The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-21


eye, Of course sought his loved ones dwell
ing, and his mothers gaze followed his. AS
her glance fell upon the scene in the Win
dow her eyes lit up and, touching her sons
arm, she said
Look there. my son, and see for yourself
the truth of what l told you Your Anna
Iese loves not you, but another"
The effect on the passionate young man
was tremendous and the result very differ
ent from what the short-sighted mother had
foreseen.
Uttering a cry of rage he sprang from his
horse and dashed into the house. With
drawn sword. he flew up the stairs and into
the apartment where the cousins were
AS Anna Liese saw her lover enter, sword
in hand, and with a face distorted with. pas
young doctor eyed the intruder with amaze
ment.
Leopold, for the nonce quite mad, rushed
straight at him, and the torrent of abuse
which he poured forth, together with his
wild demeanor. left no doubt as against
whom his hostility was directed.
The doctor was a man of peace, and
timid. He turned and fed into another
room. The prince followed him. and before
could stay his arm he had stabbed the I'M
fortunate Wilhelm through the heart The
young man fell, bathed in blood, and Leo
pold all his fury suddenly abating before
the dreadful sight looked down horror
stricken upon the victim of his mad wrath.
while the household of the apothecary,
aroused by Anna LleSe's frantic cries,
crowded round, speechless and terrified.
The despair of the princess at the out
come of the jealousy which she herself had
aroused in her son can be imagined. True,
she had no need to fear for him. Prince of
the land, he stood in too high and unassail-
able a position to be called to account for
his crime; besides which such affairs were
looked upon with much less severity in
those stormy times than they are now, and
this particular unhappy matter had been so
carefully hushed up that few beyond those
Immediately concerned knew all the facts
of the case What affected the princess
most deeply was the bitter reflection that
the whole terrible episode was of her own
bringing about. She had known so we'll
her sons passionate, undisciplined nature,
and, Notwithstanding that, had played upon
it in so dangerous a style! Too late she
allied the tremendous power of the love
against which she had tried to battle, and
now her dearest wish was to bring about
that marriage which she had hitherto
striven with all her might to prevent. For
it seemed to her now that in that alone lay
her sons salvation.
1t was a matter which required some deli
cate handling The apothecary's family,
firm and deep as was their loyalty and al
lection for their prince, could not fail to
feel both these sentiments deeply shaken
by his fatal act, and to give Anna Liese in
marriage to the very man who had slain
her cousin would no doubt seem to them too
dreadful thing to contemplate.
AS for the pretty maid herself, she was
very rauch in Juliet's predicament She had
loved her cousin and mourned him deeply
but she loved his destroyer still more, and
kill. How could she forget that his fury
had all been born of his love for her, and
o do f tbst 1err6e h sde h his his
which, once brought into play, led him into
acts for which he was hardly responsible?
Many were e the tears poor poor Anna Liese shed
chamber, both for the dead cousin and that
still dearer one, whom she had not seen
would be now suffering all the agonies Of
unaVaillng remorSe
She was sitting thus. some weeks later,
with her sad thoughts for sole companions,
when the door openeu and her mother with
tear-stained eyes stood before her.
Daughter, have come to fetch thee"
she said in tones that trembled. THE prin-
cess is down below with thy father, and
thou art wanted"
Anna Liese turned pale.
THE princess mother?'
Eyes. my child" And then the mother
took the girl into her arms and her tears
She says she was to blame for all his jeal-
ousy, and beseeches US to consent to the
marriage. She told that she sees now
that thou alone canst guide him as he needs
to be led and make him a good man; that
his life, for good or evil, is in thy hands
And you and my father-what did you
say?" faltered Anna Liese.
Her mother gently stroked her hair as she
answered.
Thy father said at last that thine own
heart should decide, my child. 1t may be
that the princess is right, and that thou art
the one pointed out by Heaven to be this
mans good angel. If that is so we have no
right to withhold his salvation God. who
is so great and wise, knows what is for the
best, and He will guide thee the right way,
my child"
Leopold meanwhile was sitting brooding
ell alone in oIie of the great massively fur
nished rooms in the castle. 1t was getting
dark very rapidly, but he did not notice the
with the darkness of his mind. His head
was sunk forward on his breast, his eyes
were fixed on vacancy, while all manner Of
tormenting reflections were surging through
his brain. And the chief of these, which
kept ever recurring, was that, by his own
hand, he had placed barrier between his
tie, peace-loving maiden, would surely never
forgive such act as his. No, his pretty
Anna Liese, his darling Wiesgen as he had
been wont to call her, was lost to him for
ever Bitter tears welled to his eyes. and
he cursed his mad and fatal impulse for the
thOusa ndth time.
At that moment the door behind him
opened noiselessly, light footsteps glided
across the polished floor. and some one
came and stood beside him. And looking up
he saw with wondering eyes his love, his
Anna Liese, more beautiful than he had
ever yet beheld her. with tears, half of
sadness, half of JOY in the tender eyes
that gazed upon him. Then, even as he sat,
speeches. and bewidered. half doubling his
own eyes, his mother glided up to him and
placed his sweethearts hand in his.
Though this true story happened in times
far from idylic and the prince was by ma
ture far from an ideal hero of romance, one
might we'll end the narrative of his wooing
with the old finale of the fairy tales: They
lived happily ever after" for Leopold and
his wife, from the time they were welded
till Anna LieSe's death, forty-Seven years
later were lovers to the last.
Nearly two hundred years have passed
since the day when pretty Anna Liese be-
came the great lady of her native land;
but the names of both maid and lover still
live In the pages of German history. For
the prince was Leopold Furst Won Anhalt-
Dessau, famous in Prussian annals as der
alte Dessauer,'' the general who fought as
young man under Friedrich Wilhelm of
Brandenburg, the Great Elector, and as an
old one under Frederick the Great him
SELF and who, for a period of nearly half
century stood out conspicuously as one of
the greatest soldiers of that day.
The memory of Anna LieSe Fose is still
held in honor in her native province. For
she showed herself well worthy to fill the
exalted position to which she was raised.
She knew just how to manage her rough
and self-willed lord, and to use her infiu-
ence for the good of the people Well ac-
quainted with the wants and necessities OF
the Dessau province, she held the reins OF
government during the princes enforced
absence in the wars wisely and we'll, and,
risen herself from the people, succeeded in
winning in the highest degree their loyalty
and love.