The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-03-13

didn't matter. She rode in tiny carl
ole, and she had only a little Indian
pony to take her to mass and to mar
ket, but that didn't matter. She was a
woman, and a woman is like bird
she has wings, and she flies where she
will in the dreams Of the night and in
the quick hours of the day, when her
hands work and her tongue is busy. A
man May stoop, but a woman always
soars-till man breaks her heart,
"And so this girl watched for her
prince, and when the mist was sweet
and flashed in the violet light Of sum-
mer upon the river he did not come
that way, and when all the fields were
white with snow in winter and all the
world was waiting like the girl he did
not come that way.
"And since he did not come. to her
she would go to him. So one morning
she filed a bag with meat and honey
and dried fruits, and she put on her
thickest mittens and her little fur cap
and her great coat of dogskin fur and
q wcolen cloud about her throat, under
which was the little gold brooch given
her by her mother, which she would
wear before the prince when she found
him that he should see she was born
for the fine things of this world. She
had braided hand with a bow and
arrow on one moccasin and a hand
with a sword upon the other. She
started forth all alone. She Travelled
on and on through thick woods and
the wild hills and over plains, and
when the wind blew hard she laughed
back at them, and when at night some.
thing cried in the trees like spirits beg
ging her to speak to them sang the
song of the Scarlet Hunter and the
chant of the White Swan, for she had
no fear. The birds are not afraid till
shot from the hunters gun or an ar.
row from his bow strikes into the
heart.''
She paused and stood looking straight
before her, repeating the phrase still
again, as though, having learned the
tale by heart, she had forgotten some.
thing. But she was merely lost for a
moment in scenes which were flashing
before her mind, having for the time
passed beyond her audience to the
world where in despair ones own soul
fees, and the Angel of the Four Cor
ners can show us no right of way as
we travel.
Some girl in the crowd giggled nerv-
ously. Another, she knew not why,
gave a quick, gasping sob. Babette,
who was next her, said, "You goose,
it's only story"
This brought Marie back. She took
up the thread again, lightly, but plain
lively too:
by and by she came to a city. 1t
stood high on great hill. 1t had
splendid houses, churches and palaces,
and beneath, at the foot of the noun
tain, there flowed a fine, wide river
Every stone of that city was made of
gold, and every drop Of that river was
a sweet white wine. Whenever the
girl looked at the city she knew it
was so; whenever she looked at the
river she knew that it was so, and
when she looked in the eyes of her
prince she knew it was so, for they
were all gold and wine also, and she
could have lived just ever and ever,
looking at those eyes till the Scarlet
Hunter blindfolded her and led her
out on the lonely trail of the White
valley, from which no man returns
Yes, she had found her prince. 1t
does not matter where she saw him
first-in a palace or house or church
for she saw him; that was enough.
"She was only a poor peasant girl,
but he was a great man, so wise, so
splendid, so kind. He said that she
was beautiful, and she believed him;
he said that he loved her, and she
trusted, but when she threw herself
Oh his breast and cried that she would
never leave him there came into his
face strange, pitiful look. That look
broke her heart, for it couldn't bet
couldn't be! She was only a foolish
peasant girl or she would have known
that prince could never be her hus-
band. Yet she knew that he loved her.
''Then there came sad, terrible day,
when all the great men of the kingdom
came together and decided that she
must go away or the prince would lose
his kingdom as we'll as lose her. What
could she do? She could not wait
about the palace gates; she could not
defy all the great men, who were so
strong and who could make happy or
destroy, as they wished. What could
she do? But she saw him once again.
It was at the altar Of great church.
oh, church like none any Of you ever
saw, with a beautiful Calvary above
the altar and angels with large, fam
ing wings and a thousand candles
burning and such wonderful, sweet
music! It was so she saw him, and
that was their goodby. She looked in
to his eyes, and they had the same look
as when she first heard him tell his
love, and she got up on her feet and
called out to him, but, he raised his
hand at her as though to say, .No;
never, never!
"And that was the end. She left the
great city, and as she went she saw
that # 0nlv h,,S1k ~ e&on> 49, - -