The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-06-07

drawn by Its four chestnut horses
moved slowly along the streets, hi
eyes under their overhanging thatcl
were watching ahead, searching th,
crowd for symptoms of unrest.
Anger he saw in plenty, AMI
suspicion. Scowling faces and frown
ing brows. But as yet there was NJ
disorder. He sat with folded arms
magnificent In his uniform beside Karl
who wore civilian dress and looked
less royal than perhaps he felt.
| And Karl, too, watched the crowd
feeling its temper and feigning an in.
difference he did not feel. Olga Los
chek had been right. He did not want
trouble. More than that, he was OF
an age now to crave popularity. Many
OF the measures which had made him
beloved In his own land had no higher
purpose than this, the smiles of the
crowd. So he watched and talked Of
Indifferent things.
ut is ten years since / have been
here" he observed, "but there are few
changes"
ave have built no great buildings"
said Mettlich bluntly "Wars have left
us no money, majesty, for building!"
| That being closed road, SO to
speak, Karl tried another. "The
crown prince must be quite lad,'S he
| experimental. "He was a babe in
arms, then, but frail, thought"
"He is sturdy now" The chancellor
relapsed into watchfulness.
Before / see the Princess Hedwig,"
Karl made another attempt, sit might
be well to tell PIE how she feels about
things. l would like to feel that the
prospect is at least not disagreeable to
her."
The chancellor was not listening.
There was trouble ahead. 1t had come.
then, after all. He muttered some
thing behind his gray mustache. The
horses stopped. as the crowd suddenly
closed in front of them.
"Drive on! !" he said angriIy. and the
coachman touched his whip to the
horses. But they only reared, to be
grasped at the brides by hostile hands
ahead.
Karl half rose from his seat.
"Sit still, majesty" said the chancel-
Tor. ut is the students. They will |
talk, that is ALL"
But it came perilously near to be- |
ing a riot. Led by some students, |
pushed by others, the crowd sur
rounded the two carriages, first NUT
tering, then yelling. A stone was
hurled, and struck one of the horses.
dented the body of the car
riage itself. A man with handker-
chief tied over the lower half of his
face mounted the shoulders OF two
and harangued the crowd.
They wanted no friendship with Kar-
MIA. Were they to lose their national
existence? He .exhorted them madly
through the handkerchief. A babel of
noise, of swinging back and forth, of
mounted police pushing through to
the carriage, of cries and the
voices of the student
iemagogues. Then at last semblance
# order, low muttering, an escort of
'olice with drawn revOlvers around the
'arriage, and it moved ahead.
Through 1T all the chancellor had sat
With folded arms. Only his Iivid face
old of his fury. Karl, too, had sat i'm
assive, picking at his small mustache.
Gut, as the carriage moved on, he
aid: "A few moments ago. observed
hat there had been few changes. But
here has been, perceive, after all, a
reat change"
"One cannot judge the many by the
ew, majesty"
But Karl only raised his eyebrows.
In his rooms, removing the dust of
Is journey, broken by the automobile
lip across the mountains where the
10 railroads would some day meet,
arl reflected on the situation. A dual
one portion of 1t restless
nd revolutionary, was less desirable
ian the present peace and prosperity
Karnia. And unrest was contagious.
e might find himself in a difficult
)SitlOn.
He glanced about his rooms. In one
them Prince Hubert had met his
,ath. 1t was well enough for Nett
h to say the few could not speak for
e many. It took but one man to do
murder, Karl reflected grimly.
But when he arrived for tea in the !
chduchess' white drawing room he
as urbane and smiling. He kissed !
e hand Of the archduchess and bent u
er Hedwigs with flash of white :
eth.
Then he saw Olga Loschek, and his
lille stiffened. The countess came
rward, curtsied, and as he extended
J hand to her, touched It lightly 81
tn her lips. They were quite cold. W,
r just an instant their eyes met. fr'
It was on the surface, an amiable ja
4 quiet tea party. Hedwig had 70
zen up her position by window, We
4 was conspicuously silent. Behind 70.
/ were the soft ring Of silver against
ma, the countess gay tones, Karl's gu
i've ones, assuming gravity, as he FOL
Luired as to his majesty's health; GU
Archduchess Annunciata pretend on
solicitude she did not feel. And wi
forced, all artificial. tes
Grandmother" Hedwig whispered Ia
m her window to the austere old Gre
ME figure in the place, was 1t Ot1
} this with you, at first? Did you fri