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Show rjjM , IS 1 " ''"tllMIIIIIMlltMltMMMIIIMMMHMMMMMMMllHHMMnMHHMHMMM4nM4MMM 1 1 1 ONG I !VF THP KJMC I :; J W 1 N VJ. JJ V ill I IJLCj iVIl M VJ. Roberts Rinehart j; j Copyright, 1917, by the Ridgway Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright, 1917, by Mary Roberts Rinehart " gHlllllllltltltttlMIIIHIlMIIUHMIMMII ,ttlll8tttMMIittttttllltllit'titOitl 3 CHAPTER XIX Continued. 18 "Bad work !" said the other num. "Aye!" said Haeckel. Then, speak-In" speak-In" very slowly, niul with difficulty, "I do'not understand." "The king is dead." "Aye," observed Hneckel, still uncomprehending. un-comprehending. And then, "Dead the king?" "Dead. Hear the bell." "Then " But he could not at once formulate the thought In his mind. Speech came hard. He was still in a cloud. "They say," said the other man, "that the crown prince Is missing, that he has been stolen. The people are frenzied." He went on, dilating on the rumors. Still Haeckel labored. The king! The crown prince! There was something that he was to do. It was just beyond be-yond him, but he could not remember. Then, by accident, the other man touched the hidden spring of his memory. mem-ory. "There are some who think that .Mettlich" "Mettlich !" That was the word. With It the curtain split, ns It were, the cloud was gone. Haeckel put a aand to his head. A few minutes later, a strange figure dashed out of the hospital. The night watchman had joined the mob, and was at that moment selecting a rifle from a cart. Around the cart were students, still In their carnival finery, wearing the colors of his own corps. Haeckel, desperate of eye, pallid and gaunt, clad still in his hospital shirt and trousers, Hneckel climbed on to the wagon, and mounted to Hie seat, a strange swaying figure, with a bandage band-age on his head. In spite of that, there were some who knew him. "Haeckel !" they cried. The word spread. The crowd of students pressed close. What would you do? he cried to them. "You know me. You see me now. I have been done almost to death by those you would aid. Aye, arm yourselves, but not against your king. We have sworn to stand together. to-gether. I call on you, men of my corps, to follow me. There are those who tonight will murder the little king and put King Mob on the throne. And they be those who have tortured me. Look at me ! This they have done to rae." He tore the bandage off. and showed his scarred head. "Quick !" he cried. "I know where they hide, these spawn of hell. Who will follow me? To the king!" "To the king !" They took up the cry, a few at first, thn all of them. More than his words, the gaunt and wouuded figure of Hckel In the cart fought for him. He reeled before them. Two leaped up and steadied him, finally, indeed, took him on their shoulders, and led the way. They made a wedge of men, and pushed through the mob. "To the little king!" was the cry they raised, and ran, a flying wedge of Then Haeckel Killed Him. wliite, fantastic figures. Those who were unarmed seized weapons from the crowd as they passed. Urged by Haeckel, they ran through the streets. Haeckel knew. It was because he bad known that they had done away w'th him. His mind, working now with almost unnatural activity, flew ahead to the house in the Road of the Good Children, nnd to what might be enaet-"g enaet-"g there. His eyes burned. Now at la$t he would thwart them, unless Just before they turned into the street, a horseman had dashed out ' 't and flung himself out of the sad-dle- The door was bolted, but It Mied to his ring, and Nikky faced 8 ''O'icierge, Nikky, with a drawn re-'j'ypr re-'j'ypr -u i,is l,.lnli alJ a face j(,.ui,v "! '''"' had no lime tn fire, no time '" -"i-ai,- The revolver Hew out of his hand at one blow from the flaillike flail-like arms of the concierge. Behind him somewhere was coming, Nikky knew, a detachment of cavalry. But he had outdistanced them, riding fren-i'iedly, fren-i'iedly, had leaped hedges and ditches across the park. He must hold this man until they came. Struggling in the grasp of the concierge, con-cierge, he yet listened for them. From the first he knew It was a losing battle. bat-tle. He had lost before. But he fought fiercely, with the strength of a dozen. His frenzy was equaled by that of the other man, and his weight was less by a ryilf. He went down finally and lay still, a battered, twisted figure. fig-ure. But Black Humbert, breathing hard, had heard sounds in the street, ami put up the chain. He stood at bay, a huge, shaken figure at the foot of the stone staircase. He was for flight now. But surely outside at the door some one gave the secret knock of the tribunal, and followed It by the password. pass-word. Ht breathed again. Friends, of course, come for the ammunition. But, to be certain, he went to the window of his bureau, and looked out through the bars. Students! "Coming!" he called. And kicked at Nikky's quiet figure as he passed it. Then he unbolted the door, dropped the chain, and opened the door. Standing before him, backed by a great crowd of fantastic figures, was Haeckel. They did not kill him at once. At the points of a dozen bayonetsintended bayonetsintend-ed for vastly different work, they forced him up the staircase, flight after flight. At first he cried pitifully that he knew nothing of the royal child, then he tried to barter what he knew for his life. They jeered at him, pricked him shamefully from behind with daggers. At the top of the last flight he turned and faced them. "Gentlemen, friends !" he implored. "I have done him no harm. It was never in my mind to do him an injury." I " "He Is in the room where you kept me?" asked Haeckel, in a low voice. "He is there, and safe." Then Haeckel killed him. He struck him with a dagger, and his great body fell on the stairs. He was still moving mov-ing and groaning, as they swarmed over him. Haeckel faced the crowd. "There are others," he said. "I know them all. When we have finished here, we will go on." They were fearful of frightening the little king and only two went back, with the key that Haeckel had taken from the body of Black Humbert. They unlocked the door of the back room, to find his majesty sitting on a chair, with a rather moist handkerchief in his hand. He was not at all frightened, fright-ened, however, and was weeping for his grandfather. "Has the carriage come?" he demanded. de-manded. "I am waiting for a carriage." car-riage." v They assured him that a oarriage was on the way, and were very much at a loss. "I would like to go quickly," he said. "I am afraid my grandfather Nikky Nik-ky !" For there stood Nikky In the doorway, door-way, a' staggering, white-lipped Nikky. He was not too weak to pick the child up, however, and carry him to the head of the stairs. They had moved the body of the concierge, by his order. or-der. So he stood there, the boy in his arms, and the students, only an hour before In revolt against him, cheered mightily. They met the detachment of cavalry caval-ry at the door, and thus. In state, roile back to the palace where he was to rule, King Otto the Ninth. A very sad little king, for Nikky had answered his question honestly. A king who mopped his eyes with a very dirty handkerchief. handker-chief. A weary little king, too, with already a touch of Indigestion! Behind them, in the house on the Road of the Good Children, Haeckel, in an access of fury, ordered the body of the concierge flung from a window. It lay below, a twisted and shapeless thing, beside the pieces of old Adel-hert's Adel-hert's broken sword. CHAPTER XX. The Lincoln Penny. And so, at last, King Otto the Ninth reached his palace, aim u i.u..,cu up the stairs to the room where the council waited. Not at all a royal figure fig-ure but a tired little boy in gray trousers trou-sers a short black Eton coat, and a rolling collar which had once been white. He "ave one glance around the room. Mv "rmulfather!" he said. And fell to 'crying into his dirty pocket-handkerchief. . The chancellor eyed grimly from under un-der his slmeey brows the disreputable nire of his sovereign. Then he went toTwnrd him, and put his hand on his hC"lX,, was very eager for this rest, Otto." he snid. Then he knelt and very solemnly nnd with Infinite tenderness, he kissed the small, not overclean. hand. One by one the council did the same "'Kin- Otto straightened his shoulders and put away the handkerchief. H had occurred to him that he was a man now and must act a man's part in the world. "May I see him?" he asked. "I didn't see him before." "Your people are waiting, sire," the chancellor said gravely. "To a ruler,' his people must come first." And so, in the clear light from the room behind him, Otto the Ninth first stood before his people. They looked up, and hard eyes grew soft, tense muscles relaxed. They saw the ereet-ness ereet-ness of the small figure, the steadiness steadi-ness of the blue eyes that had fought back their tears, the honesty and fire and courage of this small boy who was the king. Let such of the revolutionists as remained re-mained scream before the parliament house. Let the flames burn and the drums beat. The solid citizens, the great mass of the people, looked up at the king and cheered mightly. Rev-olution Rev-olution had that night received its death blow at the hands of a child. The mob prepared to go home to bed. While King Otto stood on the balcony, bal-cony, down below in the "crowd an American woman looked up, and suddenly sud-denly caught her husband by the arm. "Robert," she said, "Robert, it is Bobby's little friend!" "Nonsense !" he retorted. "It's rather dramatic, isn't it? Nothing like this at home! See, they've crowned him already." But Bobby's mother looked with the clear eyes of most women, and all mothers. "They have not crowned him," she said, smiling, with tears in her eyes. "The absurd little king ! They have forgotten to take off his paper crown !" The dead king lay in state in the royal chapel. Tall candles burned at his head and feet, set in long black standards. His uniform lay at his feet, his cap, his sword. The flag of his country was draped across him. He looked very rested. In a small private chapeK nearby lay old Adelbert. They could not do him too much honor. He, too, looked rested, and he, too, was covered by the flag, and no one would have guessed that a part of him had died long before, and lay buried on a battlefield. bat-tlefield. It was, unfortunately, his old uniform that he wore. They had added add-ed his regimental flag to the national one, and on It they had set his shabby cap. He, too, might have been a king. There were candles at his head and feet, also ; but alas, he had now no sword. Thus it happened that old Adelbert the traitor lay In state in the palace, and that monks, in long brown robes, knelt and prayed by him. Perhaps he needed their prayers. But perhaps, In the great accounting, things are balanced bal-anced up, the good against the bad. In that case, who knows? The palace mourned and the palace rejoiced. Haeckel had told what he knew and the leaders of the terrorists were in prison. Some, in high places, would be hanged with a silken cord, us was their due. And others would be esthetically disposed of. The way was not yet clear ahead, but the crisis was passed and safely. Early in the evening, soon after he had appeared on the balcony, the court had sworn fealty to Otto the Ninth. He had stood on the dais in the throne room, very much washed and brushed by that time, nnd the ceremony had taken place. Such a shout from relieved re-lieved throats as went up, such a clat- ' ter as swords were drawn from scabbards scab-bards and held upright in the air. "Otto !" they cried. And again, "Otto." The little king had turned quite pale with excitement. Late in the evening Nikky Lnrlsch went to the council room. The council coun-cil had dispersed, and Mettlich snt alone. When Nikky was announced he frowned. Then, very faintly, he smiled. But he was stern enough when the young soldier entpred. Nikky came to the point at once. "I have come," he snid, "to know what I am to do. sir." "Do?" asked the chancellor, coldly. "Whether the crown whether the king Is safe or not." said Nikky, looking look-ing dogged nnd not at all now like the picture of his mother. "I am guilty of of all that happened." The chancellor had meant to be very hard. But he had come through a great deal, and besides, he saw something some-thing Nikky did not mean him to see. He was used to reading men. He saw that the boy had come to the breaking point. "Sit down." he said, "and tell me nhout it." But Nikky would not sit. He stood, looking straight ahead, and told the story. He left nothing out, the scene on the roof, his broken promise. "Although." he added, his only word of extenuation "Gnd knows I tried to keep it." Then Hie message from Countess Losohck. and his long wait In her boudoir, bou-doir, tc return to the thing he had j found. As he went on. the chancellor's hand touched a button. "Bring here at once Countess Los-chek." Los-chek." he said, to the servant who came. "Take two of the guard, and bring her." I Then, remembering the work he had to do, he took another sip of milk. "These things you have done," he said to Nikky. "And weak and wicked enough they are. But, on the other hand, you found the king." "Others found hlra also. Besides, that does not affect my guilt, sir," said Nikky steadily. Suddenly the chancellor got up and, going to Nikky, put both hands on his shoulders. Quite to the end now, with the countess coun-tess not in her rooms or anywhere In the palace. With the bonfires burned to cold ashes, and the streets deserted. With the police making careful search for certain men whose names Haeckel had given, and tearing frenzied placards pla-cards from the walls. With Miss Bralthwaite still lying in her drugged sleep, watched over by the sisters who had cared for the dead king, and with Karl, across the mountains, dreaming of a bride who would never be his. Quite to the end. Only a word or two now, and we may leave the little king to fulfill his splendid destiny. Not a quiet life, we may be certain. Perhaps Per-haps not a very peaceful or untroubled one. But a brave and steadfast and honorable one, be sure of that. What should we gain by following Olga Loschek, eating her heart out In England, of the committee of ten, cowering cower-ing in its cells? They had failed, as the wicked, sooner or later, must fail. Or Karl, growing fat in a prosperous land, alike greedy for conquest and too indolent in-dolent for battle? To finish the day, then, and close with midnight. Nikky first, a subdued and rather battered Nikky. He was possessed by a desire, not indeed unknown to lovers, lov-ers, to revisit the place where he and Hedwlg had met before. The roof no less. Not even then that he hoped for himself any more than he had hoped before. But at least it could not be Karl. He felt that he could relinquish her more easily since it was not Karl. As if, poor Nikky, it would ever make any difference who it was, so it were not he! Strangely enough, Hedwlg also had had a fancy to visit the roof. She could not sleep. So she had dismissed her maid and gone through Hubert's rooms to the roof. Nikky found her there. Hedwlg did not turn her head. She knew his steps, had really known he must come, since she was calling him, actually calling, with all her determined deter-mined young will. Oh, she was shameless shame-less ! But now that he had come, It was Nikky who implored, and Hedwlg who held off. "My only thought in all the world," he said. "Can you ever forgive me?" This was tactless. No lover should ever remind his lady that he has withstood with-stood her. "For what?" said Hedwlg coolly. "For loving you so." This was much better, quite strategic, indeed. A trench gained ! "Do you really love me? I wonder." won-der." But Nikky was tired of words, and rather afraid of them. They were not his weapons. He trusted more, as has been said somewhere else, In his two strong arms. "Too much ever to let you go," he said. Which means nothing unless we take it for granted that she was in his arms. And she was, Indeed. The king having been exnmined and given some digestive tablets by the court physicians a group which, strangely enough, did not Include Doe-tor Doe-tor Weiderman had been given a warm bath and put to bed. There was much formality as to the process now, several gentlemen clinging cling-ing to their hereditary right to hang nround and he nuisances during the ceremony. But at last he was left alone with Oskar. Alone, of course, as much as a king is ever alone, which, what with extra sentries and so on, is not exactly solitary soli-tary confinement. "Oskar!" said the king from his pillow. pil-low. "Majesty !" Oskar was gathering the royal garments, gar-ments, which the physicians had ordered or-dered burned, In case of germs. "Did you ever eat American Ice cream ?" "No, majesty. Not that I recall." "It Is very d,eliclous," observed the king, and settled down in his sheets. He yawned, then sat up suddenly "Oskar !" "Yes, majesty !" "There is something In my trousers pocket. I almost forgot it. I'lense hr'mg therJ here." fitting up in bed, and under Oskar's disapproving eye. because he, too, was infcctcc" wilh the perm idea, King Otto the Ninth felt around in his small pockets, until at last he had found what he wanted. "Have I a small hnx anywhere, a very small box?" he inquired. "The ''He in whirh your majesty's seal ring came is here. Also there is one in the study which contained crayons." "I'll have the ring box," said his majesty. And soon the Lincoln penny restd on a cushion of white velvet, on which were the royal arms. King Otto looked carefully at the penny and then closed the lid. "Whenever I am disagreeable, Oskar," Os-kar," he said, "or don't care to study, or or do things that you think my grandfather would not have done, I wish you'd bring me this box. You'd better keep It near you." He lay back and yawned again. "Did you ever hear of Abraham Lincoln, Lin-coln, Oskar?" he asked. "I I have heard the name, majesty," majes-ty," Oskar ventured cautiously. "My grandfather thought he was a great man." His voice trailed oft. "I should like " The excitements and sorrows of the day left him gently. He stretched his small limbs luxuriously, and half turned upon his face. Oskar, who hated disorder, drew the covering in stiff and geometrical exactness across his small figure, and tiptoed out of the room. Some time after midnight the chancellor chan-cellor passed the guard and came Into the room. There, standing by the bed, he prayed a soldier's prayer, and Into It went all his hopes for his country, his grief for "h's dead comrade and sovereign, his loyalty to his new king. King Otto, who was, for all the digestive di-gestive tablets, not sleeping well, Finally They Both Slept. roused and saw him there, and sat upright at once. "Is it morning?" he asked, blinking. "No, majesty. Lie down and sleep again." "Would you mind sitting down for a little wdiile? That Is, if you are not sleepy." "I am not sleepy," said the chancellor, chan-cellor, nnd drew up a great chair. "If I stay, will you try to sleep?" "Do you mind if I talk a little? It may make me drowsy." "Talk If you like, majesty," said the old man. King Otto eyed him gravely. "Would you mind If I got on your knee?" he asked, almost timidly. In all his life no one had so held him, and yet Bobby, that very evening, had climbed on his father's knee as though It was very generally done. "I would like to try how It feels." "Come, then," said the chancellor. The king climbed out of bed and up on his lap. His chancellor reached over and dragged a blanket from the bed. "For fear of a cold I" he said, and draped It about the little figure. "Now, how Is that?" "It is very comfortable. May I put my head back?" Long, long years since the chancellor had sat thus, with a child In his arms. His sturdy old arms encircled the boy closely. "I want to tell about running away," said the king, wide-eyed In the dusk. "I am sorry. This time I am going to promise not to do It again." "Make the promise to yourself, majesty. It Is the best way." "I will. I Intend to be a very good king." "God grant It, majesty." "Like Abraham Lincoln?" "Like Abraham Lincoln," said the chancellor gravely. The king, for all his boasted wakefulness, wake-fulness, yawned again, and squirmed closer to the old man's breast. "And like my grandfather," he added. "God grant that, also." This time It was the chancellor who yawned, a yawn that was half a sigh, lie was very weary, and very sad. Sndden'y. after a silence, the krng spoke: "Mny a king do anything he wants?"' "Not at a'!," said the chancellor hazily. j "But. if It will not hurt the people? t I want to do two things, or have two , things. They nre both quite easy." His tone was anxious. "What are they?" "You wouldn't like to promise first, would you?" The chancellor smiled In the darVc-ness. darVc-ness. "Good strategy, but I am an old sol dier, majesty. What are they?" "First, I would like to have a dogl one to keep with me." "I probably that can be arranged." "Thank you. I do want & dog. And " he hesitated. "Yes, majesty?" "I am very fond of Nikky," said the king. "And he Is not very happy. Ho looks sad, sometimes. I I would Ilka him to marry Hedwlg, so we can all be together the rest of our lives." The chancellor hesitated. But, nfte all, why not? He had followed amb tion all his life, and where had IS brought him? An old man, whose only happiness lay In this child In his arms. "Perhaps," he said gently, "that can be arranged also." The night air blew stoftly through the open windows. The little Tung smiled, contentedly, and closed his eyes. "I'm getting rather sleepy," he said. "But if I'm not too heavy, I'd like you to hold me a little longer." "You are not too heavy, majesty." Soon the chancellor, worn not with one day, but with many, was nodding. His eyes closed under his fierce eyebrows. eye-brows. Finally they both slept. The room was silent. Something slipped out of the little king's hand and rolled to the floor. It was the box containing the Lincoln Lin-coln penny. THE END. |