The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-04-26

two reasons. First. the chancellor We
afraid of motors. He had horseman
hatred and fear Of machines. Secon,
he was not Of q mind to rouse Kin
Karl from q nights sleep, even to brin
the hand Of the Princess Hedwig. HI
intention was to put up at some IN
In n village not far from the lodge an
to reach Karl by messenger early 1
the morning, before the hunters LEI
for the day.
Then, all being prepared duly and Il
order, Mettlich himself would arrive
and things would 60 forward wit
dignity and dispatch.
| The valley of the Ar deepened. TIL
cliff rose above them, a wall broker
| here and there by the offtake of mar
row ravines, filled with forest trees
| There WAS q pause while the chain
on the rear wheels were supplemented
by others In front, for there must b,
no danger of q skid. And another
pause, where the road slanted peril
ously toward the brink of the chasm
and caution dictated that the chancel
lor alight, and make hundred feet o.
so of dangerous curve afoot.
1t required diplomacy to get him out
But it was finally done, and his heavy
figure, draped in its military cape
went ON ahead, outlined by the lamps
Of the car behind him.
He was well around the curve, and
the cliff was broken by a wedge of
timber, when a curiously shaped OBJ
ject projected itself over the edge of
the bank, and rolling down, lay almost
at his feet. The lamps brought it into
sharp relief-a man, gagged and tied,
and rolled, cigar shaped, in an auto
mobile robe.
The chancellor turned, and called to
his men. Then he bent over the bun
die. The others ran up, and cut the
bonds. What with cold and long in
action, and his recent drop over the
bank, the man could not speak. One
of the secret service men had a flask,
and held it to his lips. An amazing
indeed, increased by the dis
covery that under the robe he wore
only his undergarments, with a sol
dier's tunic wrapped around his Shout
ders. They carried him into the car
where he lay with head lolling back,
and his swollen tongue protruding.
Half dead he was, with cold and long
anxiety. The brandy cleared his mind
long before he could speak, and he
saw by the uniforms that he was in
the hands of the enemy. He turned
sulkily silent then, convinced that he
had escaped one death but to meet an
other. Twenty-four hours now he had
laced eternity, and he was ready.
He preferred, however, to die fully
clothed, and when, in response to his
pointing up the bank and to his in
lrticulate mouthings, one Of the secret |
police examined the bit Of woodland
With his pocket flash, he found pair |
Il trousers where Milky had left them, |
eatly folded and hung over the branch |
4 a tree. The brandy being supple
1ented by hot coffee from patent bot
lie, the man revived further, made an
till swollen, but they made out what
e said. He had been there since the
light before. He was of Karnia, and
kings messenger.
II was coming back from the bar
Ier," he said thickly, "where had
arried dispatches to the officer in
barge. On my return a man hailed
lie from the side of the road, near
here you found me. I thought that
e desired to be taken on. and stopped
~ car. But he attacked me. He was
rmed and was not. He knocked me
enseless, and when I awakened I was