Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-05-17
the throne. he smiled penino ms
small mustache.

WheH tea was almost over, the
crown prince was announced. He
came In, rather n~ervously, with his
hands thrust in his trousers pockets.
He was very shiny with soap and
water and his hair was still damp
from parting. In his tailless black
Jacket, his long gray trousers, and his
round Elton collar, he looked like a
very anxious little ~schoolboy, and not
royal at all.
Greetings over, and having re-
quested that his tea be half milk, with
four Jumps of sugar, he carried his
cup i've beside Hedwig, and sat down
on a chair. Followed a short silence,
with the archduchess busy with the
tea things, Olga Loschek watching
Karl, and Karl intently surveying the
crown prince. Ferdinand William
Otto, who disliked a silence, broke 1t
first.
tive just taken off my winter fam
nels," he observed. ST feel very
smooth and nice underneath"
Hilda giggled, but Hedwig reached
over and stroked his arm. "Of course
you do" she said gently.
"Nikky," continued Prince William
Otto, stirring his tea, "does not e
any fannels. Miss Braithwaite thinks
he is very careless"
King Karl's eyes cleaned with
amusement. He saw the Infatuated
face of the archduchess; and bent
toward the crown prince with earnest
ness.
"As a matter of fact" he said,
"since you have mentioned the sub
ject, I do not wear any either. Your
Milky and I seem most surprisingly
to have the same tastes-about various
things"
"Do you like dogsf". inquired the
crown prince, much interested.
"Dogsi Why, yes. I have quite a
number of dogs"
"T should think 1t would be nicer
to have just one dog, and be very
fond of 1t. But l suppose they would
eat a great deal. Do you believe In
love at first sight?"
"Otto!' said the archduchess, ex-
tremely shocked.
He turned to her apologetically. st
was only trying to find out how many
things he and Milky agreed about"
he explained. "Nikky believes in love
at first sight. He says it is the only
real kind of love, because love isn't
a thing you think out. You only feel
it"
The archduchess met Karl's eyes.
"You see" she said.
"But it is sound doctrine" Karl OBJ
served, bending forward and with a
slanting glance at Hedwig. II quite
agree with him again. And this friend
of yours, he thinks love is the only
thing in the>world, l dare say7"
"WeIl he thinks a great deal Of 1t.
But he says that love of country ONE
first, before anything else."
The archduchess glanced at Hedwig
furiously. The girl had closed her
eyes, and was sitting detached and
pale. She would have liked to box her
ears. Karl was no. fool, and there was
talk enough. He would hear it, of
course.
"Tell us about your pilgrimage,
Otto," she suggested.
swell, I went" said the crown
prince reflectively. "We walked a long
time, and it was very warm. / have
quite a large blister, and the arch
bishop had to take his shoes off ana
walk in his stockings, because his feet
hurt. No one saw. 1t was on a
try lane. But I'm afraid it didn't do
very much good" He drew a long
breath.
"No?" Karl inquired.
Suddenly the boys chin quivered.
He was terribly afraid he was going
which cleared his voice.
MY grandfather is not any BETTER"
he said. "Perhaps some one else
should have gone. 1 am not very
good" he explained to Karl. ut
ought to be a very good person. He
is very sick"
Perhaps" suggested Karl mocking-
~, Win a glance at HedWlg, 'lney
should have sent this Milky of
yours"
Annunciata stirred restlessly. She
considered this talk Of Milky In
execrable taste.
HE is not particularly good"
"Oh, so he Is not particularly
good?"
"Well, he thinks he isn't. He says
he doesn't find it easy to love his
country more than anything in the
world, for n thing. And he smokes
a great many cigarettes"
Another taste in common |" jeered
Karl, in his smooth, carefully ironic
tones.
Annunciata "a in the last stages
of irritation. There was no mistaking
the sheer in KarI's voice. His smile
uyoc fnrood Che ur1occod thof ba haH