The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1901-02-28

one you do?"
She did not answer. but her arms
fell from my neck. and she approach.
ed the window. The passing river was
reflected in her eyes. Her reverie was
a short one.
Listen, herr. / will tell you why
1t is honorable. The prince and the
king? fear the one as little as do
the other. 1t is not the prince, it is not
the king, it Is not the principality.
Herr. have come near to being
very wicked woman, who was about
to break the most sacred promise
sovereign can make. Before ! caIAe
here a delegation of my people ap-
preached me. On Bonded knees they
asked me not to voluntarily return the
principality to the king. who was like
ly to give them a ruler rapacious or
cruel or Indifferent. And. while they
understood what a sacrifice it meant
to me, they asked me to bend my will
to the kings and wed the prince. VOW
ing that alone should be recognized
as their sovereign ruler. Since my coro'
nation they said that they had known
the first happiness in years. Herr, it
was so pathetic! l love my people.
who, after all, are not adopted, since
I was born here. So l gave my prom
Use. and, heaven forgive me, was
about to break it!
'There are some things, herr, which
the publican does not understand. One
of these is the duty sovereign owes
to the people, The woman in me
wishes to follow your fortunes. though
they carry her to the ends Of the
world. but the sovereign sees but one
path-honor and duty. What is one
human heart to hundred thousand?
A grain Of sand. Herr. let mine be
broken. shall not aurmur. Alas, to
be princess. a puppet in this tinsel
show of kings and queens! 1t is my
word and the kings will which have
made my happiness an impossibility.
Though love you, wish never to see
you again. l shall be wife but in
name. yet l may not have a lover. /
am not q woman of the court | am
proud of my honor. though the man
who is to be my husband doubts that"
"No. Gretchen" said l, che does not
doubt it, but he wishes me to do so.
l believe in your innocence as believe
in your love-"
at is sad. is it not" said she. that
we must go through our days loving
each other and all the world standing
between? l have never loved a man
before. | did not want to love you. l
did not know that | loved you till
saw that your life was in danger. Yet
| am glad that have lived for brief
second, for till woman loves she does
pot live. l am brave; do you be like
wise. l shall go back to the world, and
who shall know of the heart of fire
beneath the ice? Not even the man l
love. Kiss me. 1t is the last kiss
shall take from the lips of any man."
And it seemed to me that our souls
met in that last kiss, melted and be-
came one. Her hands dropped to her
side, and swiftly she sped from the
room.
She had entered the coach. The cav
alrymen were perched upon the box.
There was crack of the lash, and the
coach rolled away. l watched it, stand
ing in the road. A cloud Of yellow dust
partially obscured it from view. Half
a mile beyond rose small hill. This
the coach mounted, and the red gold
of the smoldering sun engulfed it. Was
it face saw at the window? Per-
haps. Then over the hill all disap-
peared and with it the whole world.
and stood in emptiness, alone.
Gretchen had gone.