Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-09-13

and further, that he had taken with
him his crafty crony, Lohlein.
During that mysterious absence
when the tinseled world Of Potsdam
seemed at peace-the good-lOoking
Saxon crown princess arrived.
I was on duty on the railway plat
form to bow over her hand and to well
come her.
"Ah Count Won Heltzendorff! Well,
did | not say that | should not be
very long before I returned to Pots
dam, eh?" she exclaimed. Then with
a merry laugh: ''Do you remember
those gathering hoofs and my broken
rope of pearls? Nothing has hap
pened yet
An Angry Emperor.
Three days later an incident occur
red which caused me good deal OF
thought, and, truth to tell, mystified
, me considerably.
That somewhat fndiscreet journal,
the Militaer Woclhenblatt, had pub
Iished a statement to the effect that
Friedrich-August of Saxony and the
handsome Louisa had had violent
quarrel, a fact which caused a great
deal of gossip throughout court cir
cles.
Old Won Donaustauf, who at that
time was master of the ceremonies at
the emperor's court, busted himself by
spreading strange scandals regarding
the Crown Princess Louisa. There
fore, in the circumstances, it struck
me as strange that her h1ghness should
have been invited to the puritanical
and hypocritical circle at Potsdam.
That afternoon, soon after the
guard had been changed, I Glanced to
be writing In my room, which over
looked the big central courtyard, when
I heard the guard suddenly turn out
in great commotfOn, by which l knew
that his majesty had suddenly re-
turned from HubertusstOck.
Ten minutes later my telephone
rang, and, passing the sentries, l went
| by order to his majesty's study, that
| chamber of plots and secrets, hung
| with it's faded green silk damask, Its
| furniture covered with the same mate
| rial and it's net curtains at the win
! dows threaded with ribbons Of the
| same shade.
The moment I entered the emperors
| countenance showed me that he was
| very angry. Lohlein had returned with
| him, and stood watching the emperor
| as the latter impatiently paced the
| room.
saluted, awaiting orders In silence,
but so preoccupied was his majesty
that he did not notice my presence,
| but continued his outburst Of furious
| wrath. "Only see what Won Hoens-
, brooch has reported!'' he cried. Il
am being made laughing stock-and
| you know it, LOhlein! It has been
! said of US that woman, Wh1m, or
a word will today raise any person
/! to high rank in our empire! That
| black-guard, Harden, has actually
! dared to write it in his journal. Well.
| we shall see. That woman-she
| SHALL
Suddenly he realized that I was
| present, and hesitated. Next second
both his tone and his manner changed.
"Heltzendortf-I-- you to go
to Dresden and take a private letter.
| It will be ready In half an hour. Say
nothing to anyone concerning your de-
parture, but report to me here at four
| o'clock"
A Secret Mission to the Saxon Court.
AS commanded, I reported, but the
kaiser was with the empress, who, In
one of her private apartments, was
holding petit cercEe, the Princess
Louisa being present. Indeed, as l en-
tered that semi-circular salon the
kaiser was standing astride before
Louisa's chair, laughing gayly with
! her. He could4 alter his moods just as
he changed his, three hundred odd uni
| forms.
There was something mysterious In
the wind-ofsthat l felt absolutely con-
vinced Thetatmosphere Of that faded
green upstairs room was always one
of confidential conversations, intimate
conferences and secret plots-plots
as has sinceibeen proved-against the
peace of theiworld.
The emperor, noticing that had en-.
tered the imperial presence, came for
ward, and I followed him back into the
softly-carpeted corridor. Then he took
from the inner poker of his tunic an
envelope of what you in England cab