Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, October 18, 1903, Page 30

The (Copyright, 1993, by J. W. Muiler.) CHAPTER XXI ITDDEN our white villa may he under the palms, the world stiil knows of us. We can take no walk, no drive, without being stared at, We are actually sur- rounded, watched, express sympathy pursued. They try to ndmiration, respect and they ruin Paradise. Sympathy fnr what? Because I would become a “citizen Prince And their “admiration!” They appear to find Judica charming. ghe will never become a grande dame, for she 18 something more; she has a sublime womanhood that makes her a sovereign. When they salute her, which happens ev our erywhere, she barely nods in her deadly embarrassment If a queen did it, it would be taken as a sign of haughtiness; with Judica it has an effect as if she smiled at all, and the whole world is delighted with her, And delighted with my c¢hild, delighted more and more is the Count. 1 observe it with secret amazement. He has no sus- picion that T look into his soul and read in it as in an open book The Count adores my little Countess, If Judica were not a Countess of ——, yas and be a happy woman, This sounds almost as if my child were unhuppy now. God forbid it! She picks flowers and smiles at me, shedding glory from her own soul over my dark one, mak- and herself, still, Ing happy, She is happy me being happy Wiil it last long? Can it last long? Must night come again? Bhe does not think now of what they told her about me, She sees me at her glde with a face like that of other men, [ am healthy I bloom with youth. So she thinks—as | begin to think myself— thit they wove a gloomy vell of lies about ne to hide me from the eyes of the na- tion Will she be able to retain that belief as [ do, if T ever et he look into the depths of my roul and see its darkness? She will not always remain my child; some day she will be my* wife, soul of my soul. Will doubt and fear not selze her then? I must hide my dark soul as long as pos- sille from her bright one, And another, a gloomy, tremendous sghadow lcoms up, at present only in my mind., that they say is discased Should she ever learn what [ have given for her, my rights to a Royal throne; should she ever realize the vastness of my sacrifice— would not despair crush her? And what then? Soof T vell myself. T must guard even m{-l:‘ ams \C.jvnlz-'( dissemble and lie There i= onaywho knows all; one who witches me and dpies on me as [ do on him ol This one i my good friend Gebhardt! And there is one who wauld perpetrate a erime it it were needed to save Judiea from misforfune And this one is my good friend Geb- hardt! w my good friend Gebhardt loves my wife! . . . . . L . Things are not so simple and easy as a young and romantic soul pictures them. To escape all the consequences of my marriage to Judica I would have to flee with her into deserts In Mentone, in Nizza and in Cannes there are whole crowds of Kings and Princes. Of courve they all hknow about and my beautiful unequaled wife, me I care for no one, and am, therefore, im- polite to all to the bounds of rudeness. Yet the Count is In constant receipt of inquiries as to whether or not “His Royal Highness'' will receive visitors. “His Royal Highness regrets’” is the answer to all. The Count excuses me with sublime courtly skill everywhere; but everywhere I injure and offend And yesterday! I strolled slowly along one of our garden paths when suddenly a man approached me. I recognized him at once. It was Prince Adalbert, who, should my brother die with- out heirs, was designated in the secret document signed by me as the man who is 1o he King At his appearance T had a feeling-God does not love those in whose souls he per- mits such feelings. His Royal Highness hurried to me and sald most cordially and cheerfully: “Forgive the invasion. I wished to you, but sirce you are said to bhe unap- proachable, 1 chose this way to reach you, you invisible one, you. You are badly guarded, however. There is no one here to prevent me from entering. So | entercd and here I am.” My reply was “Had you had the politeness t [RRILY yourself to be announced your ver flat téring desire would not have been fulfiiled.’ “So I thought, and therefore 1 ca without being announced. Your reception is not particularly encouraging., but vou must excuse me if I tell you that 1 am glad for all that to see you." Nothing remained for me but to bear his presence. We strolled on, 1 dumbly. te gossiping without pause. And what go P flowed from that fellow! With no word Weary Kings | o LW SINCE SHE HESITATED 1 PRESSED HER: did he mention the fact that I am not liv- ing alone here. He spoke of the most fa- mous race horses that ran in Nezza, of the most famous shots who murdered pigeons in Monte Carlo, of the most ‘“famous’” women, and of his own fame as owner of race horses, as grand pigeon shot and as skilled gambler. And this wretched creature is to take the inheritance of my fathers' Is this de- generate better than I; could he rule the land, my land, better; could he make the nation, my nation, more great and happy than I could? I wanted to hurl myself on him, to strangle him. That is what I thought while we walked together through all the bloom and glory. And then Judica came walking toward us. She“walked through a lane of salvias They stood_on both sides of her like won- derful lldnu\m\. Through the flower-fire she came, like a \jsion. Never had I seen my child so bt'ulnN. Now 1 got my\ revenge. thus forcing him to do the same. As Judica approached nid, as coldly and indifferently as possibde, with a negligent motion of my hand in hjis directicn: “Prince Adalbert called.to pay' his re- spects to you. Unhappily, my dear cousin will not have time to take breakfast with us." His Royal Highness, already startled by 1 stood still, Judica’s appearance, now was completoly confused. His Royal Highness bowed with confusion, murmured something. Judica greeted him with her faint, charming nod, and in her embarrassment went by the future heir to the throne Now 1 was so polite as to accomparv my suddenly silent visitor to the gates. I am safe against a second invasion from His Royal Highness, - . . . . . . I have made a visit to one of my own kind after all. But this one i8 a woman, and in other ways an exception. Thercfore I went to her without my adjutant, as a simple human being Her Majesty resides in Mentone In a villa next to the one in which the Empress wavily g dwells i 1 nished One tr ¢ womnn thus lives in sisterly companionship with another Her Majesty received me in a garden room which opens toward the ocean like a temple White marble columns, wreathed with fowers, formed the foreground to the wonderful pleture of sky and sca Under one of the flowery arcl stood the Queen in a black, trailing dre like the gloomy genius of sorrow in the midst of a hymn of beauty “You have come alone?®* ““Was that not correct?™ “WHAT DID YOU THINK TO “‘Since there are two of you, no."” And she gave me her hand with a smile that acted like good enchantment. We went up and down in the great hall. 1 had to tell her of Judica, ever and agnin of Judica! She has a way of listening that unlocks the heart, so that I had to suppress myself in order not to betray anything of that other being within me whom only [ may know. Then she spoke of my mar- riage, my happiness, my refuge in beauty and love as only a woman can speak who has felt life's own misery and has quered it through herself. I remained until evening and had to promise to return with Judica. The Queen gave me a rosebud to take to her. - - - - - . - - con- Today T attained the certainty that my child is passionately belowed As a mat- ter of fact I did not need the certainty, But now that I have it it still impresses me, We—-Judica, the Count and I—made a little tour to § ¥ospice—a desolate, lonely, gray little monastery; a desolate, lonely, gray little church, with a desolate, lonely gray, little graveyard hanging to the bare brown cliffs, the purple ocean in the background, under a flaming evening sky In the graveyard a wingle, wind- swept cypress, the sunken graves over- grown with weeds; here and there a crum- bling wooden cross, and to the ruined wall a lonely grave covered with narcissus, We stood, gazed and said no word Then I heard smothered sobhs alongside of me. And T looked at my child and tears flowed down hier cheeks. Frightened, 1 cried: *‘But, Judica!" She begged with quivering lips: est, do not be angry with me.” “Why do you ery?" “T had to think-"" Since she hesitated 1 pressed her: did you think to make terly?" “The thought “What? What?" 5 1 die 1 buried en you and throw narcissus “If you should die And T saw close “Dear- “What you weep so bit- came into my mind-—" should here 1o to should must over my wish come grave be me the Co 's fa It was white, distorted with terror. He looked at me Silently we stood and looked into ecach other's eyes. Then 1 obtained the tainty, And he, too, that I knew his secret. I took my Majesty embraced would not permit during the visit, she said to me: ce perceived wife to the Queen Her and ki d Judica, her to k her side When she sald farewell A Modern Romance By Richard Voss M AKE YOU WEEP SO BITTERLY?" ‘““Hold your happiness fast. She s a talisman.” The Queen utterd what I had known since the first day of my marriage; I have the (alisman, possess the happiness of 1ife, fully. And yet, and yet— Often I ask myself if Judica is happy, 80 completely happy that can no end? Does it ever come to her In waking hours night that her husband is her father's true son, the last of a dying race of Kings? In that hour in the graveyard my child she see wished herself dead and hidden in the earth, not for her own sake, but for mine. Just as if she presaged that I—even now =50 soon—1 cannot write this, CHAPTER XXII. In the Palace of Solitude. Spring We came unwillingly but—we came. I had intended to send Judica to the Alpine farm for a shert time, thinking it would satisfy her secret homesickness. But my child wished 10 remain with me. She implored me so fervently not to send her away that it startled me. Why do's Judica not wish to see Miss Fritz again? Does she fear the wise, clear eyes? Why do 1 not wish to accompany her there? Do 1 fear those eyes? My Dbrother appears to be more lonely, more unhappy and more weary than ever, my sister-in-law more sorrowful, my mother more unapproachable, the spiritus femiliaris more spectral and—more neces- sary than ever, The majesties are extremely fri *ndly to me. The queen would like to know Judiea, but may not on account of ‘“‘possible con- sequences The King spoke again of vis- fting us, but has not come, It is alimost a8 if he felt shy. Certainly he wishes me well with all his heart and envies me with his whole ul as before. For the q n mother there is no such person as a ( 1 ess of Sarns. With t} ift of the little golden cross that per ] was abolished finally for my moth And that is well Then there is ar ther person court, She d not interest me, but she ¢ ts and I cannot ignore her. Gebhardt's sister! To show her t T do not fear her strength 1 id to 1 H “Ma ne on adid the tvor to Solitude to wander there at times." “Once, your Royal Highness." She put a slight inflection on the first word. With all my politeness 1 contin- ued: “The King had the graciousness to close the palace park te the public from t! ought- fulness for us. As you may know, I am married. It goes without saying that the park I8 at your service at all times, It