River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-05-02

two reasons. First, the chancellor was
afraid of motors. He had horseman's
hatred and fear of machines. Second,
he was not CT a mind to rouse King
Karl from nights sleep, even to bring
the hand of the Princess HedWig. His
intention was to put up at some Inn
in village not far from the lodge and
to reach Karl by messenger early in
the morning, before the hunters left
for the day.
Then, all being prepared duly and in
order, Mettlich himself would arrive,
and things would go forward with
dignity and dispatch.
The valley of the Ar deepened. The
cliff rose above them, wall broken
here and there by the offtake Of mar
row ravines, filed with forest trees.
There was pause while the chains
on the rear wheels were supplemented
by others in front, for there must be
no danger of a skid. And another
pause, where the road slanted peril
ously toward the brink of the chasm,
and caution dictated that the chancel-
lor alight, and make hundred feet or
so of dangerous curve afoot.
1t required diplomacy to get him out.
But it was finally done, and his heavy
figure, draped in its military cape,
went ON ahead, outlined by the lamps
of the car behind him.
He was well around the curve, and
the cliff was broken by a wedge of
timber, when curiously shaped OBJ
iect projected itself over the edge of
the bank, and rolling down, lay almost
at his feet. The lamps brought it into
sharp relief-a man, gagged and tied,
and rolled, cigar shaped, in an auto
mobile robe.
The chancellor turned and called to
his men. Then he bent over the bun
die. The others ran up, and cut the
bonds. What with cold and long in
action, and his recent drop over the
bank, the man could not speak. One
of the secret service men had flask,
and held it to his lips. An amazing
situation, indeed, increased by the dis
| coyery that under the robe he wore
only his undergarments, with sol
dier's tunic wrapped around his Shout
ders. They carried him into the car
where he lay with head lOlling back,
and his swollen tongue protruding.
Half dead he was, with cold and long
anxiety. The brandy cleared his mind
long before he could speak, and he
saw by the uniforms that he was in
the hands of the enemy. He turned
sulkily silent then, convinced that he
had escaped one death but to meet an
other. Twenty-four hours now he had
faced eternity, and he was ready.
He preferred, however, to die fully
clothed, and when, in response to his
pointing up the bank and to his in
articulate mouthings, one of the secret
police examined the bit of woodland
with his pocket flash, he found pair
of trousers where Milky had left them,
neatly folded and hung over the branch
Of a tree. The brandy being supple
mented by hot coffee from patent bot
| tie, the man revived further, made an
effort, and sat up. His tongue was
still swollen, but they made out what
he said. He had been there since the
night before. He was of Karnia, and
kings messenger.
ST was coming back from the bar
rier,' he said thickly, "where I had
carried dispatches to the officer in
charge. On my return a man hailed
me from the side of the road, near
where you found me. [ thought that
he desired to be taken on, and stopped
my car But he attacked me. He was
armed and was not. He knocked me
senseless, and when awakened / was