News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-08-22

quite. Two OF tle WOlneu at III
table declared that it must have beel
thunder, and then the conversation
proceeded. I, however, confess to you
majesty that I was very much puzzled
and the more so because only two
nights ago, while we sat at dinner
Friedrich-August and myself en- ia
mile, we heard exactly the same
sounds again."
Really" laughed the emperor
"Quite uncanny l hope, here in Ores
den, you are not believing in spooks,
as London society believes in them"
mot at ALL" said the princess ear
nestly. 81 don't believe in Omens. But,
curiOusly enough, the king told me
yesterday that his two old aunts, who
formerly lived in our wing of the pal
ace, had sometimes heard the clatter
of horses hoofs, the jingle of harness,
the grinding of brakes, and the rum
bling of heavy carriage wheels"
Him. grunted the emperor. "Pve
heard that same story before, Louisa.
The departing coach means trouble to
the reignlng family.
"That is exactly what the king said
to me only last evening" answered
Louisa frankly. 'Does it mean trouble
to me, wonder?'
"Certainly not" l declared. "Your
imperial highness need not worry for
one moment over such things. Nobody
nowadays regards such phenomena as
presage of evil. There is no doubt
some perfectly natural explanation of
the sounds. Every old palace, castle
and even private house, has it's tradi-
TONS"
The kaiser's Merry Mood.
Then the emperor, after acknowl-
edging the salute of Baron Georg Won
Metzsch, controller of the royal house
hold-a tall, thin, crafty-eyed man,
with hair tinged with gray, and wear
ing a dark blue uniform and many
ecorations-changed the topic of con-
versatiOn.
The kaiser was in particularly merry
mood that night. He had gone to Dres-
den against his inclination, for he had
long ago arranged an Easter review
on the Tempelhofer Field, but the visit
was, 1 knew, for the purpose of con-
sultation in secret with the king of
SaXony.
Several times I wondered upon what
his majesty of Saxony had stumbled.
That morning the emperor and king
had been closeted alone together for
fully three hours, and the outcome of
the secret conference seemed to have
put the all-highest into most excel
lent mood.
The Saxon crown prince and his
wife were at that time most devoted
couple, though all of us knew that
the modern ideas Louisa had brought
to Dresden from the Hapsburg court
had much shocked old King George
and his consort. The Saxon court was
unused to a pretty women with buoy
ant spirits rejoicing in life with capt.
tai a."
According to the court whisperings,
trouble had started a few days after
when the king, having given
his daughter-in-law a tiara OF dla-
nOnds, royal heirloom, with strict
niunctions to wear them just as they
vere-a style of the seventeenth CEN
ury-he one evening at the opera saw
Ter wearing the stones reset In that
style known as art nouveau. The KING |
became furious, and ordered them to
De set again in their original settings, |
yhereupon Louisa coolly returned the
present.
Such was the commencement OF the |
I'D kings ill-feeling toward her.
The state ball that night was GER
ainly a brilliant one for such small
,ourt. and next day we all returned
q Potsdam, Louisa, in a depressed
mood. for while dancing with Count
on Castell Rudenhausen Of the Prus-
ian Guard her lovely rope of pearls
ad suddenly parted as though cut py
knife.
A Mysterious Absence. |
Before we left Dresden, however,
net the crown princess in one of the
Corridors. 1t was nine o'clock in the
morning. She wore her riding-habit,
laving Just come in from her morning
anter. mo-
"Well, COUNT" she laughed. so
.ou are leaving US unexpectedly!
han be coming to pay another visit to
'otsdam soon. The emperor invited
ne last night. Au revoir!"
Her imperial highness PAID her
visit to the empress at the
.eues Palais in July.
AT the time of her arrival the en-
error had left suddenly and gone away
n Hubertusstock. When anything un-
sual inset him he always went there.
overheard him the day before his de-
arturo shouting to LOhlein as passed
long one of the corridors. The judi
ial councillor seemed to be trying to
.acify him, but apparently entirely
Without avail go
"You are as sly as all the restF
heard the emperor declare in that
brill. bigh-pitched tone which always
enotes his anger. 'T'll hear none OF
mo excuses. 1 want no fawning,
N xv-iugplinQ"