Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-09-04


Count Won Grunau. With us was hi
personal valet, Schiller, the mllitar
secretary, Major Lentze, and Eckard
the commissioner of secret police 70
his highness' personal protection.
After a restless night--for Their,
were many stoppages-I spent mex
day with the crown prince In long an,
firing discussions on military affairs
endeavored to obtain from him som,
reason why we were proceeding t.
Nice. but to all my inquiries he wa:
smilingly dumb. e
Only a fortnight before he had hat
a quarrel with hlu wife.
"Cilll Is a fool r. 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 prln-
cess entered, pale with anger and de-
manded fiercely an explanation of a
certain anonymous letter which she
held in her hand.
KINDLY read thatl" she said haugh-
tily, "and explain what it means"
The crown prince grinned, that cold
sinister expression overspreading his
countenance, a look which is such a
marked Characteristic of his.
Then. almost snatching the letter
from his young wlfe's fingers, he read
1t through, and with a sudden move
ment tore 1t up and flung 1t upon the
carpet, saying:
II refuse to discuss any unsigned
letter. Really, II we we're 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 fiercest anger.
II happen to have inquired, and I
now know that those allegations are
correctl" she cried. This dark-halred
singer-woman, Irene Speroni, has OBJ
tanned great success on the variety
stage in Italy. She is the star of the
Sala Margherita in Rome"
"Well?" he asked in defiance. sand
what of 1t, pray?"
THAT letter you have destroyed tells
me the truth. / received 1t a few
days ago, and sent an agent to Italy
In order to learn the truth. He has
returned tonight. See" And sud-
denly she produced a crumpled snap
shot photograph of the crown prince
in his polo-playing garb, and with him
a smartly-dressed young woman,
whose features were in the shadow.
Eyes" she cried bitterly. you re-
fuse, of course, to look upon this piece
of evidence! 1 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. Seel 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 1
ing of the splendid necklet Of dia-
monds at her throat-his present to !
her on their marrlage-and casting 1t
full into his face.
Then, realizing that the scene had
become too tragic, / took her small
hand. and. with a word of sympathy,
led her out of the room and along the
As left her she burst into a sudden
torrent of tears yet when 1 returned
again to the crown prince found his
manner had entirely changed. He
reated his wife's natural resentment
md indignation as huge joke, and it
vas then that his imperial highness
to me:
"Cilli Is a fOolI"
Listen, Heltzendorff," his highness
Exclaimed suddenly. ''In Nice may
disappear for a day or two. may be
Missing. But If l am, please don't
aise a fuss about It. I'm incognito.
md nobody will know, / may be abb
ent for seven days. If am not back
y that time then you may make In |
Iuiry."
But the Commlssary of Police Eek
Irdtl He will surely known" l re7
marked In surprise.
mo. He won't know. I shall evade /
i'm as I've often done before" re-
lied his imperial highness- Il tell
Tou OF my intentions so that you may
'urb the activities of our most estima-
lie friend. Tell him not to worry. and
lie will be paid a thousand marks o0
he day Count Won Grunau reappears."
I smiled, for l saw the influence Of
he eternal feminine. Z,
"No, HeltzendOrn. You are quite
he said, reading my
thoughts. "There is no lady in this
case. l am out here for secret pur-
lQsesI pf my own. For that reason 1
AXE you into my confidence rather
han that unnecessary inquiry should
De made and some of those Internal
get hold of the fact that