River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-07-11

Oh the stove IdOe 10 UlAch. by CudI
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 it 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, traitor, he on
| whose breast the king himself had
pinned a decoration.
He wore his new uniform, in honor
of the day. Suddenly he felt that he
could not wear it any longer. He had
no right to any uniform. He who had
sold his country was of no country.
He went slowly out and up the stair
case, dragging his wooden leg pain
fully from step to step. He heard the
concierge come in below, his heavy
footsteps re-echoed through the build
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
straight chair inside the door, and
stared ahead Then, slowly and me-
chanicaily, he took off 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 that day he had forfeited the right
to the kings garb.
It was there that Black Humbert,
hurrying up, found him. The con-
cierge was livid, his massive frame
shook with excitement.
"Ouick!' he said, and swore a great
oath. "To the shop of the cObbler
Heinz, and tell him this word. Here
in the building is the boy"
"What boy?"
The concierge closed a great hand
on the veterans shoulder. "Who but
the crown prince himself!" he said.
"But I thought-how can he be
here?"
"Here is he, in our very hands. 1t
is no time to ask questions"
eff he is here"
"He is with the Americans" Kissed
the concierge, the veins on his fore
head swollen with excitement. "Now,
90. and quickly I shall watch. Say
that when I 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
is a great night"
"But-I cannot Already / have
done too much. I am damned. I have
lost my soul. who am soon to die"
"You will 60"
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 it. Then he
commended his soul to God, and turned
toward the palace. Before it were
packed dense throngs Of silent people.
Now and then a man put down box,
and rising on it, addressed the crowd,
attempting to rouse them. Each time
angry hands pulled him down, and
Kisses greeted him as he 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 throng Of grieving
people, awaiting the great bell Of st.
Stefans with it's dire news.
Then, above their heads, it rang out,
slow, ominous, terrible. A sob ran
through the crowd. In groups, and at
last as whole, the throng knelt. Men
uncovered and women wept.
The bell rang on. At it's first notes
old Adelbert stopped, staggered, almost
fell. Then he uncovered his head.
"Gonei" he said. "The old king
My old king!'
i His face twitched. But the horror
behind him drove him on through the
kneeling crowd. Where it refused to
| yield, he drove the iron point Of bis
wooden leg into yielding flesh, and so
made his way. Some one raised a cry
and others took it up.
"The king" they cried. "Show US
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 figure
emerged. The cries kept up, but there
was a snarl in the note now.
'The kingl Long live the king
Where is he?"
A man in a red costume, near old
Adelbert, leaped on box and lighted
flaming torch. "Ayep he yelled
"call for the little king. Where is he?
What have they done with him?
Old Adelbert pushed on. The voice
of the revolutionist died behind him,
in a chorus of fury. From nowhere,
apparently, came lighted box banners
proclaiming the chancellor's treason,
and demanding a republic. Some of
them instructed the people to gather