Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-16
uAPTER xXXIII CContinuedD

3 out TO-DAY
/ Olga Loschek had found tho day one
OF terror Annunciata had demanded her
/ attendance all morning, had weakened
/ strangely and demanded fretfully to he
comforted,
/ ~ have been n bad DAUGHTER she
would say. at was my nature, was
warped, and sourcd by wrctohedncss.'
/ "But you have not been bad daugh-
ter" the Countess would protest, for the
thousandth time. "You have done your
duty faithfully. You have stayed hero
when many another would have been
/ travelling on the Riviera. or -----"
ut was not sacrifice" said Arnun-
ciata. in her pccvish voice. 81 loathc
travelling. And now ! am being made
to suffer FOR all 7 have done. lic Will
die and the rest Of us--what viii hap
pen TO u.s." She shivered.
The Countess would take tho cue,
would enlarge on the precautions for
/ safety. on the usclcssness of fear, on
the popularity of tho Grown Prince.
And AununCiata, for time NJ IcaSt.
would relax. In her new remorsc she
made frequent visits to the sickroom,
passing, u long. thin figure clad in
black. through lines OF bowmg gentle
men, to stand by the bed and wiring her
hands. but the old King did not oven
know she was there.
The failure Of hcr plan as to Milky
and IIedwig was known TO the Countess
the night before. lIcdwig had sent for
hcr and faced her IN her boudoir, very
white and calm.
"Ire refuses" she said, There is
nothing moro to do"
Refuses :"
"Ile has promised not to- leave otto.
Olga I.oschek had been iucrodulous, At
first. II was not possible. Men in love
did not do these things. u WAS not
possible, that. after all she had failed
When she realized 1t. she would have
broken out in bitter protest. hut He'd
wigs face warned hor. "lIo s" right
Of course" lIcdwig had said. 'Nou aud
wcro wrong, Counties There is moth
ing to dor say.
And the countess had taken her de-
feat quietly. with burning eyes and a
throat dry with excitement
"I am sorry. Higlncss." she said from
the doorway, II had only hoped to save
you from uuhappIncss That is all
And. as you say, there IS nothing to
be done" So she had gone away and
faced the night, and the day which was
to follow.
detail Tho King. living now only so
long as Il was decrcod he should live,
would IN midattcrnoun. commence to
TsInk Tho entire Court would be gath
. cred in antcrooms and salons near his
apartments. In his rooms tho Crown
Prince would be kept, awaiting tho
summons to the thronc-room where on
the Kings death. tho regency would be
declared. and the Court would swear
fcalty to the new King, Otto the Ninth,
BY arrangement with the captain of the
palace guard, who was ono OF the Com
nIttec Of Ton. the sentries before the
Crown Princes door wero 10 be of
tho revolutionary party. Mettlch would
undoubtedly lie with tho King. Re-
maincd then to be reckoncd with only
the Princes personal servants, Miss
Brathwaito and Milky Larisch.
The servants offered little difficulty.
At that hour. NS'rloct, probably only
b the valet Oskar would be on duty and
his station was at the end Of cor
ridor separated by two doors from the
schoolroom. II was planned that the
two men who werc 70 secure the Crown
| Prince were 20 wear tho palace livery
| and to come with n message that the
| Crown Prince was to accompany them.
| Then. instead of going to the wing where
the Court was gathered, they would 60
up to lIuberts rooms. and from there
to the roof and the secret passage.
Two obstacles were left for the Count
ess 10 cope with. and this was her part
,, Of the work She had already q plan
for Miss Bralthwate. But Milky Lar
isch?
over that problem. during the long
night hours. olga LOschek worked. II
would he possible to overcome Milky, OF
course There would be four men, with
the sentres. against him. But that
would mean struggle and an alarm. II
was the plan to achieve the abduction
quietly. so quietly that for perhaps an
= hour they hoped for an hour--theTe
, would be no alarm. some time they
must have. enough to make the long
p journey through the underground pass
age. otherwise the opening at the gate
would be closed and the party caught
: like rats N a hole.
The necessity for planning served one
/ purpose at least. IL kept her from
! thinking. Possibly 1t saved her reason.
for there were times during that last
) night when Olga Loschek was not far
from madness. At dawn. long after
/ HedwiG had forgotten her unhappiness
, in sleep. the Countess went wearily to
bed She had dismissed Mnna hours
: before, and as she stood before her
saw that all that was of youth and love-
= liness in her had died In the night. \
determined. scornfui and lard-eyed
woman, she went drearily to bed
: During the early afternoon the Chan.
cellor visited the Crown Prince Walt
ing and watching had made inroads on
: him, too but he assumed sort OF heavy
| jocularty for the boys benefit.
"No lessons. eh?' he said. "Then
there have been no paper balls for the
. tutors eyes, eh?"
II never did that but once. slr." said
> Prince Ferdinand William Otto grayely.
, 80. Once only"
"And I did that because he was al.
ways looking at Hedwig's picture
The Chancellor eyed the picture "I
should be the last to condemn him for
that" he said. and glanced at Milky,
: I'VE must get the lad out somewhere
J / for some air." he observed. "It is not
; good to keep him shut up like this" lie
turned 10 the Crown Prince. "In a day
or So" he said, I've shall all go to the
summer palace, You would like that,
ehc"
) "will my grandfather be able 10 goP''
, The Chancellor sighed. Yes" he
| said. T-he will so TO the country also.
: lie has loved It very3early."
! He went shortly after 3 O'Clock. And,
, because he was restless and uneasy, he
made n round of the palace and OF the
. guards. Before he returned TO his vigil
| outside the Kings bedroom he stood for
a moment by a window and looked out.
! Evidently rumors of the Kings condi-
tIon had crept out in spite of their eau
= ton. The Place. kept free of murmurs
4 h,y hn