Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-12-28


slippers, the secret pocket in a muff !;
and having locked her doors, put
them in order. Her hands were
trembling, but she worked skillfully
She was free until the dinner hour,
but she had great deal to do. The
papers in order, she went to panel
in the wall of her dressing room, and
sliding it 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 it.
The countess took out a jewel-case,
emptied it, lifted it's 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 a letter
in code. 1t was, to all appearances,
a friendly letter referring to a family
in her native town, and asking that
the recipient see that assistance be
sent them before Thursday of the fol.
lowing week. The assistance was
specified with much detail-at her ex.
pense to send SO many blankets, so
many loaves of bread, a long list.
Having finished, she destroyed, by
burning, a number of papers, watch.
ing until the last ash had turned from
dull red to smoking gray. The code
book she hesitated over. but at last,
with shrug Of her shoulders, she re-
turned II to Its hiding place In the
jewel-case.
Coupled with her bitterness was q
sense OF relief. Only when the papers
were destroyed had she realized the
weight they had been. She summoned
.Mlnna, her maid, and dressed for the
street. Then, Minna accompanying
her, she summoned her carriage and
went shopping.
She reached the palace again In
time to dress for dinner. Somewhere
on that excursion she had left the let,
ter, to be sent to its destination over
the border by special messenger that
night.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto, al
the moment Of her return, was pre-.
pairing for bed. He washed himself,
with .oskar standing by, holding a
great soft towel. Even the towels
were too large. And he brushed his
teeth, and had two drinks of water,
because stiffish feeling in his throat
persisted. And at last he crawled up
into the high bed that was so much
too big for him, and had to crawl out
again, because he had forgotten his
prayers.
When everything was done, and the
hour of putting out the light could no
longer be delayed, he said good night
to Oskar, who bowed. There was a.
great deal Of bowling in OttO's world.
Then, whisk it was dark, with only
the moon face of the cathedral clock
for company. And as it was now
twenty minutes past seven, the two
hands dropped until it looked like a
face with a cruel mouth, and was
really very poor company.
Oskar, having bowed himself into
the corridor and past the two sentries,
reported to very great dignitary
across the hall that his royal highness
the Grown Prince Ferdinand William
Otto was in bed. And the dignitary
had a chance to go away and get his
dinner.
But alone in his great bed, the
HNrin Oh
shamefaced tears. He was extremely
ashamed of them. He felt that under
no circumstances would his soldier
father have behaved so. He reached
out and secured one of the two clean
folded handkerchiefs that were always
placed on the bedside stand at night,
and blew his nose very loudly. But
he could not sleep.
He gave Miss Braithwaite time to GO
to her sitting room, and for eight
O'Clock to pass, because once every
hour, all night, young gentleman OF
the court, appointed for this purpose
and dubbed a ''wet nurse" by jealous
cautiously opened his door
and made stealthy circuit Of the
room, to see that all was well.
The crown prince got up. He neg
,lected to put on his bedroom slippers
of course, and In his bare feet he
padded across the room to the study
door. It was not entirely dark. 4
night light burned there. 1t stood on
a table directly under the two crossed
swords. Beneath the swords, In q
burnt wood frame, were the pictures
of his father and mother. Hedwig had
given him a woodworking outfit al
Christmas, and he had done the work
himself. 1t consisted of the royal
arms, somewhat out of drawing anc
not exactly In the center of the frame
and a floral border of daisies, ex'
tremely geometrical, because he haG
drawn them In first with compass.
The boy, however, gave the pictures
only hasty glance and proceeded, in
q businesslike manner, to carry .
straight chair to the cabinet. On the
top shelf sat the old cloth dog. Its
shoe-button eyes looked glazed with
sleep, but it's ears were quite alert
Very cautiously the crown prince un'
locked the door, stepped precariously
IN rho lower shelf of the cabinet