The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-04-24

Spier, was carrying to the attic what
appeared to be an old mattress, rolled
up and covered with rags. In the
morning, outside the door, there was a
darkish stain, however, which might
have been blood.
=
At nine o'clock the next morning
the chancellor visited the crown prince.
He came without ceremony. Lately he
had been coming often. He liked to
come in quietly, and sit for an hour
in the school room, saying nothing.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto found
these occasions rather trying.
81 should think" he protested once
to his governess, that he would have
something else to do. He's the
chancellor, isn't he?"
The king had passed bad night,
and Haeckel was still missing. The
chancellor's heart was heavy.
The chancellor watched the crown
prince, as he sat at the high desk,
laboriously writing. 1t was the hour
of English composition, and Prince
Ferdinand William Otto was writing
theme.
"About dogs" he explained. "Tve
seen great many, you know. l could
do it better with a pencil. My pen
sticks in the paper"
He wrote on, and Mettlich sat and
watched. He caught Miss Braith-
waite's glance, and he knew what was
i'm her mind. For nine years now had
come, once year, the painful ami
versary of the death of the late crown
prince and his young wife. For nine
years had the city mOurned, with flags
Mt half mast and the bronze statue of
the old queen draped in black. And
for nine years had the day of grief
passed unnOticed by the lad on whom
hung the destinies of the Kingdom.
Now they confronted new sit
uation. The next day but one was the
anniversary again. The boy was older,
and observant. 1t would not be pos
sible to conceal from him the
Significance of the procession march
ing through the streets with muffled
drums.
They could not continue to lie to
the boy. Truthfulness had been one
of the rules of his rigorous upbring-
ing. And he was now of an age to re-
member. SO the chancellor sat and
waited, and fingered his heavy watch
chain.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto put
his attention to the theme, and finished
it. Then, flushed with authorship, he
, looked up. "May l read you the last
line of it?" he demanded of the
chancellor.
II shall be honored. highness." Not
often did the chancellor say "high-
ness" Generally he said lotto" or
my child"
Prince Ferdinand William Otto read
aloud. with dancing eyes, his last line
AT should like to own a dog l
thought" he said wistfully, shat l
might ask my grandfather for one"
81 see no reason why you should not
have a dog" the chancellor observed.
"Not one to be kept at the stables"
Otto explained. zone to stay with me
all the time. One to sleep on the foot
of the bed"
But here the chancellor threw up
his hands. Instantly he visualized all
the objections to dogs, from fieas to
rabies. And he put the difficulties
into words. No mean speaker was the
chancellor when so minded. He was
a master of style, Of arrangement, Of
logic and reasoning. He spoke at
length, even. at the end, rising and
pacing a few steps up and down the
room. But when he, had concluded,
when the dog, SO to speak, had fed
yelping to the country Of dead hopes,
Prince Ferdinand William Otto merely
gulppd and said: -