Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-18

ouppUoC but1 luOu@uL hit uGtiO, anu
left me-" said Otto. Zone has not much
time to waste on these occasions. Poor
! Rudolf! He viii have fed; but he can
come back now, since no harm is DONE"
And the ladyT' asked Lieschen, breath
lessly.
''she will marry Rudolf, no doubt" re-
1 piled Otto, with a hard laugh; land
shall dance at the wedding"
Lieschen said nothing; but the great
/ dark eyes that rested on his face were
lighted with new fire, a burning wOr-
ship, an unspeakable devotion; her heart
beat and her pulses thrilled with a new,
sweet, mysterious pain. The dye was
cast.
At last there came a day-Oh. those
days, those few days that make up the
earthly history of a life! Some all in
/ white and garlauded with fresh flowers OF
spring; some flaming in gold and crowned
with sunshine; sOme-sOme there must
be-draped deep in black. There they are
| within the yelled future, coming slowly.
surely on, each in its appointed time,
neither sooner FOR our longing, nor later
( for our agony of fear; and we cannot
choose but take them all and bear them
till the last sands have run, and there are
no more. There came a day when Otto
Won der Lanken babe farewell. He went
through the garden looking for his little
nurse to say goodbye to her, but could
not find her; then he saw little foot
marks in the sandy path under the roses
and syringas that led down on to the
shore. He followed them, and found
Lieschen standing by the tide looking out
| to sea.
"Lieschen," he said, coming up to her.
| Il am come to say gOOd-bver
sob, not today cried Lieschen, clasp
/ ing her hands and looking up at him with
her great piteous eyes; mot so soonr'
"Doch ia, liebes Kind" he answered, (
sv.IN 49, I'll
| thanks to my good little Liescben, and it 1
is time to be up and doing. And nOw,v he I
added, seeing the tears rush to her eyes, I
/ snow what can do for thee, sweet child? /
Ask what thou will"
She looked up at him a moment. stand 1
/ ing there so tall and straight and fair. with /
/ the sun on his bright hair and the blue sky I
shining in his eyes, and then she put her /
hands over her face and sobbed aloud like .
little child.
"DOnner" calculated the young Count
softly to himself, In great perplexity. Then /
/ he drew step nearer. "Dear little Lies
4 chen, don't cry, for PHYS sake! What can
do for thee? Tell me-"
''Oh give me your love-your lovep' she
! cried out, passiOnately. Glove me, if only
1 llttleW and then she broke down utter
| ~ and leaned her little brown head against
I his arm, crying bitterly.
why, that thou hast, dear One-not a
{
| loving theeW he answered. soothinglV.
ASK something harder, for my love thou
hast"
After long pause she looked up through
her tears.
and thou wilt-thou wilt come back
one day."
"Why, surely" said he, Il am not worth
all these tears, pretty one! Be happy, right
happy, till l come again. Adieu now.
sweet child! Auf Wiedersehent auf baldig
Wiedersehenr'
He stopped and kissed her on the fore
head, and went away up the sand, turn
ing under the syringas to wave another
/ farewell, and then she heard his horses
! hoof gathering up the yard, and he was
gone.
Gone! How it haunted her day after
day as she passed in and out of the house.
empty of his presence: down the garden
and the meadows, which knew his step
and voice no more; and upon the shore,
where he bad hidden her farewell Weeks
passed before she at all turned from that
feeling of missing him so sOrelY TO the
hope of his return. He had said. "Auf
Wiedersehenv' Perhaps in a week,
month-perhaps at harvest-time-perhaps
at Chrlstmas--he would come, she thought,
as the time went by.
But he did not cOme-nOt even when it
was spring and the early leaves came out.
and the clouds lifted and shone white in
the young sunshine, and the birds sang
merrily.
Gustav came and went, and began to
urge the marriage. Perhaps he saw that
his betrothed was losing the pretty roses
in her cheeks, and that the light in her
eyes was growing sad and strange; and
he-knOWing as none but he knew how
much he loved her-longed to take her to
himself in his own home and make her
happy.
So they fixed day at last, and Lies
chen, like one in dream, helped the old
nurse to make all the preparations, and
piled her needle bUsily.
All was ready at length, and two days
before the wedding Liesehen stood on the
shore, her work done. and no more to do
but wait now for the dawning of the day
that was to bring Gustav and make her his
wife,
AS she stood there she seemed to hear a
voice answering her own thoughts:
''Thou wilt lose all, bethink thee we'll
all if thou fail. Thy fathers love, thy
peaceful home, thy fair name, thy good,
honest husband-all will be lostw
''Alas, alas, l know itI'' she answer
ed, weeping; "but l cannot, 1 will not
failr'
She went into the house and looked into
the sitting-rOom. There sat her father in
his chair asleep, the pipe still between his
fingers, and the room dim with smoke.
| Her lips seemed to frame some word they
vainly sought to utter, and then with a
! choking, stifled sob she turned and stole
| away-away out of the house, across the
meadows, and on toward the shore of the
/ other side of the prOmOntOry, on which lay
| her fathers farm. She was not strong, but I
| something within her gave her power to
| walk all nightin the chill spring weather.
/ Long before noon the next day she had /
/ caught the Stralsund steamer on its back
ward way, and was being carried across
| the water to Stralsund.
She felt no WEAKNESS, no hunger, thirst, |
! or cold, and only Ionged to be on foot /
| once more. She was quite familiar with I
! the quaint old quiet town, and hurried up |
/ the quay, across the Water-street. and up /
| under the dark shadOwy ZemlOwer gate
| way, along the quiet streets where grass,
/ grows between the stones Of the pave
/ ment, and the old gabled houses have !
+ looked down for hundreds of years upon /
/ the simple burgher life below. She went /
| through the town and out into the |
country beyond, past many a pleasant 1
/ little farm, where the stOTks were patch /
/ ing up their great nests on the matched |
! barns and cow-hOuses, and making their /
| curious rafting CRY as they flew to and
/ fro. She remembered that the stOrks
/ used to bring the summer in old days and /
/ all good gifts when they came back, and /
] that this spring they had not yet come to /
I ler nome on hu4e0. III one ulllG village
/ she asked for a drink of milk, and they
made her eat and rest little while; but /
! she was restless and anxious to be gone,
! so they let her go, though the wind was
rising and blowing sharp and keen and
/ little flakes of snow were flying through
4 the air.
BY nightfall a fierce storm was blowing
| and the air was thick with driving snow.
/ Lieschen asked shelter at a farm lying
! little back from the high road.
! Chow far is it to FriedenhagenP she |
asked.
| ''What, has thou friends at Friedenha-
! gen? In the service of the Count Won der |
! Lanken, thenP
eyes, / have friend there" answered |
| the girl, with faint smile. els it far |
now?"
"Why, thou wilt not walk it, surely? /
/ IT'S good four hours from here.'
ooh, am very strong" answered Lies |
chen, bravey. "Only let me sleep here,an /
then ] shall be able to do it,"
SO she slept there; but very early i'm the /
morning she rose and stole away out ON /
to the snowy road in the cutting, pitlcss /
wind leaving behind her, as q token Of
her gratitude, the only thing she had TO
| give-her betrothal ring.
! Ughp has a and story doubtless. poor |