The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-12-01
"She didn't care about him, supposed p

81 suppose these royal or semi-royal mar
riages always are"
| He didn't answer directly. But he sent
up another pillar of smoke, and murmured
dead $50 young and so beautiful !"
"You grow quite sentimental about the
Grand Duchess. Did you know her ?"
Il never saw her, as you have said, for
twenty years"
"Then why are you so greatly concerned
about her death2"
| well, you see, her memory belongs to
the old time, when we were young and
can see her face now before me, sad and
beautiful. l know she was very unhappy
| remember hcaringa story--I don't know
whether it's worth telling, though"
| "By all means. Go ahead shall be de-
J lighted to hear it,"
q said this because Roundel spoke in that
half-eager and half-apologetic tone which
shows that man wants to tell you something
but is afraid that you will not care to listen
to it.
''It isn't much. There was fellow |
knew at the time we were in Liebesheim-
an English fellow. l don't think you knew
him. He was studying something or other
there, aud he liked to read in the mornings
He used to get up with the lark and stroll
out into the park. You remember the park
pretty, wasn't it? And he found out a
quiet place where hardly any people ever
went even in the day, and he used to read
there. remember the spot every stone and
leaf of it-he showed it to me-and used
to lounge there sometimes after he had gone.
1t was a little bit of clearing in rather a
thick part of the wood, and there was lit
tie stream there. / used to spout Gethe's
poem to the Bachein there"
"You used to spout or the fellow you are
telling me off"
"Oh, used to--when he had gone, you
know. Perhaps he used to spout it, too it
doesn't matter. There were couple of
statues there, nymph and faun-that
sort of thing-all grown over with moss.
Well, sir, one lovely summer morning, when
this fellow was reading there, ,declaimng out
loud-he had great fashion of doing that
$50 had you, remember"
"Had I,really? Oh, no, think not; any
how, he had Well, he WAS declaiming
something from Schiller, when suddenly he
heard an unmistakable laugh-a very pleas
ant, musical laugh-and looking up he
saw"
ga girl, of course"
"Wrong for once. He saw two girls"
"All the same. knew we should get to
some girl or girls before long"
"Nice girls, too,and very beautiful; quietly
dressed citizens daughters-that sort of
a thing. Got into talk with this fellow.
Were az friendly and as sweet and modest
as dear little German girls only can be, or
used to be in those days. The fellow talked
good deal too They were interested in
England and his studies, and so on. One of
them had lovely eyes. Went away, of course.
Fellow went there next morning"
"They came again ?"
"Wrong,sir They didn't. He was sorry.
But they came the morning following"
"Oh, confound it that all comes to the
same thing. They came anyhow
"They did. Acquaintance grew and grew.
They would sit on the grass end talk tor an
hour at time-they three"
"Always three?"
"Always-at first"
Thought So"
"Like good fellow, let me get on my
own way. Or you tell me the story if you
know all about it,"
"Well, ! almost think could. The regu-
lar sort of thing, suppose-the fellow you
knew fell in love with the girl who had the
eyes, and for some reason or other, she
couldn't marry him, and they were misera-
BILE. or she did marry him, and they were
happy. Can't be anything else. Did marry
or didn't marry, there's the only difference"
Roundell laughed rather gloomy sort of
laugh. 'In this case it was didn't marry"
he said "but We may as well go regularly
through with toe story, as we have begun il.
It's not quite So common place As you sup.
pose. Well, tle>" girls came very regularly
in the mornings, aHd sometimes they even
arranged to meet the fellow of evenings
on rare occasions, though. Oace there was
sort Of .aturnliAn masquerade in the
open air in the gAriauS of the Old ScAoss,
and the girls gave the fellow Il hint that they
were to be there, aad how they were to be
dressed, and he found them ont, She wa.
dressed like Swiss peasant girl-bodice and
sleeves, short skirts, you know"
"Yes-silrer spoon in toe hair, liberal dis
play of ankles Go on."
My fricud iouked grim At my leyity, and
felt bound to cXcnse myself by saying that
as didu't persoi ally know he fellow who
WAS the hero OF this Romance, | might be
forgiven il | spoke too iignry of his idols
Roundell went on at was the queerest
sort Of II thing, the meetings of these three
the three always, until just the cni. There
really wasn't any loye-making in particular,
although tie fellow rev at last to be nadly
in love with the girl with the eyes. She
called herself Dorothea; the other WAS Meta.
They were cousins, they said, daughters Of
Noith1 'lah'o fV'I'lO "ho shIPiiVu 'hihBS W
the Schloss. They used to talk about books.
The girls were particularly interested in Eng
lsh novels and poetry aud art, and don't
know what all. The poor fellow was con-
foundedly happy. And do you know, think
studous and poetical young fellows of
that age are wonderfully pure. This fellw
wasn't any better than any of the rest of US,
but by JoveI his love for her was as pure as
the love of woman"
Roundell paused in his story. The even
ing was depending down, the skies were
purplng, and the Thames was assuming
sad and melancholy hue. The faint ripple
of the water was heard more and more clear
~, My friend looked out of the window,
and seemed to enjoy the quiet beauty of the
scene.