Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-06-11
Continued


Then he suddenly stood before me
again.
Wilhelm l cried, trying n vain
TO free my hands, which he had seized
and held in an iron grasp. Wilhelm, /
am innocent-as true as God lives, l
have been slandered'
oh, Of course; I am convinced OF
it. he sneered. But why sh)uldnt
one get up a little romance for want Of
something better to pass the time
when one is dull? 1t is a horrible pity
that this clerical gentleman had so
little practice in such Matters
There are people who tell false
hoods cried greatly angered, match
ing away M aching hands with one
strong effort. And l pity you with all
my heart for allowing yourself 10 De
duDed in such a shameful manner. l
know whom I have 10 thank for turn,
ing you against me. The same Count
egs Satewski who embittered m child
hood is now rObbing me Of the happI-
ness Of my youth, and Of my good
namen
HE tried to put his arms around
me and kiss me.
If you no longer love me at least
do not insult mel l cried out IN des-
pair, thrusting him away 4 have done
nothing to give you right to treat
me in a manner unworthy Of man.
"He let me 20, and [ sank down on
TIE damp ground. I don't know how l
ever got home that night. Liesel
screamed aloud as I entered the room,
then ] sank down unconscious. When
/ came to myself, Frau Renner, Lie
sci. and Marie were standing Ly my
bed. and l heard Katharine's anxious
voice:
on, mercifuI heavens! What has
happened? Oh, my child, my GreteH'
81 woke with a clear sense Of what
had happened. I could even invent a
falsehood; I could say that I had
stumbled over a root and had fallen,
thus explaining the cause Of the mud
diness Of my garments. Nor was i'll,
as Hannah had been that time-nO, !
had no alterations. I had to struggle
with my horrible fate from beginning
TO end. had to drain the bitter cup
80 the dregs. If l could only have
Wept! But my tears seemed dried up.
A horrible apathy had seized upon me.
Hitherto, hope had stood COmfOrtingIy
at my side, but now-all was over He,
himself. with an iron hand had shut
the gates Of Paradise that he had once
opened to me. and all was dark
around me, quite dark. l could no
longer think coherently. l could not
even pray.
81 threw myself about, restlessly,
IN my couch; my eyes burned like
FIRE, and my heart ached so that had
to press my hand on it. Perhaps it
will break, l thought-it must break.
The story Of a village girl whose lover
was unfaithfuI to her when he went to
the city to be a soldier, occurred to
me. He did not write to her, and she
went to look for him; she found him
in a ballroom with a pretty girl, and
when she went up to INN, he laughed
at her, and said she had better 60
back to her village; he knew the diff
ference now between fine and coarse,
and he wouldn't have a peasant girl
for his sweetheart. Then she went
away. and when she entered the room
at home, she fell dead at her old
mothers feet. She died of a broken
heart the people said, when they
passed her humble grave.
Perhaps the dear God will have
mercy, I thought, and tomorrow
morning you will not wake up again.
Oh, if it could only be so. Oh, if only
had a mother, l could tell her all my
sorrow! oh, for only one heart that
would understand me, only onel
THE day came at length after this
horrible night. I got mp as usual. and
carried Katharine her breakfast in
bed, as l always did; as usual, gave
the maid my orders and sat down to
my work at the window. But every
thing seemed so strange to me; my
canary bird sat covering on his perch,
and he had always jumped about so
gayIy. The curtains looked gray. and
the whole room looked uncomfortable.
I did not notice that there was a
knock at the door, and I did not look
up till I heard Kath&rine's voice call,
Come in!' when I perceived Hannah.
! got up mechanically and suffered
her to kiss me on the lips
" Gretchen. All, it is so dreadful up
at the castle now. Can Katharine
near? Shut the door I ran away; I
couldn't bear it any longer"
"She seated herself on the sofa and
drew me down beside her.
Only think, there was a dreadful
scene last evening between my hus-
band and Eberhardt Yesterday It sup
per he seemed so excited he has
been like that often lately. As YOU re
member, he disappeared suddenly. We
sat together for a while talking, when
We heard voices in the corridor. and
immediately after Eberhardt came in
and banged the door behind him. We
jumped up quite startled He looked
dreadfully; his hair was hanging wild
y about his face, and I thought he had
been crying: he certainly had taken
too much wine at dinner. or, at least
Bergen thought So Without traubIine
himself at having startled us. he flung
himself into a chair and began to
whistle an air which you had sung 4
short time before; in the middle Of it
he broke of and laughed SEQ nfuIIy.
then he went on whistIing again.
Mamma, quite horrihed at such
strange behavior, signed to my hus-