The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-06
Continued from Saturday,

lioat hSasNNN
"Then / do not want to be an
angel. / had rather be what / am.
Besides. angels do not have tempers;
they do not long for things they
should not have; they have no sweet
hearts" She caught him roughly by
the arms. "Ah. IL anything should
happen to you. ! should die, II seems
as though / had a hundred hearts
and that they had all melted into
one Tor love of you. Do men love
as women love? Is ii everything and
all things. or only an incident? /
would give up my soul to you IL yetf
asked for it,
Il ask only for your love. Gretch-
en-; only that" And he pressed her
hands. "All men are rogues, more or
less. There are so many currents an,
eddies entering into a mans life. 1t
is made up of a thousand variant in
terests. No. mans love Ia never like
womans. But remember this,
Gretchen. j loved you the best I knew
how. as a man loves but once honor
ably as it avs possible, purely and
dearly
The shade of troubel crossed her
face.
Why are you always talking like
me? Have ! not my dowry. and are
we not to be married after the vint-
ageo"
But your singing"
singing? Why. my voice belongs
10 you; for your sake / wish to be
great, for no other reason"
He ripped a bunch OF grapes from
the vine. thing no careful vintner
should do. and held 1t toward her.
Have You ever heard of the kiss
ing cherries 90 ne asked.
She shook her head He expiainAa
This bunch will do very we'll"
He took one grape at the hettesH
IN his teeth. Gingerly Gretchen did
the same. Their lips met in smoth-
cred laughter. Then they tried IL
again.
And this Vatican picture met the
gaze of two persons on the terrace
below. The empurpling face of one
threatened an explosion, but the smil-
ing face of the other restrained this
vocal thunder. The old head vint-
ner kicked stone savRgely. and at
this rafting noise Gretchen and her
lover turned. They beheld the stew
ard, and peering over has shoulder
the amused cauntenance of the Prin-
cess Hildegarde.
"You--" began the steward, no
longer able to contain himself
Patience. Hoffman," warned her
highness. Then she laughed blsthe-
ly. 1t was such charming picture,
and never had she seen a handsomer
pair of bucoltc lovers. A sudden pang
drove rhe merrtment from her face.
All. but she envied Gretchen, For
the peasant there was freedom there
was the chosen mate. but for the
princess
"Essur hat scoundrel." cried Hefr-
man
The yintner snataned off his hat
apoiogettcally and swung ii round
on the tips of his fingers
Is this the way YOU work -"
Il have picked nine baskets
You should have picked twelve"
1t Interested her highness to note
that this handsome young fellow was
not afraid Of the head vintner. So
this was Gretchen's lover He was
really handsome: there was nothing
coarse about his features or figure.
And presently she realized that he
was returning her scrutiny with in
,ereae. He had never seen her high
ness at close range before. and he now
saw that Gretchen WAS more beauti-
fully only because he saw her through
the eyes OF lover.
The pause was broken by Gretch-
en-,
Pardon. Highness!'
For what. Gretchen
For not having seen your APP
proach"
That was my fault. not yours.
When Is the wedding"
After the vintage. Highness.
Her highness then spoke 10 the
bridegroom -eiect. You will be good
to herr
who could help it, Your High
ness?"
The pronoun struck her oddly, for
peasants as n usuaf thing never used
II In addressing the nobility,
well. on the day of the wedding
] will stand sponsor for you both. And
good luck go with YOU. Come. Hofr-
man: my horse will be FESTIVE and
my men impatient"
She passed down the aisle, and the
head vintner followed. wagging his
head. He was not at all satisfied with
that tableau He employed men to
work: he wanted no love affairs in
s,do his vineyards. As for her high
ness. she had come for the sole pur-
nose OF seeing 9retchens lover: and
II occurred to her that the really