River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-06-27

ing, and that on this small boy in his
charge hung that crisis.
So Milky trusted in his own right
arm and in nothing else. The very
size of the palace, it's unused rooms,
its long and rambling corridors, its
rambling wings and ancient turrets,
was against its safety.
Since the demonstration against
Karl, the riding school hour had been
given up. There were no drives in the
park. The illness of the king furnished
sufficient excuse, but the truth was
that the royal family was practically
besieged, by it knew not what.
Milky, summoned to the chancellor's
house that morning, had been told the
facts, and had stood, rather still and
tense, while Mettlich recounted them.
sour very precautions are our dan
GER" said the chancellor. "And the
king" He stopped and sat, tapping
his fingers on the arm of his chair.
"And the king, sir?"
almost at the end. A day or two
Karl, with Hedwig in his thoughts,
had returned to mobilize his army not
far from the border for the spring
maneuvers, and at a meeting of the
kings council the matter of a mobiliza-
ton in Livonia was seriously consid-
| cred.
Fat Frfese favored it, and made an
! impassioned speech, with sweat thick
on his heavy face.
'I am not cowardly," he finished.
81 fear nothing for myself or for
| those belonging to me. But the duty
of this council is to preserve the throne
for the crown prince, at any cost. And
If we cannot trust the army, in what
can we trust?"
'In God" said the chancellor grim
| ly.
| In the end nothing was done. Mobil-
| ization might precipitate the crisis and
there was always the fear that the
army, in parts, was itself disloyal.
The king, meanwhile, lay dying, Doc
| tor Weiderman in constant attendance,
other physicians coming and going
His apartments were silent. Rugs
covered the corridors, that no football
disturb his quiet hours. The nursing
sisters attended him, one by his bed
side, one always on her knees at the
priedieu in the small room beyond. He
wanted little-now and then sip of
water. the cooled juice of fruit In
| jections of stimulants, given by Doctor
Weiderman himself, had SCARED his
old arms with purplish marks, and
were absorbed more and more slowly
as the hours went on.
He rarely slept but lay inert and not
| unhappy. Annunciata came, and was
at last stricken by conscience to a
prayer at his bedside. On one of her
last visits that was. She got up to
find his eyes fixed on her.
Father, can you hear me?"
eyes"
Il have been a bad daughter to
you. l am sorry. 1t is late now to
tell you, but l am sorry. Can / do
| anything?""
''Otto," he said, with difficulty.
"YOu want to see him?"
"No."
She knew what he meant by that.
He would have the boy remember him
as he had seen him last.
"You are anxious about him?"
"Very-anxious."
Listen, father" she said, STOPPING
over him. 81 have been hard and cold.
Perhaps you will grant that / have
| had two reasons for It,. But am go
ing to do better. I will take care Of
him and I will do all l can to make
him happy. / promise"
Perhaps it was relief. Perhaps even
then the thought of Annunciata's tar
dy and certain-to-be bungling efforts
to make Ferdinand William Otto happy
amused him. He smiled family.
Milky received a note from Hedwig
late that afternoon. 1t was very
brief:
Tonight at nine o'clock shall go to the
roof beyond Hubert's old rooms. for air.
HEDWIG.
Milky, who in all his injurious young
life had never thought of the roof of
the palace, save as necessary shelter
| from the weather, a thing of tiles and
cutters. vastly large, looked rather
| aStounded.
"The roof" he said, surveying the
note. And fell to thinking, such mix
ture of rapture and despair as only
twenty-three, and hopeless, can know.
Somehow or other he got through
the intervening hours, and before nine
| he was on his way. He had the run
of the palace, of course. No one no.
ticed him as he made his way toward
the empty suite which so recently had
housed its royal visitor.
| Hedwig, in a soft white wrap over
her dinner dress, was at the balus-
trade. A very dignified fairy, al
though her heart thumped disgrace
! fully.
| Whatever Milky had intended-of
obeying his promise to the letter. of
putting his country before love, and
love out of his life-failed him instant
4 M II