Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-06-18
Continued.


katharine lay still in her bed and
usgtened to the old song, which she
had, nc doubt, often sung in her youth.
4 quick step sounded under the win
dow. I recognized a military cap as II
passed. He was already coming up the
steps of the house door; the spurs
clinked against the stone floor.
cIung with both hands to the table in
the middle of the room. The door
opened, and in a voice which must
have betrayed the throbbing OF my
poor, tortured heart, l cried: Will
selm! Wilhelm!' 'Fraulein Gretchen!
sounded in another's voice. | saw that
It was not his tall figure; 1t was Ber-
gen who was standing there by the
door. NY outstretched arms fell; l
stared at him without knowing what
/ did
Then Bergen seized my hands.
You must sit down. he said, before
can explain to you why I am here. l
frightened you, didn't l? You must
drink a glass Of water He took the
carafe and poured out some water; [
drank it, scarcely knowing what |
did. A horrible dread came over me-
Folding my hands, l looked at the
young man before me, as If l must en-
treat him to have mercy.
g 1T is very painful to me, Fraule1n
Gretchen he said, in his soft voice,
to be the bearer of tidings which
must occasion you grief and pain. 1
know you have q proud heart and
brave heart, and 50 I beg of you to
call up all your pride and your cour-
age
'Merciful Godn I gasped out, he
no longer loves met His silence was
answer enough. All, | feared So
murmured, hiding my face with my
hands. Then | said: Now tell me
everything it will not be so painful,
now l know the worst
What shall l say?' he said, in a
low voice 4 can only assure you that
my heart aches for you, and that this
is the hardest task l have ever had to
perform in my life. l have seen this
unhappy passion awaken and ripen
and fade again, and the cause Of this
break makes me indignant. No one
dreams, Fraulein Gretchen, that | am
here, no one knows anything of this
sad ending. saw hi1h start off today;
I was with him yesterday, and was
there when your letter came. | know
you have counted the hours in untold
anguish till the answer could come and
bring it to you, begging you once
again to call up your courage, to be
strong, and try to forget him. And
now, come what may, preserve a
trustful spirit; do not look on your
Joung life as crushed forever-the
good God gives a balm for every
wound And now, farewell. You have
still a hard battle to fight; may you
come off victorious. Give me your
hand; you have found a true friend
in me, for your whole life-in ne and
in my wife. FAREWELL
HE went away, and lay motionless
in my chair. My sun had really set at
last, and all was over-he no longer
loved me. oh, this horrible certainty!
What a horrible state | was in! It
burned like fire within me, and out
side Marie lifted up her shrilI voice
In her love song. / thought | should
stifle In the room. The simple words
awoke a bitter pain in me. I wanted
to call to her, Stop your siugingr
when I heard 1t again. l sprang up,
tore open the door Of the bedroom
and crying out, Mother, oh, mother!'
I sank down by Katharine's bed.
shook as if in commissions, and
screamed and cried till my strength
left me. Katharine's Old arms were
were thrown round me, and she bent
over me in indescribable anxiety; she
knew something had happened, and
she let the long-pent-up grief have its
way. Afterward | lay half-conscious on
my bed, only slight sob escaping now
and then, till at length I sank into
sort of slumber from sheer exhaus-
tion. When I awoke 1t was, broad day,
and Hannah was sitting by my bed,
and had put a bunch Of violets into
my hand.
My husband sends hearty greet.
tngs to YOU she said, giving me a
kiss.
Then, in a moment, what had hap
pened last evening came back to me,
and another stream of tears flowed
from my eyes; where did they all
come from?
My Gretel, my dear Gretel!' she
said, comfortingly, you must not cry;
you must be calm: get up, now. and
we will go out in the fresh air.
"She did not say word about
Eberhardt; she only looked at me sor-
rowfully, l could not realize that he
had cast me off; that ! should never
hear his voice again; that our paths
should always lie apart separated for
ever. made hasty gesture of re-
fusal as Hannah was about to turn IN
to the park, where every spot awaken
ed memories in me.
Let me alone I entreated II
cannot be so firm all at once; let me
eIonen
And then I sat alone again, and the
clock licked as before; the children
played their old games before our
door, and Katharine's eyes looked at |
me as if they would say. You poor
Child!' And in the evenings when l !
went to bed there came back the old |
memories, the old thoughts: and my
poor heart asked again and again. |
What have you done that you should |
be so wretched?'