Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-03-07

Karl tore the envelope from tho
agents hands and inspected It care
fully. Evidently. - with the agent.
the story started . new train Of
thought. Milky drew q long breath.
After all. there was still hope that the
carly morning shooting would have an.
other target than himself.
Karl sat down. and Ills face relaxed.
1t was stern. but no longer horrible.
Tell me this Niburg's story" he com.
manded.
HE was walking through the old
city," Milky commenced. "whcn three
men fell on him. One. a large one,
knocked him insensible and then went
through his pockets. The others"
"Strangew said Karl. III he was
insenstble, how does he know all this?"
ut was his story. SIRE" Milky ex-
planned. But he colored. "A COM
panion, who a with him, ran away"
This companion" Karl querled.
"A dark, heavy fellow, was it,"
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. magically opened It, ex.
tracted Its contents, replaced them
with-this, and then sealed it again"
The king turned without haste to a
drawer In his desk, and opened 1t. He
was smiling. When he faced about
again, Milky saw that he held a re-
volver in his hand. Save that the
agent had taken a step forward, moth
ing In the room had changed. And
yet. for Milky everything had changed.
Milky had been q reckless fool, but
he was brave enough. He smiled, a
better smile than Karl's 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.
cite 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.
You 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 a curious scene,
curious because n Of the actors was
Karl Of Karnia himself. He seemed
curlously loath to bring in assistance,
did Karl. Or perhaps the novelty Of
the affair appealed to him. And Nix
ky's resistance to search, with that
revolver so close, wns 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 1t to the king.
Karl took II. 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, az his bodily weakness
he found It harder to do 20.
On other years he had had the crown
prince with him a. much az 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-
Taxed.
Annunclata 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 sympathiSe fully with him. Both
were arrogant, determined, obstinate.
And those qualities, which age WINS be.
ginning to soften In the king, were
now. In Annunclata. In full strength
and blooming.
But there was more than fundamen.
tai similarity ut fault. Against her
the archduchess held her I'm.
happy marriage.
And now. secretly willing that He'd.
wig should marry Karl. she was ready
to annoy him by objccting to It.
On the day after her conversation
with General Mettlich, she visited the
king. II was afternoon. The king had
spent the morning In his study, prop
ped with pillows a. was always ths
s--AAn~. AAAA -