River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-05-09
CHAPTER x.
The Committee of Ten.


On the evening of the annual day of
mourning, the party returned from the
fortress. The archduchess slept. The
crown prince talked, mostly to He'd
wig, and even she said little. After
a time the silence affected the boys
high spirits. He leaned back in his
chair on the deck of the launch, and
watched the flying landscape.
1t was almost dark when the launch
arrived at the quay. The red carpet
was still there, and another crowd.
Had Prince Ferdinand William Otto
been less taken up with finding one Of
his kid gloves, which he had lost he
would have noticed that there was a
scuffle going on at the very edge of
the red carpet, and that the beggar of
the morning was being led away, be-
tween two policemen, while a third,
running up the river bank, gingerly
deposited a small round object in the
water, and stood back. 1T was merely
one of the small incidents of royal
outing, and was never published in
the papers. But Father Gregory,
whose old eyes were far sighted, had
seen it all. His hand-the hand of the
church-was on the shoulder of the
crown prince as they landed.
The boy looked around for the little
girl of the bouquet. He took an inn
mense interest in little girls, partly.
because he seldom saw any. But she
was gone.
When the motor which had taken
them from the quay reached the pal
lace, Hedwig reused the archduchess,
whose head had dropped forward on
her chest. "Here we are, mother" she
said. "You have had a nice Sleep"
But Annunciata muttered something
about being glad the wretched day was
over, and every one save Prince Ferdi-
nand William Otto seemed glad to get
back. The boy was depressed. He
felt, somehow, that they should have
enjoyed it, and that, having merely
endured it, they had failed him again.
The countess, having left her royal
mistress in the hands Of her maids,
went to her own apartment. She was
not surprised, on looking into her mir
ror, to find herself haggard and worn.
1t had been a terrible day. Only
second had separated that gaping lens
in her bag from the eyes of the officers
about. Never, in an adventurous life,
had she felt so near to death. Even
now it's cold breath chilled her.
However, that was over, well over.
She had done well, too. A dozen pic
lures of the fortress, of its guns, OF
even its mine chart as it hung on
wall, were in the bag. It's secrets, so
securely held, were hers, and would
be KarIs.
It was a cunningly devised scheme.
Two bags, exactly alike as to appear
ance, had been made. One, which she
carried daily, was what it appeared to
be. The other contained a Camera,
tiny but accurate, with a fine lens.
When a knob of the fastening was
pressed, the watch slid aside and the
shutter snapped. The pictures when
enlarged had proved themselves per-
feet.
Pleading fatigue, she dismissed her
maid and locked the doors. Then she
opened the sliding panel, and unfas-
tened the safe. The roll Of film was
in her hand, ready to be deposited un-
der the false bottom of her jewel case.
Within the security of her room,
the countess felt at ease. She even
sang a little, a bit of ballad from ner
native mountains.
Still singing, she carried the jewel
case to her table, and sat down be-
fore it. Then she put a hand to her
throat.
The lock had been forced.