The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-05-18
GRETCHEN.

It was 10 o'clock in the evening when
the drinkers came out from the brewery of
~ The Swan" Theodore, with the Others
walked down the silent village Windows
were being shut in the distance, and the
voices of women could be heard in the night
air as they closed their shutters. Good
night. Orchel ~ Good night, Gredei :
Sleep well ~
Then all was silent and Theodore was
alone in the ,uiet street the innumerable
stars over his .rad, the gentle moving trees
at each side all along the way-loOking, lis
tening and dreaming. What fugitive things
the night reveals TO us Listen to the
vague murmur, the rustling Of the trees,
the birds that chirp so low-so low that the
cats. always on the watch. is scarcely able
10 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 to his memory Guard thy soul
guard thy soul y But when he looked on
the earth. when he breathed the sweet per
fumes Of the Autnm-the breath Of the
new hay, the faint odor of the dying leaves
then he dreamed Of Gretchen, the pretty
Gretchen 80 fresh, so beautiful, with lips
40 sweet and red, with great, blue eyes 50
merry and clear, with laughter so frank and
childhke. How beautiful she seemed to
him then, and how his heart bounded He
could almost see her move from table to
table, pouring the beer into shining meas
ures-her arms lifted up, as white as ivory,
her form slightly bent, the two braids of
her blonde hair almost touching the bottom
Of her pretty red dress, her teeth dazzling
as crystal. Gretchen laughed with every
BODY except Monsieur Theodore. As soon
"a she saw him enter the room she became
grave but at the same time her great blue
ewes filled with an expression 50 tender
that the heart Of the poor fellow melted
with love. He would loose his breath and
stammer uninteligible words. Theodore
dreamed all these things. He saw also old
Reebstock, Gretchen's father, with his great
peruke. and his candid look, full of benev-
olence he saw the tavern, with its low
smoky beams he clock, with its white
dial the lamp suspended from the ceiling,
gliding the brown faces of the vine dressers,
Who had their caps pulled over their eyes,
and little tin in their hard rough hands
Life is in the world, not in the sky, "
he said. This fresh life-this life of love,
Of sentiment, Of prosperity ; the wines, the
fruits, the perfumes and Gretchen all this
life is on earth" He trembled in thinking
of the Young grl. She seemed so near to
him that he counted every thread in her
dress, every stitch in her collar, every line
Of her rosy, dimpled smile. Not a 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 al
ways there, listening to his thought reply
ing to it. 0, love love ! who art thou
Whence contest thou
Theodore wondered thus in the luminous
night; behind the village, along the bushes,
walking in the little paths bordered with
fences and the fields freshly moved look
ing at the irregularly constructed houses,
with their outside stairs, their worm-eaten
ratings, their farm yards, their great
spreading roofs, all boarded with dark mys-
terious shadows. At the end Of his long,
winding way, he found himself again before
the house Of ReebstOck. He stepped un-
der Gretchen's window, and looked at the
shutter, with the round hole in the top that
gave light to the interior little room, he
said to himself "She is there" And
thinking she was there, his gaze became 50
fixed, 20 absorbed, that to see him you
would have supposed he saw something
strange, something curious. But he saw
nothing He thought, ''She was there
And from high up in heaven the moon
whitened his forehead, shone in his eyes,
silvered his light beard, and streamed over
his artistic costume, which was loose and
flowing, full Of free and picturesque ele-
gance. In his left hand he held q large
gray hat, whose plume swept the ground
with his right he sent his love to Gretchen
in kiss.
At the end of q quarter of an hour Of
that silent contemplation, he climbed over
the low fence Of the garden, and entering
the yard, saw at the right, through the
open door of the brewery, the large tub
with its brown hoops, seeming larger still
in half light ; at its foot was a carpenters 3
bench, short handled hatchet which threw
a blue light in the shadow, plane, pincers
all the utensils Of a cOOper-farther of
behind all, the press, on which the rays of
the moon fell Obliquely. He advanced
slowly, breathing the OdOr Of the fennent-
ing hops and grapes. Besides this, not a
sound, not breath; from the little sky
light in the roof came a calm, sweet light.
He eat down on g barrel and said 10 himself
'Ah, this is a pleasant place p
He saw the arbOr festOoned with ivy, the
little basins in the yard where the hens ate,
and the door of the wash room on the left.
And all this, because Gretchen walked
there often, seemed to him to have strong
significance, and an inexpressible charm.
"Ah, thought he, eff Gretchen should
come out for an instant. If / could see
her now | would have the courage to say