The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-02-13

sat alone. and watched the red bars
Of the stove fade to black. BY that
@ime II was done. and he was Of the
damned. The row prince, who was
Of IN age with the American lad up
stairs. the crown prince was In the
hands Of his enemies. He. old Adei-
bert. had done II.
And now Il was forever too late.
Terrible thoughts nlled his mind. He
could not live thus. yet he could not
die. The daughter must have the pen.
sion. He must live, o traitor. he On
whose breast the king himself had
pinned q decoration.
He wore his new uniform. In honor
Of the day. Suddenly he felt that he
could not YEA It IN longer. He had
no right to any uniform. He who had
sold his country was Of no country.
He went slowly out and up the stair
case, dragging his wooden leg pain
fully from step to step. He heard the
concierge come In below. his heavy
footsteps re-echoed through the build
ing. Inside the door he called furi-
ously to his niece. Old Adelbert heard
him strike a match to light the gas.
In his room he sat down on .
straight chair inside the door. and
stared ahead. Then. slowly and ne
chanicaily. he took of his new uni.
form and donned the old one. He
would have put on civilian clothes. hnd
he possessed any. For by the deeds
Of that day he had forfeited the right
to the kings garb.
1t wal there that Black Humbert,
hurrying up. found him. The con-
cierge was livtd, his massive frame
shook with excitement.
"Quick |" he said, and swore a great
oath. "To the shop Of the cobbier
Heinz, and tell him this word. Here
In the building Is the boy"
"what boyr
The concierge closed a great hand
on the veterans shoulder. "Who but
the crown prince himself" he said.
"But ! thought-how can he be
here?"
"Here k he, In our very hands. II
IL no time to ask questions"
"If he Is here"
HE 10 with the Americans" Missed
the concierge. the veins on his fore
head swollen with excitement. Nov.
70, and quickly. I shall watch. Say
that when I have secured the lad. I
shall take him there. Let all be ready.
An hour ago." he said. raising his
great fists on high. land everything
lost. Now-hurry. old wooden leg. II
- . ur~at nl0he
"But--I cannot. Already I have
done too much. am damned. have
lost my soul. I who am soon to die"
you will CO."
And, at last, he went. hobbling down
the staircase recksessly, because the
looming figure at the stairhead was
listening. He reached the street.
There, only a block away. was the cob
hler's shop, lighted, but with the dirty
curtains drawn across the window.
Old Adelbert saxed at II. Then he
commended his soul to God, and turned
toward the palace. Before II were
packed dense throngs Of silent people.
Now and then q man put down q box.
and rising on II, addressed the crowd.
attempting to rouse them. Each time
angry hands pulled him down, and
Kisses greeted him as he SUNK away.
Had old Adelbert been alive to any
thing but his mission. he would have
seen that this was no mob Of revo-
lutionists. but a throng Of srievinR
people, awaiting the great bell Of st.
Stefan's with Its dire news.
Then. above their heads. II rang out,
slow, ominous. terrible. A sob ran
through the crowd. In groups, and ut
last as n whole, the throng knelt. Men
uncovered and women wept.
The bell rang on. At Its FIRST notes
old Adelbert stopped, staggered, almost
fell. Then he uncovered his head.
"Gonel" he said. 1.-THE old king |
My old king"
His face twitched. But the horror
behind him drove him on through the
kneeling crowd. Where II refused to
yield, he drove the iron point OF his
wooden leg into yielding flesh. and 80
made his way. Some one raised u cry
aud others tool II up.
"The king!" they cried. "Show US
the little kingV"
But the balcony outside the dead
kings apartments remained empty.
The curtains at the long windows were
drawn. save ut one. opened for air.
The breeze shook Its curtains to aud
fro, bot no small. childish figure
emerged. The cries kept up, but these
was a snarl In the note now.
1.-THE king! Long live the king !
Where II her"
A man In q red costume. neal old
Adelbert, iesped on a box and lighted
a flaming torch. "Aysp he yelled,
"cail for the little king. Where 10 bel
What have they done with himf"
Old Adelbert pushed on. The voice
Of the revolutlonist died behind him.
IN Z chorus Of fury. From nowhere.
apparently. came lighted boz banners
proclaiming the chancsller's treason,
and demanding a republic. Some Of
them instructed the people to gather
around the parliament whore. II was
stated, leading ciussns wers already