Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-07

sasains tl,er" WAS no sign. on my krccs
beside IN" body OF my royal master.
car 10 his lifclcss BOSOM. saw the
caNalcadc ride up. SIMON leading with
u face as oloodless as parchment.
And then knew that assassination
-plausihly to be ascribed to the popu-
lar resentment excited by Philips in
dorSrn,ent OF the new tax w--assaS
sination had been the trump I'm Simon.s
hand.
FlISk:.
For a time griet and horror seemed
to numb all my faculties. 1t was not
too much to say that Was temporarily
blind and dumb and deaf. Elhowed
aside. stood a little detached from
the group surrounding the roya! dead
and struggled vainly tc. master my
emotion.
Then chance prompted me to loot; nm
~ tn" precise moment chosen bv
Simon TO move ont of the rroun M,
bcckon Ramon to him.
i'hll| watched the prince hastily
sctibfle something in his notehook
tear out the page and give II IN bic
creature. The latter saluted and turned
:" ms morse. At that mcment Simon
saw me. and sharply urged Ramon
I" greater haste.
sun stood witless: i; seemed ages
hei"r" got an inkling rs TO the M
'nr" "t Ramon's errand. Even then |
800" ,oo.e" IN inactton. appalled, by
WIN Ming Phillip ana Queen .AliA.
eliminated. only the Crown Prime,
STOOD between Simon and the throne,
y child barely five years of age.
| round myself running toward my
horse. simon tried to hinder me. b,r
| thrust him roughly aside. WHY /
dad not saber him then and there do
not Know. l can never sufficiently re.
si"t my neglect OF that sfaring oppor-
turitS.
>i;am"n had a long lead before ever
| got foot in stirrup. He was los, ia
sight by the time my horse was in
run stride. And he was we'll noun, cu
-aitnost as well as land fear Of ne
was IN his heart to make him ride tho
faster. he gave me Il weary race. but
IN IN" end ! overlook him-inched my
horse up alongside his until at length
W" rode knee to knee and n bare hands
breadth apart.
tie turned 10 me n face pallid with
iriSh' ana fury-the face Of a cornercd
That message | shouted GIVE i,
To me-
BY way OF answer he snarled at me.
fniibiits for q pistol whose outline
showed through his coat.
teamed out from my saddle. and
wound al arm round his waist: but he
gave me the devil or "a fight. while our
horses pounded on like mad creatures.
! was obliged Z" take his pistol away
from him and east il into the under.
brush. then TO overcome insane resist
ance ny sheer strength: and. inch for
iiich and pound for pound. Ramon was
we'd with fear and wild with right
eons wrath. .And OF a sudden his
strength seeped out Of him like water
from Il broken vessel.
Lifting the fellow bodily | dragged
him across my pommel His horse ran
from under him and SHE'D aside. thcr
stopped: but mine raced on like the
w-ll-trained brute II was.
Pocket by pocket I searched Ramon.
holding him helpless with a forearm
across his chest. until ! found the pa per.
Identified Sim"n'S handwriting. pocket
81 II. and hung the hlackGuard heavily
TO earth.
When | looked back. ~ the next
bend N the road. he was iNin2 lud-
died aud still where he had fallen. 7
rather f%ancie'i aud hoped had broken
his neck for him. tnhappily il turned
out he WAS merely Stunued.
The message Was concise:
FOR reasons OF state. deliver Ia the
bearer the person or tn. Crown Prince
Philip. SIMON. PREMIER"
Bui was sick with a vision Of what
would have been the boys fate had
Ramon ncen permitted I" discharge
his crraud without interference.
In these days We had neither ,ele-
nhoncs nor motor ears iiorsehesh
alone could have served simon 10 for
stall me- at the raiace-and Al that
only under !le most favorable circum-
stances. ~ 1t was. believed I rode
through the city aud into thu palace
courtyard with some little tim. TO
spare.
Informed that my brother wsS with
the crown T'rince. without p.usins Ia
tell my tidinsS Of calamity. | took the
stairs three at = jump. and broke with
out ceremony through tine door =" the
ROYAL NURSERY.
In III. tio"dinG sunlight ih,, fell
through great French windows. lilo
crown Prime" and the Princess Julia
We're pla wing arniahiy with a recimeut
Of fooi-hi@iI ieadeu soldiers. There
were never children more beautiful
than those two. OF better matched. So
that IL had been my IDLY sentimental
dream that one dag. if | lived. / might
sec Julia reign as Philips Queen. =
dream now forever dissipatcd told
mySelf-washed out in blood.
captain sarrat"'" the ,rown
Prince cried, rising and holding himself
very siift'y rs IL" frowncd wrh lis.
pleasure. since whcn did give you
leave 10 enter Without knockin=-or
stand in my pr"senc" wi,h"u, salut-
ing
saluicd %grarci,. =" nlacs,r that
impcrious temper.
You" E"Nal I~ii.hncsS." ~erliAd
will pardon the rudcncSs of my $oi-
dicr,s y have = message for YOU.
the lie seemed voidablc II were
10 get him oui Of the palace withou, ,
Sccnc-'from Th"tr Majcsiics the KIM.
aud Queen"
and that message
II am 10 bring YOU /" them ,nmcdi.
ateIy."
Why" he demanded.
That am not yet permitted I" toll.
lf Your Royal tliGhncss viii. hut con
descend 10 hunor me a l~tilc-cxcrci-e
the royal virtue nf patience"
Very good" he csScntnd chcerfuliy
TIM tired If playing anyway. Your
HiGhnosS." he said punctiliousiv. turn
in: !" III" Princess Julia. viii eycue.
me-
1t appeared that her hirhness would
80 CondcSccnd.
I signed To tn" =ovcrncss to take
tic children aside.
Decentralization their Males
tics" whispered to raul. Il must