The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-06-28

, Eormed their way between; and SO
l finally, to the door Of tall buildin,
where, from the concierge's room be
side the entrance, came a reek O
, stewing garlic.
: Neither of the children had noticed
the unwonted silence of the streets
which had, almost suddenly, succeeded
: the noise Of the carnival. What few
passers-by they had seen had beer
hurrying in the direction of the palace
Twice they had passed soldiers, with
lanterns, and once one had stopped
and flashed light on them.
'Well, old sport" said Bobby in
English, anything you can do for
me?"
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 niece
admitted them, and went back to her
interrupted cooking. The children hur-
ried up the winding stone staircase,
with its iron rail and its gas lantern,
to the second floor.
In the sitting room, the sour-faced
governess was darning a hole in a
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.
I'm sorry, but you see"
"Whom have you there?"
"a friend Of mine," said Bobby, not
a whit daunted.
The governess 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 Saints I" she said, and went
white. Then she stared at the boy,
and her color came back. "For a mo-
ment," she muttered but no. He
is not so tall, nor has he the manner.
Yes, he is much smallerI"
Which proves that, whether it
wears it or not, royalty is always
measured to the top of crown.
In the next room Bobby's mother
was arranging candles on a birthday
cake in the center of the table. Pepy
had iced the cake herself, and had
forgotten one of the "b's'' in Bobby"
so that the cake really read: "Boby
XIII"
However, 1t looked delicious, and
inside had been baked a tiny black
china doll and a new American penny,
with Abraham Lincoln's head on 1t.
The penny was for good fortune, but |
the doll was 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 Will |
liam Otto, and went over, somewhat |
puzzled, with her hand out. II 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 1t,
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 looked down, and it re-
stored her composure to find that Fer
1inand William Otto, too, had turned
Eyes toward the cake. He was, after
Ill, only a hungry small boy. With
luick tenderness she stopped and
Kissed him gravely on the forehead.
Caresses were strange to Ferdinand
William Otto. His warm little heart
capped and pounded. At that moment,
lie would have died for her! II
Mr. Thorpe came home little late.
lie kissed Bobby twelve times and one
o grow on. He shook hands absently
With the visitor, and gave the Frau
elm the evening paper-an extra
on which he insisted, although
ne could read the news for nothing +.
" going to the cafe on the corner. :
hen he drew his wife aside.
"Look here!" he said. Don't tell !
,obby-no use exciting him, and of !
curse it's not our funeral, anyhow !
ut there's report that the crown 4
rince has been kidnapped. And that's +
OF ALL The old king is dying!"
"How terrible' I
"Worse than that. The old king gone +
nd no crown princel 1t may mean +
Imost any sort of troubled I've +
Iosed up at the park for the night" d
lis arm around his wife, he looked n
trough the doorway to where Bobby d
nd Ferdinand were counting the r.
indies. tits made me think pretty f,
ard," he said. Bobby mustn't go v
FOUND alone the way he's been doing. g
IL Americans here are considered "
ilIionaires. II the crown prince T
,uld go, think how easy" b.
His arm frightened around his wife, "
I'd together they went into the birth A
~ feast. Ferdinand William Otto "
as hungry. He ate eagerly-chicken, OF
uit compete, potato salad-again "
AIDES Of the court physicians, who dl
d him at night balanced ration Of o,
Tx, egg, and \zwiebackl Bobby also
Z busily, aid conversation lam
Iished.
Then the moment came when, tho GU
st cravings apbeased, they sat back ~
their chairs while Pepy cleared tho n