Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-07-25

she to call Hahs9- Hans who Had llkenl-.
ed her to the white daisies, thdt grow by
the church yard, to the soft CLOUDS that
! shame the azure of heaven by their pur-
ity,5 and who had forbidden her all
knowledge of the world, that IN her in
Enocence she might remain pure and uu-
sullied, even as tie Virgin Mother before
whose altar they both knelt..
In the anguish of the days that were
passing the flesh fell from the rounded
limbs; no roses that woman less fair
might envy, but only a pallor such as
marks those whom Death has chosen,
lay on the: tear-stained cheeks. When
| the morning cait1e to lead her before the
meh who We're to Judge whether or no
che must be called Guilty OF crime, the
little maiden that, stood uP to be led
from prison seemed like fair saint from
whose eountenance the beauty Of earth
has departed that it may wear the love
illness born in heaven.
In those days and nights there fell
| away from Gretchen's soul all faint of
earthly longing. He who has sinned long
and deeply may require much repent
| ance. She who has but erred in thought
and fancy yielded back her allegiance at
the first touch of chastisement, and lost
all dread of suffering in the simplicity
| Of her trust.
But Gretchen is not to wear martyrs
| crown; all that is best and sweetest on
| earth is her birthright, and the storm
that has gathered over her head is
but the pretense Of a tempest, after
| all. She has entered the door of the
q eat courtroom, but we shall not follow
her, where she stands rapt in the con-
seriousness of innocence, and Indifferent
to the curious gaze of the. multitude
gathered there to view hef as d srecticle.
She has no kinship with the hard, un-
sympathetic men whose business it is to
administer justice to the erring world
still less can she De troubled with the
groups of Gods lost chrildren who gath
| er with morbid curiosity wherever anoth-
er recruit can be found to join their
pitia9le ranks.
Our business is with Christine, the
faithful se.vart, who, unable to witness
her darling's trial, has thrown herself in
| despair at the foot of the little altar
wherein Gretchen has enthroned her few
sacred treasures, and where night and
morning she used to kneel in humble de-
votion. But Chri~tine's thoughts are not
of prayer; rather are they of anger and
furious rebellion againsta world in which
such injustice can obtain. Her horny
withered fingers lace themselves impo-
tently together, as if in longing for some
thing they might tear and rend. At
last her tear blinded eyes light upon an
article which she regards as suitable for
destruction. 1t is the blue dress. he one
memento of NADINE. Ali if she might
but feel the delicate limbs of the owner
| within her grasp as she does the poor gar
ment which once adorned theml 1t last
it shall be burned; but meanwhile NO
trace of its hateful, intricate beauty, de-
vised, as Christine thinks, by demons
and wrought out by iends, shall remain
One by one delicate puff and rufae are
eliminated. Double destruction shall
light upon it; first, heap OF ruins, and
then holocaust. When her darling
shall come back to the Wirthshaus, per.
haps as criminal who has served hel
time -ah how Chr. stine's fingers work as
she thinks of it there shall be no obi.
GUS blue mystery of millinery to rend he,
little heart in twain with its loathsome
beauty.
But stop! What is the great hard thing
in the founce2 Christinc's fingers are
paralyzed, and with great: smothered
cry, she fliugs herself oLce more before
he little shrine, this time in rapturous
alteration Of the Holy Mother who has in.
exposed to save her child. But there il
time to be lost. Christine starts fo1
the kitchen. She must be off. Even nov
the court is sitting, and sentence may be
passed.. Alb! but she is old--old; so ole
that she cannot save her DARN e, Time
and labor and many wintry winds lader
with rheumatism have done their work
But Marthe is young, Marthe can run.
And so 1t is Marthe who first reache!
the town, and burst into the solemn court
room, where, amidst s.. CHS and tears from
many in the audience, the grave judge il
calling upon the prisoner to stand III
and receive the dread sentence. Marthl
it is who hands the blue garment, shorl
now Of all it's pride and glory, to the be
wlldered officer OF the law, and waits il
breathless silence while he draws from
its folds the sad memento of love dis
honored and betrayed. ~
But Christine also comes, jolted thithe
by the grave donkey OF the Leichenbesor
ger, which, being accustomed to the quie
movements of the dead, could no
hurry. for, the living-comes, at last
but comes in time to receive her Lieb
chen in her arms as she reaches tn
outer steps of the courtroom Reve1
emily they tarry for Christine's greeting
Christine, who has sOrrowed as they d
sorrow over the children of others VIII
have known no Oh loren of their owr
Then one and all they press forward
Little ones are raised to catch the first
glance from Gretchen's tender eyes, an
women clasp rheir hands in eagcrness t
hear her gentle greeting. Old Vate
Workman, blind and feeble, suffers MIN
self to. be led forward by little chile
and poor Wilhelm, whose wooden le
does but poorly for the one he lost s
many years ago, struggles from th
bench where he has kept watch s,nc
early daAn,. and strains his deaf ears t
understand the story Of the child IS re
lease. 4 Il g# e & TH ~
It was a very simple home-comine
The strength that had sustained it'll
Gretchen when the storm beat over he
fed as the clouds lifted, Between thel
they car led her to the tiny chamber j
the old Wirthshaus, and LAID her on til
snowy bed, from which. she was not ,
rise again for many a week--not, indee,
3 until the day when Hans lifted her
, his arms, and whispered: s1<foa 3<o5.1 u:
t.srho hroo} III 1,f fhx ,xuorI7 7lo. 9,S.
over thee. Henceforth my love shall e,
iscomDass thee as the mountains; stan
{ about Jour home. See, their SUNNI
+ reach above the clouds of heaven, an
when thou leavest me, it; shall BE- to- {
!, thither. - ~ t'''''
Sagacity Of Pair Of Swallows.
d At Rosenberg, in the neighborhood
= Graz. a, pair Of swallows had built the