Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-06-07

passers-by they had seen had been
hurrying in the direction Of the palace.
Twice they had passed soldiers, with
lanterns, and once one had stopped
and flashed a light on them.
"Well, old SPORT" said Bobby In
English, anything you can do for
met"
The soldier had passed on, mutter-
ing at the insolence of American chill
dren. The two youngsters laughed
consumedly at the witticism.
The concierge was out. His nieceI
admitted them, and went back to her
Interrupted cooking. The children hur-l
ried up the winding stone staircase,
with its iron rail and it's gas lantern,
to the second floor.
In the sitting room, the sour-facedl
g%overness was darning a hole In al
small stocking. She looked at the
clock.
"You are fifteen minutes late" She
snapped, and bit the darning thread
not with rage, but because she had
forgotten her scissors.
SIN sorry, but you see
"Whom have you there?"
"a friend of mine," said Bobby, mott
a whit daunted.
The g%overness put down the stock
Ing and rose. In so doing, she caught
her first real glimpse of Ferdinand
William Otto, and she staggered
back.
"Holy Saintsl" she said, and went
white. Then she stared at the boy
and her color came back. "For a mol
ment," she muttered but no. Hel
Is not so tall, nor has he the manner.
Yes, he is much smaller"
Which proves that, whether Id
wears it or not, royalty is always
measured to the top of a crown.
In the next room Bobby's mother
was arranging candles on a birthday
cake in the center of the table. PepyI
had iced the cake herself, and had
forgotten one of the IBIS" in Bobby
so that the cake really read: 'Bobyi
KIP
However, it looked delicious, and
inside had been baked a tiny black
china doll and a new American penny
with Abraham Lincoln's head on it,
The penny was for good fortune. butt
the doll was a joke of Pepy's, Bobby
being aggressively masculine.
Bobby, having passed the outpost,
carried the rest of the situation by as
sault. Mrs. Thorpe saw Ferdinand VIII
liam Otto, and went over, somewhat
puzzled, with her hand out. 81 am
very glad Bobby brought you." she
said. "He has so few little friends"
Then she stopped, for the prince had
brought his heels together sharply, and
bending over her hand, had kissed it,,
exactly as he kissed his Aunt Annun-
ciata's when he went to have tea with!
her. Mrs. Thorpe was fairly startled,
not at the kiss. but at the grace with
which the tribute was rendered.
Then she Locked down, and it re-
stored her composure to find that Fer
dinand William Otto, too, had turned
eyes toward the cake. He was, after
all, only a hungry small boy. With
quick tenderness she stopped and
kissed him gravely on the forehead.
Caresses were strange to Ferdinand
William Otto. His warm little heart
leaped and pounded. At that moment,
he would have died for heri
Mr.. Thorpe came home a little late.
He kissed Bobby twelve times, and one
to grow on. He shook hands absently
with the visitor, and gave the Frau
lein the evening paperIan extra
yagance on which he insisted, although
one could read the news for nothing
by going to the cafe on the corner.
Then he drew his wife aside.
Look here I" he said. Don't tell
Bobby-no use exciting him, and of
course it's not our funeral, anyhow
but there's a report that the crown
prince has been kidnapped. And that's
not all. The old king is dyingI"
SHOW terrible p
"Worse than that. The old king gone
and no crown princel 1t may mean
almost any sort of troubles I've
closed up at the park for the night"
His arm around his wife, be looked
through the doorway to where Bobby
and Ferdinand were counting the
candles. Its made me think pretty
hard" he said. Bobby mustn't go
around alone the way he's been doing.
All Americans here are considered
m~illionaires. IF the crown prince
could go, think how easy"
His arm frightened around his wife,
and together they went into the birth
day feast. Ferdinand William Otto
was hungry. He ate eagerly-chicken,
fruit compete, potato salad-again
shades of the court physicians, who
fed him at night a balanced ration of
milk, egg, and zwiebackl Bobby also
ate busily, and conversation Ian
guished.
Then the moment came when, the
first cravings appeased, they sat back
- 4I,f- ol,Eu. r-IgI1 no-. .IN,ao A.