ne nonen^oiiemx
.
STARTLING EXPOSURE OF INNER LIFE OF KAISER AND CROWN PRINCE AS
TOLD BY COUNT ERNST VON HELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX
1.1 »J | «»wi hi \«#m — Uiili«Hi Je
<1 •m t krrr rkrnalrlr* for hi*
frtr»4 t *»«*•! I.raat lleltaeadorlV.
I^r mrbilua* «»f I be laarr
•lir of thr Iaiportal l.rraia r«»art. ha*
Mo* rr. wsaiinl thmughitul Ko
• «hr pu*»n«or of It* iBOrruiu*!
•rrrrl*.
the • aclUh **U h«r* U ho" ■*«• of
hia: “Ho k*« latitat tie kaonlrdffr «»f
the *o. rot *om l«*o of t ••■ileraial « ou*
trte* * * 4 fa r»aaidrrrd l»« the Botrrn
aoai iof t.real Urltatai an anthorliy
••rh nailer**1 Uothrr aalboril? mmyt
“I o** people hate bera mm-re cl«t*rl> a»
*ooia«ed with or haoti more of I hr
aoaaaflai laarr aaaai< hlaerj of l.er
Mt> lhaa ho
I o<t aeon a prwhahlt ha* w«»re aouriT*
of oo. rot lafvraaiioa at hi* rommaad
lhaa m« o«aiewp>i ary la rlall life, nail
for Iho la*t alt tear* the Hrttiali l.»t
rraorai haa wade talaahle uae of liU
• mm* attire *f *e« ret laiuruailua th rotas h
a *pe«-iall; urgaatard dr pari aral **lth
«hl<h 1 «-«4uo*i Mwrha mm a tuluoiarj
aotoiaai
< «4MI % *a Hell aoador ff bera ate aa la*
tlaaate of leVaeat aeteral jrar* prior
•o the oat break of tbe Mart be ha* her*
lit io« in ret f remeat fta Kranee *lure
%«gae«. lilt, a ad If Maa there tbat Lr
meat rreoltod froan tbe erona prlare a
personal adjafaaf perant*«t«»a to
pnblle tbeoe ret elation* of tbe
life of tbe Hobeaiollern*—that
tbe deaaoerarie* of tbe t* orld might
to know tbe real, bat heretofore
personalities of tbe law dotnl
rahrra of tbe aalorrar> they are
non arrayed agaiatt
1
I THE MYSTERIES
OF FRAU KLEISTI
THE <■!«•<» Intrigues <>f Frau
Kleist were unknown to any
the court *•;at I’ots
She was Inlrrd a queer
, . uly !«*— of a personage
• • ,u ' - j,Wvgn Prince Bttlw
•It-H-fi t«< «lay as «*• sa! to
t- r tuj r**«i in the It-rlin
S*-hh »*
f- K • «i -'a* the court dancing
: or*" whose fastidious Judgment
Us! be m’ -fi.-l bjr any young debu
•i ?*- *r before Tli*-y presumed
t T • 1-* * -r>- royalty at tli** state
< — - ■ II* r
real a**- I MW knew.
Tru- Iran K.H**t. with her neat
V«|M ait<! tUa, nlttol f*< •-.
very - • figure at the Berlin
■ ■vif The ntii«a<-ie> *<f the minuet
asj'l gs a* »»11 a» those «*f iht*
: m.r. . . • - !U whi'li she delighl
e>: aer*- taught tty the old la*lv »0
!*• t. - J -a hint and Princess Vleiortu
I.. — ■; ah >uj al»ay> went in
d ■ r <*f her i-uUMi' tongue and
mrr rtmvrkmc manner.
Ti . i-cf'ir never permitted any
art which ta* not up to
n.g . rd of excellence. anil ail
«*i * . dan* ** were cmu|iell**d
j - - e ...re rhe critical eye of the
si a .-*1 **id mdy in h**r stiff
«i!fce® gown.
When . sh.- had •-•■me <*r who had
le .-n *i!.ie for li*-r apisrintmeut
« On*- thing was iiuite
O' '1. • tle-Ugh at an age when
rioUTuatitan prevents agility
sli- was an stprt dancer.
1 h* id woman lived in ■ uisidcnihle
sty * u a fine bouse i‘|ose to the
e bridge at Potsdam. hem-.ith
the J. • rg. a power to lie reckoned
le. disired to enter the
coon i itrl*.
It- • t- -tig tier, many strange stories
We:- . oat 1 Hie Was that she was an
el • r. the mother of the fatuous
M -;* s.. v *"fT*ei ’lo” I»umnd. pre
It. *-ts : a*- use of the Purls o|*er». and
at-ei*!■ r **a» that she h.cl le*en mis
tress ■ Me ballet at the Imt>erial
opera in I'etrograd in th** >hiys of the
Emperor Alexander. Hut so great a
tut or*- l.--r i.nt nts tiiat me
ho*ly knew anything for i-errain. save
that at the age of nearly seventy, she
bad »*- • »s at any hour to the kaiser’s
l*n»afe cabinet. I have *>ften seeu her
wtii' -r •*< hi- majesty strange si-erets
whi>-fc she had picked up here and
•here—*eti*ti that were often trnns
'erred t ertaln confidential quarters.
Tins* at ">un who secured the be
«**aat smiles of Frau Kleist knew
: *t ihe.r future path in life would lx*
1 . 1 of sunshine, hut Woe betide those
11sin whom she knit her bmus in dls
*: : rora! Fran KM«I kejit her pretty
h •# and her Mg Merceiles ear upon
th- secret money payments she re
'H -d fr>*iii th-ise who “for value"
t’..d her favors. W ith many young
r* * he |«yment to Frau Kleist
• t«* tq*en the ha<-k dis<r to the em
peror's favor.
W. r. the Neties I'aials (New- l*al
acel kr.-w it. Bm surety If did not
ivmvrt; u* for all of os looked askance
at Tb-.se i ho >*rove so strenuously and
eagerly for "‘-ottititands’’ to court funo
n-. ami really we were secretly glad
if tie- parvehU» of l*oth sege« were well
•»ied liefore they were permitted by
i’ritw Erna t<* make tin-lr oledsance be
r*** M.y alty.
* • ' world at every Kur-*|-**iin
' narrow littlo* world of It*
• » ;< tu , • , „ , n,j im*ua‘|w«*twl by T H«»
Tli' r** on* >»•«•« the
• ••■-r «,* |„|I!ttlI1 „„tKT* without
*ay !*•-' *-n nf th*» hmt or rvra nobkr
' " • •* cmi.l**r. the military
•4«W( "Jr- Ml.- iMnrfchMk diplomat.
tk‘ ‘I parvenu a„d lhf.
•i*t ’ - * ■ ' i’ll Mi.-lr K,-MH.|,, kH(l
»<«•"<• ■ •• raw, nth. r in order
i • *■* ■ * Mj.- notkv ..f the nn-hi«h«**t
■ nU •“ sr. n a|.t1.,i.i,.rwj
!«'=<'■ ■'.-■in wherein 1 worked with
him. of’• i. iiiilrtl at th«- aoMo-mly bg*.
U«- ml Se he ewltnl) dio-riutitmted
u .1.1 worn, a arcardiog to
thrir merit*.
It i» in thiit rtilta df.'Trtliai that the
Mul-v-rur esm-l*. i.nv j-mui: ultnoMt un
canny forestgfct.
-I Uu«: Frau vleist ha* told me!"
• er. th»- ii.a tuaje*ty used on
*mi-‘ "■''2i.ii,. when I had vi t)lured
prr'.. j.. to evpre** doubt regarding
a***..- '.'laltMM .tory or aerielw alle
gaiioti. Therefore I was confident that
the sex enty-year-old dancing mistress,
wiins,’ past was a complete mystery,
«as an important secret agent of the
emperor's.
And xxhat more likely? The kaiser,
as ruler of that complex empire, would
naturally -i-ck to know the truth con
cerning those who sought his favor be
fore they were permitted to click their
heels or wag their fans and boxv the
knee in his imperial presence. And he
had. no doubt, with that innate cun
ning. appointed his creature to the po
sition of court dancing mistress.
Emperor’s First View of an Airplane.
On < h toher IT. l'.KiS. I hud returned
with the emperor and his suite from
Hamburg, where his mujesty had been
present at the launching of one of Herr
Hallln's monster American liners. I
"a- seated at the side table in his '
private room in the Berlin Schloss.
: taking down certain confidential in
structions which he wished to be sent
at once by one of the imperial couriers
j to the commandant of Posen.
Suddenly Von Kahiberg. my col
league. entered xxith a message and
handed it to his majesty. The kaiser
at once grew excited and. turning to
me said:
"The crown prince sends word from
Potsdam that the American. Orville
Wright, is fixing on the Bornstedter
fold. We must go at once. Order the
■ •ar>. And. Von Krahlberg. inform her
majesty at once. She will accompany
us. no doubt.”
Quickly I placed before his majesty
one of his photographs—knowing that
it would tie u anted for presentation to
• the daring American -and he took up
• ns pen and scrawled his signature
| across it.
Within a quarter of an hour three
of the powerful cars were on their way
to Potsdam, the emperor with Herr
Anton Keitschel—u high German offl
< ial at Constantinople—and Professor
Vamhery in tin- first car: tile kaiscrin
x tli her daughter. Victoria I.uise. and
the latter- oher-gouvernante (govern
xxith one of the court ladles, in
•lie next: while in the third I rode xx ith
M: ! >r Volt Scholl, one of tile equer
ries.
< *n arrival at tin* Ilornsiedter teld it
v: - already entwine dusk. an<l a great
di-appointment await***! us. The crown
prime r**de up r.t inform us gravely
Thar the tty ini: was over fur the day.
At ilti< the k.-ti~er grew angry, fur he
had b**»*n not once before upon a wlld
goo'e chase. only to find that Orville
Wright ha>l gone home, declaring the
wind too strong.
At hi - father's anger, however. "Wil
| li** hurst out laughing, declaring that
he was only Joking, and that all was
n r> adiness. Indeed, iis he spoke, the
avia: r cam*- up and I presented him
*•■ his majesty
Then, while he stood alone in the
■ ■titer of tin* great, sandy plain. Mr. (>r
Vlle Wright clambered into his ma
chine and. rising, made many circuits
high above us.
The emperor stood with Herr Kelt
s' t »•! ami tie* shaggy old professor,
straining hi • . yes with keenest inter
est It was the first time his majesty
ha*! seen an airplane in flight. Much
had been promised of Von Zeppelin's
invention, yet the Herman public had.
until those demonstrations by the
American aviator, taken but little heed
of the heavier-than-air machine. At
that time, indeed, the emperor had not
taken up Von Zeppelin, and it was only
ift * r seeing Orville Wright's demon
strations that he entered with any en
thusiasm into aeronauti* nl problems.
High above us against the clear eve
ii-ug sky. wherein the stars had already
begun to twinkle, the daring American
r*.s.. dipped and hanked, his machine
droning like a hug*- gadfly, much to the
Interest and astonishment of the em
peror.
"Marvelous!” he exclaimed, as I
stood beside him. with the empress on
his right. “How is It done?”
The sight of a man flying in the air.
maneuvering his machine at will, rising
swiftly, and then planing down with
tiie engine cut off. was one of the most
amazing spectacles the loyal Potsdam
*-rs hail ever seen. Even the emperor,
with all his dreams of world power,
could never for a moment have fore
s*-en what u great factor airplanes
would he In war.
At last Wright came down in a
spiral, banked slightly, steadied him
self. anti then came lightly to earth
within a few yards of where we stood.
; having been the first to exhibit to the
emperor how completely the air had
been conquered.
Aiierw am*. uiougu u nan now
grown ilark. the emperor, by the pow
erful headlamps of the three ears,
thoroughly examined the American's
airplane, the aviator explaining every
derail.
From that moment for months after
wards the kaiser was constantly talk
ing <d aviation. He commanded pho
tograph* of various types of airplanes,
t j :‘i*t with all literature on the sub
i rt. to be plaeed before hill). Indeed.
b>- -*-nt over to Britain, in secret, two
r’ie-Ts to attend tlie airplane meetings
held a* Doncaster and Blackpool,
where a large number of photographs
j were taken, and duly found their way
to his table.
The Dancing Mistress’ Visit.
I have reealled the emperog's first
Mglit of an airplane in flight, in com
pany with Herr Anton Reltschel and
Professor Vambery. because of an in
' idem which occurred that same day
:.!'i-t i.efore midnight the emperor was
giving me certain instructions to be
sent to Carlton House Terrace when
tlie door opened without any knock of
i»*niiission, and upon the threshold
there stood Frau Kleist.
"Have I your majesty's permission
to enter?" she asked.
A LETTER FROM THE CROWN PRINCE’S PERSONAL ADJUTANT
TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX, POSSESSOR OF THE
SECRETS OF EUROPE.
Veoeux >»doo,
par Moret>Rur*l.olnK>
Sflne-et-M«rnf,
February 10th, 19IT.
My dear I.eQueux:
1 have Just tlnhhod reading the proofs of your articles describing
my life as an official at the Imperial court at Potsdam, and the two or
three small error* you made 1 have duly corrected.
The gross scandal* and wily Intrigue* which 1 have related to you
were many of them known to yourself, for, as the intimate friend of
l.ulsa. the ex-crow n princess of Saxony, you were, before the war,
cloNely associated with many of those at court whose names appear In
these articles.
The revelations which I have made, and which yon have recorded
here, ure but a tithe of the disclosures which 1 could make, and If the
world desires more, I shall he pleased to furnish you with other and
even more startling details, which you may also put Into print.
My service as personal adjutant to the German crown prince Is, hap
pily, at an end. and now, with the treachery of (Germany against civili
zation glaringly repealed. I feel. In my retirement, no I'ompunction In
exposing all I know concerning the secrets of the kaiser and his son.
With most cordial greetings from
\ our sincere friend,
(Signed ) ERNST VON IfEI.TZENDORFF.
“Of course, of course.” replied the
emperor, turning in hi' chair. “Come
in and close the door. It has turned
quite cold tonight. Well?” he asked,
looking at her inquiringly.
The court dancing mistress hesitated
for a second. Their eyes met. and in
that glance I saw complete understand
ing.
“May I speak in confidence with your
majesty?" she asked, advancing into
the room. Except the court ladies she
was the only female at court whom
the sentries stationed at the end of
the corridor allowed to pass to his
majesty's private cabinet.
But Frau Kleist had access every
where. Her eyes were the eyes of the
emperor. -Many a diplomat, financier,
military or naval commander has been
raised to position of favorite because
he first secured the good graces of the
ex-ballerina. And. alas! many a good,
honest man lias been east out of the
I'otsdam circle into oblivion because
of the poi'oaous declaration of that
smiling, hejewcled old woman.
“Of what do you w ish to speak?" in
quired the emperor.
“Of the Keitschel affair,” was the
old woman's low reply.
At her words the kaiser frowned
slightly, and dismissed me. I bowed
myself out. and closed the door upon
the emperor and his clever female spy.
That she should have at that late
hour come from I’otsdam—for. looking
down into the courtyard. I saw the
lights of her big Mercedes—showed
that some underhand work was in
progress.
By bundling. jis i did. nunureus oi
secret reports which reached the em
peror I had learned much concerning
H>rr Anton Reitsehel. and from old
Von I'onaustauf. master of ceremonies,
1 had also been able to obtain certain
missing links concerning the intrigue.
ReitscheL, a burly, round-faced, fair
haired Prussian of quite superior type,
held the position of chief director of
the German-Ottoman bank in Constan
tinople. His duty for the past three
years hud been to conciliate the sultan
and to lend German money to any in
dustrial enterprise in which any grain
of merit could possibly be discovered,
lie had been singled out. taken from
the I>resdner bank, and sent to Con
stantinople by the kaiser in order to
play Germany's secret game in Turkey
—especially that of the Ilagdad rail
way—and to combat with German gold
Great Britain’s diplomacy with Tewfik
Pasha ami old Abdul Hamid, in view
of "The I>ay.” which the emperor had
long ago determined should soon dawn.
As old Von Donaustauf had put it:
“Our employer intends that, notwith
standing Britain’s policy in the near
East, Germany shall soon rule from
Berlin to Bagdad. Herr Reitsehel is
in reality charged with the work of
•Germanizing' the Ottoman empire.”
That I already knew by the many se
cret reports of his which arrived so
constantly from Constantinople.
Truly the game which the emperor
was playing in secret against the other
powers of Europe was a desperate one.
On the one hand, the kaiser was mak
ing pretence of fair dealing with Great
Britain and France, yet on the other
his agent, Herr Reitsehel, was ever
busy lending money in all directions in
order to secure favor in Germany's in
terest.
Yet a further game was being played,
namely, that while the kaiser was mak
ing pretence of being the best friend of
the sultan Abdul Hamid, visiting Con
stantinople and Palestine, building
fountains, endowing institutes, yet he
was also secretly supporting the Young
Turk party so as to effect flic sultan's
downfall.
Herr Anton had been paying a num
ber of flying visits to Berlin, and hud
many private audiences of both kaiser
anti sultan.
Suddenly all of us were surprised by
the announcement that the kaiser's fa
vored civilian in Turkey had married
Mademoiselle Julie de Lagarenne.
daughter of Paul de Lagarenne, son of
the .rreat French sugar refiner, and
secretary of the French embassy at
Home. A week after that news was
spread I met them both in Kranzler’s
in I'nter den Linden, and there he in
troduced me to a pretty, dark-haired,
vivacious young Frenchwoman, who
spoke German well, and who told me
that her husband had already given
in her name for presentation at the
nest court.
That was about a month prior to
Orville Wright’s flight and the mid
night visit of Frau Kleist to the em
peror.
Truth to tell, the old woman's men
tion of Herr Reitsehel’s name caused
me considerable misgivings, because
three weeks before I had gathered cer
tain strange facts from a secret report
of a spy. who in Constantinople had
been set to watch Herr Reitschel’s do
********** **** a ^ r^ftj-u-i*
ings. Tlmt spy was Frau Ivleist's son.
The kaiser trusts nobody. Even his
favorites and most intimate cronies are
spied upon, and reports upon those fa
miliar blue papers are furnished regu
larly. In view of what I had read in
that report from Karl Kleist. I srood
amazed when, at the grand court a
week later. I had witnessed Herr Reit
schel’s French wife bow before the
emperor and empress and noticed how
graciously the kaiser had smiled upon
her.
Nearly three months passed.
The Trip to llmenau.
Herr Reltschel often came from Con
stantinople. and frequently brought his
handsome young wife with him. for he
was persona grata at court. To me
this was indeed strange in view of the
reports of the ex-opera dancer’s son— j
who. by the way. lived in Constants j
nople in the unsuspicious guise of a
carpet dealer, and unknown to the
bank director.
The latter had. assisted by his wife's ,
fortune, inherited from her grand
mother. purchased the Schloss Langen
berg. the splendid ancestral castle and
estates of the princes of Langenberg.
situated in the b. autiful Thuringian [
forest, and acknowledged to be one of
the most famous shooting estates in
the empire. It was not. therefore, sur
prising that the emperor, to mark his
favor, should express a desire to shoot
capercailzie there—a desire which, of
course, delighted Herr Reitschel. who
had only a few days before been dec
orated with the Order of the Rlack
Engle.
one n item non in minautumn the em
peror, accompanied by the crown
prince and myself, together with the
suite, arrived hy the imperial train at
the little station of Ilnienau. where, of
course. Reitschel and his pretty wife,
with the head and underforesters, and
all sorts of civil officials in black coats
and white ties bowed low as the all
highest stepped front his salon. The
kaiser was most gracious to his host
and hostess.
The emperor had complained of a
slight cold, and in consequence, just i
before we left Berlin. I had been in
structed to summon by telegraph a cer
tain Doctor Vollerthiin front Augsburg,
who was a perfect stranger to us all. j
but who had. I supposed, been recom
mended to the emperor.
While the entperor and his host were
I out shooting I remained alone in a
big. circular, old-world room in one
of the towers of the castle, dealing I
with a flood of important state pa
' pers which a courier had brought
from Berlin two hours before. Papers
; followed us daily wherever we might
! *‘e
About midday Doctor Vollerthun was
ushered in to me—a short, stout, gut
tural-speaking tuan of about sixty,
j rather bald, and wearing big, round.
' gold-rimmed spectacles. I quickly
handed him over to the major-domo.
About three o’clock that same after
i noon a light tap came at the door, and
I saw my hostess standing upon the
threshold.
She was quietly but elegantly
dressed, presenting the true type of the
smart Parisienne, but in an instant I
realized that she was very pale and
agitated. Indeed, her voice trembled
when she asked permission to enter.
Since her marriage I had many times
chatted with iter, for she often cunie
to the palace when her husband visited
Berlin. I had danced with her; I had
taken her into dinner at various houses
where we met, always finding her a
bright and very intellectual compan
ion.
c* 11 e ui( Li \ wiuseu lilt* uuur ana au
vanced to the table from which I had
risen.
“Count von Heltzendorff!’’ she ex
claimed in a low. strained voice. “I—I
have come to seek your aid because— j
well, because I'm distracted, and I
know that you nre my husband’s
friend.” she exclaimed in French.
“And yours also, madam " I said ear
nestly.
“My husband is out with the emper
or! " she gasped in a curious, unnerved
tone. “And I fear; oh. 1 fear that we
are it great peril—deadly peril, every
hour- -every moment I”
“Keally. madauie, I hardly follow
you.” I said.
“My husband, whom I love devoted
ly. has done his best in the interests
of his emperor. You. count, know the
real aims of the kaiser in Turkey. 1
These Inst six months I have watched. ,
and hove learned the truth! I know
how. when the emperor went to Con- '
stantinople five months ago in pre
tence of friendship toward the sultan i
with Professor Yambery as interpre
ter, he practically compelled Ahdn!
Hamid to give him, in return for cer- j
tain financial advances, those wonder- ,
I ful jewels which the Empress Cath-'
rine, wife of Peter the Croat, gave in
secret to the grand vizier to secure
the escape of the Russian army across
the Pruth. I know, too, how ite
laughed with my husband at the clever
ness by which he is fooling the too
trustful Turks. I—”
"Pardon, madame." I said, interrupt
ng her, and speaking in French, "but
is it really wise to speak thus of the
emperor? Your husband is. I fear,
-'uilty of great indiscretion in mention
ing such matters."
“I am his wife, count, and he eon
eals little, if anything, from me."
I looked the pretty young woman
straight in the face in fear and re
gret.
Instantly I realized the serious dan
ger of the secret being betrayed to
France.
"Madame,” I said. “If I may be per
mitted. I would urge that the emper
or's diplomacy neither concerns your
husband, as an official, nor yourself.
It is his own private affair, and should
neither he discussed nor betrayed."
"I know.” she said. "That is just
why I have ventured to come here to
consult you. monsieur! You have been
my good friend as well as my bus- i
band's, and here today, while the cm- '
peror is our guest beneath our roof, I j
feel that I am in greatest peril!"
“Why?” I asked with considerable,
surprise.
“The emperor has already learned j
that I know the truth regarding his {
secret." was her slow reply. “By what i
means his majesty discovered It, I, i
alas! know not. But I do know from
a confidential quarter that I have in
curred t he emperor's gravest displeas
ure and hatred.”
"Who is your informant?” I inquired
sternly, eager to further investigate
the great intrigue.
“A certain person who must be name
less."
"Have you spoken-to anybody of the
emperor's secret plans in Turkey; or
of his possession of the Empress Cath
erine's jewels?"
"I have not uttered a word to a sin
gle soul except my husband. I swear
it.”
"lour husband was extremely indis
creet In revealing anything.'* I declared
again quite frankly.
"I fully admit that. But what can
I do? How shall I act?” she asked in
a low. tense voice. “Advise me. do."
For some moments I remained si
lent. The situation was difficult.
“Well, madame," I replied after re
flection. “if you are really ready to
promise the strictest secrecy and leave j
the matter to me. I will endeavor to j
find a way out of the difficulty—provid- !
ing you—good German that you are
by marriage—will take, before the em
peror himself, an oath of complete I
secrecy.”
“I am ready to do anything—any
thing for my dear husband's sake." the
handsome young woman assured me.
tears welling in her tine dark eyes.
"In that case. then, please leave
the matter entirely in my hands.” I
said.
That same night, about ten o'clock,
the emperor entered the room to which
I had just returned to work.
“Send Frau Kleist to me," he
snapped. “And I will summon you
later when I want you. Heltzendorff.”
Frau Kleist: I had no Idea the wom
an had arrived at the castle. But I dis
patched one of the servants to search
for her. and afterwards heard her high
pitched voice as she ascended the
stairs to hold secret counsel with his
majesty.
Below I found the fat, fair-haired
little doctor from Augsburg, who was
still an enigma, but eager to see his
imperial patient.
Suddenly one of the imperial flun
key's bowed at the door, commanding
the doctor to the royal presence, and
he left me, hot and flurried.
Had the emperor called the unknown
doctor into consultation with Frau
Kleist?
Inquiries I had made concerning the
doctor from Augsburg showed that he
was quite a well-known specialist on
mental diseases, and he had also writ
ten a textbook upon bacteriology and
the brain. Why had the kaiser sum
moned him? He required no brain
specialist.
“We leave tomorrow at noon." the
emperor exclaimed brusquely when, an
hour Inter. I was summoned to his
room. This amazed me. for our ar
rangements were to remain three days
longer. 1 recollected Madam Reit
scliel’s words.
"I do not tool at nil well, his majes
ty added, “and this Doctor Vollerthun
orders me rest at Potsdam.”
In silence I bowed, and then ven
tured to refer to what was uppermost
in my mind.
“May I lie permitted to speak to your
majesty upon a certain confidential
subject?" I begged.
“What subject?" snapped the em
peror.
“Your majesty's negotiations with
the sultan of Turkey. Frau Reit
schel has learned of them, but she is
eager to come before you and take
an oath of entire secrecy."
The kaiser's eyes narrowed and
glowed in sudden anger.
A Woman’s Oath.
“A woman's oath !” he cried. “Bah 1
Never have I believed in silence im
posed upon any woman's tongue—
more especially that of a born enemy!
I appreciate your loyalty and acumen.
Yon Heltzendorff. but I have, fortu
nately, known this for some little time,
and in strictest secrecy have taken cer
tain measures to combat it. Remem
ber that these words have never been
uttered to you: Remember that: You
are adjutant, and I am emperor. Un
derstand ! I fully appreciate and note
your royal report, but It is not woman's
sphere to enter our diplomacy, except
as a secret agent of our fatherland
Let us say no more.”
Ten minutes later, being dismissed,
I wandered back through the great si
lent, echoing corridors of the ancient
castle to my own room. A great human
drama, greater than any ever placed
upon the stage, was now being en
acted.
Tlie emperor was plotting the down
fall of the Turkish empire and The
overthrow of Islam in Europe. Be
tween the all-higliest one and the real
ization of those plans for world power
stood one frail little l’arisienne, the
vivacious, well-meaning Madam lleit
sehel!
Next day we left the Sohloss Langen
berg, hut before doing so we heard
with regret that our charming little
hostess had been suddenly taken ill
during the night, and the kaiser, as a
mark of favor, had ordered his doctor.
VollertliuB, to remain behind to attend
her. That Herr Heitschel was in great
distress 1 saw from his face as lie
stood on the little platform at Iliuenau.
Back in Berlin. I wondered what was
in progress in that far-off schloss in
Thuringia, but a week later the truth
became vividly apparent when I read
in the Staats-Anzeiger an announce
ment that Frau Iteitschel. the young
wife of the famous Anton Iteitschel of
Constantinople, had been seized by a
sudden and mysterious illness and had
developed insanity to such a hopeless
degree that it had been necessary to
confine her in the Itosenau private asy
lum at Coburg.
In a second I thought of the dancing
mistress and the mental specialist
from Augsburg.
Poor Madam Reitschel! She died
early in 1913. a raving lunatic. Her
devoted husband, having served the
emperor’s purpose, had been recalled
to Berlin, where, bereft of the kaiser’s
favor, he predeceased her by about six
months, broken-hearted.
(Copyright. 1917, William LeQueux.)
He Thought It Was Safe.
The late Bishop Dudley of Kentucky
used to relate with much relish an
amusing experience that he once had
in connection with waffles. At a fine
old Virginia homestead, where he was
a frequent guest, the waffles were al
ways remarkably good.
One morning, as breakfast drew
near an end. the tidy little linen-coat
ed boy who served at table approached
the bishop and asked in a low voice:
“Bishop, won't y' have 'n'er waffle?"
“Yes." said the genial bishop, “I be
lieve I will.”
“Dey ain’ no mo’.” said the boy.
“Well,” exclaimed the surprised
gentleman, "if there aren't any more
waffles, what made you ask me if 1
wanted another one?"
“Bishop." exclaimed the boy. “yo’s
done et ten a’ready. and I thought
yell wouldn’t want no mo'!”—Youth’s
Companion.
Novel Wedding Cake.
Quite a novelty in wedding cakes
was seen at a recent American wed
ding. The cake weighed about 30C
pounds and was surmounted by a rep
resentation of a white cathedral done
in sugar, through the open doors of
which came the notes of Mendelssohn’s
"Wedding March" and “Tales of Hoff
mann,” played by an electric musical
box.
This reminds one of a wedding-cake
novelty introduced at another wedding,
when an automatic figure of Cupid was
made to march from the dome on top
of the cake and discharge a packet of
arrows in the direction of the brides
maids. who. needless to say. were de
lighted with this pretty idea.
Corona Borealis.
Corona Borealis lies just to the east
of Bootes. It is one of the few ob
jects in the heavens which bears a re
semblance to the object for which it
is named, for it Is indeed a crown or
circlet of stars set with a central gem.
The circle of stars is not quite com
plete. but the whole outline is certain
ly suggested, and the front of the
crown resembles a diadem in the regu
lar arrangement of its stars. The cen
tral bright star, known as “the Pearl
of the Crown.” is a second magnitude
star. This constellation has been
known from remote antiquity. It was
called by the Greeks Ariadne's Crown.
The principal star in the crown. Gam
ma. is a famous binary.
Regulates Heat of Iron.
The latest improvement in the elec
tric smoothing iron is an attempt to
overcome the difficulty that arises in
the laundry from the need for irons
of different temperatures for different
kinds of work. The old time laundress
with a dozen Irons on the stove could
keep some of them hotter than others,
using the cooler irons for delicnte fab
rics, hut the modern laundress with a
single electric iron has to turn it on
and iff and wait for it to heat or cool.
The new electric iron has a regulating
switch that can he set at four different
points to produce four different tem
peratures. from a very high one for
heavy work to one much lower for use
on materials that are easily scorched.
True Contentment.
Let us learn to be contented with
what we have. Let us get rid of our
false estimates, set up all the higher
ideals—a quiet home; vines of our
own planting; a few hooks full of the
inspiration of genius; n few friends
worthy of being loved and able to love
us In turn: a hundred innocent pleas
ures that bring uo pain or sorrow; a
devotion to the right that will never
swerve; a simple religion empty of all
bigotry, full of trust and hope and
love; and to such a philosophy this
world will give up all the empty joy
it lias.—David Swing.
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HOLD ON TO OPEN TACTICS
American Soldiers Not to Be Trained
in Trench Fighting to Exclusion
of Older Strategy.
It seems probable now that we shall
not be able to go into the trench fight
ing at the training camps quite as
thoroughly as the Canadians and the
English have done, Herbert Heed
writes in the New York Independent.
Of course the trench charging, bayonet
and bombing, through wire entangle
ments and fascines will be taught, but
unless there Is a sudden change In
plans I doubt if the complicated laby
rinths used over the northern border
will be duplicated.
There seems to be a growing feeling
that since we are building up from thij
bottom we must devote more time than
the new levies of our allies to tlie strat
egy and tactics of open warfare. It is
! of course, understood that many of ns
—how many no one knows—are going
to Franee, where trench warfare is at
1 its height, but the powers that be have
i not been unmindful of the work of
I Von Hiudenburg early in the war oq
the eastern front, and they do not
1 want to be caught flat-footed should
the opportunity for swift open field op
1 erations on a large scale ever offer.
It is in such operations that the offi
cers of the line, the battalion com
manders especially, and the second
lieutenants us a matter of course, need
a larger vision than is to be gained
througli the intensive study of trench
warfare alone.
No Difference.
After witnessing the wonderful per
formance of n blind pianist one Irish
man remarked to another:
"He tile powers that's tile best music
I ever heard with me two ears.”
“He does pretty well for a blind
man. doesn't he?”
"He does, indeed, but I was just
thinking of wan thing.”
“What’s that?"
"It wouldn’t make any difference t<
him if he wasn’t blind."
“Why not?”
“Well, I was watchin' him all th<
evening, and he never looks at th«
piano, anyhow.”
As He Heard It.
Little Raymond returned home fron
i Sunday school In a very joyous mood
“Oh, mother,” he exclaimed, as hi
■ entered the house, “the superintenden
; said something awfully nice about nn
; lu his prayer this morning!"
“Isn’t that lovely! What did he say
I pet?” questioned his mother.
“He said, ‘Oh. Lord, we thonk thei
i for food and Raymond.’ ”—Harper?
' Magazine.
_
Undoubtedly.
“He's rich and yet he never spend
I any more than he has to.”
"That’s probably the reason he’
I rich.”
A Perfect Day
should end—as well as
begin—with a perfect
food, say—
Grape-Nuts
with
cream.
A crisp, delicious food,
containing the entire
nutriment or whole wheat
and barley, including the
vital mineral elements,
so richly provided by
Nature in these grains.
Every table should
have its daily ration ot
Grape-Nwts.
“There's a Reason"
i
