Evening star., 1903-09-12


love- / will not wrangle or be rebellious,
but I will be glad and give thanks that
even for me there once was a sun, that
once happiness made my heart good and
wide.
After the meal / actually was permitted
to help in the reaping. Miss Fritz and
Judica showed US how to take hold OF
the ears with one hand and how to cut
the stalks Maids and men locked on,
laughed merrily at our clumsiness and.
rightly, felt themselves to be masters of
the plain.
The best was that Judica, whose sickle
I had. went by my side and gathered my
sheaves. She put them into a place by
themselves.
1t was beautiful too. when Judica and I
found a nest in the wheat. Five feather
less. piping young ones lay In It, and the
parent birds futtered in deathly fear over
1t. having already given up their little ones
as lost l begged Miss Fritz to permit us
to leave the wheat standing all around the
nest, and 1 was happy to have saved the
tiny creatures from sure destruction.
AS we went away from the place we
saw the old ones fly twittering to the nest.
So at last l have been good for something.
Suddenly there was thunderbolt from
the clear sky SO that 1t sounded as II the
mountains were topping headlong. Hurry,
hurry cried Miss Fritz Get your things
together and haste to the house! Goodness!
Judica, what are you doing7"
The girl was tuggng al sheaf Of wheat.
trying to carry 1t to the wagon.
1T is the wheat that was cut by the
prince" she said.
"WelI?'
1T shall be threshed. You will have
1t ground and 1 will make bread with
It, which we will send to the king and
the queen, because their son cut the wheat
himself. Or do you think that 1t would
not be proper2'
Miss Fritz did not reply. She had turn
ed aside and looked at me with a long,
long look, whose meaning l read only
too well. 1t was the frightened question
of Gebhardt again: What will come from
this? You will bring misery to the child!'
And my eyes answered: Alas, l cannot
help her-1 cannot help her now 1t is
too late. You can see that 1t Is stronger
than we are, and that l cannot help my
selfv
Aloud 1 said: Let your niece have her
way" And with lowered voice l added:
I'VE shall speak of 1t later
Without awaiting reply, l hurried to
Judica and left the field with her. In or
der to escape a wetting we ran until we
mattered to us had heaven itself crashed
on u.s. If only we were together!
took Judica by the hand. Hand in
hand we took our way
We went straight toward the black sky
as If we would escape to Its terrors with
our love. for which there place
on earth.
Then the wild weather burst. A sound
arose in the air of suppressed means.
81 roaming and signing. And nova roar,
coming swiftly, swelling to tempest. Then
flash after flash, stroke after stroke!
Terribly splendid it was
Just over us pulsed the celestial flame;
Just beside US 1t smote the earth. Blue light
cleaned IN the darkness. The thunders
ratified and doomed.
Hand in hand we went a pair of young
gods, under lightning and thunder. We
came to a meadow full of white flowers
that looked like a ghost garden in the
vibrating flame. In its center stood a gi-
gantic pine. in lonely place like proud
man. I had heard that such high. lonely
trees attract the lightning and that 1t is
dangerous to seek shelter under them.
1 stood still and whispered. "Judica."
She whispered: Yes"
Dear little Judica."
She moved her lips, but remained silent
Dear little Judica, are you not afraid?"
She shook her head
Are you surely not angry with me any
morep"
She smiled at me: mo, no more"
And you love mef'
"Ah, yes"
Only two words they were, and a world
of love in them.
We stood In the white meadow rineed
by lightning, roared at by thunder And 1
whispered to the child that loved me: IT
wish that the lightning would strike US. 1t
would De peautlful TO die now, hand in
hand, together"
Her eyes asked why It would be beautiful
to die together. To live together was
thousand times more beautiful
Softly gave those questioning eyes their
answer: Because we may not love each
other in life"
Because you are kings SOM"
Dear little Judica.'
She had remembered only that 1 loved
her and that she loved me and that we
were together. All else she had forgotten
My cruel answer brought 1t back to her
With glance that tore my heart she with
drew her hand from mine.
For little she stood before me as IL she
were waking from dream. II she had
TO recall herself to the awakening. Then
she turned away and walked slowly toward
the high pine Like a spirit. she glided in
the lightning flames over the white plain.
The same thought that had come to me
had come to her-that lonely tree attracts
the lightning!
her who did not move. but gazed with wide
open, unseeing eyes into the storm AS
stepped to her she murmured:
Not you net YOU
And from time to time she repeated:
mot you. not you
1t was as II the world around US were 60
ing up in flame, as II we were to die frey
death.
would smite the tree. / was calm, quite
calm, and more happy than even in that
blessed moment when l kissed her first
Never could l have believed that a man
could wait with such peace. such Joy for
his death
Just then Miss Fritz and Gebhardt ap-
peared. Miss Fritz cried:
How could you stand under the tree! 1t
might have been your DEATH
looked at Gebhardt. He was pale to the
lips.
Stepping close TO him l muttered:
'She tried to let the lightning strike her
without me-"
We had barely moved from the spot when
long vivid hash of lightning quivered
through the air, making me palpitate as II
! had been struck. And Judica cried In a
tone that 1 never shall forget:
The pine is burning"
The proud tree was afiame. like a mighty
pillar, flaming upward to the heaven that
had no pity with our young love, else 1t
would have sent its lightnngs sooner
Only few moments sooner.
That night we had to remain In the
farm. for deluge followed the storm.
At midnight Gebhardt and I retired but
] only waited until he was asleep. Then.
lamp In hand, 1 went softly downstairs
TO the big dining room.
II was as l had expected. Miss Fritz
sat there reading.
She looked up at my entrance but kept
her seat. II knew that your royal high
ness would come" she said simply