Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-08-30

ERNST Won HELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAr1 LEQUEUX

thing for my dear husbands sake" the
handsome young woman assured me-
tears yelling in her fine dark eyes.
in that case, then, please leave
the matter entirely in my hands," !
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 1 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 fun
keys bowed at the door, commanding
the doctor to the royal presence, and
he left me, hot and 1urried.
Had the emperor called the unknown
doctor into consultation with Frau
Kleist?
Inquiries I had made concerning the
doctor from Augsburg showed that he
was quite a 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.
eve leave tomorrow at nOOn," the
emperor exclaimed brusQuely when, an
hour later, l was summoned to his
room. This amazed me, for our ar
engagements were to remain three days
longer. | recOllected Madam Reit-
schel's words.
Il do not feel at all Well" his majes-
ty added, land this Doctor Vollerthun
orders me rest at POtsdam."
In silence l bowed, and then ven
tured to refer to what was uppermost
in my mind.
May be permitted to speak to your
majesty upon a certain confidential
subject?" l begged.
"What subject?" snapped the en-
peror.
"Tour majesty's negotiations will
the sultan Of Turkey. Frau Reit-
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. bah !!
Never have | believed IN silence i'm
posed upon any woman's tongue
more especially that of born enemy
I appreciate your loyalty and acumen,
Won Heltzendorff, but l have, fortu-
nately, known this for some little time,
and in Strictest secrecy have taken GER
tain measures to combat it. Remem-
Der that these words have never been
uttered to you! Remember that You
are adjutant, and | am emperor. IN
derstand! | fully appreciate and note
your royal report, but it is not wOman'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 ST.
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
viyacious, well-meaning Madam Reit-
schell
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 a
mark of favor, had ordered his doctor,
VOllerthun, to remain behind to attend
her. That Herr Reitschel was in great
distress | saw from his face as he
stood on the little platform at Ilmenau.
Back in Berlin, l wondered what was
in progress in that far-off schloss in
Thuringia, but a week later the truth
became wildly apparent when / read
in the StaatSAnzeiger an announce.
ment that Frau Reitschel, the young
wife of the famous Anton Reitschel of
COnstantinOple, had been seized by a
sudden and mysterious illness and had
developed insanity to such a hopeless
degree that it had been necessary to
c0nfne her in the Rosenau private asy-
lum at COburg.
In a second l thought of the dancing
mistress and the mental specialist
from Augsburg.
Poor Madam Reftschel She died
early in 1913, a raying lunatic. Her
devoted husband, having served the
emperOr's purpose, had been recalled
to Berlin where, bereft of the kaiserS
favor, he predeceased her by about six
months, brOken-hearted.
Copyright, 1917, William LaQueux.)
A Dig From Diggs.