The Sauk Centre herald., 1901-03-21
have the hearth and the tobacco to

can have the hearth and the tobacco tc
yourself"
'tGood night" said l. 4. ~
Yes. wanted to be alone. But did
not smoke. l sat and stared into the
Pickering flames In the CRATE. l had
lost Gretchen. To hold woman In
. your arms. the woman you, love, to
kiss her lips and then to lose her! Oh,
I knew that she loved me, but she was
a princess, and her word was given,
and it could not be! The wind sang
mournfully over the sills of the win.
dow; thick snow whitened the panes;
there was humming in the chimneys.
She was jealous of Phyllis. That was
why knew that she loved me. And
the subtle change in Phyllis demeanor
toward me; what did it signify? Gret-
chen was to be married Thursday be-
cause there were no proofs that Phyllis
was her sister. What If Gretchen had
been Phyllis and Phyllis had been
Gretchen. Heigho! threw some
more coal on the fire. The candle sank
in the socket. There are some things
we men cannot understandable sea,
the heavens and woman. Suddenly I
brought both hands down on my knees.
The innkeeper! The innkeeper! He
knew! In moment l was rummaging
through the stack Of time tables. The
next south bound train left at 3:20.
looked at the clock; 2:20. My dress
suit began to fly around on various
chairs. Yes; how simple it was! The
innkeeper knew. He had known 1t all
these years. threw my white cravat
on to the table and picked up the most
convenient tie. In ten minutes from
the time the idea came to me l was
completely dressed in travelling gar
ments. l had day and half. It
would take 20 hours to fetch the inn
keeper. l refused to entertain the
possibility Of not finding him at the
inn. swore to heaven that the nup-
tials of the Princess Hildegarde Of
Hohenphalia and the Prince Ernst Of
Wortumborg should not be celebrated
at noon Thursday. l went into the
bedroom.
"Pembroke."
"What Is ttY' came drowsily.
81 am going on Journey"
zone of those cursed orders you get
every other day" he asked.
mo. It's one on my own account
this time. shall be back in "a hours.
Goodby."
My brow was damp; my hands
trembled like an excited woman's.
Should win? l had broken cigar in
my pocket. l lit the preserved end at
the top Of the feeble carriage lamp.
had the compartment alone. Sleep!
Not I. Who could sleep when the
car wheels and the rattling windows
kept saying: '"The innkeeper knows!
The innkeeper knowsw Every stop
was heartache. All, those eight hours
were eight separate centuries to me!
I looked careworn and haggard enough
the next morning when l stepped on
the station platform. l wanted moth
ing to eat, not even a cup of coffee to
drink.
To find conveyance to the inn was
not an easy task. No one wanted to
take the drive. Finally l secured a
horse. There was no haggling over
the price. And soon was Looping
through the snowdrifts in the direction
of the old inn. The snow whirled and
eddied over the stubble fields, the
winds sang past my ears, the trees
creaked, and the river flowed on, black
and sluggish. 1t was a dreary scene.
hI1f ho6 ind
for that. On, on l went. Two miles
were left in the rear. The horse was
beginning to breathe hard. Sometimes
the snow was up to his knees. What
if the old man was not there? The
blood sank upon my heart. Once the
horse struck slippery place and near
ly fell, but l caught him in time.
could now see the inn. perhaps a mile
away, through the leafless trees. 1t
looked dismal enough. The vines hung
dead about it, the hedges were wild
and scrawny, the roses l knew to be
no more, and the squirrel had left his
summer home for a warmer nest in
the forest. A wave Of Joy swept over
me as l saw thin stream of smoke
winding above the chimney. Some one
was there. On. on. Presently I flew
up the roadway. A man stood on the
porch. 1t was Stahlberg. When
pushed down my collar, his jaw drop.
ped. I flung the reins to him.
"Where is the innkeeperY cried
with my first breath.
''In the hall, herr. But
I was past him and going through
the rooms. Yes, thank God, there he
was, sitting before the huge fireplace.
where the logs cracked and seethed.
his grizzled head sunk between his
shoulders, lost in some dream. tramp
ed in noisily. He started out of his
dream and looked around.
"Gottv' he cried. He wiped his eyes
and looked again. "Is it dream or is
it you"
"Flesh and bloodp' l cried. "Flesh
and bloodr'
I closed the door and bolted it. He
followed my movements with a mix
ture of astopishment and curiosity in
his eyes.
"Now," I began, "what have you
done with the proofs which you took
from your wife-the proofs Of the ex-