The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-11-14

fully. Evidently. as with the agent,
the story started 4 new train Of
thought. Milky drew a long breath.
After oil. there was still hope that the
early morning shooting would have an
other target than himself.
Karl sat down, and his face relaxed.
1t was stern. but no longer horrible.
Tell me this Niburg's story" he COM
mnnded.
"He was walking through the old
CITY," Milky commenced, when three
men fell on him. One. a large one.
knocked him insensible and then went
through his pockets. The others"
"Strange !" said Karl. "H he was
insensible, how does he know all this7"
ut was his story, Sire" Milky ex-
plained. But he colored. "a COM
panion, who was with him. ran away"
This companion" Karl Queried.
"A dark. heavy fellow. was lit"
mo. Rather a pale man, blond.
A" Milky checked himself.
But Karl was all suavity. 49," he
said, while Niburg was unconscious
the large man took the letter. which
was sealed. mngically opened 1t. ex-
tracted its contents. replaced .hem
with-this. and then cealed 1t again =
The king turned without haste to a
drawer In his desk, and opened 1t. He
wns smiling. When he faced about
again. Milky saw that he held a re-
volver In his hand. Save that the
agent had taken step forward. moth
ing in the room had changed. And
yet. for Milky everything had changed.
Milky had been a reckless fool. but
he was brave enough. He smiled.
better smile than Karls twisted one.
Il have a fancy" said King Karl,
ito manage this matter for myself.
Keep back. Kaiser. Now. my friend,
you will give me the packet Of cigar
ette papers you carry"
Resistance would do no good. Milky
brought them out. and Karl's twisted
smile grew broader as he compared
them with the ones the envelope had
contained.
"YOs see." he said, ''you show the
hand of the novice. You should have
thrown these away. But. Of course.
all your methods are wrong. Why. for
instance. have you come here at all7
You have my man-but that I shall
take up later. We will first have the
letter"
But here Milky stood firm. Let them
find the letter. He would not help
them. But again he cursed himself.
There had been a thousand hiding
places along the road-but he must
bring the discriminating thing with him.
and thus condemn himself
Now commenced q curious scene.
curious because one Of the actors was
Karl of Karnia himself. He seemed
curiously loath to bring In assistance.
did Karl. Or perhaps the novelty Of
the affair appealed to him. And Mix
ky's resistance to search. with that
revolver so close. was short lived.
Even while he was struggling. Milky
was thinking. Let them get the letter.
II they must. Things would at least
be no worse than before. But he re-
solved that no violence would tear
from him the place where the messen-
ger was hidden. Until they had got
that. he had a chance for life.
They searched his cap last Milky,
painting after that strange struggle.
saw Kaiser take It from the lining OF
his cap. and pass II to the king.
Karl took 1t. The smile was gone
now, and something ugly and terrible
had taken Its place. But that. too.
faded as he looked at the letter.
1t was a blank piece Of note paper.
With the approach Of the anniver-
sary Of his sons death. the king grew
increasingly restless. Each year he de-
termined to put AWAY this old grief.
and each year. as his bodily weakness
Increased. he found 1t harder to do so.
On other years he had had the crown
prince with him as much as possible
on this dreary day of days. But the
crown prince was exiled, in disgrace.
Not even for the comfort Of his small
presence could stern discipline be re-
lnxed.
Annunciata was not much comfort to
him. They had always differed, more
or less, the truth being. perhaps. that
she wns too much like the king ever
to sympathize fully with him. Both
were arrogant, determined. obstinate.
And those qualities, which age was be-
ginning to soften in the king, were
now. In Annunciata. in full strength
md blooming.
But there was more than fundamen-
tal similarity ut fault. Aguinst her
father the archduchess held her un-
hnppy marriage.
And now, secretly willing that He'd
wig should marry Karl, she was ready
to annoy him by obJecting to it.
On the day after her conversation
with General Mettlich. she visited the
king. 1t was afternoon. The king had
spent the morning IN his study. prop
nod with nlIJ0vn m vaa nlwsva the