Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-06


favor and how his ferefathers by no means
belonged TO the painters guilds, but to the
patricians of the free imperial city Of Voss
hngen; that WHEN bis great grandfather
| moved away from there he had given mp his
patricisnshiD. which was deemed equiv-
alent to lower order Of nobii y
| Occasionally he interrupted this already Oft
told story with more lyrical exclamstions. and
forced his head laborit usly through the win
dow hars, whereby he came in closer contact
with Sussuna's mouth than was quite necss-
| sary to make himself ineligible.
| Bus it SO happened that the restless ouries-
| ity of the knight to see the new picture drove
him to visit Konrad at once, and he cared
little for a better afternoon light. He had
atepped into the hell with his ususl Tesoun5-
| ing step, accompanied by bis war Ger, but tie
exubsrance Of their feelings and the noise OF
| the rain prevented the pair from hearing him.
| He listened GRANVILLE quietly while the paiater
glori6ed his artistic calling and patriciaa
| standing. As the latter, for the third time,
worked his head through the bars, he clapped
him on the shoulder.
Konrad tried to draw back his head quick
ly. but it stuck fast Tor it was only slowly
and circumspsctly that il could be gos in
again. Susanna screamed and h5d. The
| artist found himself in a piliable predica
| meat. He had determined to stand up be-
fore the knight SO boldly and proudly. and
row he stuck there like a fox in q steel trsr
Tnen that Susanna should have scampsred
away sssmed to him very chi dish. She
should have remained, with heroic fortitude,
in spite of rain aud knight.
All this took but mom5nt. The painter
laughed aloud the knight laughed too, and
the old wal der laughed in echo. Now the
head cane free. Ano her than the Painter
| would by Io means have laughed; he was
provoked that the knight should nave laughed
also. instead Of raging and storming, and this
weston restored all his pride.
Erect and solemn he approached the knight.
He pointed at the beautiful pictures and said,
III his usual direct way, that these pictures
| were 50 good, and SO punc.uslly executed, not
through the tediousness of the prison, but
only by the assistance of Susanna-the charm
ing Susanna. Sue alone had saved the
knights word to the saints. He did not re-
quire the hundred gold forms for a work ex.
torted by Violsnt deed, For that which he
had done fsesly lie had already won the high.
est price-Susanra's love. No power could
tear their hearts ssunder. That now stood
| fixed AID hrm-completed like the finished
Fourteen Helpers in Distress. He therefore
| asked fer Susanna's hand.
The knight laughed again until the walls
vibra.ed.
"You would marry Susanna. Well, /
l
| lord of The manor, might raise some. But
| you should first ssk the father of the girl,
and be pointed st-ths wsrder.
The latter stepped |, r. ward and said:
| ST ever SusanEa marcies it must be 20 3
man in regular service, who has bis bread
assured to him; not to bTaegadocio Of 3
painter, who must be locked up 10 do his
duty"
Konrad was dazsd. Blushiug 10 the roots
ae h,ir hla ~, ot,t
fsw confused questions, which the knight on
| his part scarcely uEderatood. Only the lat
ter got so much IF his meaning that he held
it expsdient for ihs good understanding of all
concerned to d clare to the painter that Su-
slpna was by no means his daughter. but this
J chAmbsImaid of his wife, and the legitimate
child Of his trusty old servant-the warder.
The latter had in The meantime gone in
quest of the girl in order to partially cross
examine her in the presence OF the painter
From the deepest shame the latter now
awoke to boiling anger. He saw himself
deceived by Susanna, who had played tbs
ladv before him, very likely in compot with
both of his j,iiers. As the maiden, with
tears in her eyes, and yet hopefully, ap.
preached him, he thrust her back and cried !:
81 believed that 1 had plghted my troth
to a respectable young LADY. My honor does
not require that keep il with caquettish
servant girl
Susanna had heard enough of what had
gone before to catch the meaning of these
words. Silent. deathly pale. with quivering
| lips, but full OF dignity, she Withdrew. But
the knight brought her back, and stepped
before the painter. Clear, stern and COM
posedly, he spake:
81 am man of the old kind, ard you fine
young man probably know bstter how to live
than |. Let me tell you one thing, however
Ii / had fallen in love, 1 should not have
done it SO biindly. But if once 1 had given
kept If, even if l subscq lently found that,
Instead of young lacy, she were only a
chanber-ms;d."
The words brought the painter to his
! senses. He looked at poor Susanna, who
stood there nobler and grandsr than be him
self. No! Such being could not have so
wantonly betrayed him. 1t occurred to him
too that she had never called herself the
knights daughter; but had rather only
spoken of him as the master. It became
clear in his mind. He had deceived himself,
and in the tumult OF lis passion had ignored
| that which would have ret him on the right
| track. Painter-liks he had fancisd and
painted what he wished. not what he saw.
Now, however, feeling of peniteEcs darted
| throush him at the unspeakabls pain which
| he had brought upon Susanna. He desired a
moment to talk with her alone. She refused
| at first, but gradually consented, and they
withdrew. The knight meanwhile examined
| the freshly painted pictures. At one of them
he shook his head very thoughtfully.
! When Konrad and Susanna rsturned-the
minute, by the way, had lasted half an hour
they held esch other by the hand not so
| fast as the first time through the window.
! but. in fact, faster. Even the old kni2
| softened st the sight of them, and he spoke
good word to the warder, that he should
overcome his prejudice against painters.
What the lord rec 1mmends the servant must
observe The latter laid his bony hands on
the united hands Of the lovers. It wss slmcss
touching TO behold
In romances heros think at the supreme
moment exactly what they should. 1t is quite
otherwise in life. AS Konrad felt the grip
that bestowed the blessing of his unexpected
| father-in-law, be cast, in spite of his enc
tions, a comparing look at the father, whom
he had painted ss q satyr, and at the daugh.
ter, whom he had painted IS saint, and
thought that the long. lost mother of Susanna
must have been more than saint in beauty
che must have been angelic, to make such
father, by her surplus loveliness, to have such
a daughter.
! (At times il is good to make the acquaint-
ance of the parents-in-law, after the engage
| .nent is made especially for paiaters.)
But now the knight came with serious
miseiyiug He held the picture of the new
st katherine up to the light, and said:
This is not at all the real Katherine ; but
the maid Sussnna-quite as if cut out of her
very face. | do not accept this picture as
valid. Shall set up for homage before my
family and servants, in my chapel, the pict-
ure Of my former chambermaid? II it had
been my real daughter who was painted on
| the N artyr.wheel, would be satisfied. It's
vet fourteen days to st. Lsonaid's Day. You
must paint new picture"
The painter declared that he would take
| his best picture back, with pleasure-the fruit
and witness of his happiest hours. If the
knight wished him to paint bis daughter, he
would do it, but only as favor.