Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05
dared to speak. to save me from some

Then. If you are my friend, you will
speak But l cannot understand what my
Loisl and his poor. mad mother can have In
common with my concerns"
His mother is said TO have been the most
beautiful girl in all these mountains"
$50 / have heard" ..
"A great man saw her.
"A great man.
Yes o. ae
Then the betrayer of the girl is known"
1T is an open secret"
"Only the son does not know"
1.-THE folk dare not tell him.
"They dare not?' -
And suddenly terrible thought came to
me. My father had often dwelled
here as crown prince, The Sea-Alp was his
favorite place. He was young then. and
crown princei
l dared not think farther. Nothing may
touch the holy form of the monarch But
that it had to cost the poor things sanity!
Count Gebhardt spoke now:
THE girl was a proud creature. She
thought her lover was a hunter of the
crown prince. She dwelled high up on the
White Emperor, and never came down from
her lonely home. so that it was easy to de-
ceive her into the belief that she was the
bride of young man who would marry
her In the next year Immediately after
the chamois hunting ended the crown prince
departed, and the girls lover sent her no
further word. She wrote to him and the
letter came back with the note, Address
unknown. Then she went on foot to the
residence, and at the royal palace she
asked for the hunter, Matthias Klinger.
But no one knew such one
Then she went out silently and stood
on the street She saw a carriage drive
into the courtyard. In 1t sat two gentle
men, And one of them was the same Mat
| thlas kllnger. Everybody saluted and the
troops formed in parade. After while
the girl went back into the courtyard and
said to those who would not let her pass:
He Is In the palace now, and 1 will go
to him.
They had to take her away by force
Ana she got pension that protects her
against misery-at least such misery as
hunger and cold"
with no word had the count touched on
the person that must not be touched. The
betrayer could be sought. if 1 wished. in
the train of the crown prince.
Have L written yet that the pale child
mas eyes the color of gentians? And lone,
dark. sllken lashes over those gentian-blue
eyes?
On those gentian-bIue ewes should have
kissed her instead of her red mouth The
SIN would have been great even So But
a l committed it, it was sweeter..
No wrong shall come from It. That I
nave sworn. But something else may come
from IT, something over which l have no
power which l. cannot hinder with my
oath 1T may become q calamity
Will see Judica again, but l will never
touch her lips or spread out my arms for
ner. L VIII love her and become unhappy.
But If only do not make her unhappy.
Gebhardt has made his report What he
wrote L do not know. l do not wish to
know.
Tomorrow we shall visit Miss Fritz Per-
maps IL Will be for the last time for per-
haps they will order my departure
AT any rate l shah give a little feast on
the sea-Alp before l go. 1t probably will
oe farewell feast will have to say
Fritz and the pale girl with the holy eyes.
So be it.
Judca loves me.
thought always of myself, only of nv
SELF only that l love her, that 1 must re-
nounce her, that 1 would become wretched.
ottahgely' never thought that she
might love me; not even then when I
thought of the Royal Prince who loved her
Judica loves me.
She has not confessed 1t, but 1 know It
- am loved SO deeply by the sweet being
that she would give her life for me with
thousand joys.
Mad phantasy! Why do I use. in the
midst of my happiness, the smile of sacri-
nee for her love for me?
When Count Gebhardt and I arrived on
the alpine farm second time the whole
place was as If dead. Not even the dog
to be seen. s
But at last we found an old woman and
she told US that everybody had gone to the
wheat field to reap. and that even the
monday meal was to be cooked there
When we arrived there a great WELCOMING,
chorus met us. Happily no lord marshal
was In the vicinity to perceive a danger
for the state of Denmark in this familiar
ity. The joy of the people-maids and sery
ing men-was suspicious evidence of that
popularity, which is something that NAV
exist only for the king and the heir ap-
parent.
1 heard the shouts and was glad. But 7
had eyes only for the little girlish figure in
the black mourning dress.
/ observed very well that she started at
sight of me- Then she stood motionless and
seemed to be uncertain about something
At once she ran straight to me, slipping
like a fairy through the sheaves.
My first thought was:
She is glad to see you. That is very nice
But it would be better If she were not so
openly glad. If you were dear to her, she
would not let everybody see her joy"
And her joy. that showed her to be at
once good and so innocent. disappointed
me l felt suddenly sad. quite unhappy.
Then she stood before me; and then
then 1 saw in her eyes that she had thought
of me ever and ever. as 1 of her; that she
had longed for me as L for her; that she
loved me as l did her.
In the golden sun we stood and looked
into each others eyes. AS in a dream l
heard the cheers Oh the reaperS. Heaven
knows what would have happened had 1
not heard Gebhardt's voice close behind me:
Here comes Miss Fritz.
From his tone l perceived that he knew
what had happened. and that he would not
destroy our short happiness For 1t was
only summer-nights dream
Miss Fritz made us heartily welcome; but
she expressed horror, laughingly, at her
predicament in not being able to give us
ANYTHING to eat Yet she soon bethought
herself of a certain noble floating full
of trout and Judica. little Judica. found
the key to 1t.
She ran to the wagon. got a great earthen
not and ran across the fields to the brooN
without looking to see if l followed. Of
course l ran after her, without caring for
anybody's opinion.
Breathless we reached the stream. In
little cove fioated the big wooden fish re-
ceptacle. Judicia unlocked it, threw back
the heavy lid and a swarm of big and little.
gaudily spotted trout shot merrily about
Busily Judica filled the pot with water,
nut II down and then tried to catch the
swift things We had no net. and had to
fish with our hands. To do that We had to
lie down.
Catching trout even If they are in
"a iS not so eaSy might think,