The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-12-11

GRETCHEN.


Gan,lsSd from the French OF Ereknann. ( tIhatrisnl
\ 1t was about ten o'clock in the evening
ssJyhCn the drinkers came out from the
! brewery Of" The Swan" Theodore with
The others walked down the silent village
I Windows were being shut in the distance,
I aud the voices of the women could be heard
! III the night air as they closed their shut
tiers. GOOD night, orchell !" "Good night,
\ JA;tdel! Sleep we'll"
Thcn all was silent, and Theodore was
alone in the quiet street; the innumerablc
stars over bis head, the gently moving
trees at each side all along the way-look-
ing, listening, and dreaming. What fugi-
tive things the night reveals to US Listen
to the vague murmur-thc rtistling Of the
trees, the birds that chirp SO low-so low
that the cat always on the watch is scarcely
able to hear them. Theodore liked the
night he took few steps, stopped, turned
around, listened. When he looked up to
the sky the words Of Conrad, the weaver,
came 10 bis memory: "guard thy soul !
guard thy soul p But when he looked on
the earth, when he brcathed the sweet
perfumes OF the autumn-thc breath OF the
new hay, the faint odOr Of the dying leaves
then he dreamed Of Gretchen, the pretty
Gretchen so fresh, so beautiful, with lips
sosweet and rcd, with great blue eyes so
merry and clear, with laughter so frank
and childike. How beautiful she seemed
to him then, and how his heart bounded |
30 could almost see her move from table
to table, pouring the beer into the shining
measurcs-her arms lifted up, rs white as
ivory, her form slightly bent; the two
braids Of her blond hair almost touching
the bottom Of her pretty red dress; her
teeth dazzling as crystal. Gretchen laughed
with everybody except Monsieur Theodore.
As soon rs she saw him enter the room
she became grave; but ut the same time
her great blue eyes were filled with an
expression so tender that the heart OF the
poor fellow melted with love. lie would
lose his breath and stammer unintelligable
words. Theodore dreamed of all these
things. lie saw also old RcebStock,
Grctchrn's father, with bis great grey
peruke, and his candid look, full Of be-
nevolcrce; he saw the tavern, with its
low, smoky beams; the clock. with It's
white dial; the lamp suspended from the
ceiling gliding the brown faces Of the
wine.drcssers, who had their caps pulled
over their eyes, and little tin cups in their
hard, rough hands.
v "Life Is in the world, not in the sky"
be said. "This fresh lfe-this life of love,
Of sentiment, Of prosperity; the wine, the
fruits, the perfumes, and Gretchen oil this
life Is on the earthr' He trembled in
thinking Of the young girl. She seemed
80 near to him that he counted every thread
in her dress, every stitch in her collar,
every line Of her rosy, dimpled smile. Not
shadow escaped him. He looked at the
stars and saw Gretchen; he listened to
the breeze and heard the voice Of Gretchen;
he thought Of the world, and Gretchen
was there, always there, listening to his
thought, replying to II. o lovc love
What art thou2 Whence contest thou
Theodore wandered thus In the luminous
night; behind the village, along the bushes,
walking in the little paths bordercd with
fences, and in the fields freshly moved ;
looking at the irregularly- constructed little
houses, with their outside stairs, tbeir
worm eaten railings, their larm-yards,
their great spreading roels, all bordcred
with dark, mysterious shadows. At the
end Of his long, winding way, be found
himself again before tho house Of Reeb-
stock. He stepped under Gretchen's win.
dow, and looking at the shutter, with the
round hole in the top that gave light to
the interior Of the little room, he said to
himself, "slie is there" And thinking
that she was there, his gaze necnmc so
fixed, so absorbed, that to see him you
would have supposed he saw something
strange, something curious. But he saw
nothing. He thought, "she is there !"
And from high up in heaven the moon
whitcned his forehead, slone on his eyes,
silvered his light beard, and strcamcd over
his artistic costume, which wis loose and
flowing, full Of free and picturesque elc-
gauce. In his left hand he held his large
grey hat, whose plume swept the ground,
and, with his right he sent his love ia
Gretchen In kiss. ..
At the end oil quarter Of an hour oil
tuht tllVllt SVllcllplutlOIi Nv '''hN W ~
the low fence Of the garden, and entering
the yard, saw at the right, through the
open door of the brewery, tue large tub
with It's great brown hoops, seeming larger
still in the half light; at its foot was
carpenters bench, short handled Ratchet
which threw blue light in the shadow, :
plane, the pinccrs--all the utensils oil
coopsr-and farther of, behind all, the
press, on which the rays Of the moon iel
obliqucly. He advanced slowly breathing
the odor Of the fermenting hops and grapes
Beside this, not n sound, not a breath
from the little skylghtlp the roof came
calm, sweet light. lie sat down on
barrel and,said.to himself, "Ah, this Is
pleasant plioeln
lie saw tho arbor tcstooned with Ivy
the. little basins in the yard where tn,
hens ate, and the door Of the washroom oil
tho left, And all this, because Grctchei
walked there often, seemed to hin to hav,
Etfnnb Gtanihcanca an inaTnFAsAihl