The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1918-08-23

The king had passed n bad night.
and Haeckel was still missing. The
chancellor's heart was heavy.
The chancellor watched the crown
prince, as he sat at the high desk.
iaboriously writing. 1t was the hour
OF English composition. and Prince
Ferdinand William Otto was writing
a theme.
About dogs" he explained. "I've
seen great many, you know. could
do 1t better with a pencil, My pen
sticks in the paper"
He wrote on, and MettlIch sat and
watched. He caught Miss Braith-
waite's glance, and he knew what was
in her mind. For nine years now had
come, once a year. the painful ami
versary of the death of the late crown
prince and his young wife. For nine
years had the city mourned. with flags
at half mast and the bronze statue of
the old queen draped in black. And
| for nine years had the day of grief
passed unnoticed by the lad on whom
hung the destinies OF the kingdom.
Now they confronted new sit
uation. The next day but one was the
anniversary again. The boy was older.
and observant. 1t would not be pos
sible to conceal from him the
Significance of the procession march
ing through the streets with muffled
drums.
| They could not continue to lie to
the boy. Truthfulness had been one
of the rules OF his rigorous upbring-
ing. And he was now of an age to re-
member. So the chancellor sat and
waited, and fingered his heavy watch
Ichain.
| Prince Ferdinand William Otto put
his attention to the theme. and finished
1t. Then, flushed with authorship, he
line of lit" he demanded OF the
chancellor.
| 81 shall be honored highness." Not
often did the chancellor say "high-
ness" Generally he said lotto" or
my child"
| Prince Ferdinand William Otto read
aloud, with dancing eyes. his last line :
"T should like TO own n dog
thought" he said wistfully, that
might ask my grandfather for one"
81 see no reason why you should not
have dog" the chancellor observed.
mot one to be kept at the stables"
Otto explained. zone to stay with me
all the time. One to sleep on the foot
of the bed"
But here the chancellor threw up
his hands. Instantly he visualized all
the objections to dogs. from fieas to
rabies. And he put the difficulties
into words. No mean speaker was the
chancellor when so minded. He was
a master Of style. Of arrangement. of
logic and reasoning. He spoke at
length, even, at the end. rising and
pacing a few steps up and down the
room. But when he had concluded.
when the dog. so to speak, had fed
yelping to the country of dead hopes,
Prince Ferdinand william Otto merely
gulped. and said:
well. ! wish could have dog"
The chancellor changed his tactics
by changing the subject. 81 was won
dering this morning. as / crossed the
park, II you would enjoy an excursion
soon. Could 1t be managed. Miss
Braithwaite?"
uare say sald MISS bralthwaite
uisiy. Aithough must say II there
70 no Improvement III punctuation anu
eapitai ietters-
nat SORT OF excursionF' asked MS
royal highness' guardedly- he did not
care for picture galleries.
"Out-of-doors, to see something in
'sres,,he' real excursion up the
.'
~ ,he iort' 40 want 10 see 'he
ne" tort.
as matter OF truth the cnanceiior
i'iu not thought OF the fort BUT hke
iuuiy announcer before him' ne accepted