The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1880-11-26
BRATTLEB0Ro VT, FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2e $780,

to be half as handsome" And leavil
no Gretchen to finish the story, she crept
ne her little bed under the fr-rafters, al
OK fell asleep there, to dream all night
az Herr Ludwig's eyes.
g The next day Marie went to the fore
with ner father, and sang sweeter ths
ne any bird in its solitude; the next day st
staid at home with Gretchen, and NOPE
ie In silence over her fax and distaff th
en next, as she sat by the fire, moistenin
Do her black bread with tears, strange
er stepped over the forester's threshold an
Or stood before her. He was man of mic
die age, with massive forehead, fror
II which his iron.gray hair was swept ST
Is renely back, heavy nose, a thin moutf
keen but kindly eye. He stood an
10 surveyed the girl, who sat like anothe
le cinderella among the ashes.
y i come said he, "from Herr Ludw wis
8, tae musician whose life you saved thre
q Gays ago, my little maiden. He wishe
!, 10 reward you; in view of which he ha
sent me to hear the voice that can mimi
30 Wen all the sounds of the forest"
j. hh oyer her lovely face the bright colo
Mashed. She started up.
n And who are your" she faltered, II
}. confusion.
n "My name" answered the stranger, ii
r Richard Wagner"
3 On the ears of the forester's daughte
Y those two words, famous as they wer,
5 throughout the world, fell meaningless
She had never in her life heard them be
| fore.
A'And Herr Ludwig" she added-"is il
. all well with him? You are his friend
then? DO you also come from Starn
berg?"
"He is we'll" Wagner answered, brief
ly. No, do not come from Starnberg
but from Lucerne, in Switzerland"
HE has sent you to hear me sins! |!
cried Marie, clapping her hands in de.
light. 81 was thinking, as you entered
that should never sing again--it is so
sad 10 be forgotten"
Whereupon, without moments hest.
tation, she lifted up her marvellous young
voice to the fir fters, and, one after an
other, every wild melody the goatherds
sing on the sleeps, every note of bird or
tempest she had ever caught from the
depths of the forest. she now blew out,
airy as bursting bubbles, from her lips.
Wagner sat by the peat fire and listen
ed. He said not a word. Presently,
however, crushing, his hat betwixt his
knees, he lifted his keen eyes to the
fiower-like face-to the little figure in
the white bodice and blue kirtle.
"WiIl you come to Lucerne with me-"
he said, "and learn music-learn to sing
and charm the world? You will have
home like paradise you will be clothed
in fine attire and fare sumptuously; and,
last of all, H. RI Ludwig bids me ask it of
you in his name"
That was enough. The great composer
supped that night on goats milk and
black bread, and fingered long by the
peat fire, talking with Max, the forester.
Il myself will be her teacher" he said
and when she has learned of me, she
shall sing in the Court-chapel at Munich,
and her fortune will be made"
"Ah, heaven cried the old man, "who-
ever would have dreamed of such luck
as this for our little Marep
SO the birds in the fr-wood were left
to sing unmocked, and the torrent, the
goat-track, the forester's cottage, and the
wheel and the distaff, knew Marie no
more, for the very next day Herr Wagner |
carried her off to his chateau at Lucerne. |
81 cannot write music" the composer
once said to Louis H., unless l am sur
rounded by beautiful objects"
His dwelling was, as he had told Marie,
a paradise. 1t stood in a wood of beech |
and chestnut. facing a purple lake. GAR
dens surrounded it, full Of cascades, costly |
exotics, luscious. .thickets, rare vines and |
plants. Within, princely luxury pre-
vailed. Superb pictures and statuary met |
one at every turn; draperies of silk and |
velvet, costly carpets and magnificent |
upholstery. That the Kings generosity
had provided all these things, the Ger
man people well knew.
The great musicians greedy grasping
at favors, and his overweening pride, had
him obnoxious in their sight
forced him, indeed, to leave Nymphen-
burg for his home in Switzerland.
Here, in my household, you will live"
said Wagner to Marie. "You will see no
one but my servants and myself--you
will think of nothing but study. pre-
dict great future for you. 1t is your
voice which will some day interpret to
this dull Germany-to the world-the
music which 1 write, not for the present,
but for the future"
In her heart Marie thought how dear
Herr Ludwig must be to this man, since
in every room of the chateau his face
splendid pictured face, with
the soft romantic features, the dreamy
poet eyes, the flowing hair, which she
only too we'll.
For year after Wagner's visit to the
forester's cottage, the good Bavarians
heard but little of the unpopular COM
poser. 1t was whispered in Munich that
he was living in great seclusion, devoting
himself exclusively to pupil of extraor.
dinary promise, who was to make her
debut either in the Court-chapel or in one
of Wagner's own operas at the royal
theatre. 1t was whispered, furthermore,
that her genius and her personal beauty
WIRE alike wonderful, and that she lived
like a nun with the old musician-hls
companion, but secluded utterly
from the outer world.
All this was quite true. A year OF tire
less study developed in Wagner's young
charge such talent as amazed even the
old master. He loved her with that in
stinctive love which attracts genius to
genius. He put rich garments on her.
and seemed to draw from her living.
breathing loveliness deeper inspiration
than he had ever done from rare painting
or flower. She shared the weary vigils
he p4id to his art He contided to her
his Dreams his localities He called her
called him father. Her
yelvety skin lost the soft brown of the
mountain sun, and became like snow.
She grew tall and marvelousy lovely, |
like the sumptuous day-lilies blooming
in the chateau gardens.
Meanwhile she never once saw Herr |
Ludwig, nor did Wagner ever mention
his name in her presence.
One Summer night Marie sat in null
lioned window of Wagners music-room,
gazing out into the dark Of the chestnut
wood. The moon shone above the noun
tains; the air was heavy with the per-
fume of flowers. As she looked down on
a terrace below, where, during all the
warm months, coffee and wine were
served after dinner, she saw-pacing
back and forth there, in the shadow of
the trees-Herr Wagner and another
figure, tall and handsome, wrapped close
ly in military cloak.
Her heart gave great bound, and then
seemed to stand still.
He walked by the side of the old COM
poser, his hand resting with familiar ten
derness on Wagner's shoulder. They
were talking earnestly and in low voices
Marie heard now and then the echo OF
her own name dropped ia the pauses
With fitting color, with quickened breath,
that came like perfume through the red
blossom of her lips, she watched the
pair.
He of the military cloak paused beneath
the window and looked up. The moon
light slanted upon his pale, handsome
face. 1t was Herr Ludwig.
lie stood for some moments, gazing in
tentlv upward. The deep vines that
swayed about the window sheltered her
from his view. Presently deep, pas