Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07

He stood near the open door ana loohei
toward the young mother who lay in the
narrow. white bed beside the young king
cradle The chamber was filled with moon
light. as if saint lay on the bed.
Suddenly she opened her eyes.
Her guardian stepped softly backward to
a spot from which he could watch, himself
unseen.
And what was she doing? She stood up!
That might be would be her death.
Gebhardt tried to cry out. but unseen
hands seemed to hold his mouth shut He
tried to go to her, and his feet seemed
rooted to the ground.
She stood in the moonlight with bare feet
She could hardly stand upright He heard
her smother her groans. and saw her totter
to the cradle and lift the little corpse.
Carefully, as if ii We're living. she raised
the child pressed it to her breast, and then
put Ii back tcnderly into its cradle and
stepped toward the door.
Close by the hidden guard she dragged
herself. He heard her go down the stairs
and open the front door and then he heard
the dog bark joyously. But Immediately
he heard the bark change to tremulouS
whimper.
For a short while he stood still unable to
move. Then he burst the spell forcibly and
crept after her. Nobody in the house was
awake: nobody saw her on her way of
death; nobody could save her-nobody ex-
cept himself.
lie saw her go. with dragging. totterlng
footsteps in the white moonlight, over the
shining meadow, like Il form of mist
Sometimes her feet seemed to give way.
Sometimes she seemed to sink to her knees.
But ever she went on.
On on, she went to the place where stood
the stump of the giant pine under which she
and her prince had thought to die during
storm. and there she fell.
Later. much later Gebhardt told me all.
AaA hn f1lf mo oil hot lDT n
death had been way of death for him,
too. Once he threw himself the ground
and pressed his face into the grass over
which she had stepped biting into it that
he might not scream aloud with anguish
and torture. 1t would have frightened
Judica.
When he reached the meadow. close be-
hind her he saw her lying by the charred
stump, He fell on his knees beside her.
lifted her dead body in his arms. bore her
back to the Alpine farm and laid her on
her bed.
Then he held the death watch-he ali
alone.
His lonely death watch was the reward
that he gave himself for his love to the
grave and beyond.
Twelve hours after the announcement of
the death of my newborn son. my ex-
adjutant brought me the news of my wifes
death. He reported that the mother had
died peacefully in her bed
My former servant asked me 'humbly"
whether mother and child might be buried
together.
Yes, together"
And might the burial be in the meadow
known to his majesty?"
IF the church permittCd-yes"
Would his majesty be present in person
at the funeral?''
No. His majesty thought not"
But his majesty sent the most splendid
flowers, which his former adjutant was to
lay on the grave in the kings name His
1iaGf G.ar,fr n hon
secrate the place on the meadow, and his
majesty commanded that white marble
mausoleum should arise there.
His majesty desired to have his wife and
son buried royalty. though his majesty
could not come personally to help bury
his dead, He had other and greater duties
to make whole nation happy.
To make them happy
1 could not make a loving and trusting
young woman happy, and now was to
make whole nation happy whose love
and trust are with a dead ruler. For l
had to recognize it more and more with
every day every hour-the pistol shot
that saved my brother from signing the
declaration of war-tEat faint little report
echoed in the soul of the people forever.
The government resolved TO give the dead
ruler the name of The Good" and great
popular subscription was begun to erect a
mighty national monument for him. But l.
the living, was devoUred more and more
with jealousy of the dead. With him, who
was beyond all battle battled day by day,
hour by hour And ii was a battle for life
or death: for it was battle for the love
and trust of a whole nation.
And now another grim battle was only
heginning-the battle against myself and
the dark powers within me.
If | could conquer the great dead / would
have to triumph myself first; / must
conquer my mad envy, kill my raging jeal-
ousy! | must love my brother in his grave;
honor him. admire him-I must be thankful
to him. 1t was hard; and still it was not
the hardest.
Prepared in no manner for the role of
ruler, | had to learn to be a monarch now
that l was a monarch. Only TWENTY-FIVE
years old was Twenty-Five years old al
ready. | had cultivated the talent of
dreams, the art of brooding-somethin
most unnecessary, for my natural talent
Tor these gloomy arts was great enough in
itself Only my brother was an execution
IN escaping this curse of our race. if he
could have overcome his terror But he
permitted the terror to overwhelm him at
the first great opportunity
Now l ruled in his place And I ruled
through my own strength after they had
Wfonglully shut me out of the succession
My royal will tore that secret document
But in my mind it remains 1t flames
through my reign: king! Think of tbv
cnd! Every day | must battle against II
mat the end shall not be as il was written
If only In my phantasy.
In the battle | would fall helnless 7 would
nave to despair had / not the belief in nv
sen. Ana this belief this talisman 7 won
IN that night when l withstood the kings
test over the chasm.