Middletown transcript., 1892-05-26
EXPLAINED.

/
"nESIRE is at home and the
u relatives have come in full
force. Can you visit me and protect
herr"
had emily been waiting for the
moment when something should give
me hint that Desire might be help
ed. Now, when the summons came
from Gretchen. I packed my trunk
and was off that same day.
Desire had been away three years,
wonderfully married, living her
double life ecstatically. We at home
had times Of trembling for them in
Italy. It was apparent that they
were giving themselves up wholly to
the joy of being together. Might they
not lose hold on outside thing, and,
some time, when the world no longer
existed for them, turn to it, and fnd-
ing no response, cry out with blame
| upon each other !? But the immortal
gods dashed their cup otherwise.
News was flashed over to Us that
Chello was dead !; then, silence. Not
a word came from Desire for month,
until Gretchen received another de-
spatch, saying she was on her way
home, and the housekeeper at the
Nest had orders to put the place in
readiness. After this, silence again
for me, until Gretchen sent me the
note which opens this story.
1t was not the first time we two had
waged war against the relatives
often VIGOROUSLY, and as often defeat
ed. Desire had inherited a magnifi-
cent property from her maternal
grandfather; she had also inherited
score Of cousins on the other side,
who were only too servilely attentive
to her. / have seen her serene and
beautifully unconscious when Martha
Fellows insinuated that, after sending
William to college, Desire might as
well give him q year abroad. I have
seen her adorn the Mcntagu girls
with lacee and put plain little collar
about her own Juno-like throat. One
imposition followed another; but
whenever it was possible Gretchen
and I stood in the van, boldly de-
nouncing the relatives and insisting
that Desires uncommon wisdom
should not interfere with her common
sense. It would be interesting to
know how many thousand dollars we
saved her.
When I arrived at Gretchen's, she
was sittiug placidly beside a sand.
heap where her three square, blonde
little Stieges were rolling, Gretchen
herself is blonde; 50 is her husband
but. being German, he has a right
to his complexion. 1t was an easy
process to denationalize his wife. All
that was needed was the conversion
of her stately English name of Mar
garet into its synonyme, and hel
physique did the rest.
"My dear woman, I knew you
were ready" she said, taking me in
her arms.
"And about Desire :"
"She is either very we'll or very
i'll. Come to your room, and I will
tell you afterward."
When I had finished my hasty
toilet, we stationed ourselves beside
the sand-heap, in the shade. That
however, lay in glaring sunlight
Gretchen explained that Herr Stieg'
believed in dirt; the children mus
roll.
But with your grounds, and all
this land about you I"
They do not roll enough" sale
Gretchen in her pLlegmatic way
why wasn't she a German p" il
they are left to themselves. They
will rnD, play; but they must roll =
Then she began Desires story, in
terspersed with shrill yells from the
little Stieges, who were burrowing and
appearing startlingly through the
sand-heap, like SO many worms with
lank white hair and piercing blue
eyes:
When Desire came home she
was like dead woman. She had nc
color her face was like marble hel
eyes were dead. / was there. tina
night, but 1 hardly think she knew
me. She went to her room immedi-
ately on arriving, and didn't come
out till morning. Then she was trans
formed. She went in in black; sh'
came out wearing white dress and |
knot Of pink ribbon. She had color
she walked with me to the gate; he
eyes were bright, and she talked,-