Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1872-10-03

1nere was something IN MS uncle'S tOl
land manner which made him feel III
comfortable, and he was glad to NAL
his way to the little cottage where h
quick eye had seen the peasant girl an
:. her parents enter on their return frul
church. The family were just sittin
down to their simple MONDAY meal
and he would have turned away, ft
fear of causing annoyance, had not til
&, daughter caught sight of him.. He
parents made him heartily welcome
and ,Marie--he now heard her name 70
the first time-placed Il chair for him q
the table. Simple as the meal was, tn
Prince thought he had never made S
pleasant a dinner. He was charme
with the sterling good sense and frank
ness of the old people, whose respectful
fdeneanor had nothing servile or fawn
ing; and as for Marie, she was all grac
and perfection in the eye of her adOrin!
lover. After dinner, coffee was servet
in; the little garden; and there they sa
in delightful conversation until Alex
ander was compelled to keep his en-
gagement with his uncle. .t. i.
"Is that the Young woman 2" aske'
uncle Dimitry, later in the day, catch
ing blush on his nephew's cheek, a
Marie and her parents passed them, OF
their way to afternoon service. "Imus
say you show good taste. How long
pray, have you known this wild flow
er?n ..
"Since yesterday" replied Alexander
with a conscious look. .a
Since yesterday" repeated the un-
Gle in astonishment; sand to-day court
ing in church, and long visit at the
house! Quick work, 1 must say. Youl
father wouldn't believe it, if were to
tell him; and to tell you the truth,
hardly believe it yet myself, you scape-
grace" -- i.....
Angered by the sneering tone in which
these words were spoken, and still more
by their implied slur on Marie, Alex
ander would have made singing re-
tort; but he was able to master his in
dignation, and refrain from words that
might recoil upon his beloved. Happily
his uncle maintained his resolution, and
that evening departed for Baden-Baden
leaving Alexander to make the best use
of his opportunities. The Prince was
not dilatory lover. He made himself
at home in his eyes more precious than
a palace !; and in order. to be constantly
near Marie, he would even go into the
fields, where she and her parents were
at work, and take part in their labor.
1t made people stare TO see Prince so
madly in love with a simple peasant
girl; and many shook their heads, and
said it would turn out badly, while
others called her a sly sehemer, or some
thing worse. But these were, for the
most part, fashionable women, with
marriageable daughters, who thought it
dreadful thing for Prince to be in love
with peasant. Nobody had the cour-
age to demonstrate with him; and if
any one had done so, it would only
have increased his love for Marie. rr
The strangest part of the affair was
that Maria herself was all this while
ignorant of her conquest. She never
suspected the Prince o loving her. The
rich patients at a small watering-place
like Iiebenstein are apt to do strange
things to pass away the time, and she
thought it nothing extraordinary that
the Prince, who had nothing else 70 do,
should amuse himself with amateur far
ming. She knew that he liked her, and
that it was to both a pleasure to be to-
gether; of warmer feeling she never
dreamed, But the time came when she
was-undeceived. One Sunday evening,
after church, she and the Prince were
sitting together in the cottage garden,
softly eOnversing. He had taken her
hand, and was looking into her frank
blue eyes, when with. sudden and ir-
resistible impulse, he threw his arm
round her waist, drew her close to his
side, and kissed her passionatcly on the
dearest oner' he whisper
ed, as the startled and surprised girl,
tried to free herself from his embrace:
Dearest Marie, will you be my wife?"
10" Your wife. o, sir, what have i
done to deserve this from you?"
Alexander drew the trembling girl
closer to his side. "My darling" said
he, very tenderly, ''you cannot believe
that do not mean what l say. In what
way could 1 better show my respect,
my trust, my love, than by making you
my wife," f sd. T.. y7.. ... ..a |
:" All, that can never be. You cannot
make fine lady out of poor peasant
girl like me. The gulf between us is
too wide and deep" ''
/" Marie is right" said her mother,
who came into the gar'lenin time to
hear the last words, and who easily
guessed what had been said before.
'Such unequal marriages never come to
good. No marriage is happy where the
parents blessing is withheld, and yours
will never consent that you should
marry q peasant girl.'3'
The Prince would have. protested
against this; but the mother,
with decision of tone which convinced
him that nothing would change her pur-
pose, begged him first to acquaint his
parents with the story. With silent
pressure of hands the lovers parted.
Prince Michael, Alexander's father,
was every inch an aristocrat. lie was
born at least hundred years too late.
lie would fail into paroXysm of rage
1t the very whisper of the word liber-
others. OF course he was yio- |
entity opposed to the emancipation of
he serfs, and would willingly have al |
owed the Car to cut his ears Oft, ifthat |
would have given him the right to do
The same for his dependents whenever
ne liked. A deep drinker, like his IA
yorite Peter the Great, he was vehe-
nently religious when under the in
iucnce of liquor; and at such times he
was very apt to mistake the village
priest, his boon companion at the table,
for pestilent hereto, and to pummel
him With great zeal.
The only person in the world, of
whom Prince Michael seemed to be re-
lIIy fond, was his brother Dimitry, a