The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-08-18


then, smiling affably, so clever was he,
like his imperial father, in the con-
cealment of his real feelings-he re-
piled:
"Oh, yes-Krahli I recollect. Yes,
/ will see him here"
Next moment the person whom 1 had
heard discussed so strangely in the
little old woman's beautiful winter gar
den was ushered in.
He was dark-haired, aged about
twenty-eight, 1 judged, with small,
shrewd black eyes, dressed In a we'll
cut suit of gray country tweeds, and,
but for his German name, 1 should
have taken him for IN English tour
list, one of those familiar objects of the
Harz In peace time.
"Come in, Karl" exclaimed the
crown. prince, affably, as he grasped
his visitors hand. His highness did
not often offer his manicured hand to
prised. 1.-THE forester did not know
you, Of course. Well, 1 am very pleased
to see you. Have you come straight
here?"
"Yes, your highness. I went first to
Berlin and, learning that you were
here. 1 thought I had better lose no
( time"
'Quite right" laughed his highness,
who, turning to me, said: "Heltzen-
dorff, will you tell the others to go on
that I am detained for an hour on
state business, and-and that l will
join them as soon as possible. I will
find you in the woods, on the left of
the Quedlinburg road, before one
comes to the Wurmtal. Apologize for
me, but the delay is inevitable. l have
a conference with Herr Krahl."
The Crown Prince Disappears.
While his highness remained behind
at the forester's house to that alone
with the mysterious Karl Krahl, we
went out among the birds and had
some excellent sport. Yet the sight of
the young man, whom / had long en-
deavored in vain to trace, caused me
considerable wonderment. Who was
that young fellow in whom the little
! old countess seemed to take such deep
and peculiar interest? What was his
offence that she, with the crown
prince, should %concoct, as it seemed to
me, such a plot as that 1 had partly
overheard?
That there was q woman in the case
1 felt assured, but her name had not
been mentioned and l had no suspi-
cion of whom it could be. I realized,
however, that something important
must be In progress, otherwise his
highness, devoted to sport as he was,
would never have given up the best
afternoon to consult with that stranger
in gray tweeds.
The foresters and beaters had come
with US, as the crown prince had, at
his own request, been left alone with
his mysterious visitor.
After a couple of short beats we ar
rived at the spot on the forest road to
Quedlinburg, a most romantic and pic
turesque gorge, where his highness had
arranged to meet US, and there we sat
down and waited.
A full half-hour had passed, yet the
head forester, who was keeping a look
out along the road, did not signal his
highness' approach.
81 wonder what can have detained
him?" remarked Won Oertzen, the in
spector general Of cavalry.
I explained that a strange young
man had come to the forester's house.
An hour went past. The light would
soon fade and we, knowing "Willie's"
utter disregard for his appointments,
at last decided to continue the shoot,
leaving one of the foresters to tell his
highness the direction we had taken.
: The crown prince did not, however,
join us, and darkness had fallen ere
we returned to the forester's house.
OF his highness there was no sign, a
fact which much surprised us. In the
room wherein I had left him, his gun
and green Tyrolese hat were lying
upon a chair, and the fact that all the
cars were still ranged outside showed
that he had not driven back to the cas-
tie.
The crown prince had disappeared!
A Lady's Bag.
Knot, his highness' chauffeur, who
had been walking with us, was sent
back posthaste to the schloss to ascer-
tain whether he had been seen there,
for his highness' movements were often