Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1866-06-01

"oAohiPOAS hhePSiSSui WhSh ehS oSA'Vu
touched her on the shoulder and said -
Madam, everybody has gone but
you and me, and I wish to close the
doors"
:" l am not ready to 60 yet," was the
reply, ".leave me-leaye me ]"
The sexton drew back into shady
niche, and watched and listened, The
mysterious organist still kept his post,
but his head was bowed upon the instru-
ment, and he could not see the lone
devotee. At length she rose from the
aisle, and moving to the organ-loft,
paused beside the musician.
Bertram," she murmured.
Quick as thought the orgauist raised
his head. There, with the light of
lamp suspended to the arch above falling
full upon her, stood the princess who
had graced the royal pew that day. The
court dress of velvet, with its soft ermine
trimmings. the tiara, the necklace, the
bracelets, had been exchanged for gray
serge robe and long thick veil, which
was now pushed back from the fair girl
ish face.
cob! Elizabeth! Elizabeth !" ex-
claimed the organist, and he sunk at her
feet, and gazcd wistfully into her troubled
eyes.
Why are you here, Bertram ?"
asked the princess.
=" / came to bid you farewell; and as
dared not venture into the palace, |
gained access to the cathedral by bribing
the bell-ringer, and having taken the
vacant seat of the dead organist, let the
music breathe out the adieu could not
trust my lips to utter"
A low moan was the only answer, and
he continued:
:" You are to be married on the NOR
rowp
Yes" sobbed the girl. "Oh, Ber-
tram, what a trial it will be to stand at
yonder altar, and take upon me the
vows which will doom me to living
death %
Think of me, rejoined the organist.
-" Your royal father has requested me to
play at the wedding, and | have promised
to DO here. If | were your equal, /
could be the bridegroom instead of the
Organist; but poor musician must give
you up"
!" 1t is like rending soul and body
asunder, to part with you" said the
girl To night may tell you this
tell you how fondly / love you, but in a
few short hours it will be sin Go, 60,
and God bless youp'
She waved him from her, as if she
would Danish him while she had the pow
er to do so, and he-how was it with
him? He rose to leave her, then came
back, held her to his heart in long
embrace, and with half smothered fare
well left her.
The next morning dawned in cloudless
sp'endor, and at au early hour the cathe-
dral was thrown open. and the sexton
began to prepare for the brilliant we'd
ding. Flame-colored flowers nodded by
the way fame-colored leaves came
rushing down from the trees and lay in
light heaps upon the ground and the
ripe wheat waved like golden sea, and
berries dropped in red and purple colors
over the rocks along the Rhine.
At length the palace gates were open
ed, and the royal party appeared, escort
ing the Princess Elizabeth to the cathe-
dral, where her marriage was to be SOL
emnized 1t was brave pageant; far
brighter than the entwined foliage and
blossoms were the tufts Of plumes which
aoated from stately heads, and the festal
robes that streamed down over the hous-
ings of the superb steeds. But the prin-
cess, mounted on snow-white palfry,
and clad in white velvet, looking pale
and sad, when, on nearing the church,
she heard gush of organ-Eusic, which,
though jubilant in sound, struck on her
ear like funeral knell, she trembled,
and would have fallen to the earth had
not page supported her. A few mo-
ments afterward she entered the cathe-
dral. There, with his retinue, stood the
royal bridegroom, whom she had never
before seen. But her glance roved from
him to the organ-loft, where she had ex
pected to see the mysterious organist.-
He was gone, and she was obliged to re-
turn the graceful bow Of the king, to
whom she had been betrothed from mo-
tives of policy. Mechanically she knelt
at his side on the altar stone mechan-
ically listened to the service and made
the responses. Then her husband drew
her to him in convulsive embrace, and
whispered
:" Elizabeth, my queen, my wife, look
upp
Trembling in every limb, she obeyed.
Why did those dark eyes thrill her SO ?
Why did that smile bring glow to her
cheek? Ali though the king wore the
royal purple, and many jeweled order
glittered on his breast. he seemed the
same humble person who had been EN-.
ployed to teach organ music, and had
taught her the lore of love.
Elizabeth, mu5mured the monarch.
"Bertram Hoffman, the mysterious or
ganist, and King Oscar, are one! For
give my stratagem. I wished 10 marry
von Int 7 ,zauld ma dra1 M tho alfay