News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-09-05

the commissioner OF secret ponce IL
his hghness' personal protection.
I After a restless night-for ther
were many stOppages-I spent mex
day with the crown prince in long an
firing discussions on military affairs
1 endeavored to obtain from him som
reason why we were proceeding t.
Nice, but to all my inquiries he wa
smilingly dumb
Only a fortnight before he had hat
a quarrel with his wife.
"Cilli is a fool % he had declared
openly to me, after she had left the
room in anger.
We had been busy arranging a pro
gram of official visits in eastern Ger
many, when suddenly the crown prin
cess entered, pale with anger and de-
manded fiercely an explanation of a
certain anonymous letter which she
held in her hand.
kindly read that" she said haugh-
! tily, "and explain what it MEANS"
The crown prince grinned that cold
sinister expression overspreading his
cOuntenance, look which is such a
marked characteristic of his.
Then, almost snatching the letter
from his young wife's fingers, he read
it through, and with a sudden move
ment tore it up and flung it upon the
carpet, saying:
II refuse to discuss any unsigned
/ letter! Really, if we were to notice
every letter written by the common
scum we should, indeed, have sufficient
to do"
His wife's arched brows narrowed.
Her face betrayed tiercest anger.
Il happen to have inquired, and l
now know that those allegations are
correct!' she cried. "This dark haired
singer-woman, Irene Speroni, has OBJ
tained great success on the variety
stage in Italy. She is the star Of the
Sala Margherita in Rome"
"Well| he asked in defiance. "And
what of it, pray?"
THAT letter you have destroyed tells
me the truth. l received it a few
days ago, and sent an agent to Italy
in order to learn the truth. He has
denly she produced a crumpled snap
shot photograph of the crown prince
in his polo-playing garb, and with him
smartly-dressed young woman,
whose features were in the shadow.
"Yes," she cried bitterly. "You re-
fnsn Of 20 fhfc piann
of evidence! / now know why you
went to Wiesbaden. The woman was
singing there, and you gave her pair
Of emerald and diamond earrings
which you purchased from Vollgold
in Inter den Linden. See! Here is
the bill for them!"
And again she produced a slip of
paper.
The scene ended in the poor woman,
in frantic paroxysm of despair, tear
ing off the splendid necklet of dia-
monds at her throat-his present to
her on their marriage-and casting it
full into his face.
Then, realizing that the scene had |
become too tragic, l took her small |
hand, and, with word of sympathy, |
led her out of the room and along the
corridor.
AS left her she burst into sudden
torrent of tears; yet when l returned
again to the crown prince l found his
had entirely changed. He
treated his wifes natural resentment
and indignation as a huge joke, and it
was then that his imperial highness
declared to me:
"Cilli is a fool! !"
Listen, Heltzendorff," his highness
exclaimed suddenly. in Nice l may
disappear for a day or two. may be
missing. But if 1 am, please don't
raise a fuss about it. I'm incognito,
and nobody will know. l may be alb
sent for seven days. If l am not back
Jy that time then you may make in
luiry."
But the Commissary of Police Eek
lrdt! He will surely know?" 1 re-
marked in surprise.
mo. He won't know. shall evade
him as I've often done before" re-
)lied his imperial highness. Il tell
-ou of my intentions so that you may
,urb the activities of our most estima-
lie friend. Tell him not to worry, and
le will be paid a thousand marks on
he day Count Won Grunau reappears."
/ smiled, for l saw the influence of
ba otat.r, al farainiua
mo, Heltzendorff. You are quite
he said, reading my
thoughts. "There is no lady in this
ase. 1 am out here for secret pur-
,oses of my own. For that reason l
axe you into my confidence rather
han that unnecessary inquiry should
e made and some Of those internal
journalists get hold of the fact that
he Count Won Grunau and the crown
rince are one and the same person.
vas fool to take this salon. l ought
0 have Travelled as an ordinary pas '
enger, / know, but" he laughed, "this
5 really comfortable and, after all, {
that do we care what the world thinks
-eh? Surely we can afford to laugh ]
{ it when all the hOnors of the game I
re already in our hands,"