The Sauk Centre herald., 1901-03-21
CHAPTER Xxx.
!: Copyright, 1900,
): BY Harold Mac Grath


chen's fingers, which rested lightly on
my arm. But there was no sign. and l
grew troubled. The blue green eyes
sparkled, and the white teeth shone
between the red lips. Yet something
was lacking.
"Let us 60 into the conservatory"
she said. ut was merely a ruse Of
mine. l want no supper. have much
to say to you"
Somehow we selected by mutual ac-
cord seat among the roses. There
was small fountain, and the waters
sang in murmurous music. It SEEM
ed too early for words, so we drew
our thoughts from the marble and the
water. As for me, looked at. but did
not see, the fountain. 1t was another
scene. There was garden in which
the roses grew in beautiful disorder.
There were man and woman in the
garden. She was culling roses. while
the man looked on with admiring eyes,
"Yes," said the princess, ''all that
was pretty dream. Gretchen was q
fairy. and now she has gone from your
life and mine forever. My dear friend,
It is a prosaic age we live in. Some
times we forget and dream. but
dreams are unreal. 1t Is true that God
designs lis, but the world mOlds us
and fate puts on the finishing touches"
She was smiling into my wonder
struck face. 1--WE all have duties to
perform while passing. Some of us
are born with destinies mapped out by
human hands. Some of us are free to
make life what we will. I am Of the
first order, and you are Of the second.
1t is as impossible to join the one
with the other as it Is to make dia-
monds out Of charcoal and water. Be-
tween Gretchen and the Princess
Hildegarde Of Hohenphalia there is as
much difference as there Is between
what simile shall 1 use, the possible
and the impossible?"
"Gretchen," l began.
"Gretchen?" The princess laughed
amusedly. "She is flown. 1 beg you
not to waste a thought on her men,
ory."
Things were going badly for me. l
did not understand the mood. 1t
lars had described to me in his rooms
that night in London. l saw that l
was losing something. so made what
I thought a bold stroke. l took from
my pocket a withered rose. l turned it
from one hand to the other.
at appears that when Gretchen gave
me this it was as an emblem of her
love. Still gave her all my heart"
eff that be the emblem of her love,
the keeping"
"And Gretchen sent me letter
once" went on.
"Ah, what indiscretionv'
at began with L love you and end
ed with that sentence. l have worn
the writing away with my Kisses"
"How some men waste their ener-
gies!'
"Your highness," said 1, putting the
rose back into my pocket, ''did Gret-
chen ever tell you how she fought
duel for me because her life was less
to her than mineT'
The Princess Hildegarde's smile stiff
ened, and her eyes closed for the brief
est instant.
"Ah, shall l ever forget that nightw
: said I. 81 held her to my heart and
kissed her on the lips. l was supreme
ly happy. Your highness has never
known what thing Of joy it is to kiss
the one you love. 1t is one of those
things which are denied to people who
have their destinies mapped out by hu-
man hands"
The princess opened her fan and hid
her lips.
"And do you know" continued,
"'when Gretchen went away l had a
wonderful dream"
"a dream? What was it?" The
fan was waving to and fro.
81 dreamed that a princess came in
Gretchen's place. and she threw her
arms around my neck and kissed me Of
her own free will"
"And what did she say, herr" Ger
tainly the voice was growing more like
Gretchen's.
hesitated. To tell her what the
dream princess had said would un-
do all l had thus far accomplished,
which was too little.
'It will not interest your highness."
said l.
''Tell me what she said. command
itv' And now / was sure that there
was a falter in her voice.
"She said--she said that she loved
me-"
continue"
"And that as she was a princess and
and honor bound it could never be-"
! had to say it.
''That is 1t; that is it. 1t could never
be- Gretchen is no more. The prin-
cess who you say came to you in q
dream was then but woman ~ J..
"Aye, and such a womanv' / inter-
rupted. ''As God hears me / would
give ten years of my life to hold her
J. again in my arms, to kiss her lips, to
hear her say that she loved me. But,
pardon me. what were you going to-
sayY sL.E #E
@"Your dream princess was but a wo-
man. All, well, this is Tuesday! Thurs
day at noon she will wed the prince.
It is written"
kSTTyf-- Ii Al