The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-28

Var1aDly old SO In the presence of
strangers.
Those accurSed women :" he cried
''Ah, HeltzendOrff, when q woman is
in love she will defy even satan him
self And yet they are fools, these
women, for they are in ignorance of
| the irresistible power of our imperial
house. The enemies Of the HohenzOI-
lerns are as a cloud of gnats on a sum-
mer's night. The dew comes, and they
are no more. It is a pity. Has not
one of our greatest German phiIoso-
pliers written: Tt is no use breathing
| against the wind?"
True" I said. 'But. surely, 1t is
a nuisance to be followed and worried
| by that little English girlr'
Worried! Yes. You are quite
| right, my dear Heltzendorff. But
do not mind worry, if it is in the in
| terests of Prussia, and of our house
| Of HOhenzOllern. I admit the girl,
though distinctly pretty, is a most ir-
| responsible person. She does not ap-
peal to me, but I am compelled to hu-
NOR her, because I have a certain OBJ
| ject in view"
1
have betrayed the knowledge 1 had
gained by eavesdrOpping.
Il was surprised that she should
turn up here, in Ostend," I said.
| 81 had written to her. I expected
her"
"She does not know your real rank
or station?"
No. To her am merely Herr Emil
Richter, whom she first met away in
the country. She was a tourist, and 1
was Captain Emil Richter of the Prus-
sian Guards We met while you were
away on holiday at Vienna"
1 was anxious to learn something
about Miss Kings brother, but 'WiIIie"
was generally discreet, and at that mo-
ment unusually so. One fact was plain,
however, that some secret report pre-
scented to the emperor had been shown
to her. Why? 1 wondered if his high
ness had been successful in coercing
her into acting as he desired.
Certainly the girls attitude as she
had left the hotel went to show that.
in the contest, she had won by her
woman's keen wit and foresight.
4 fortnight afterwards we were back
again at Potsdam.
A Surprise Package for willie"
About three months passed. The
crown prince had accompanied the en-
peror to shoot on the Glatzer Gebirge.
that wild mountainous district beyond
Breslau. For q week we had been
staying at a great, high-up prisonlike
schloss, the ancestral home of Prince
Ludwig Lichtenau, in the WolfeIs-
grund.
The emperor and his suite had
left, and our host had been suddenly
called to Berlin by telegram, his
daughter having been i'll. Therefore
the crown prince and we of the suite
had remained for some further sport
On the day after the emperor's de-
parture I had spent the afternoon In
a small paneled room which over
looked a deep mountain gorge, and
which had been given up to me fol
work. I was busy with correspond
ence when the courier from Potsdau
entered and gave me the battered
leather pouch containing the crown
princes letters. Having unlocked II
with my key, found among the cor
respondence a small square packet ad
dressed to his imperial highness, and
marked private"
Nov, fearing bombs or attempts by
. other means upon his sons life, the
, emperor had commanded me always Il
open packets addressed to him. Thi.
one, however, being marked private,
and, moreover, the inscription bein1
in a feminine hand, 1 decided to await
, his highness' return.
When at last he came in, wet ant
muddy after a long days sport,
+ showed him the packet With a care
less air he said: "Oh, open it, HeIt
zendOrff. Open all packets, whethe
: marked private or not"
! 81 obeyed, and to my surprise founC
within the paper a small leather-coy
: cred Jewel case, in which, reposinj
] upon bed OF dark blue velvet, wa!
the beautiful ornament which I Ia,
: admired at the throat of the fair
' haired British girl-the golden butter
fly.
: handed it to his highness just a
? he was taking a cigarette from the DO,
on side table.
2 The sight OF it electrified him. H
:. held his breath, standing for a fev
1 seconds staring at it as though b
e were gazing upon some specter. Hi
e countenance was as white as paper.
4 tswhen did that arrive?'' he man
e aged to ask, in hoarse voice, whici
|, showed how completely sight Of it hai
q upset him
This afternoon. It was in the COZ
o rier's pouch from Potsdam-"
; "If the Truth Came Out"
e He seemed highly nervous, Sand 8
: the same time extremely puzzled. Re