The wageworker., 1910-11-18

to enter the service of the princess.
Gretchen'S career on the stage had
given her an acquaintance with Il num-
ber of prominent persons. and to these
she applied for their influence to Sc
cure the position she desired--that of
reader The duties of reader are. as
the name indicates. to read aloud for
the amusement or instruction of the
employer. Gretchen was appointed to
the place she coveted and in this way
met Louis Oh occasions when he Wis
tied his betrothed.
But neither the beauty nor the wi!es
of the actress could draw the king
from his allegiance. A breach must be
made between the two before Gretchen
could hope to effect an entrance to his
heart. The many presents the king had
given the princess were not kept SO
securely but that the reader had az
cess to them. One day when an oppor-
tunity occurred she took from these
gifts a half hoop of turquoiSes shaped
like forgetmenots. intending to make
an especial use OF it.
There was among the officers of the
kings bodyguard one whom we shall
call Carl He had been struck by the
beauty of the princess reader. and she
for Il purpose had entered into Il mild
Irritation with him. She gave him the
turquoise half hoop as a mark OF her
favor. asking him to wear it for her
sake. The young man. proud Of his
supposed conquest. was not slow to
exhibit the proof Of it before his royal
master. and Louis was shocked at sec
ing in possession of another gift he
had given his betrothed.
1t is only in real stories that people
violate every doctrine of probability.
One would suppose that any man in
his senses. seeing his present in posses
sion of another. would have made an
investigation. Louis did not even ask
the gulrdsnan how Ls came by the
trinket Perhaps the doctrines of prob
ability do not apply in cases of jealous
lovers At any rate. there are many in
| stances to show that ordinary sense
and common prudence do not. King
Louis. furioil= at the apparent evidence
that his beloved had been untrue TO
him. wrote her scathing letter break
ing off their engagement.
| The letter fell like bolt from
! heaven. 1t is question whether dis
appointment. wounded love or indiy-
nation at the unpardonable treatment
for which no explanation was given
most affected the girl. who from hav-
ing loved and received the love OF Il
| king was suddenly cast off. Such
misunderstanding usually become
mere complicated and less explailla sie
at every step. The second scene in
the drama was even more deplorable
than the first. The princess was as
| founded to learn that her reader had
fed from her and taken up her abode
within the limits of the royal park
| This begot another error. AS the
| king believed that the princess had
| given the guardsman his present. SO
| the princess believed that the reason
| the King had broken with her was
that he might possess the actress.
! This led to a third complication. So
I phia returned to the king all the
/ presents he had sent her except the
half hoop of turquoises. which she
| conId not find and supposed had been
| lost
t The evening after the receipt of his
gifts the king and the eN-actress- ex-
| reader were out on the lake. The
boat shaped like a swan, was fitted
up in royal style. The moon shone
down upon them, it's soft light in
| tensifying the girls beauty. That
they might be alone the oars.nen had