Williams news., 1917-07-26

ernoon, I rang for Herr von Wedell. A short, thickset man in uniform too tight for him entered the cabin, bow | ing. To him the emperor complained of an undue expenditure in regard to | the last court ball, whereupon Won | Wedel pointed out that while huge sums were spent upon his majesty's journeys little was spent at home. In a moment the emperor, with his keen brows narrowed, silenced him by exclaiming:
 "But thought you liked to be min- ister of the royal house, eh?"
 Von Wedell bowed, and a second later retired.
 The emperor's egomania asserted it. self that afternoon.
 A Scene on the HohenzoIIern.
 On that calm blue summer sea that afternoon an incident occurred upon the Hohenzollern which accentuated the imperial egomania towards me nials. There occurred grave scandal, which has ever since been whispered with all kinds of ridiculous embroidery manufactured by the all-powerful in- fuence of German gold.
 As happened to be one of the prin- cipal actors in the drama, may per haps be permitted to here place the real truth upon record.
 Herr von Wedell having bowed him. self out of the imperial presence, his majesty with all good grace signed some papers put before him. Sigh ing, he rose, and with his gloved hand drew away his chair.
 "Abominable! cried the emperor. "Von Wedell, of all men, dares to contradict mel"
 The all-highest ascended to the up- per deck, and I followed, for it was his habit on warm afternoon to sit on lounge chair beneath the awning and dictate orders and dispatches. At that time, the Telefunken system of wireless telegraphy had just been in- stalled upon the imperial yacht. The two operators had a cabin to them- selves, full of accumulators, detectors, and other paraphernalia, and were, at odd times, in touch with the German admiralty station at Norddeich.
 On the deck, the emperor, instead of seating himself in the cozy nook sheltered from the wind, which the empress had only a few minutes be- fore vacated, strode into the wireless cabin, while was compelled by eti- quette to remain outside.
 I stood gazing out upon the blue distant coast of Sweden, for we were still within sight of that broken land, with the Skaw on one side and His singen on the other, steering due west into the Skager Rack, towards the Nase, the most southernly point of Norway.
 The kaiserin sat close by, deeply en- gagged in conversation with the old Countess von Stoecker, wife of the court chaplain, and laughing with her.
 At last the emperor came forth from the wireless room and, motioning me to follow, descended again to the cabin in which we had been working.
 On entering he rang his bell and summoned the captain, who in a few moments appeared, cap in hand, as be- came him.
 we will go farther east" said the all-highest. "We are too far out"
 "Johannsen, the Norwegian pilot, is in charge, your majesty" replied the captain, lowing.
 "Then tell the man Johannsen," said the emperor, and he turned to his table, dismissing the captain of the imperial yacht.
 The Defiant Norwegian Pilot.
 Three minutes later there came loud raps upon the door, and the emperor himself gave the order to enter, where upon a ehort, thick-set seaman in blue jersey and seaboots, a typical North Sea pilot, came in.
 "We are too far out; get nearer in to the coast" his majesty commanded in fmperious tones.
 "We are not too far out" replied the man in German.
 "Who are you to dictate to me?' shouted the emperor in fury.
 "You are emperor on land, but I, Carl Johannsen of Ekersund, am in charge of this vessel while she is in Norwegian waters, and I take orders from nobody"
 And with that the man coolly turned upon his heels and, saluting, left.
 The emperor was white with rage at the rebuff. He flung the papers from him and paced the cabin in silent anger. Yet an hour later he ascended to the bridge and presented the man with scarfpin with the imperial crown and cipher in diamonds, a fact duly reported to Baron von Richlofen, the kaiser's press cossack (press agent), who duly gave an account of the emperor's munificence without, of course, referring to the defiance of the imperial command.
 On that same night, after the kali serin had retired, found the emperor walking the deck alone and behaving very strangely. He was capless, way ing his healthy arm wildly above his