The St. Charles herald. [volume], March 23, 1918, Image 5

About The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993

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«-cpyright, 1917, by the Ridgway Cbmrany
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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3
iiE CHA! ^CELL0R SUGGESTS A MEANS OF OBTAiNiNG
the friendship of the neighboring
kingdom of karnia
ten * ^ <M, " n I' rit iee of Livonia. Ferdinand William Otto,
!!-;;;:■ **™*v 1,p •-»-«* ■«««. ««•* n f th e „.m
Thorn»' ■»' lit»! \ ,Mr '' " lu>rt ' '""hes the anpiaintanee of Bobby
, , 1 ' U ttle Arnor h , an hoy. Keturnlm
timL everything iu au uproar as a result ».
hov's graniSf'i'i ' !'if SaI1 "' n, " ht ,h< ' ''haneellor calls to consult the
boy s grandfather, the old king, who is very ill.
to the palace at night, he
the search which has been
CHAPTER li.—Continued
— 2 —.
"Her royal highness—"
Anntmeiata is a fool," said his ma
jesty. Then, dismissing his daughter
with a gesture, "We don't know how
to raise our children Imre," he said
Impatiently. "The English do better.
And even the Germans—"
It is not etiquette to lower one's
eyebrows at a king and glare. Hut
General Mettlieh did it. He was rather
n poor subject. "The Germans have
not our problem, sire," lie said, and
stuck up his mustache.
1 m not going to raise ihe hoy a
prisoner," insisted the king stubbornly.
General Mettlieh bent forward and
place»] a hand on the old man's kne<*.
"We shall do well, sire," he said
gravely, "to raise the boy at all."
There was a short silence, which the
king broke. "What Is new?"
"We have broken up the university
meetings, but I fancy they go on. in
small groups. I was gratified, how
ever. to observe that a group of stu
dents cheered his royal highness yes
terday as he rode past the university
buildings. The outlying districts are
<]uiet So, too, is the city. Too quiet,
sire."
"They are waiting, of course, for my
death," said the king quietly. "If
only you were twenty years younger
than I am, it would be better." He
fixed the general with shrewd eyes.
"What do those asses of doctors say
about me?"
"Even at the best, sire—" He
looked very ferocious, and cleared his
throat. He was terribly ashamed that
his voice was breaking. "Even af the
best, but of course they can only give
an opinion—"
"Six months?"
"A year, sire."
"And at the worst!" said the king,
with a grim smile. Then, following
his own line of thought: "But the
people love the boy, I think."
"They do. It is for that reason,
sire, that I advise particular caution."
He hesitated. Then, "Sire," he said
earnestly, "there is something of
which I must speak. The Committee
of Ten has organized again."
Involuntarily the king glanced at
the photograph on the table.
"Forgive me, sire, if I waken bitter
memories. But I fear—"
"You fear!" said the king. "Since
when have you taken to fearing?"
"Nevertheless," maintained General
Mettlieh doggedly. "I fear. This quiet
£
Ses
«We Shall Do Well, Sire, to Raise the
Boy at All."
of the last few months alarms me.
Dangerous dogs do not bark. I trust
no one. The very air is full of se
dition."
The king twisted his blue-veined old
hands together, but his voice was
quiet "But why?" he demanded, al
most fretfully. "If the people arti
fond of the boy, and I think they are,
t (> _to carry him off, or injure him,
would hurt the cause. Even the ter
rorists. in the name of a republic, can
do nothing without the people."
"The mob is a curious thing, sire.
You have ruled with a strong hand.
*>ur yeopl* know nothing but to obey
is
in
to
as
us
he
[that Ins mother
the dominant voice. The boy out of
the way, the prospect of the
Princess Hedwig on the throne, a few
demagogues in the public squares—it
would be the end."
Tiie king leaned hack and closed his
eyes. His thin, arche»! nose looked
pinched. Ills face was gray.
"All this," he sni»l, "means what?
To make the boy a prisoner, to cut
off his few pleasures, and even then,
at any time—"
"Yes, sire," said Mettlieh doggedly.
"At any time."
AH through the palace people were
sleeping. Prince Ferdinand William
otto was asleep, and riding again the
little car in the land of delight. So
that, turning a corner sharply, he al
most fell out of bed.
On the other side of the city the
littie American boy was asleep also.
At that exact time he was being
tucked up by an entirely efficient and
plaeid-eyed American mother, who felt
under his head to see that his ear was
not turnt'd forward. She liked close
fitting ears.
Nobody, naturally, was tucking up
Prince Ferdinand William Otto. Or
attending to his ears. But, of course,
there were sentries outside his door,
and a valet de chambre to be rung
for, and a number of Aibroidered
eagles scattered about on the curtains
and things, an»l a country surrounding
him which would one day be his, un
less—
"At any time," said General Mett
lieh, and was grimly silent.
"Well?" inquired the king, after a
time. "You have something to sug
gest, I take it."
The old soldie/ cleared his throat.
"Sire." he began, "it is said that a
chancellor should have but one pas
sion. his king. I have two, my king
and my country."
The king nodded gravely. He knew
both passions, relied on both. And
found them b»jth a bit troublesome at
times !
"Once, some years ago, sire, I came
to you with a plan. The Princess
Hedwig was a child thes, and his late
royal highness was—still with us.
For that, and for other reasons, your
majesty refused to listen. But things
have changed. Between us and revo
lution there stand only the frail life
of a boy and an army none too large,
and already, perhaps, affected. There
is much discontent, and the offspring
of discontent Is anarchy."
The king snarled. But Mettlieh had
taken his courage in his hands, and
went on. Their neighbor and hered
itary foe was Karnia. Could they
any longer afford the enmity of Kar
nia? One cause of discontent was the
expense of the army, and of the forti
fications along th»> Karnian border. If
Karnia were allied with them, there
would be no need of so great an army.
They had the mineral wealth, and
Karnia the seaports. The old dream
of the empire, of a railway to the sea,
would be realized.
He pleaded well. The idea was not
new. To place the little King Otto
IX on the throne and keep him there
in the face of opposition would re
quire support from outside. Karnia
would furnish this support. For a
price.
The price was the Princess Hed
wig.
"That Is my plea, sire," Mettlieh
finished. "Karl of Karnia Is anxious
to marry, and looks this way. To al
lay discontent and growing insurrec
tion, to insure the boy's safety and his
throne, to beat our swords into plough
shares"—here he caught the king's
scowl, and added—"to a certain ex
tent, and to make us a commercial
as well as a military nation, surely,
sire, it gains much for us, and loses
us nothing."
"But our independence!" said the
king sourly.
However, he did not dismiss the
idea. The fright of the afternoon had
weakened him. and If Mettlieh were
right the royalist party would need
outside help to maintain the throne.
"Karnia !" he said. "The lion and
the lamb, with the lamb insble the
lion ! And in the meantime the boy—"
"He should be watched always."
"He has Lussin." Count Lussin was
the crown prince's aide-de-camp.
"He needs a man. sire," observed
the chancellor rather tartly.
The king cleared his throat. "This
youngster he is so fond of, young
Larisch. would he please you better?"
he asked, with ironic deference.
"A good boy, sire. You may recall
He stopped.
a
tin
memory was |
» a change in
»<1 boy?"
better, sire.
iynl highness.
lie is devot» d
He Is outside
him in. I'll hove a look at
Id king'
good. Perhaps there \vi
Meltlieh's voice.
"A g»
"Non»
to his !
now."
"Brin
him."
Nikky, summoned by a chamberlain,
slopp»*d inside the doorway and bowed
»leeply.
"Come here." said the king.
He advanced.
"Ilow old are you?"
"Twenty-three, sire."
"In the grenadiers, I believe."
Nikky bowed.
"Like horses?" said the king sud
denly.
"Very much, sire."
"And boys?"
"I—some boys, sire."
"Humph! Quite right, too. Little
devils, most of them." He drew hirn
s»'lf up in his chair. "Lieutenant
Larisch," he said, "His royal highness
the crown prince has taken a liking ;
to you. I believe It is to you that our 1
fright todav is due." t
Nikky's heart thumped,
rather pale.
"It is my intention
iseh, to place the crown prince in your I
He went j
Lieutenant Lnr- |
personal charge. For reasons I need I
not go into, it is imperative that he
take no more excursions alone. I wnnf
a real friend for the Httlo crown
prince. One who Is both brave and
loyal."
Afterward, in his small room, Nikky
composed a neat, well-rounded speech,
in which he expressed his loyalty,
grntitu»le, and undying devotion to the
crown prince. It was an elegant lit
tle speech. Unluckily, the occasion for
it had gone by two hours.
"I—I am grateful, sire," was what
he said. "I—" And there he stopped
and chok»?d up. It was rather dread
ful.
"I depend on you, Captain Larisch,"
said the king gravely, and nodded his
head in a gesture of dismissal.
Nikky backed toward the door, struck
a hassock, all but went down, bowed
again at the door, an»l fled.
"A fine lad," said General Mettlieh,
"but no talker."
"All the better," replied his majes
ty. "I am tired of men who talk
well. And" —he smiled faintly— "I
am tired of you. You talk too well.
You make me think. I don't want to
think. I've been thinking all my life.
It is time to rest, my friend."
CHAPTER III.
At the Riding School.
His royal highness the Crown Prince
Ferdinand William Otto was in dis
grace.
He had risen at six. bathe»!, dressed,
and gone to mass, in disgrace. He
had breakfasted at seven-thirty on
fruit, cereal, and one egg, in disgrace.
He had gone to his study at eight
o'clock for lessons, in disgrace. A
long line of tutors came and went all
morning, and he worked diligently, but
he was still in disgrace. All merit
ing long and In the intervals between
tutors he had tried to catch Miss
Braithwaite's eye.
Except for the most ordinary civil
ities, she had refused to look in his
direction.
The French tutor was standing near
a photograph of Hedwig, and pretend
ing not to look at It. Prince Ferdinand
William Otto bad a suspicion that the
tutor was in love with Hedwig.
I'rince Ferdinand William Otto did
not like the French tutor.
He also found the sun unsettling.
Besides, he hat»*d verbs. Nouns were
different. One could do something
with nouns, although even they had
a way of having genders. Into his
head popped a recollection of a de
lightful pastime of the day bi'fort*—
nothing more nor less than flipping
paper wads at the guard on the scenic
railway as the car went past him.
Prince Ferdinand William Otto tore
off the corner of a piece of paper,
chewed it deliberately, rounded and
hardened it with his royal flng»*rs, and
aimed it nt M. I'uaux. It struck him
in the eye.
Instantly things happened. M.
Puaux yelled, and elnpped a hand to
his eye. Miss Braithwaite rose. His
royal highness wrote a rather shaky
French verb, with the wrong termina
tion. And on to this scene came
Nikky for the riding lesson.
Nikky surveyed the scene. He had,
of course, bowed inside the door, and
nil that sort of thing. But Nikky was
im Informal person, and was <iu 11»*- apt
to how deeply before his future sover
eign, and then poke him in the chest.
"Well!" said Nikky.
"Good morning," said Prince Ferdi
nand William Otto, In a small and
nervous voice.
"Nothing wrong, is there?" de
manded Nikky.
M. Puaux got out his handkerchief
and said nothing violently.
"Otto !" said .Miss Braithwaite.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing." He looked about. He
was quite convinced that M. Puaux
was what Bobby would have termed
a poor eport, and had not played the
in
at
to
h<*
at
of
I
| earn
d
fair!
way, he !•
and wept,
of paper.
; m (*j ç\
1
t '~
lîi»
-. The gnard
it, would not have
"Oh, well, 1 threw a
That's all. I didn't
it won hi hurt."
Miss Braithwaite rose and glanced
at the carpet. Hut Nikky was quick.
Quick and understanding, lb* put his
shiny foot over the paper wad.
"i'ap»'r!" said Miss Braithwaite.
"Why did y»>u throw paper? And at
M. I'uaux?"
"I—just felt like throwing some
thing." expluined his royal highness.
"I guess it's the sun, or something."
Nikky dropped his glove, and mirac
ulously. when he had picked It up the
little wad was gone.
"For throwing paper, five marks,"
said Miss Braithwaite, anil put it
down In the book she Carrie»! in her
pocket. It was rather an awful book.
On Saturdays the king looked it over,
I
iw
//W'
j dS F*»
lâyte]
| jwjfcîyf \'0 J
I
/L
As He Passed Men Lifted Their Hats
and Women Bowed.
and demand»'»! explanations: 'Vor
untidy nails, five marks! A gentl*>
man never has untidy nulls, Otto. For
objecting to winter flannels, two
marks. Humph ! For pocketing sugar
from the tea tray, ten marks! Humph!
For lack of attention during religious
instruction, five marks. Ten off for
the sugar, and only five for inattention
to religious instruction! What have
you to say, sir?"
I'rince Ferdinand William Otto
looked at Nikky and Nikky looked
bnek. Th»*n Ferdinand William Otto's
left eyelid drooped. Nikky was
astounded. How was he to know the j
treasury of strange things that the
crown print'»' had tapped the previous
afternoon? But. after a glance around
the room, Nikky's eyelid drooped also,
ne slid the paper wad into his pocket.
"I am afraid his royal highness has
hurt your eye, M. Puaux," said Miss
Braithwaite.
"Not at all," said tho unhappy young
man, testing tho eye to discover If he
could see through it. "I am sure his
royal highness meant no harm." M.
Puaux went out, with his handker
chief to his eye.
While Oskar, his valet, put the
crown prince into riding clothes, Nikky
and Miss Braithwaite had a talk. It
began by Nikk.v's stating that she was
likely to see him a great deal now,
and he hoped she would not find him
in the way. He had been matte aide
de-camp to the crown prince, vice
Count Lussin, who had resigned on
account of illness, having b»*en roust'd
at day-break out of a healthy sleep
to do It.
Not that Nikky said just that. What
h<* really observed was : "The king
sent for me last night, Miss Braith
waite. and—and asked me to hang
around."
Thus Nikky, of his sacred trust !
None the less sacred to him, either,
that he spoke lightly. He glanced up
at the crossed swords, anti his eyes
were hard.
And Miss Braithwaite knew. She
reached over and put a hand on his
arm. "You and I," she said. "Out
of all the people in this palace, only
you and I ! The archduchess hates
hlm. I see it in her eyes. She can
never forgive him for kt'eping th»*
throne from lledwig. The very
guards down below, the sentries at
our doors, how do we know they are
loyal?"
"The people love him," said Nikky
•loggedly.
"The people ! Sheep. I do not trust
the people, f do not trust any one.
I watch, h'ut what can I do? The very
food we eat—"
"He is coming," said Nikky softly.
And fell to whistling under his
breath.
Together Nikky and I'rince Ferdi
nand William Otto went out and down j
to
of
of
on
a
V<VWW V* '.V-VWWV '.
j Xnd he would not he amusing nt all.
tin- gnat natrl>! »
'Milite- d. Too Ihm; li: V r : 1 1
g«'I«I thri v. open tl. • \ .erny ,
•log that had wand, mto (!..• •n.;t
.van! watched them grav. !>
' I wish," said I'rin»'* 1 F» nhimu'l |
William Otto. ''tli.:r 1 might bave h
i!ng. Yesterday 1 în»>t u buy who has j
a d»»g. It sleeps on his heil at night." j
Nikky looked hack. Although it liait
been the boast of tin* royal family for |
it century that It could gu about un
nttended, that its only danger was
from the overzeal of the people in !
showing their loyalty, not since the !
deuth uf Prince Hubert had this been ;
trii»' in fact. No guards or soldiers
accompanied them, but the secret po
lice were always near at hand. So
Nikky lookeil, made sure that a man
in civilian clothing was close at their
heels, and led the way across the
square to the riding school.
A small crowd lined up and watched
the passing of tht* little prince. As
he passed, men lift».'»! their hats and
women bowed.
"I have a great many friemls." he
said with a sigh of content, ns they
neared the riding school. "1 suppose
I don't really need a dog."
"Look here," saitl Nikky, after a
pause. "Look here, highness, you
didn't tr»*at your friends very - well
yesterday."
"I know," said Prince Ferdinand
William Otto meekly. But Prince
Ferdinand William otto had thought
out a defense. "1 got back all right
didn't I?" He considered. "It was
worth it. A policeman shook me!"
"Which policeman?" demanded Nik
ky in a terrible tone, and in his fury
quite forgot the ragging he had pre
pared for Otto.
"I think I'll not tell you, if you don't
mind."
Fortune smiled on Nikky that day.
Had, indeed, been smiling daily for
some three weeks. Singularly enough,
the Princess Hedwig, who had been
placed on a pony at the early age of
two, and who had been wont to boast
that she could ride any horse In her
grandfather's stables, was taking rid
ing lessons. From twelve to one—
which was. also singularly, the time
Prlnce Ferdinand William Otto and
Nikky rode in the ring—the Princess
Hedwig rode also. Rode divinely.
Rode saucily. Rode, when Nikky was
ahead, tenderly.
To tel! the truth. Prince Ferdinand
William Otto rather hoped, this morn
ing, that Hedwig would not be there.
There was a difference in Nikky when
Hedwig was around. When she was
not there he would do all sorts of
things, like jumping on his horse While
It was going, and riding backward in
the saddle, and so on. He had once
even tried jumping on his horse as It
galloped past him, and missed, and ,
had been awfully ashamed about it.
But when Hedwig was there, there
was no skylarking. They rode around,
and the riding master put up jumps
and they took them. And finally Hed
wig would get tired, and ask Nikky
please to be amusing while she rested.
3 l
her hands.
The crown prince felt that she never
really saw Nikky at his best.
The riding school had been built for
officers of the army, but was now used
by the court only. Here the king had
ridden as a lad with rming Mettlieh,
his close friend even then. The favor
ite mare of his later years, now old
and almost blind, still had a stall in
the adjacent royal stables. One of the
king's last excursions abroad had been
to visit her.
Overhead, up a great runway, were
the state chariots, gilt coaches cf In
conceivable weight, traveling carriages
of the post-chaise periods, sleighs if*
which four horses drove abreast, their
panels painted by the great artists of
the time ; and one plain little vehicle,
very shabby, in which th** royul chil
dren of long ago had fled from a Kar
nian invasion.
In one corner, black and gold and
forbidding, was the imposing hearse in
which the d»*ad sovereigns of the ctnrn
try were taken to their long sleep in
the vaults under the cathedral. Good,
bad. and indifferent, one after the
other, ns their h»»ur came, they had
taken their last journey in the old
catafalque, and had Joined tteir for
bears. Many they hud been: men of
Iron, men of blood, men of flesh, men
of water. And now they lay in stone
crypts, and of all the line only two
remained.
One and all. the royal vehicles were
shrouded in sheets, except on one day
of each month when the sheets were
removed and the public admitted. But
on that morning the great hearse was
uncovered, and two men were working,
one at the upholstery, which he was
brushing. The other was carefully oil
ing the wood of the body. Save for
them, the wide and dusky loft was
empty.
*******
The archduchess was having tea.
Her boudoir was a crowded little
room. The archduchess liked it be
cause it was warm. Th»' palace rooms
wer»* mostly large and chilly. She had
a fire there on the warmest days in
spring, and liked to put the coals on,
herself. She had them wrapped in
pieces of paper so a lie Wwuld not soil
'
a.
Tnis afterntmr s h e was not a lon&
'•ungiug at a v -inflqw was the lady
Ih> wa. waiMiu. a t the time, the
ainvss Ld.'chck. just now she was
•; :v_: rather ;t v- \ng, b u t S he was
;i.
1
,
|
h
j
j
|
!
!
;
a
,
\v,;y. She \
v;i. SUI
■ posed tf
•U • '•
m• n it
t till* Cl
'
iata
with an
known
l
ijïKirrokvI :
1 LTlV.'l
1 deal
■ ;i f iu■ . « in'
u i : i ! j V »
>V»T III»'
the arch
tea, "yon
my opinion,
ittes."
thirty,
Insolent
ithe best
nd to
hand,
they
all
-aid that tlo
m t<
r
at
da
than he
demanded the
in the nurs
i believe. At
and stood
e little crown
the Princess
Annunciafa
s youngei
brother Hubert.
The countess yawru
"Wixre is lledwig'
an ieludiess.
"ihr royal highnes
cry, probably."
'AV by probably?"
"She goes there a great deal."
The archduchess eyed her. "Well,
"Ut with it," she said. "There Is
something seething in that wicked
brain of yours."
The countess shrugged her shoulders.
Not that she resented having a
wicked brain. She rather fancied the
idea. "She and young Lieutenant Lar
isch have tea quite frequently with
his royal highness."
"Little fool !" saiil Annunciata. But
she frowned, an»! sat tapping her tea
cup with her spoon. She was just a
trifle afraid of lledwig, and she was
more anxious than she would have
»•nr»'»! to arknowh (ige. "How far do
you think the thing has gone?"
"He is quit»' mad about her."
"And lledwig- hut she is silly
enough for anything. Ido they meet
anywhere else?"
"At the riding -
bast, I-"
Here a maid
waiting at the end of the screen.
"His excellency, General Mettlieh,"
said th» 1 maid.
The archduchess nodded her august
head, and the maid retired. "Go
away. Olga," said the archduchess.
"And you might," she suggested grim
ly, "gargle your throat."
The chancellor had passed a trou
bled night. Being old, like the king,
lit* required little sleep. And for most
of the time between one o'clock and
his rising hour of five he had lain in
his narrow camp bed and thought. Ho
had not confided all his worries to the
king.
Evidences of renewed activity on tho
part of the terrorists were many. In
the past month two of his best secret
agents had disappeared. One had been
found the »lay before, stubbed in the
back. The chancellor had seen tho
body—an unpleasant sight. But it
was not of the dead man that General
Mettlieh thought. It was of the other.
The dead tell nothing. But the living,
under torture, tell many things. And
this man Haeckel, young as he was,
knew much that was vital.
M five General Mettlieh had risen,
exercised before an open window with
an old pair of iron dumb bells, had fol
lowed this with a cold bath and hot
coffee, and had gone to early mass at
the Cathedral.
He entered the boudoir of the Arch
»iuchess Annunciata, and the countess
went out another door, and closed it
behind her, immediately opening it
about an in»'h.
Countess Loschek, lady in
waiting at the court, who is in
love with Karl of Karnia, plots
to frustrate his marriage to Hed
wig. She is already involved in
• n intrigue with the ruler of
Karnia and she prepares a se
cret message for transmission.
Some interesting developments
are recorded in the next install
ment.
(.TO BE CONTINUED.)
Looked Like Money.
He was a ballroom boy, hut so well
groomed that he looked like ready
money. She was a sweet young thing
and he was striving hard to make an
impression, muses a Gotham exchange.
They were standing before an automo
bile display window in Broadway.
"There," he said, pointing to an ex
hibit marked $3,050, "is the car I'm
going to get for the girl I marry. I've
had more expensive ones, but for
stnn»ling up qualities and el^ss at '
same time you can't beat that-«''
there." "Oh," she cooed, beamin,
rapture. "Won't tliat—" "Why
lo, Eddie !" The fantasy wr '
rupted by a loud, cordial - - :;
Intruder laid his bqr~nr * . .■«
man's shoa'd»*> J!t> ♦..< '.uonr-r
since you *t. Luaka'-S'.v.tch O-.ia
you're due bead oi the Lit >f cer.*-<<
Ilow'd,', k not only tue tes«, f »v d,
later 1 the cheapest food u u cü'tli.
sigh : will ksep street *i j
' vh( ' re 'ywbmm izxielimtejv.
over i
h.t J rt 4
MSH: s» at
Th»
olrser.-*»
toms Oti'At
work fT,
LI:.
hranc* ''-«t*-i*».
LI!: ■ evi\»*r r*.«*
the' rest -
a. „- bud ®SiW 0» PW'Tfc. .
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