Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-08
Continued from page 8

placed a hand on the old mans knee.
"We shall do well, SIRE" he said
gravely, ito raise the boy at ALL"
There was a short silence, which the
king broke. "What is new?'
"We have broken up the university
meetings, but I fancy they go on, in
small groups. l was gratified, how
ever, to observe that a group of stu
dents cheered his royal highness yes
terday as he rode past the university
buildings. The outlying districts are
quiet. So, too, Is the city. Too quiet,
SIRE"
'They are waiting, of course, for my
DEATH" said the king quietly. "If
only you were twenty years younger
than / am, 1t would be BETTER" He
fixed the general with shrewd eyes.
what do those asses of doctors say
about me?"
even at the best, sire He
looked very f%erocious, and cleared his
throat. He was terribly ashamed that
his voice was breaking. "Even at the
best, but of course they can only give
an opinion"
"Six months?"
"a year, sire"
"And at the worsti' said the king,
with a grim smile. Then, following
his own line of thought: "But the
people love the boy, l think"
"They do. 1t is for that reason,
sire, that l advise particular caution
He hesitated. Then, "Sire," he said
nornoetIv f+Hora To- conno41;.@ -
which l must speak. The Committee
of Ter has organized again"
Involuntarily the king glanced at
the photograph on the table.
"Forgive me, sire, If I waken bitter
memories. But l fear"
You fear" said the king. "Since
when have you taken to fearing?"
Nevertheless" maintained General
Mettlich doggedly, II fear. This quiet
of the last few months alarms me.
Dangerous dogs do not bark. l trust
no one. The very air is full of Sc
dition."
The king twisted his ~blue-veined old
hands together, but his voice was
quiet. "But why?" he demanded, al
most fretfully. "If the people are
fond of the boy, and 1 think they are,
would hurt the cause. Even the ter
rorists, in the name of a republic, al
do nothing without the people"
'The mob is a curious thing, sire.
You have ruled with a strong hand.
Our people know nothing but to obey
the dominant voice. The boy out of
the way, the prospect of the
Princess Hedwig or the throne, a few
demagogues in the public squares-it
would be the end"
The king leaned back and closed his
eyes. His thin, arched nose looked
pinched. His face was gray.
"All this" he said, means what?
To make the boy a prisoner, to cut
off his few pleasures, and even then,
at any time"
"Yes, sire" said Mettlich doggedly.
"At any time"
All through the palace people were
sleeping. Prince Ferdinand William
Otto was asleep, and riding again the
little car In the land of delight. So
that, turning a corner sharply, he al
most fell out of bed.
On the other side of the city the
little American boy was asleep also.
At that exact time he was being
tucked up by an entirely efficient and
placid-eyed American mother, who felt
under his head to see that his ear was
not turned forward. She liked close
fitting ears.
Nobody, naturally, was tucking up
Prince Ferdinand William Otto. Or
attending to his ears. But, of course,
there were sentries outside his door,
and a valet de chambre to be rung
for, and a number of embroidered
eagles scattered about on the curtains
and things, and a country surrounding
him which would one day be his, I'M
less
"At any time" said General Nett
Itch, and was grimly silent.
"Well?" inquired the king, after a
time. "You have something to sug-
gest, I take it."
The old soldier cleared his throat.
"Sire," he began, sit is said that a
chancellor should have but one pas
sion, his king. l have two, my king
and my country"
The king nodded gravely. He knew
both passions, relied on both. And
found them both a bit troublesome at
timesl
"Once, some years ago, sire, I came
to you with a plan. The Princess
Hedwig was q child then, and his late
royal highness was-still with us.
For that, and for other reasons, your
majesty refused to listen. But things
have changed. Between US and revo-
luton there stand only the frail life
of a boy and an army non too large,
and already, perhaps, affected. There
L. -n..oI- dIraan4nnA nnd ho-nffrnrinn