The Washington times., 1917-05-13

not ~ -
ests Of Prussia, and OF our house OF
Hohenzollern. admit the girl,
though distinctly pretty, Is a most
Irritating person. She does not ap-
peal TO me, but I am compelled to
humor her. because l have a certain
object In view"
could not 60 further, or I might
have betrayed the knowledge 1 had
gained by eavesdropping.
81 was surprised that she should
turn up here, in ostend" said.
81 had written to her. 1 expected
her"
"she does not know you real rank
or station7"
"No. To her am merely Herr Emil
Richter, whom she first met away In
the country. She was tourist, and
was Capt. Emil Richter, Of the
Prussian Guards. We met while you
were away on holiday at Vienna"
HwIIIIe' Was Discreet.
I was anxious TO learn something
about Miss Kings brother. but
willie" was generally discreet, and
at that moment unusually 80. One
fact was plain, however, that some
secret report presented to the EN-
peror had been shown to her. Whyf
1 wondered II his highness 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.
| A fortnight afterward we were
back again at Potsdam-
About three months passed. The
crown prince had accompanied the
Emperor to shoot on the Glatzer Ge-
birEe, that wild mountainous district
beyond Breslau. For a week we had
been staying at q great, high-up,
prisonlike schloss. the ancestral home
of Prince Ludwig Lichtenau, In the
wolfelsgrund.
| The Emperor and his suite had left,
and our host had been suddenly called
to Berlin by telegram, his daughter
having been Ill. Therefore. the crown
prince and we of the suite had re-
mained for some further sport
On the day after the Emperor's de-
parture / spent the afternoon IN
small paneled room which overlooked
a deep mountain gorge, and which
had been given up to me for work. 1
was busy with correspondence when
the courier from Potsdam entered and
gave me the battered leather pouch
containing the crown princes letters
Having unlocked II with my key, /
found among the correspondence
small square packet addressed TO his
Imperial highness and marked "Pri-
vate."
Opened Suspicious Packet.
Now, fearing bombs or attempts by
other means. upon his sons life, the
Emperor had commanded me always
to open packets addressed to him
This one. however, being marked
Private" and, moreover, the inscrip-
tion being in a feminine hand, de-
cided to await his highness' return
When at last he came in, wet and
very muddy after q long days sport,
I showed the packet. With careless
air he said: "Oh, open II, Heltzen-
dorff Open all packets, whether
marked private or not"
l obeyed, and to my surprise found
within the paper q small leather-cov-
cred Jewel case, in which, reposinE
upon a bed OF dark blue velvet, was
the beautiful ornament which 1 had
admired at the throat OF the fair
haired British girl-the golden butter
fly.
I handed II to his highness just as
he was taking q cigarette from the
box on a side table.
The sight OF II electrified him. He
held his breath, standing for a few
seconds staring at It as though he
were gazing upon some specter. His
countenance was as white as paper.
when did that Arrive?" he man.
aged to ask, in q hoarse voice, which
show how completely sight Of 1t
had upset him.
| asThTa IN he ~ott--
Ier's pouch from Potsdam."
"If the Truth Came OUT
He seemed highly nervous. and at
the same time extremely puzzled. Re
ceipt Of that unique and beautiful
brooch was, saw. some sign, but of
its real Significance I remained In en-
tire Ignorance.
That It had a serious meaning /
quickly realized, for within half an
hour the crown prince and myself
were in the train on our 20O-mile jour.
ney back to Berlin.
On arrival his imperial highness
drove straight to the Berlin Schloss,
and there he had a long interview
with the Emperor. At last 1 was
called into the familiar pale-green
room, the Raiser's private cabinet, and
at once saw that something untoward
had occurred.
The Emperor's face was dark and
thoughtful The crown prince, in his
badly-creased uniform. betraying a
long journey-so unlike his usual
spick-and-span appearance-stoodn ner.
vously by as the Kaiser threw himself
into his writing chair with a deep
grunt and distinctly evil grace.
II suppose II must be DONE" growl.
| - 70 bEs aoa sfnId NOT fOresRR thai
the girl would constitute a serious
menace? When she was in Germany
she might easily have been arrested
upon some charge and her mouth
; closed BAH our political police serv'
Ice grows worse and worse. We will
have It entirely reorganized. The d.
rector, Laubach. Is far too sentimen'
tai. far too chicken-hearted."
As he spoke he took up his pen and
commenced to write rapidly drawing
deep breath as his quill scratched
upon the paper.
Part of Machinery.
"You realize" he exclaimed angrily
! to his son, taking no notice OF my
presence there, because I was part
and parcel OF the great machinery OF
the court, "you realize what this order
means? 1t is a blow struck against
our cause-struck by a mere slip OF
, a girl Think, II the truth came out
| N the lint