The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-10-08

full path and has taken her straight to
his rest. -
Osra heard him, half in trance and
as if she did not hear. She did not
know whittier he went nor what he did
nor anything that passed, until, as it
seemed after a long while, she looked
up and saw Prince Ludwig standing be-
fore her. He was composed and calm,
but it seemed as if half the life had
gone out of his face. Osra rose slowly
to her feet, supporting herself ON an
arm of the chair Oh which she had sat,
and when she had seen his face she sud
denly threw herself on the floor at his
feet, crying:
Forgive mel Forgive mel"
''The guilt is mine, - said he "for l
did not trust you and did by stealth
what your nobility would have suffered
openly. The guilt is mine" And he
offered to raise her. But she rose IN
aided, asking with choking voice:
els she dead?'
"She is dead" said the prince, and
Osra, hearing it, covered her face with
her hands and blindly CROPPED her way
back to the chair, where she sat painting
and exhausted.
"To her l have said farewell, and
now, madame, to you. Yet do not think
that l am a man without eyes for your
beauty or a heart to know your worth.
l seemed to you fool and churl. l
grieved most bitterly, and l wronged
you bitterly My excuse for all is now
known. For though you are more beau
tiful than she, yet true love is no wan
derer. 1t gives a beauty that it does not
find and weaves a chain no other
charms can break. Madame, farewell. "
She looked at him and saw the sad
Joy in his eyes, an exultatiOn over what
had been, that what was could not de-
Jtroy, and she knew that the vision was
still with him, though his love was
dead. Suddenly he seemed to her man
she also might love and for whom
she also, if need be, might gladly die.
Yet not because she loved him, for she
was asking still in wonder, "What is
this love?"
Madame, farewell" said he again,
and, kneeling before her, he kissed her
hand.
II carry the body of my love-" he
went on, "back with me to my home,
there to mourn for her, and I shall
come no more to Strelsau.
Osra bent her eyes on his face as he
knelt, and presently she said to him in
whisper that was low, for awe, not
shame:
"You heard what she babe me do?"
Eyes, madame, know her wish. "
"And you would do it?' she asked.
Madame, my struggle was fought be-
fore she died. But now you know that
my love was not yours.
THAT also l knew before, sir, and
slight bitter smile came on her face.
But she grew grave again and sat there,
seeming to be bordering, and Prince
Ludwig waited on his knees. Then she
suddenly leaned forward and said
IF l loved, 1 would wait for you to
love. Now, what is the love that L can
not feel?"
last raised her eyes again to his, saying
in voice that even i'll the stiffness Of
the room he hardly heard:
Now, do dearly love you, for l
have seen your love and know that you
can love, and l think that love must
breed love, so that she who loves must
in Gods time be loved. YETI She
paused here, and for a moment hid her
face with her hand. "Yet cannot"
she went on. SIS it our Lord Christ
who bids us take the lower place? can
not take it. y
The prince, though in that hour he
could not think of love, was yet very
much moved by her new tenderness
and felt that what had passed rather
drew them together than made any sep
aration between them. And it seemed
to him that the dead lady's blessing
was on his suit, so he said:
Madame, would most faithfully
serve you, and you would be the nearest
and dearest to me of all living women.
She waited awhile; then she sighed
heavily and looked in his face with an
air of wistful longing, and she knit her
brows as though she were puzzled But
at last, shaking her head, she said:
at is not enough"
And with this she rose and took him
by the hand, and they two went back
together to where the bishop of Modem
stein prayed beside the body of the lady.
Osra stood ON one side of the body and
stretched her hand out to the prince.
who stood OH the other.
''See," said She "She must be be-
tween US" And having kissed the dead