<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV<br/> <span class="cheaderfont">THE BOYS GET WORRIED OVER NED</span></h2>
<p>It was about half-past eleven when Alan,
nervously pacing the outside runways of the
<em>Ocean Flyer</em> there on the Prater, heard Buck
Stewart’s welcome voice greet him cheerily from
the darkness.</p>
<p>“Are the others back here yet?” asked the
reporter.</p>
<p>“What! Aren’t they with you?” exclaimed
Alan, peering through the gloom. “Where on
earth have you fellows been all night? I got
as nervous as a girl thinking that something
might have happened to you.”</p>
<p>“Well,” drawled Buck, enjoying Alan’s impatient
curiosity, “we did bump into a little
adventure.”</p>
<p>Then he went on to give Alan the details of
their chance discovery of the plot to assassinate
the aged Emperor Franz Joseph on the following
evening.</p>
<p>“Bob followed one man, Ned another, and I
the third—a gigantic chap who could almost<span class="pagenum">[200]</span>
pulverize me with a single blow. I followed
him about for an hour or more, going to first
one low dive and then to another, but always in
the poorer, more squalid sections of the city
where there were few street lamps and where
the second stories of ramshackle old houses
nearly met overhead. The smells were awful,
and every street corner had its individual knot
of evil-looking loafers being harangued by wild-eyed,
long-haired chaps, looking as if they would
cut one’s throat for a nickel. Each demagogue
was working his little gang of listeners up to a
point of frenzy. Some of the orators were
preaching socialism, others a reversion to pious
living. Some waved their arms in an impassioned
plea for absolute anarchy; still others stood on
old soap boxes, with thin lips that alternately
sneered or snarled, preaching atheism, revolution,
murder.</p>
<p>“You may well believe that I wasn’t at all at
ease passing through throngs of that sort all the
while and having to stop every now and then
because Black-beard’s taxi did, while he leaned
out of the window to note the attitude of the
rabble. Once in a while he would be recognized
by persons loitering in the street-corner aggregations.
Several times men sidled slyly up to his<span class="pagenum">[201]</span>
taxicab and seemed to be making reports or
getting fresh instructions from him.</p>
<p>“I followed my man around that way for
more than two hours without anything in particular
happening, and finally trailed him to bed at
a middle-class boarding house in the Neyban
district. Then I came on back here.”</p>
<p>The last words were hardly out of his mouth
before Bob Russell joined them, his manner
triumphant.</p>
<p>“Hello, boys!” cried he. “I don’t know
what luck you may have had, but I ran my little
fat man to ground and have found out enough
about him to hang him higher than Haman.”</p>
<p>“Tell us about it,” both boys said.</p>
<p>Bob continued:</p>
<p>“It turned out that the man I followed was
so eminent a dignitary of the realm that I
myself now can hardly believe it to be true.
The chase in the taxicab led me straight into the
‘Inner Town’ and to the very steps of the
Hofburg itself. My man paid off his chauffeur
and went on up the grand stairway with all the
assurance of proprietorship. Liveried lackeys
saluted him respectfully on all sides, but the
gorgeously uniformed guards at the entrance
stopped me when I tried to follow him.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[202]</span></p>
<p>“‘It’s all right, my man,’ I tried to explain,
in my best Austrian, ‘I am with—’ pointing
after the vanishing figure—‘him.’</p>
<p>“The guardsman raised his eyebrows in
polite disbelief.</p>
<p>“‘But His Excellency the Chancellor did not
tell us that you were accompanying him.’</p>
<p>“‘<em>His Excellency the Chancellor?</em>’ I nearly
fell over backwards when I heard that this arch-conspirator
was <em>he</em>. Then in reckless spirit of
bravado and with a fine assumption of haughtiness,
I said:</p>
<p>“Go ask him. Bring him back here, and
mind that you do not keep me waiting long
either!”</p>
<p>“Impressed by my tone, one of the guardsmen
went in after my quarry, who came back
with a face that was like a mask.</p>
<p>“‘You wished to see me, sir?’ he queried,
taking me in from head to foot at a single
glance.</p>
<p>“‘No,’ said I, ‘you forget that I am with
you.’</p>
<p>“‘Ah!’ said he, without exhibiting the
slightest interest. ‘I have indeed forgotten.
Will you not enter with me? His Imperial
Highness is waiting now.’</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[203]</span></p>
<p>“‘No, I must leave you now,’ I told him.
‘We shall see the Emperor again <em>to-morrow
night</em>, I think.’</p>
<p>“For a brief second his brows knit in a
puzzled frown. Then his face cleared and he
bowed very graciously.</p>
<p>“‘Until then, good friend,’ he murmured.</p>
<p>“‘Until then, your Excellency,’ I parroted
and, turning, descended the steps with all of the
dignity that I could muster. So here I am
again.”</p>
<p>“Well, of all the unmitigated nerve!” Alan
burst forth. “Now I see how it is that you
newspaper men get your ‘stories.’ It’s a wonder
that he didn’t either have you kicked downstairs
or thrown into prison on general principles!”</p>
<p>“He was suspicious all right,” grinned Bob,
who was highly pleased with himself, “but he
didn’t dare risk forcing my hand too strongly
there with all of the servants standing about.
Believe me, though, I’ve given him something
to think about!”</p>
<p>“I can’t understand why Ned doesn’t show
up,” broke in Bob. “It’s past sunrise now.
What can be delaying him?”</p>
<p>The anxiety in Bob’s tone was reflected in the
faces of the other two boys.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[204]</span></p>
<p>The hours dragged slowly by. Broad daylight
came and wore on to noon. Still no sign of Ned.
Late afternoon found his chums pacing restlessly
up and down the area about the <em>Ocean Flyer</em>.
No one of them dared voice his fears to the
others. The sun’s rays became more slanting;
the shadows longer and heavier. And still no
Ned.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>The man with the cloak, Count Polnychek,
whirled his captive around facing him with a
heavy grip on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“So?” cried he, “I know you now! You
sat with two others at an adjacent table there in
the <i lang="de" xml:lang="de">tanzenhaus</i>! You are a spy then? You
were eavesdropping on our conversation. Did
it interest you so much that you were constrained
to follow me all this distance?”</p>
<p>“It interested me,” said Ned shortly, meeting
his glare coolly, eye to eye. His calmness
enraged the old count still more.</p>
<p>“And what did you hear, you snake?” he
growled, stepping closer and thrusting his
bearded face close to that of the undaunted boy.
“Quick now! Tell me what you overheard!”</p>
<p>“It would be no news to you, Count Polnychek,
of Budapest,” said Ned.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[205]</span></p>
<p>“Donnerwetter! You even know my name
then! You show your teeth to me, do you? Are
you aware that your life is wholly at my mercy?”</p>
<p>Ned disdained to answer him.</p>
<p>“Will you tell me how much you know?”</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>“Marya!”</p>
<p>The distracted girl jumped with fright at the
explosive force of the command.</p>
<p>“Marya, heat your poker in the flames of the
fireplace and then bring it here to me!”</p>
<p>“Oh, father—dear father, no! no! no! Not
that! You wouldn’t torture this poor boy?”
she pleaded.</p>
<p>The old wretch snarled savagely at her as he
ripped open the bosom of Ned’s shirt, showing
the soft, white skin underneath.</p>
<p>“Did you hear me, Marya!”</p>
<p>Trembling violently, the girl did his bidding.
Shortly the white-hot iron was glowing in his
threatening hand. He held it so close to Ned’s
shrinking flesh that the heat it gave off was
almost intolerable.</p>
<p>“Now will you tell?”</p>
<p>The boy shut his eyes and with gritted teeth
awaited the scorching touch upon his chest. But
it never came. A harsh voice that one would<span class="pagenum">[206]</span>
never have recognized as that of the girl who
a few minutes before had cowered in terror,
said:</p>
<p>“Father, throw up your hands, or, as there
is a hereafter, I will shoot you with your own
revolver!”</p>
<p>Marya Racoszky stood with one arm steadily
pointing a huge revolver at her parent’s head.</p>
<p>“Drop that poker!”</p>
<p>He did so. The iron fell into the thick woof
of the carpet, sizzling and causing a vile odor.</p>
<p>Still covering the astounded old wretch with
her weapon, the girl sidled over to Ned and
slashed the rope from off his arms with a penknife.
Instantly she shoved the revolver into
the boy’s hands and collapsed swooning into the
nearest chair. Ned kicked the smoking poker
over into the fireplace. A grim smile edged
his lips.</p>
<p>“Now will <em>you</em> tell <em>me</em> the things that you
know are planned for to-morrow night out at
the Schoenbrunn chateau where Franz Joseph
will spend the night?” he asked sternly.</p>
<p>“<em>No!</em> Shoot if you wish, but I never desert
my comrades. I am a man of honor.”</p>
<p>“‘A man of <em>honor</em>?’ You, who in cold
blood contemplate the assassination of your<span class="pagenum">[207]</span>
sovereign—a poor old man, already shattered
in health and spirit over the miseries of his
country? You are a disgrace to the ancient
name you bear!”</p>
<p>Old Count Polnychek winced under the scathing
scorn in the boy’s voice. The red blood suffused
his deeply lined face.</p>
<p>“You would not dare insult me in this way
were I not unarmed and at your mercy.”</p>
<p>“How about when you threatened to scar
me with that hot poker? Count, you are—<em>keep
away from that bell or I fire!</em>—are going to do
my will this time. Let us sit down while you
tell me all about it.”</p>
<p>“<i lang="de" xml:lang="de">Tausend Teufeln</i>, no!”</p>
<p>“I said <em>sit</em>!”</p>
<p>The Count plumped down abjectly into the
depths of a big easy chair. Ned likewise seated
himself, with the ugly-looking revolver still
ready.</p>
<p>“Now, Count,” said he evenly.</p>
<p>“N—no!”</p>
<p>“Now!”</p>
<p>Old Count Polnychek shrank before the rising
black muzzle not two yards away.</p>
<p>“Well, a curtained limousine is to call here
for me at ten to-night. The chauffeur understands<span class="pagenum">[208]</span>
that he is to drive me to Spvodka, ten
minutes’ walk from the chateau where the
Emperor is to sleep. All ten of us who head the
plot are to meet there at eleven. Then
we are to ...”</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum">[209]</span></p>
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