Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-07
CHAPTER ".
The Letter.

The Countess Loschek was alone.
Alone and storming. She had sent her
maid away with sharp word. and
now she was pacing the floor.
Hedwig, of all people!
She hated her. She had always
hated her. For her youth, first: later,
when she saw how things We're going.
for the accident that had made her a
granddaughter to the king.
And Karl! =.
Even this last June, when Karl had
made his looked-for visit to the sum-
imer palace where the court had been
in residence, he had already had the
thing in mind. Even when his arms
had been about her, Olga Loschek, he
had been looking over her shoulder.
as it were, at Hedwig. He had had it
all in his wicked head, even then. For
Karl was wicked. She loathed him
while she loved him.
Hedwig would marry Karl. She
might be troublesome, would indeed
almost certainly be troublesome.
Strangely enough, the countess hated
her the more for that. To value so
Tightly the thing for which Olga
Loschek would have given her soul.
this In itself was hateful. But there
was more. The countess saw much
with her curiously wide, almost child
,ishly bland eyes; 1t was only now that
1T occurred to her to turn what she
knew Of Hedwig and Milky to account.
She stopped pacing the floor, and
sat down. Suppose Hedwig and Milky
;Larisch went away together? He'd
wig, she fek, would have the courage
;eyen for that. That would stop things.
But Hedwig did. not trust her. And
there was about Milky dog-like quail
lity Of devotion, which warned her
that, the deeper his love for Hedwtg,
THE more unlikely he would be to!
bring her to disgrace. Milky might
be difficult.
She must try for Hedwig's con.
lfidencel But Karl! How to reach
him3 Not with reproaches, not with
anger. She knew her man well. To
hold him of was the first thing. To
postpone the formal proposal, and gain
time. II the chancellor had been right,
and things were as bad as they ap-,
peared, the kings death would precipi-'
tate crisis. Might, indeed, overturn
the throne.
The king was very feeble. This
affair Of Yesterday had told on him.;
The gossip Of the court was that the
day had seen a change for the worse.
His heart was centered on the crown
prince.
All, here was another viewpoint.
Suppose the crown prince had not
come back7 What would happen, with
1.-THE king dead, and no king? Chaos,
of course. A free hand 10 revolution.
iHedwig fighting for her throne, and
inevitably losing 1t.
But that was further than she cared
TO 60 just then. She would finish GER
tain work that she had set out to do,
and then she was through. No longer
would dread and terror grip her in the
night hours.
u But she, would finish. Karl should
never say. she had failed him. She
had In her possession papers for which
he waited or pretended to wait: data
secured by means she did not care to-
remember; plans and figures carefully,
,compiled-a thousand deaths in one, If
they were found on her. She would;
Iget them out Of her hands at once.
It was still but little after five. She
brought her papers together on her;
small mahogany desk, from such hid;
ing places as women know-the Innings
i0f perfumed sachets, the toes Of small
slippers, the secret pocket in 'muff
land having locked her doors, put
them In order. Her hands were
trembling, but she worked skillfully.
she was free until the dinner hour,
hut she had great deal to do. The
papers In order, she went to panel
IN the wall Of her dressing room, and,
sliding 1t aside, revealed the safe in
which her Jewels were kept. Not that
her jewels were very valuable, but the
safe was there, and she used 1t.
The countess took out jewel-case,
emptied It, lifted its chamois cushions,
and took out a small book. 1t was an
Indifferent hiding place, but long i'm
munity had made her careless. Re
ferring to the book, she wrote letter
!. In code. It was, to all appearances,
i friendly letter referring to family
In her native town, and asking that
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