River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-02-20
GRETCHEN'S SONG.
EBES Il. REXFoRD.

was under the shadow of the great pines,
standing tall and stately, like soldiers, on
the mountain-side. Franz said he could
hear voices in them all DAY long; and the
voices were always there in the night
time palmer to be heard than through
the day.
Franz was Gretchen's lover She was
his only friend. His only one9 All, no!
| was mistaken in saying that. he had
one other, and that was his violin. Such
music as he could coax from the wonder
full instrument One momont Gretchen
would cry over it. The next he would
make her laugh, and before she knew
what she was about she would be dancing
as she listened.
ooh, there must be living soul in il!
she said, II am half afraid of 1t, Franz. ]"
but you are not afraid Of me, Crotch
en?" Franz would say, and smile softly to
see her flax flower eyes droop, and the
red come out in her cheek. "Surely, you
are not afraid OF mes"
NO" she would answer, and then
Franz would say "Listen, Gretchen, and
hear what the soul in the violin tells
thee" and he would play little harmo
MES so low and sweet that they seemed
like angel voices far away. What anoih
er would have said in words, he made
his violin say for him. 1t was the strang
est, sweetest way of wOoing Gretchen
had ever heard of, she thought. How
pleasant 10 be the sweetheart of such 9
lever as Franz, who could put his
thoughts into the most beautiful Ian
ruaoe on earth, and sometimes she
thought there could be nothing sweeter
in Heaven.
BY and by another lover came a-woo.
ing. He was the son of rich man in
the village. He was proud. though just
what he had TO be proud of Gretcher
could not understand. He could not play
ike Franz He could not sing such
strange and charming songs as Franz
could. He seemed to lack so much, she
thought, when she compared him with
her lover His father had money, and
was the great man of the place, but that
was nothing to be proud of. 1t merely
happened so. This young man had never
done anything to make himself or any
one else better. No one was the happier
because he lived. She thought no one
ever would be, because, you see, she
loved Franz, and on that account like !
this new lover not at all, and used t.
laugh at his music and his shy, strange
ways.
II would not marry him if he had the
world to put in his pocket" said Gretch-
eu. You are richer with your musio,
Franz, than he with all his father 5
wealth."
And then Franz made his violin sing
the sweetest, and the saddest little song
She smiled to listen, and felt the tears
coming at the same time. She knew
afterward, what he was thinking about
tn H.
Gretchen's father wanted her TO marry
her rich lover.
81 cannot do it" she said firmly. "Don't
urge me, father, for 1t can never be-"
''Aud Why" he asked.
For many reasons she answered. II
do not love him. | never could. That
is one, and that is enough. Send him
away. father, before | learn TO hate him.
IL know why you will not listen to
him." her father said 1T is because & (
that Franz The good for-nothing, idle
fellow I'd like to break that violin OF
say, Gretchen. If you will not marry the
man | want you to, J will never consent
for you to marry Franz Remember
that"
He left her, and she sat down by the
window of her little room and cried for a
long time. She could not marry Franz
against her fathers wishes. She must
forget her dream,-but she would nat
forget him or be untrue to him. She
would love him if she lost him.
''You had better do as your father
wants you to-" Franz said, bitterly. II
am only poor musician, and he will
never take back his words, be sure of
that"
.'But | can watt" she sid, and her face
was brave and beautiful to see.
"Ah. but the waiting may be so long !"
Franz said. "Have you thought of that =
Il can wait all my life, if need be"
she said, and he knew she meant every
word
By and by Franz made up his mind 10
go 10 America.
II can work there better than here,
may be-" he said. "And it will be Just rs
easy to wait there as here
Before he went away he made little
song for Lcr. 1t was such a sweet and
tender one that, though he only sang ii
once, she forget not word or note.
Gretchen had never heard anything like
it before, and she saw in II another proof
of her lovers genius.
"0h, it is so beautiful, Franz" she
said. 'The angels must have sung it 20
ou"
''You think it is something beautiful
because you love the one that made il "
be said. at shall be your song and
mine, Gretchen, and ] will sing it to no
one else"
What long and lonesome DAYS thoae
we're that came after Franz went away!
1t seemed as if waiting for yeat of such
ones would make an old woman Of her.
And they might have to wait so mas.y
years-but she would be true forever
Brave, noble little Gretchen,
The years came ami went. No more
lovers came 10 WOO. They knew that her
heart was oYer the sea with Franz. Once
in while she heard from him. He was
waiting, like hersilf.
By and by her father died, and then
Gretchen was free to go and come as she
pleased. She was free to marry the man
she loved, and she would find him in thai
wide new world and make her promise
true.
But where to go she did not know
When last she heard from him he was
about the country with some
German singers, and he might oe east or
west, or north or south Perhaps and
when she thought Of that her heart seem.
ed to stop beating, perhaps he might be
dead. Who knew Stranger things
every tday in this world of
ours
But she would seek for him. She LIFT
her home and crossed the sea to the
shores Franz had sought before her. gle
had come to New York She would lie
gin her search there. And she began it
and ended fru;tlessly. If he had ever
been there they had forgotten him.
Then she went TO other cities. Where 1
ever she heard of any German singers, |
there Gretchen sought for her lover. But /
he was not among the rowing Ministries. |
He seemed to have dropped out of ex-
istepce. He had gone down in the great /
called life, and she was aloue,
she feared.
But she was not the woman TO give up I
her search and sit down hopelessly. mo /
news is good news" they say. So long
IS she heard nothing of him she could
nope. And while hope lasted she would
iearch for him.
So she went hither and thither-eA&t