The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-07-25


| leaving the supper ready cooked on
the back Of the stove. Old Adelbert
sat alone. and watched the red bars
of the stove fade to black. by that
time 1t was done. and he was Of the
damned. The crown prince. who was
Of an age with the American lad up
stairs, the crown prince was In the
hands Of his enemies. He. old Adel-
bert. had done It.
And now II was forever too late.
Terrible thoughts filled his mind. He
could not live thus. yet he could not
die. The daughter must have the pen
sion. He must live. n traitor. he on
whose breast the king himself had
pinned decoration.
He wore his new uniform. In honor
Of the day.. Suddenly he felt that he
could not Mear II any longer. He Ind
no right to any uniform. He who had
sold his country was of no country.
lie went slowly out and up the ltair-
case. dragging his wooden leg palm
fully from step to step. He heard the
concierge come In below. his heavy
| EG-CNiOcu tuIOutu tuC Outtu-
ing. Inside the door he called furi-
ously to his niece. Old Adelbert heard
him strike a match to light the gas.
In his room he sat down on a
straight chair inside the door. and
stared ahead. Then. slowly and me-
chanically. he took OF his new uni
form and donned the old one. He
would have put on civilian clothes. had
he possessed any. For by the deeds
Of TIM, day he'hao forfeited the right
to ''m kings garb.
| Il was there that Black Humbert,
hlrrying up. found him. The con-
cierge was livid. his massive frame
shook with excitement.
"Qulck I" he said. and swore a great
oath. ITO the shop Of the cobbler
Heinz, and tell him this word. Here
In the building is the boy"
"what boy?" N
The concierge closed a grent hand
on the veterans shoulder. "who but
the crown prince himself" he said.
"But thought-how can he be
herer
Here IL he, in our very hands. II
10 no time to ask questions"
"If he IL here"
HE IL with the Americans" Missed
the concierge. the veins on his fore
head swollen with excitement. "Now,
20, and quickly. ! shalt watch. Say
THAT when l have secured the lad,
shall take him there. Let all be ready.
An hour ago" he said, raising his
great fists on high, "and everything
lost. Now-hurry. old wooden leg. It
IL a great night"
"But-I cannot. Already have
done too much. am damned. have
lost my soul. who am soon to die"
"You will CO."
And, at last, he went. hobbling down
the staircase recklessly. because the
looming figure at the stairhead was
listening. He reached the street.
There. only block away, was the cob
bler's shop. lighted, but with the dirty
curtains drawn across the window.
Old Adelbert gazed at II. Then he
commended his soul to God. and turned
toward the palace. Before II were
packed dense throngs of silent people.
Now and then man put down a box,
and rising on It, addressed the crowd,
attempting to rouse them. Each time
angry hands pulled him down, and
Kisses greeted him as ne skunk away
Had old Adelbert been alive to any.
thing but his mission, he would have
seen that this was no mob Of revo.
lutionists, but q throng Of grievina
people. awaiting the great bell Of St.
Stefan's with its dire news.
Then. above their heads. II rang out
slow, ominous, terrible. A sob rau
through the crowd. In groups, and at
last as whole. the throng knelt. Men
uncovered and women wept.
The bell rang on. At Its first notes
old Adelbert stopped, staggered. almost
fell. Then he uncovered his head.
"Gone!" he said. "The old king
Ny old king!"
His face twitched. But tho horror
behind him drove him on through the
kneeling crowd. Where It refused ia
yield, he drove the iron point Of his
wooden leg into yielding fiesh. and 90
muOo uib Wuys oohuc Ouc tuioco ~
and others took It up.
'The kIngw they cried. "Show NJ
the little king!"
But the balcony outside the dead
kings apartments remained empty
The curtains at the long windows were
drawn. save at one, opened for air
The breeze shook its curtains to and
fro. but no small. childish figurs
emerged. The cries kept up, but there
was q snarl In the note now.
"The klngl Long live the king
Where II her
A man In red costume, near old
Adelbert. leaped on a box and lighted
, a flaming torch. "Aye!" he yelled
''call for the little king. Where IL he
What have they done with him7"
Old Adelbert pushed on. The voice
of the reyolutiOnist died behind him