The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1905-06-02
GreteI's Letter and
Its Unlocked For
Consequences q 3
IT HERE are plenty of letters to-


little lady's maid as she held out to
her mistress a tray piled high with
New Years greetings.
Six weeks before the Grain Won
Wartenburg had brought to the city
the daughter of one of her farmers in
order to train her, as maid, but
Gretel was not yet very proficient.
'How many times must / tell you,
child, when you hand me anything,
to do it quietly and not talk" said
her mistress as she glanced hastily
over the letters. wait a moment;
here is one for you. Now you can
tell me how your parents are"
It was very wonderful letter and
smelled like whole perfumery shop.
Within a brilliant garland Of exceed
ingly red roses with equally vivid
green leaves, among which sported
tender white doves. was the address,
a masterpiece of elegant penmanship:
For Fraulein
Gretel Schmitt
tadies maid TO the gracious Grafin Won War
tenburg and residing 342 Lindenstrasse.
Berlin,
Germany.
For lack of room the middle line
disappeared over onto the back of the
envelope, but the general effect was
very impressive, and justified the eag-
erness with which Gretel seized her
treasure and carried it off to enjoy at
her leisure, her plump, rosy face
shining with smiles.
But presently, the smiles gone and
her blue eyes shining with tears,
Gretel reappeared at the door of the
morning room.
"Oh, oh. Mein Himmel, what a ter
rible affiiction, gracious LADY,"
What has happened. Gretel?" asked
the grafin, looking up kindly.
"My mother, my dearly beloved
mother, is dead" sobbed the little
ladys maid.
Zach, can it be possible! l received
a letter from your father a week ago,
and he said that all were WE'LL
But she is dead; my poor, dear
mother is dead! If the gracious lady
will only read. Oh, oh, | shall never
see her again!"
The Grain, much concerned, took
the letter.
The fatal epistle left no room to
doubt the sad event, although, strange
ly enough, it gave no details. Greters
brother had been SO ill-judged as to
choose on which to write the un-
happy news, sheet of paper as bright
and gaudy as the envelope, and his
filial sorrow was divulged at length
L.
doves and linked hearts.
"My Dear Sister: My letter is about
to fill with sorrow your tender heart.
Pitiless death has just torn from us
her who, after giving us our being
held it a sacred duty to watch and
guard us and furnish us, not only with
sustenance for the material body, but
also for the imperishable soul.
"Oh, cruel Death! why did thy cold
scythe touch in fury the heart of our
beloved, venerated mother? Could not
the respec. and love with which we
surrounded her have been : safeguard
against that blow?
But our tears are of no avail, and
our mother has departed for that re-
g1On Ol Iue DleSSSu WuCIo Su0 Will
receive the reward of her many vir-
tues. She drew her last breath at
midnight, and her parting words were
a blessing upon her children.
"Be brave in this hour of trial. The
burial will take place day after to-
morrow, and we hope that nothing
will prevent you from mingling your
tears with ours.
"In the deepest sorrow, your brother
for life,
MAX SCHMITT.
poor Dame Schmitt!" thought the
Grafin "She deserves a different fu-
neral grafton than this. l did not
suppose that our schoolmaster was so
idiotic as to dictate such rigamarole
to his pupils"
well, Gretel, l am very sorry for
what has happened" she said aloud,
land now we must see about getting
YOU started as soon as possible.
Accordingly, itgwas not long before
the little lady's maid, swathed from
head to foot in a long black veil, took
her seat in the railway carriage, where
her grief was somewhat assuaged by
the deep respect paid by her fellow
travellers to her elegant mourning.