The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-04-18

tuIly. Evidently, as with the agent.
the story started new trnin OF
thought. Milky drew n long breath.
After all. there was still hope that the
early morning shooting would have an
other target than himself.
Karl sat down. and his fnce relaxed.
II wns stern. but no longer horrible.
Tell me this Niburgs story" he COM
manded.
He was walking through the old
city," Milky commenced. "when three
men fell on him. One. a large one,
knocked him insensible and then went
through his pockets. The others"
stranger" said Karl. ''If he was
insensible. how does he know all thisr
ut was his story. Sire" Milky ex-
plained. But he colored. "A COM
panlon. who IVES with him. ran away"
"This companion" Knrl Queried.
"A dark. heavy fellow, was itf'
mo. Rather a pale man. blond.
A" Milky checked himself.
But Karl was nll suavity. 49," he
said, "while Niburg was unconscious
the large man took the 'etter. which
was sealed, magically opened 1t, ex-
tracted Its contents, replaced hem
with-this, and then Lealed It agnin!" !"
The king turned without haste to a
drawer In his desk. and opened It. 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 step forward. MOTH
Ing In the room had changed. And
yet. for Milky everything had changed.
Milky had been a reckless fool. but
he was brave enough. He smiled.
better smile than Karl's twisted one.
II have q fancy" said King Karl.
ito manage this matter for myself.
Keep back. Kaiser. Now. my friend.
you will give me the packet Of cigar.
ette papers you carry" nt
Resistance would do no good. Milky
brought them out. and Karl's twisted
smile grew broader ~ 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. bave you come here ut all
You have my man-but that I shall
take up later. We will nrst have the
letter."
But here Milky stood firm. Let them
nnd the letter. He would not help
them. But agnin he cursed himself.
There had been thousand hiding
places along the road-but he must
bring the incriminating thing with him.
and thus condemn himself
Now commenced q curious scene,
curious because one Of the actors was
curiously loath to bring In assistance.
did Karl. Or perhaps tho novelty Of
the affair appealed to him. And Nix
ky's resistance to search. with that
revolver so close. was short lived.
Even while he was struggling. Milky
was thinking. Let them get the letter.
II they must. Things would ut 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 chance for life.
They searched his cap last. Milky,
painting after that strange struggle.
saw Kaiser take 1t from the lining OF
his cap. and pass II 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.
It was blank piece of note p'per.
10 .
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. as his bodily weakness
Increased. he found II harder to do 80.
On other years he had had the crown
prince with him as much as 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-
laxed.
Ann-nciata 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 sympathize fully with him. Both
were arrogant, determined. obstinate.
And those qualities, which age was be-
ginning to soften In the king. were
now. In Annunciata. In full strength
and blooming.
But there wns more than fundamen-
tai similarity at fault. Against her
father the archduchess held her un-
happy marriage.
And now. secretly willing that He'd
wig should marry Karl. she was ready
to annoy him by ObJecting to 1t.
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 rs was always the
case now. working with sec-, tary.