Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-28

enemies, brace my muscle to fight = |
good fight and strike stout blows. Sue, |
Is the tissue of MY thoughts as. wit, |
gun or rod in hand, | wander through
the woods or by the side of the stream
Whether the fancy will be fulfilled I
cannot tell, still less whether the scene
that, led by memory, lay for my new
exploits will be the true Ona-for !
love to see myself once again in tie
crowded streets of Stresau o. be
meath the frowning keep of tie castle
of Zcnda.
Thus led, my brOodings leave the f.
ture and turn back on the past. Shapes
rise before me in long array-the wild
first revel with the king. The rush with
my brave tcatable. tie night in the
mOat. the pursuit in the forest my
friends and my foes, the people who
learned to love and honor me, the deS
perate men who tried to kill me. And
from amid heSe last comes one who
alone of all of them yet moves OF
earth though where | know not. vel
plans las | do not doubt wickedneSS.
vet turns womcnS hearts to s0ftness
and mems 10 fear and hate. Where is
young Rupert of IentZau, the boy who
came so nigh 10 beating me? When his
name comes into my head | feel my
| hand grip and the blood move quicker
| through my veins. and the hint of
| fate. the prcscntimcnt, seems to grow
| stronger and more definite and to
| whisper iuSistcntly in my ear that |
| have yet Il hand to play with young
| Rupert: therefore | exercise myself -
| arms and seek to put off the day when
| the vigor of youth must leave me.
| One break comes every year in my
| quiet life Then | go to Dresden, and
| there l am met by my dear friend and
! companion. Fritz Won Taricnhcim.
Last time hi; pretty wife Helga came
| and Il lusty. growing baby with her.
And for Il week Fritz and l are to-
gethcr. and hear all of what falls
ont IN Strcsau. and in the evenings Is
we walk and smoke together we talk
of SaDt and of the king ana often OF
young Rupert and rs the hours grow
small at last we speak Of FlIvta, foI
every year Fritz carries with him e
Dresden Il little box; in it lies red
rose, and round the stalk Of the rose
is 4 slip of paper with the words writ
ten. "Rudolf-Flavia always" And
! the like | send bacl, h. him. That
message ana the wearing of the rings
are all that now bind me ana ILL,
queen of Ruritauia. for-nGhicr. as
told her. for the act-she had followed
where her duty to her country and hcl
house led her and is the wife of TN
king. uniting his subjects TO him by
the love they bear to her. giving peac,
and quiet days To thousands Ivy he
self sacrifice There are moment
when | dare not think of it. but Their
are others when | rise III spirit Z
where she ever dweIls; then l cal
thank God that love the noblcst lad.
, in the world. the most gracious an'
beautiful and that there was nothing
in nv love that made her fall short il
7 her high duty.
a Shall | see her face again-the pal
face and the glorious hair: OF that
n know nothing Fate has no hint, m
heart no presentmcnt. | do not know
n In this world perhapS-nay, it is like
p ly-ncvCr. And can it he that some
where. in manner whereof our ties
bound minds have no apprehension
= she and | will be together again. wit
nothing to come between us, nothin
. to forbid our love? That | know no
4 nor wiser heads than mine. But if
@ be ncver-if | can never hold SweC
t converse again with her or look upo
d her face or know from her her love
why. then, this side the grave | wi
S live as becomes the man whom Sh
t, loves, and for the other side l mus
" pray Il dreamleSS sleep
THE END.