The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-08-25

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 fercely an explanation Of a
certain anonymous letter which she
held in her hand.
Kindly read thatI'' she said haugh-
tiiy, land explain what it means"
The crown prince grinned, that cold
sinister expression Overspreading his
cOuntenance, a look which is such q
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 fiercest anger.
81 happen to have inquired. and
now know that those allegations are
correct % she cried. 'This dark-haired
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. "And
what Of it, pray?"
THAT letter you have destroyed tells
me the truth. 1 received it a few
do
in order to learn the truth. He has
returned tonight. Seer 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 VollgoId
in Inter den Linden. SeeI Here is
the bill for themI''
And again she produced slip Of
paper.
The scene ended In the poor woman,
in frantic paroxysm of despair, tear
ing OF the splendid necklet of dia-
monds at her throat-his present to
her on their marriage casting it
full into his face.
Then, realizing that the scene had
become too tragic, took her small
hand, and, with a word of sympathy,
Ini ont Of tho room oil ho
corridor.
AS left her she burst into sudden
torrent of tears; yet when I returned
again to the crown prince found his
manner had entirely changed. He
treated his wife's natural resentment
and indignation as huge joke, and it
was then that his imperial highness
declared to me:
''CilH is a fooI!"
/ Listen. Heltzendorff," his highness
exclaimed suddenly. in Nice 1 may
disappear for a day or two. I may be
missing. But If 1 am, please don't
raise a fuss about it. I'm incognito,
sent for seven days. If am not back
by that time then you may. make in
CURRY"
''But the Commissary OF Police Eek
ardt! He will surely know?" I re-
marked In surprise.
"No. He won't know. shall evade
him as I've often done before" re-
piled his imperial highness. 81 tell
you Of my intentions so that you may
curb the activities of our most estima-
bic friend. Tell him not to worry, and
he will be paid a thousand marks on
the day Count Won Grunau reappears."
smiled, for I saw the influence of
the eternal feminine.
''No, Heltzendorff You are quite
mistaken" he said, reading my
thoughts. There is no lady in this
case. I am out here for secret pur-
poses of my own. For that reason I
take you into my confidence rather
than that unnecessary inquiry should
be made and some of those Internal
journalists get hold of the fact that
the Count Won Grunau and the crown
prince are one and the same person.
was fool to take this salon. I ought
to have Travelled as an ordinary pas
senger, know, but" he laughed, ''this
is really comfortable and, after all,
what do we care what the world thinks
-eh? Surely we can afford to laugh
at it when all the honors of the game
are already in our hands,"
His words mystif1ed me, but I be-
came even more mystified by his ac-
tons few days later.
I was in ignorance that a fortnight
before Hermann Hardt, one of his
highness' couriers, had left Potsdam
and on arrival at Nice had rented for
three months the fine villa LiIas.
We soon settled there and on the
evening of our arrival I accompanied
the crown prince down into the town
| to the Jetee promenade.
We smoked together and chatted. as
we often did when his imperial high
ness became bored. was still mysti-
fed why we had come to the Riviera
so early In the season.
Yet our coming had. no doubt. been
privately signaled, because within half
an hour of our arrival at the villa
Lilas a short, stout old Frenchman.
with white, bristly hair-who 1 af-
terward found out was Monsieur Paul
Bavouzet. the newly appointed project