Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-09-27

WDHutfs anu IiliGftis OAbtiA ~ ~ y ''+A
to sleep over the mystery that sur
rounds me here; all know Of my
history | viii gladly tell you for, %
she added, shyly, although ! have
known YOU 50 short a time, ] quite
feel as if YOU were an old friend. and
[ have so very few AS a little girl, l
remember very indistinctly a dark
eyed mother She was very tender TO
me. and we sat often in pretty gar
den. / remember mamma cried Bit
terly at times; and one day Frau
Schwalbein, who was Mamma thQn,
took me away with her to little con
vent on the mountain side n Italy. |
cried. too. when taken from mamma,
and / never saw her again. Mamma
came now and then to me, and was
good and kind TO me in her way,
which is rather a stupid way, until a
few weeks ago she told me / was TO
leave the convent, and brought me to
live with her and her GerEsan hus-
band. The life at the convent was dull
enough, but the girls and the good
sisters loved me. Here it is worse
than dull / feel like a prisoner and
| wander about the great lonely gar
den IN despair When | beg for
friends or companions Herr SchWal-
bein pretends that he does not under
stand my German and Mamma laughs
and says where could / find them
ooh, you cannot imagine how delight
full it is TO talk TO YOU and the inno-
cent girl offered her hand as frankly
as child, while tears stood in her
liquid eyes.
l was strongly moved at this piteous
little story but Oh, so helpless TO offer
more than words of commonplace sym
pathy. That night, with my head
pressed despairingly in my hand, l
knew that loved my model
At last my work was done, Fra
ochwalben had hinte4 broadly that
my visits to the garden be discoHtin-
ued and, indeed, having resolved no
word or glance should betray my feel
ings for my model, or disturb tn G
girlish calm of her young heart, |
knew well it was time l should flee
temptation. / babe her goodbye, and
told her of my going to her sunny
Italy. Her face flushed when ! kissed
her hand and thanked her for the
pleasure the sittings had given me,
and then her cheek paled and she
looked sadly away from me with quiy-
ering lips. How | cursed my poverty
as | prepared to leave my one JOY in
life behind me
All was ready, luggage packed and
strapped at the door, and while | stood
taking last look at the chateau gar
den where | had learned to love File.
norella, a knock came on my door
Herr Schwalbein entered; he was
flushed and a half-frightened manner
replaced his usual lethary Would l
be so kind he said, as to follow him;
gentleman wished to speak to me IN
the old chateau
Wondering, | went with him, and
he led me through "a side entrance Of
the gloomy old building; through
long, musty smelling passages, until
we got to a chapel Flecks of light
from stained windowslay on it's dusty
decoration; only one fresh, pure thing
drew my eyes to rest upon it, and that
was the face | loved, looking down,
in its marble purity, from "a recently
erected tomb-my own work
| gazed long in delight, when aman,
whose bowed form before the tomb
had not observed, arose. He turned
toward met was the gentleman
who had come to my room for one
brief visit
Approaching me and pointing to the
face, over which a ray of light was
trembling, he whispered, in an awe
stricken voice, "Was itan inspiration,
or have you seen henry sweet young
wife, But, no-you viii excuse me,
sir; | have been dreaming" He stead
led his voice with an effort, and went
ON, Il have sent for you to thank you
the figure of a masterpiece. He
looked at me for "a moment steadily,
You have a good face, - he said, and a
sad one too. Then, as If shaken out
of his ordinary reticence by some
powerful emotion, Would You care
to listen to an unhappy mans his
toryI'
/ pressed my strange companions
hand in sympathy, and he lead Inc to
seat.
My father was a German count,
our home the neglected chateau: sud
den death deprived me of both my
parents and / was left young to the
care of a priest, a relative of my
mothers, who was an Italian. Father
Alloys a learned aScetic kept me Sc
cluded as much as possible, and fos-
tered i'm me naturally romantic and
idealistic nature AT his death | was
but lily prepared to enter the world,
and had no weapons TO resist its at
tacks. might have fallen at once
into "a life of dissipation from ignor-
ance more than inclination, but for the
influence Of a woman. She was am ac-
treSs; although young, her noble sym
plthv of heart compelled my rever-
euce and love. l married her, knowing
little of her life and connections, and
took her to a villa in Italy, where We
lived in happiness, quietly content.