The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-05-02
THE HEARTS MEMORY.
A STORY OF A KINGS LOVE.

A STORY OF A KINGS Love-
The kingdom was In desolation. The
young King, since he had lost his wife
gave no attention to the affairs OF
state, but spent his days and nights
weeping before portrait of the dear
one. This portrait was the work OF
his own hand. He had learned to paint
for the express purpose Of executing
It.
One day he flew into towering
rage and threatened to kill one OF his
ehamberlains who had dared to hint
that the deepest grief should not be
eternal and that it would be well for
him to think of marrying some young
girl-the niece of an Emperor or
daughter of peasant, as he might
choose.
"Monster" cried the inconsolable
wldower, do you venture to advise
me so basely? Would you wish me to
be unfaithful to the best of Queensf
Out of my sight or will STAY you with
my own hand! But before you 60
learn this and make 1t known to all
no woman Will ever seat herself up
on my throne unless she is. In every
particular like the wife | have lost"
And well he knew that In saying
this he risked nothing. As she still
lived in her frame of gold dead, alasi
full that, search the world over, her
equal could not be found.
She was a brunette, with long. glls-
tenlng hair flowing down like liquid
ebony, forehead little high and of
rich ivory tint, eyes deep and black as
night and lips parted In a smile which
displayed all her teeth.
Many months slipped away--more
than year-without bringing any
change for the better in the sad state
Of affairs.
Once. however,-it was at the hour
when the dawn paints the windows
with rose and blue-he turned toward
the window, listening TO the song of
a passerbya song. airy and fresh,
pretty and clear as the thrill OF
lark
pressed his forehead against the glass
and looked out. A cry of delight al
most escaped him.
He had never In his life seen any.
thing so charming as that little shep-
herless leading her flock to the mead
0w.
She was blonde, her hair so gold
en- that 1t seemed to lend new bright
ness to the sunshine rather than to
borrow lustre from 1t.
She had n forehead u little low and
pink as rose. luminous eyes, bright
as the morning. and smiling mouth
so small that even when her lips part
ed as she sang they revealed only i've
or six little pearls.
The next day, I'm admirng the por.
trait the King received a painful sur.
prise.
He thought a moment and said to
himself: This Is very strange. 1t
must be that the hall is damp that
the air we breathe Is not good for
paintings. For | remember perfectly
that my Queens hair was not SO dark
as it looks now. No. surely, 1t was not
black like liquid ebony. 1t shone here
and there with the tints of the MORN
ing, not of the night"
He called for his brushes and pal
cite, aud hurriedly corrected the por-
trait, which had been so injured by
the dampness. "Therel Behold now the
golden hair which loved so desperate
ly. which win always lover
Three days later he was compelled
to acknowledge that the picture had
again suffered great deterioration.
Why was That forehead, like amber
ivory, so high? He had good memo
ry. thanks to God! He was sure that
the Queen had n low brow, rosy and
fresh as the wild rose, With few,
strokes of his brush he brought the
golden air lower and tinted the brown
clear pink. And his heart was full
Of an infinite tenderness as he gazed
upon the picture thus restored.
But the day following matters were
still worse. 1t was evident that the
eyes aud mouth OF the pictured face
had been changed by some accident
or some mysterious power.
His darling had never had those
dark eyes, black as the night, nor that
mouth, which opened so as to show
nearly all of her teeth. mol On the
contrary. the blue of the morning sky
could not equal the azure OF the eyes
which sweetiy looked upon her love,
and as to her mouth, 1t was so small
that even when opened to sing or for
kiss ii disclosed only few little
pearls.
For an Instant he could have des-
troyed and cast at his feet the lying
image. But a second thought con-
trolled him and he grew calm again
as he reflected that the injury could
be repaired.
Instantly he set himself earnestly
at his task. His brush was guided by
his faithful memories and few hours
later there smiled from the canvas a
young girl, with eyes as blue as the
distant sky and a mouth so small that,
II 1t had been flower, 1t would hard
ly have held three drops of dew
The King looked upon his work In
a painful ecstasy. 1T Is she. All, il is
really she!' he breathed.
And. quite naturally, he had no OBJ
jections to offer when one day the
chamberlain-who had taken observa-
tons through the keyhole-advised
him to take for his wife a little shep-
herdess, who passed the palace every
morning singing o song.
Surely, why not? For she resembled
N every particular-except that she
was, perhaps. little prettier--the
portrait of the beautiful Queen.--Cor-