Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-08-31

her own room, Kept from meeting me
by force. wandered about the house
Of old neighbor Werner like ghost.
and almost determined to force an en-
trance but at last she came to me one
sunny afternoon and looked over the,
fence, with her arms folded upon It, as
she used to when she was a child. N 4
Gretchen" cried and ran to her
and put my arms about her., "Cret-
chen, my darling. you have come 70 me
She gave / litde' sigh, and drew, her:
self away from my embrace. 80
at is for the last time, Ezra" she
said, "father told me l might bid you
goodbye"
Goodbye faltered.
YES" she said, ri must never talk
to you again."
"You have promised to be my wife,"
I said. "You have said you loved me.
What do you mean! He has frighten-
ed you by locking you up. You think
his power is absolute"
"No one locked me up" she said
quietly. II have been told to stay
within the doors out Of your sight, and
| obeyed. II was wrong of me to prom
Use anything without fathers leave.
! thought it was different in such case,
and liked you so, but know now how
unmaidenly it was. Father has told
me-"
"You stayed from me Of your own
tree WILL" said. "You were not re-
strained. o, Gretchen!'
Father gave me his orders. One
must obey ones parents. 1t is Gods
law" she said.
Easy to obey when you are will
ling" said bitterly" Parents could
not keep me from you if you wanted
me, Gretchen"
The tears were falling fast over her
cheeks. She sobbed heavily.
20, Ezra, if you only knew" she
said. 81 must obey"
Then she drew the ring had given
her from her finger.
Father says must return this"
she said. and il seemed as though she
could not speak for weeping.
But I was cruel to her.
"Of your own free will, because you
do not care for me ?" asked.
cannot change my feelings" she
said. " Perhaps they are wrong but
must always like you better than any
one else. But father says must not
marry you, and that l must give back
the ring.
felt it drop into my palm. c!utched
it fercely. There was fiat stone close
by the fence, and l dropped the ring on
that and ground it to atoms beneath my
heel. She only sobbed the more.
Don't be angry with me, Ezra, she
said. 81 1t Is not my fault
But | would not listen to her. /
turned from her and walked away
Judging by myself, she could not care
for me, if any thought of obedience
could stand between US.
That night packed my portmanteau
and left home. | could not stay there
so near and yet have nothing more to
do with her.
never forgot her for a moment, but
l did not talk of the past to any one.
had an uncle in Detroit, and went
to him. He was a farrier, and taught
me his business, and soon was able to
make money at it. But money was
nothing to me now, except so far as it
was needed to enable me to live from
day to day. | sent it to my parents,
and they, needing nothing, put it away
in the bank with the little store they
were saving for my good.
But We are glad to have such an
industrious son" said my mother; land
when you bring home some pretty Ca
madam girl, you will be glad TO have a
little nest egg TO start with"
had no thought Of any girl, howev-
er pretty, for a wife; but mother could
not guess how deeply had been wound
ed.
Day and night I kept thinking Of
Gretchen, and always I kept on my bed
room window sill, in china pot, one
Of those pure white lilies, which al
ways reminded me Of her. But I new
er asked question about her, and five
years passed by-fve anniversaries Of
our betrothal day, and did not know
even whether she had married, or was
YET Uretcnen werner.
II was the sixth anniversary of that
day when went home to my little room
earlier than usual. had beenstrange-
iy nervous all day, starting at any sound,
and feeling as though, every time the
door opened. that some one had come
to bring me evil news. And I had
thought Of Gretchen a great deal, and il
seemed to me that writing long letter
home to my mother would comfort me.
l sat down to my desk near the win
dow, the shadow Of the lily always
mentally called Gretchen falling over
the papers when the evening wind
swayed il. The sun va. going down,
and all was very calm and peaceful
A kind of Sabbath hush seemed to have
fallen on everything. and I wondered
why Il was.
told you ! had never asked a word
about Gretchen before: that day l added
postscript to nv letter.
lis Gretchen Werner well, and liv-
ing near you'' l said. Tell me some
thing about her -
Jus. as I said these words the lily
shadow swayed more darkiy over nv
paper. and I looked up. Beside the
lily stood Gretchen, white as the flower
itself. and robed in white. Her long,
fair hair dropped over her bosom, and
between her crossed hands hay bunch
Of lily flowers as they are laid on the
bosoms Of the dead,