believed her to be his friend, and then
she attempted to use her knowledge In
order to drag me into her net. But |
do not think | am very likely to be
eaught-eh?"
tered the room, therefore further dis
cussion was out of the question.
From inquiries l made later on l
found that the concert singer had sud
denly left the hotel, therefore / went
over to Beaulieu and had an instruc-
tive chat with the hall porter, n Ger
man, of course. From him l learned
that the %signOrina had been staying
there ever since the date when we had
arrived at Nice and. further, that two
onpt1ata,n hnI hnan frnu,,a,tl,, To- tIa 1
habit of calling upon her. One was a
smart young Frenchman who came In
a motor car and the other was a Ger
man. From the description of the lat
ter l ct once came to the conclusion
that 1t was non other than Herr Scha-
fer.
THE one gentleman dHl not know Of
the others visits" said the bearded
porter. with a laugh. THE signorina
impressed silence upon me, be-
she thought one would be jeal-
ous of the other. The German gentle
man seemed very deeply in love with
her, and she called him Hans. He &C.
rompanied her when she left here for
San Reno"
l reported this to his highness, but
he made no remark. A week later
some fishermen found upon the brown
rocks near Capo Verde, beyond San
Reno. the body of n woman, fully
lressed, afterwards identified as that
If Irene Speroni, the singer so popu-
In Rome.
1t was proved that on the previous
hight she had been seen by two peas
lnts walking along the sea road near
San Lorenzo, accompanied by a tall,
IL. .aaH rrha caannad n.oo4l.. .-ix-l