The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-22

and tore II open. After reading It she sank
forward In her chair. like one dazed. her
head resting on her hands. This IL a part
Of what II said:
ct have been very long In writing to you,
dear Miss Nelly: but my time, every mo-
ment OF IL, has been occupied Of late with
grave business. have had much anxiety.
and moments of hopeless despair, but now
things look brighter. AS write. with the
noise of bugles, of the tramp of horses and
the Gathering of arms echoing in by ears, I
can hardly believe that 50 few months ago
I was living in the quiet shelter of your
happy village home. with, excepting your
kind SELF my books as my only companions
1t is greatly owing to your care that have
been able to gain strength enough for my
work, which has been nothing short of
quelling an Instruction, and bringing the
affairs of a kingdom into something like
order. These words, Miss Nelly, will seem
very strange to you. But there is now no
longer any reason why I should not tell
you about myself. My name Is not Kraft
meier. I am called Frederick, and once /
was the King of my country. Moldavia"
The closely written sheets fell from
Nelly's hand.
20 God. A kingr' she cried. And tears
| ran rapidly down her cheeks She had
awakened from dream that had been
more dear to her than she knew, and the
pain was poignant. After little while she
continued to read-
But / abdicated mere than a year ago.
| I tell you all this because I know that
your heart is kind. and your feelings deep
| 1t was for the sake Of a woman She was
the daughter Of a poor and proud prince,
and my brother. the present king, and /,
both loved her deeply knew that he was
the one for whom she cared but that her
| father would insist upon her marrying me.
I was a reigning sovereign, although our
| country Is but small. / could not hesitate
/ gave up my rights to him, and resolved,
| after abdicating, to devote the remainder
of my life to study, and to pass it in OBJ
/ scurity. did not wish that my presence
should be reproach TO them, and came
| away to England. Chance and sore illness
brought me to your sweet, od-world viii
lage, and ! thought that 1t would be a
| temporary home OF peace and great quiet
| ness.
My scheme at first answered My broth
er-the king and queen were very happy.
| Then. some time ago-de you remember
you read of 1t one evening ?-came the re-
| bellion. 1t was a great and terrible shock
to me. and took two or three days to con-
slider what steps should take Two old
friends of mine came, as you saw, to dis
cuss the future with me. They and 1 both
knew that had influence with my country
men. 1 have been more among them thar
my brother has. And, before all else. was
sure that my presence would be a safe.
guard to her. to my queen.
IT need not write more. Your English
papers have doubtless told In brief outline
of the queling of the insurgent party, and
of peace being restored to Moldavia. Sc
my work is done. Once more I go away
but this time to an old castle on the border
land of my country. And the doctors have
limited to me that my sojourn there will moi
be long one. The strain l have beer
through of late has told much upon m,
health. So this letter, dear Miss Nelly
which thanks you from my heart for you,
goodness, may De also-who knows?-a las
farewell. If 1t is. know that you will keey
a kindly thought for the exile you befriend
ed, and that you will not forget him In you
prayers. FREDERICK"
Years-forty long years-have passed ava,
stree then. The body of Frederick, King O.
Moldavia, lies sleeping in a great ma sbl,
tomb across the seas Nelly is a middle
aged woman, with children and grand-chil
dren of her own. The one she loves bes
among them all is a little boy who is callet
Frederick, after an old friend of his grand
mothers. She has kept curious ring LOCKED
up in a box, for Freddy, who will have i
for his own on some future day when SIN
has gone far away from him. Jim has mad
her a good husband and they are happ,
enough In their quiet, uneventful life. Nov
and then, when she alludes to the romano
which so strongly Impressed her in he
girlish days and which seems like SOM
ethereal vision from which she has Ion.
since awakened, her husband speaks littl
impatiently to this effect:
That's all very fine but can't see VIII,
a man shouldn't keep what he's got. Ate
all, we can't tell nothing about anothe
world, It's more sense-in my opinion, m,
girl-to make the most of this
Jim is q really good, kind fellow; so II hi
wife does not agree with him she will no
anger him by argument.
But Nelly c!ings to the faith Of he
fathers, and it makes her happier to be
lieve that her old friend, the exile VII
gave UP so much on earth for the woman
he loved. perhaps still wears a crown. bu
in some far-away kingdom that is not o
this world.