The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-01-31

WY ..--~ Il
He took~the princess Ii, his arms and
| Kissed her.
his ~wife's face. He believed her-to be
acquiescent..> That night he accused
her. Her denials We're in vain. He
confronted her with his cousin, who
swore before the immortal God him.
self that the princess had lain willing
In his arms. From that time on the
prince changed. He became reckless;
he fell in with evil company; he grew
to be shameless rufian, man who
brought his women into his wife's
presence and struck her while they
were there. And in his passions he
called her terrible names He made a
vow that when children came he would
make them things of scorn. In her
great trouble the princess came to my
inn, where the Princess Hildegarde
was born. The prince refused to be-
lieve that the child was his. My mis-
tress finally sickened and died broken
hearted. The prince died in a gam
bling den. The king became the guard.
ian Of the lonely child. He knows but
little or he would not ask her high
ness"- He stopped.
HE would not ask her what?''
ITO wed the man who caused all this
trouble"
what! Prince Ernst?'
Eyes; i prayed to God, herr, that
your friends bullet would carry death,
but it was not to be-"
II am going back to London" said L.
when I have settled up my affairs
there, l. shall return"
"And then?'
perhaps shall complete what my
friend began
| climbed into the ramshackle con-
veyance and was driven away. Once l
looked back. The innkeeper could be
seen on the porch; then he became lost
to view behind the trees. Far away to
my left the stones in the little ceme-
terry on the hillside shone with bril-
liant whiteness.
- CHAPTER XVI.
There were intervals during the three
months which followed when I believ-
ed that was walking in a dream and
waking would find me grabbing at. my
desk in New York. It was so unreal
for these days-mosaic romance in the
heart of prosaic fact! Was there ever
the like? 1t was real enough, however,
in the daytime, when the roar Of Lon
! don hammered at my tears, but when
l sat alone in my room it assumed the
hazy garments Of a dream. Sometimes
caught myself listening for Hillars,
a footstep in the corridor, and I~would
take my pipe from my mouth and wait
expectantly. But the door never open
ed, and the footsteps always passed on.
Often In my dreams stood by the riv-
er again. There is solace in these deep,
wide streams. We come and go-our
hopes, our loves, our ambitions. Ma
ture alone remains. Should ever be-
hold Gretchen again? Perhaps. Yet
there was no thrill at the thought If
ever beheld her again, it would be
when she was PLACED beyond The glance
Of my eye, the touch of my hand. She
was mine-aye, as dream might be;
something possessed, but could not
hold. Heigho! The faces that, peer at
us from the freight shadows! They
troop along in ghostly cavalcade, and
the winds that creep over the window
sill and under the door can say
that they are not the echoes of voices
we once heard in the pas? &. -
S / was often on the verge of sending
in my resignation, but l would remem-
Der in time that work meant bread and
butter-and forgetfulness. When re:
turned to the Office, few questions were
asked, though my assistant looked
i many of them reproachfully. | told
him that Hillars had died abroad and
that he had been buried on the cont:
Enent at his request. all Of which was
true, but only half Of it. did my best
to keep the duel secret, but it finally
: came out It was the topic in the
clubs, for Hillars had been well known
in political and literary circles. But in
i q month or so the affair subsidized. The
world never stops very long; even
when it loses one Of its best friends.
:'#s One late October morning received
q note which read: ssss.sz5
John Winthrop: $3.50 sz 80.
Dear sir-I am amin london for fev.days, home.