Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-03-14


/ two reasons. First. the chancellor was
afraid Of motors. He had . horseman's
hatred and fear of machines. Second,
he was not of q mind to rouse King
Karl from q nights sleep. ven to bring
the hand Of the Princess Hedwig. His
intention was to put up at some Inn
in q village not far from the lodge and
to 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. q wall broken
here and there by the oftake Of mar
row ravines. filled with forest trees.
There vas a pause while the chains
on the rear wheels were supplemented
by others In front, for there must be
no danger Of a skid. And another
pause, where the road slanted peril
ously toward the brink Of the chasm,
and caution dictated tAat the chancel.
lor alight, and make a hundred feet or
so Of dangerous curve afoot.
1t 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
Of the raj behind him.
He was well around the curve, and
the cliff was broken by a wedge Of
timber. when a curiously shaped OBJ
ject projected itself over the edge Of
the 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.
The chancellor turned, and called to
his men. Then he bent over the bun
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
Of 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.
dler's tunic wrapped around his shoul.
ders. They carried him into the car
where he lay with head lolllng back,
and his swollen tongue %protrudlng.
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 n 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.
articulate mouthings, one Of the secret
police examined the bit Of woodland
with his pocket fash, he found a pair
Of trousers where Milky had left them,
neatly folded and hung over the branch
of q tree. The brandy being supple
mented by hot coffee from a patent bot
tie, the mar revived further, made an
effort, and sat up. His tongue was
still swollen, but they made out what
he said. He had been there since the
night before. He was Of Karnla, and
q kings messenger.
II was coming back from the bar
rier," he said thlckly. "where I had
carried dispatches to the officer in
charge. On my return a mai hailed
me from the side Of the road, near
where you found me. I thought that
he desired to be taken on, and stopped
my car. But he attacked me. He was
armed and I was not. He knocked me
%senseless, and when I awakened I was