Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-17
CHAPTER viii.
on the Mountain Road.

The low gray car which carried the
chancellor was on its way through the
mountains. 1t moved deliberately, for
two reasons. First, the chancellor was
pfraid of motors. He had horseman's
hatred and fear Of machines. Second,
he was not of mind to rouse King
Karl from nights sleep, even to bring,
The hand Of the Princess Hedwig. His
intention vas to put UP at some I'M
in village not far from the lodge and
ito reach Karl by messenger early in
the morning, before the hunters left
for the day.
Then, all being prepared duly and in
order, Mettlich himself would arrive,
and things would 60 forward with
dignity and dispatch.
The valley Of the Ar deepened. The
cliff rose above them, wall broken
here and there by the offtake Of mar.
row ravines, filed with forest trees.
There was Q pause while the chains
on the rear wheels were supplemented
by others in front, for there must be
no danger of q skid. And another
pause, where the road slanted peril
ously toward the brink Of the chasm,
land caution dictated that the chancel-
Dr. alight, and make hundred feet or
10 Of dangerous curve afoot.
It required diplomacy to get him out.
but it was finally done, and his heavy
figure, draped in its military cape.
went on ahead, outlined by the lamps
inF ho hohin6 him
+. He was we'll around the curve, and
the cliff was broken by n wedge Of
timber, when curiously shaped OBJ
iject projected itself over the edge OF
hhe bank, and rolling down, lay almost
'at his feet. The lamps brought it into
sharp relief-a man, gagged and tied,
and rolled, cigar shaped, in an auto
mobile robe.
i The chancellor turned, and called to
his men. Then he bent over the bum
die. The others ran up, and cut the
bonds. What with cold and long In
action, and his recent drop over the
bank, the man could not speak. One
tof the secret service men had a flask,
and held 1t to his lips. An amazing
situation, indeed, increased by the dis
,covery that under the robe he wore
only his undergarments, with a sol.
dier's tunic wrapped around his Shout
,ders. They carried him into the car
where he lay with head lolling back,
and his swollen tongue protruding.
Half dead he was, with cold and long
anxiety. The brandy cleared his mind
long before he could speak, and he
saw by the uniforms that he was in
the hands Of the enemy. He turned
sulkily silent then, convinced that he
had escaped one death but to meet an
other. Twenty-four hours now he had
faced eternity, and he was ready.
He preferred, however, to die fully
clothed, and when, in response to his
pointing up the bank and to his in
hrticulate mouthings, one Of the secret
police examined the bit Of woodland
with his pocket flash, he found pair
Of trousers where Milky had left them,
neatly folded and hung over the branch
of a tree. The brandy being supple
hlented by hot coffee from patent bot
liz, luS luuu 4StAVCu ALL lAC1, 4A4uO GA
effort, and sat up. His tongue was
still swollen, but they made out what
he said. He had been there since the
might before. He was Of Karnia, and
% kings messenger.
II was coming back from the bar,
rier," he said thickly, "where I had
carried dispatches to the officer in
tcharge. On my return man hailed
me from the side Of the road, near
where you found me. thought that
he desired to be taken on, and stopped
my car. But he attacked me. He was
armed and was not. He knocked mo
senseless, and when I awakened was;
above tine road, among trees. gave
myself up when the snow commenced.
Few pass this way. But heard your
car coming and made a desperate eff
fort"
.'Then," asked one of the agents,
'these are not your clothes?"
"They are his, sir"
4 The agent produced flash light and
Inspected the garments. Before the
chancellor's eyes button by button,
strap on the sleeve, star on the cuff,
came into view the uniform Of cup
tain of his own regiment, the grena-
diers. Then one of his own men had
done this infamous thing, one Of his
own officers, indeed.
go through the pockets" he or
dered ssternly. '-i' !,