Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-29
By RICHARDVOSS

( How old is she?"
| About forty. Maybe she is older"
| Where does she live?"
| with Miss Fritz"
"Who is that?"
Does your royal highness not know Miss
| Fritz"
Why? Is she so famous persona"
| Surely. Miss Fritz
What a strange name"
she was christened as boy"
'AS boy?''
! Her father wanted a bow But the girl
! came. Then the old man got into a ire
i mendous rage. and as he had made up his
| mnno TO nave boy. the girl had to be a
BOY for time. So he named the child as
| Fritz
| 1t was the longest speech that 1 had
heard from Losls mouth. He spoke with
| eloquence absolutely inspired
| was still inquisitive.
| SO your mother is with the splendid
Miss Fritz? Is not your father living any
| more?''
:. My father?"
When 1 looked at him was frightened
His face was distorted, the whole man was
IN passionate excitement. l cried to him !:
But. Lois,''
He forced the words through his throat:
My father! If L knew where he is
heaven. If knew
DO you not know your father at an?''
HOW should I? A grand gentleman it
was who treated my mother So who ruined
her body and SOUL.
Poor Loisl."
gu need not pity me because am only
Lolsl, only Lofsl, without father. But
will find my fine father yet. And them
without paying further attention to me
he went far ahead
one grand mountain view followed an
other The curious Miss Fritz dwelt on
the highest estate in the land and we had
to climb bravely
She came to meet us from the field,
dressed IKE peasant Her hair was braid
oyIr -
was between thirty and forty. How did
she look? Good. 1 liked her 1 liked her
extraordinarily well. She had thrown back
the wide sleeves and one could see that her
arms were as brown as her face.
See, l work." said the brown sturdy
arms There is nothing more precious than
work work from morning until evening.
Work the whole life long. Yes, look at me-
dom and work.
The count approached her, introduced
himself and told my name. She was not in
the least embarrassed She was clearly
glad to see the son of her king in her high
Alpine farm. Smiling, she came to me-
Now l knew; this Miss Fritz was not only
strong. but also good. Her smile betrayed
it. She made motion as If she would give
me her hand but unhappily she checked the
impulse So l gave her mine and she
squeezed it heartily. Before we had spoken
a word together l knew that we would be-
come good friends.
l accepted her frank invitation to be her
guest, with pleasure 1 confessed that
was hungry as bear and also spoke of my
intention OF visiting Loisls mother.
Miss Fritz became very serious at once
l observed that she looked al the count with
surprise and inquiry in her face. At least
1t seemed so to me- Then she said:
That is too bad. Loisl's mother isn't
here this week. She is up in the mountain
dairy, where the air is better for her.
And again 1t seemed to me as if she looked
strangely at Count Gebhardt He stood
turned away from me, that l could
gather nothing from his expression.
Meantime we wandered toward the
house. l said to her:
"Lotsl told me about you How did you
happen to go up here?'
Very simply. The world was too mar
row for me down in the valley SO l climbed
up here-and here 1 am"
Did you find this farm here when you
arrived?'
Il found nothing. Where the buildings
stand there was pine forest. Where the
wheat grows was a morass. 1 RACED the
forest, dried the morass, and now you see
for yourself
The beginning must have been hard
Not at all. True, people thought that
l was crazy, for SO long as the mountains
have been standing no daring peasant had
ventured to cultivate fields high above
the valley. At first l could get no help
here and had to hire Italian labor. But
at last it succeeded. And now, please en-
ter, your royal highness. You are hearth
ly welcome"