The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-09-24

gunnersv' '' "''' " o." "V
"And about what elsel"
Max spread out his hands, with
shrug, but passed the question by. $50
much truth, in fact, that It would have
served amply for at least two letters"
he remarked, returning to his own spe-
cial point of complaint.
Marie might we'll amuse the easy 60
ing, yet observant and curious young
man. He loved to watch his fellow
creatures under the stress of feelings
from which he himself was free and
found in the opportunities afforded him
in this line the chief interest both of
his life and of his profession.
Bat Marie had gradually risen TO a
high, nervous tension. She was no
puritan. Puritans were not common in
Kravonia nor had Paris grated such n
slip on to her nature Had she thought
as the men In the palace thought when
they smiled, had she thought that and
no more, It is scarcely likely that she
would have thus disturbed herself
After ALL such cases are generally
treated as In some sense outside the
common rules Exceptional allowances
are, in fact, whether properly or not,
made for exceptional situations. An
other feeling was in her mind, an OBJ
session which had come almost wholly
to possess her. The fateful forebodlng
which had attacked her from the first
had now full dominion over her. lis
rule was riveted more closely on her
spirit day by day as day by day the
prince and Sophy drew closer together,
Even that Sophy had once saved his
life could now no longer shake Marie's
doleful prepossesslon Unusual and un-
looked for things take color from the
mind of the spectator. The strange
train Of events which had brought So
rohy to Praslok borrowed ominous shad-
ows from nervous, apprehensive tenn
permanent.
No such gloom brooded over Sophy.
She gave herself up to the hour-the
past forgotten, the future never thought
Of. 1t was the great time OF. her life.
Her feelings, while not less spontane-
Gus and fresh, We're more mature and
more fully satisfied than when Casimir
de Savres poured his love at her feet.
A cry of happiness almost lyrical runs
through her scanty record OF these
days There was little leisure for diary
or letters.
Winter was melting into spring, snow
dwelled only on the hilltops, Lake Talti
was unbound and sparkled in the sun.
The days grew longer, yet were far too
short To ride with him to Volseni, to
hear the cheers, TO see the love they
bore him, to watch him at work. to
seem to share the labor and the love
! then to shake off the kindly clinging
| friends and take to a mountain path or
wander, the reins on the horses necks,
by the margin Of the lake and come
home through the late dusk, talking
oftan, silent often, always together in
thought as in bodily presence-was not
this enough? "If had to die in a
month l should owe life tremendous
debt already" That is her own sum
ming up. 1t is pleasant to remember.
1t would be enough to say-love;
enough with a nature ardent as hers.
Yet with love much else conspired.
There was the thought Of what she had
done, of the things to which she was a
party. There was the sense OF power,
the satisfaction Of ambition, a promise
OF more things. There was the ap-
plause of Volseni as well as the devo-
ton of the prince. There was, too-it
persisted all through her life-the fun
ny, half childish and, to a severe eye,
urchinlike pleasure In the feeling that
these were fine doings for Sophy
Crouch Of Morpingham, IN Essex
''Fancy mey' is the indefonsibly print
tive form in which this delight shows
in one OF the few letters bearing date
from the castle of Praslok.
Yet It Is possible 10 md this simple
gracious surprise at fortunes fancies
I worthy of love. Her own courage, her
own catching at fortunes forelock
seemed to have been always uncon.