Williams news., 1917-09-06

tears yelling in her fine dark eyes. "1n that case, then, please leave the matter entirely in my hands," I said.
 That same night, about ten o'clock, the emperor entered the room to which had just returned to work. "Send Frau Kleist to me-" he snapped. And I will summon you later when I want you, Heltzendorff." ;" Frau Kleist! had no idea the wom- an had arrived at the castle. But dis patched one of the servants to search for her, and afterwards heard her high pitched voice as she ascended the stairs to hold secret counsel with his majesty.
 Below I found the fat, fair-haired little doctor from Augsburg, who was still an enigma, but eager to see his imperial patient. Suddenly one of the imperial fiun- k"ts '"' '0 '' =. .r.r commanding the doctor to the royal presence, and he left me, hot and Hurried.
 Had the emperor called the unknown doctor into consultation with Frau Kleist?
 Inquiries had made concerning the doctor from Augsburg showed that he was quite @ well-known specialist on mental diseases, and he had also writ ten a textbook upon bacteriology and the brain. Why had the kaiser sum- moned him? He required no brain specialist.
 We leave tomorrow at noon," the emperor exclaimed brusquely when, an hour later, I was summoned to his room. This amazed me, for our ar- engagements were to remain three days longer. I recollected Madam Reit- schels words.
 q do not feel at all well," his majes- ty added, land this Doctor Vollerthun orders me rest at Potsdam."
 In silence I bowed, and then ven- tured to refer to what was uppermost in my mind. '.
 May be permitted to speak to your subjectT' begged.
 "What subject?" snapped the em- peror.
 'eYour majesty's negotiations with the sultan of Turkey. Frau Reit- schel has learned of them, but she is eager to come before you and take an oath of entire secrecy"
 The kaiser's eyes narrowed and glowed in sudden anger.
 A Woman's Oath.
 "A woman's oath! !" he cried. "Bahl Never have believed in silence im- posed upon any woman's tongue more especially that of born enemyI I appreciate your loyalty and acumen, Won Heltzendorff, but I have, fortu- nately, known this for some little time, and in strictest secrecy have taken cer- tain measures to combat it. Remem- Der that these words have never been uttered to you! Remember thati You are adjutant, and I am emperor. Un- derstandi fully appreciate and note your royal report, but it is not wornan's sphere to enter our diplomacy, except as a secret agent of our fatherland. Let us say no more."
 Ten minutes later, being dismissed, wandered back through the great si- lent, echoing corridors of the ancient castle to my own room. A great human drama, greater than any ever placed upon the stage, was now being en- acted.
 The emperor was plotting the down fall of the Turkish empire and the overthrow of Islam in Europe. Be tween the all-highest one and the real ization of those plans for world power stood one frail little Parisienne, the vivacious, well-meaning Madam Reit- schel!
 Next day we left the Schloss Langen- berg, but before doing so we heard with regret that our charming little hostess had been suddenly taken i'll during the night, and the kaiser, as mark of favor, had ordered his doctor, Vollerthun, to remain behind to attend her. That Herr Reitschel was in great distress I saw from his face as he stood on the little platform at nmenau.
 Back in Berlin, wondered what was in progress in that far-Off schloss in Thuringia, but a week later the truth became wildly apparent when I read in the Staats-Anzeiger an announce ment that Frau Reitschel, the young wife of the famous Anton Reitschel of Constantinople, had been seized by sudden and mysterious illness and had developed insanity to such a hopeless degree that it had been necessary to confine her in the Rosenau private asy- lum at Coburg.
 In a second thought of the dancing and the mental specialist from Augsburg.
 Poor Madam Reitschel! She died early in 1913, a raving luratic. Her devoted husband, having served the purpose, had been recalled to Berlin, where, bereft of the kaiser's favor, he predeceased her by about six months, broken-hearted.
 Copyright, 1917, William LeQueux.)