Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-16

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 it harder to do So.
On other years he had had the crown
prince with him as much as possiblei
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 he reS
Taxed.
Annunciata was not much comfort to
him. They had always differed, more
or less, the truth being, perhaps, that;
she was 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
and blooming.
But there was more than fundamen-.
tai similarity at fault. Against her,
father the archduchess held her IN;
happy marriage.
y And now, secretly willing that He'd
wig should marry Karl, she was ready
to annoy him by Directing to 1t.
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,
ped with pillows as was always the
case now, working with secrttar
The secretary was gone when she en-,
tered and he sat alone.
He had passed trying day. Once
having broken down the chancellor's
barrier Of silence, the king had In
sisted on full knowledge. with the re-
suit that he had sat, aghast, amid the
ruins of his former complacency. The,
country and the smaller cities were
comparatively quiet, so far as demon
strations against the government were,
concerned. But unquestionably they
plotted. AS for the capital, 1t was a
seething riot of sedition, from the re-,
ports. A copy of newspaper, secret
,ly printed and more secretly circu-
lated, had brought fire to the kings
eyes. It lay on his knees as his
daughter entered.
swell, father" she said, looking
down at him, "how do you feel?"
"Slt down." he said. The question
MS to his health was too perfunctoryj
to require reply.
A.,,.,.+. .o% NTH q A,n0lino ~
chains. She chose straight chair,
and faced him, very erect.
"How old is Hedwig" demanded tho
king.
Nineteen"
"Hedwig is old enough to marry.
Her grandmother was not nineteen;
when I married her."
1T would be better" said An;
nunciata, ito marry her while she Is
young, before she knows any BETTER
ANY better than what" inquired
the king testify.
"Any better than to marry at ALL"
The king eyed her. She was not,i
then, even attempting to hide her;
claws. But he was an old bird, and
mot to be caught in an argumentative;
cage.
"There are several possibilities for!
Hedwig," he said. II have gone into
the matter pretty thoroughly. AS you
know, / have had this on my mind for
some time. It is necessary to arrange
things before I-go."
The king, Of course, was neither
asking nor expecting sympathy from
her, but mentally, and somewhat GRIM
hy, he compared her unmoved face with
that of his old friend and chancellor,
only few nights before.
'It is regrettable fact" he went
on, "that must leave, as shall, a sad
~ troubled country. But for that;
he paused But for that, he meant
he would gladly 60. He needed rest.
His spirit spirit still! sc alive, chafed daily.
more and more against its worn body.
He believed in another life, did the old
king. He wanted the hearty handclasp
Of his boy again. Even the wife who
had married him against her will had
grown close 10 him in later years. He
needed her too. A little rest, then,
and after that new life, with those
who had gone ahead.
"A sadly troubled country" he re-
peated.
"All countries are troubled. We are
no worse than others"
"Perhaps not. But things are
changing. The old order Is changing.
The spirit Of unrest-I shall not live
to see 1t. You may, Annunciata. But
the day n coming when all thrones