The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-08-17

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Afterwards, though it had now
grown dark, the emperor, by the pow
erful headlamps of the three cars,
! thoroughly examined the Americans
airrlane, the aviator explaining every
detail.
| From that moment for months after
wards the kaiser was constantly talk.
| ing of aviation. He commanded pho
tographs of various types of airplanes
| together with all literature on the sub
| ject, to be placed before him. Indeed,
| he sent over to Britain in secret, two
officers to attend the airplane meetings
held at Doncaster and Blackpool,
where large number of photographs
were taken, and duly found their way
to his table.
The Dancing Mistress Visit.
| I have recalled the emperor's first
sight of an airplane in flight, in com
pany with Herr Anton Reitschel and
Professor Vambery, because of an in
cident which occurred that same day.
Just before midnight the emperor was
giving me certain instructions to be
sent to Carlton House Terrace when
the door opened without any knock of
permission, and upon the threshold
there stood Frau Kleist.
"Have l your majesty's permission
to enter?" she asked.
"Of course, of course" replied the
} emperor, turning in his chair. "Comt
! in and close the door. 1t has turned
quite cold tonight. Well?" he asked
, looking at her inquiringly.
The court dancing mistress hesitate(
for a second. Their eyes met, and il
that glance saw complete understand
: ing.
MAY speak in confidence with youI
| majesty?" she asked, advancing into
the room. Except the court ladies she
was the only female at court whom
the sentries stationed a. the end OF
the corridor allowed to pass to his
majesty's private cabinet.
! But Frau Kleist had access every
! where. Her eyes were the eyes of the
/ emperor. Many diplomat, financier
military or naval commander has been
raised to position of favorite because
) he first secured the good graces of the
ex-ballerina. And, alas many good
3 honest man has been cast out of the
2 Potsdam circle into oblivion because
of the poisonous declaration of thai
: smiling, bejeweled old woman.
t "Of what do you wish to speak?" in
$ quired the emperor.
e "Of the Reitschel affair."" was thu
q old woman's low reply.
At her words the kaiser frownet
e slightly, and dismissed me. | bowed
: myself out, and closed the door upoI
/ the emperor and his clever female spy
S That she should have at that lat
hour come from Potsdam-for, LOOKING
+ down into the courtyard, l saw tn
r, lights of her big Mercedes-showe'
= that some underhand work was il
Y progress.
h BY handling, as / did, hundreds 0
s secret reports which reached the en-
l. peror l had learned much concernin
e Herr Anton Reitschel, and from oil
d Won Donaustauf, master of ceremonies
It / had also been able to obtain certai
1T missing links concerning the intrigue
" Reitschel, burly, round-faced, fail
n haired Prussian of quite superior typ'
a. held the position of chief director {
the German Ottoman bank in ConstaI
e. tinople. His duty for the past thre
ly years had been to conciliate the sulta
IN and to lend German money to any IL
lie dustrial enterprise in which any graf
lie of merit could possibly be discovers
n He had been singled out, taken frol
the Dresdner bank, and sent to Col
stantinople by the kaiser in order
IN play Germany's secret game in Turke
especially that of the Bagdad raj
Ir, way-and to combat with German go
lg Great Britain's diplomacy with Tewtl
tn Pasha and old Abdul Hamid, in vie
st of 1.-THE Day." which the emperor ha
n long ago determined should soon daw
IF, AS old Won Donaustauf had put it
sr, sour employer intends that, notwit
e. standing Britain's policy in the ne'
es East, Germany shall soon rule fro
Berlin to Bagdad. Herr Reitschel
a in reality charged with the work
NJ 'Germanizing' the Ottoman empire
tn That 1 already knew by the many S
I'd, cret reports of his which arrived
he constantly from Constantinople.
ad Truly the game which the emper
was playing in secret against the 9th