The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-10-04

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the isle, aud moving to the organ-loft
paused beside the organist.
"Bertram," she murmured.
Quick as thought the organist rails
ed his head. There, with the light of
a lamp suspended to the arch above
falling full upon her, stood the prin-
cess who had graced tho royal pew
that day. The court dress of velvet,
with its ermine trimmings, the tiara
the necklace, the bracelets, had been
exchanged for gray serge robe and
a long thick veil, which was now
pushed back from the fair girlish face
ooh Elizabeth, Elizabeth !" ex-
claimed the organist, and he sunk at
her feet, and gazed wistfully into her
troubled eyes.
"Wny are you here, Bertrand" asked
the princess
Il came to bid You faewe.l; and as
dared not venture into the palace, !
gained access to the cathedral by brib-
ing the bellriuger, aud having taken
the vacant sent of ihe dead organist
let my music breathe out the adieu l
could not trust my lips to utter"
\ low moan was the only answer,
and he continuod
You are 20 bc married on the NOR
row r
Yes, sobbed the girl. ooh, Bert
ram, what 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, reioined the organ
ist. Your royal futher has requested
me to play at the wedding, and have
promised TO be here. Ii | were your
equal, | could be the bridegroom in
stead Of the organist; bat poor mu-
sican must give You up
1T is like rendering soul and body
asunder, to part with you" said the
girl. Tonight l may tell you this
tell you how fondly love you, but in
a few hours It viii be sin Go, 60
and God bless you
She waved HIM from her. as if she
would Danish him while she had the
power 70 10 SO, and he-how was it
with him He rose to leave her, then
came back, held her to his heart in n
long embrace, and with q half smoth-
cred farewell left her
The next morning dawned in cloud
less splendor and at an early hour the
cathedral was thrown open, and the
sexton began to prepare for the we'd
ding Flame-colored flowers nodded
by the wayside fame.colored leaves
came rushing down from the trees and
lay IN heaps upon the ground; and the
ripe wheat waved like golden sea-
and berries dropped in red and purple
clusters over the rocks along the
Rhine
At length the palace gates were
opened, and the royal party appeared,
escorting the Prince. Elizabeth TO the
cathedral, where her marriage was to
be solemnized.
1t was a brave pageant; far brighter
than the untwined foliage and bios
SONS were the tufts Of plumes which
Aoated from stately heads, and festal
robes that streamcd down over the
housings of the superb steeds But
the princess, mounted on a snow
white palfrey, and clad in snow-white
velvet, looked pale and sad and when,
on nearing the church, sic heard a
gush of organ.music which, though
iubilunt in sound, struck on her ear
like funeral knell she trembled and
would have fallen to the earth had not
IA page surrounded her. A few min
utes afterwards 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 expected to see the
mysterious organist. He was gone,
and she was obliged to return the
graceful bow of the king, to whom she
had been betrothed from motives of
policy. Mechanically she knelt AZ his
side on the altar stone; mechanically
listened to the service and made the
responses.
Then her husband drew her to him
in a convulsiye embrace, and whisp-
cred
elizabeth, my queen, my wife, look
up"
Tremblingin every limb, she obeyed
Why did those dark eyes thrill her so;
Why did that smile bring a glow on
her cheeks? All = though the king
wore the royal purple, and many a
ioweled order glittered on his breast,
he seemed the same humble person
who had been employed to teach or
gan music, and had taught her the lore
of love
elizabeth" murmured the mon
arch, "Bertram Hoffman, the mysteri-
ous organist, and King Oscar are one.
Forgive my strategem. l wished to
marry you, but | would not drag to the
altar an unwilling bride. Your father
was in the secret.
While tears of JOY rained from her
blue eyes, the sew made queen re-
turned her husbands fond kiss, and
for once two hearts were made happy
by royal marriage.
ST. ANTHoNY's FALLS There has
been, of late, a good deal of interest
felt and expressed in regard to retro
erosion of Niagara Falls, and a change
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