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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1903)
The HIT tj I vj nr-ur nit' ujit'ii uinjr wuu I looked toward the young mother I . 1. I . I t. lis iiiv 11 in intj iinnvH, niuiQ bed bslde the young King's cradle. The chamber wai Ailed with moonlight, as If a Saint lay on the bed. Suddenly she opened her eyes. Her guardian stepped softly backward to a spot from which he could watch, himself Unseen. And what was she doing? She stood up! That might be, would be her death. ' Oebhardt tried to cry out, but unsen hands seemed to hold his mouth shut. lie tried to go to her, and his feet seemed rooted to the ground. Rhe stood In the moonlight with bare feet. She could hardly stand upright, fie beard her smother her groans, and suw her totter to the cradle and lift the little Corpse, Carefully, as If It were living, she raised the child, preenmj It to hr breast, and then put It back tenderly Into Its cradle and stepped toward the door. Clone by the hidden guard she dragged herself. He heard her go down the stairs and open the front door snd then he heard the dog bark Joyously. But Immediately he heard the bark change to a tremulous whimper. i For a short while he stood, still unable to move. Then he burst the spell forcibly and crept sfter her. Nobody In the house was awake; nobody coutd save her nobody xcept himself. He saw her go, with dragging, tottering footsteps. In the white moonlight, over the shining meadow, like a form of mist. Sometimes her feet seemed to give way. Sometimes she seemed to sink to her knees. I'.ut ever she went on. On. on, she went to the place where stood the stump of the giant pine under which lie and her Prince had thought to die during a storm, and there- she fell. I-aler. much later, Oebhsrdt told me all. And he told me, also, that her way of death had been a way of death for him, too. Once he threw himself on the ground and pressed his face Into the grass over which she had atepped, biting into It that he might not cream aloud with anguish and torture. It Would have frightened Judlca. When he reached the meadow, close be hind her. he saw her lying by the charred not let tn wedding feast follow Imme tump. He fell on his knees beside her. lately on the funeral feast, because he lifted her dead body In his arms, bore her back to the Alpine farm and laid her on her bed. Then he held the death watch he all alone. His lonely death watch waa the re ward that ha gave himself for his love to tha grave and beyond. Twelve hours after the announcement of the death of my new-born son, my ex-ad-Jutant brought me the news of my wife's death. He reported that the mother had died peacefully In her bed. My former servant asked me "humbly" whether mother and child might be burled together. "Yes, together." "And might the burial be In the meadow known to His Majesty?" "If the church permitted yes." "Would . His Majesty be present in per son at the funeral?" "No. His Majesty thought not." But His Majesty sent the most splendid flowers, which his former adjutant was to lay on the grave in the King's name; His Majesty sent the Archbishop himself to consecrate the place on the medow; and Ills Majesty commanded that a white mar ble mausoleum should arise there. His Majesty desired to have his wife and son buried royally, though Ills Majesty could not come personally to help bury his dead. He had oilier and greater duties to make a whole nation happy. To make them happy! I could not. make a loving and trusting young woman happy and now waa to make a whole nation happy whose love and trust are with a dead ruler. For I had to recognise It more and more every day, every hour the pistol shot that saved my brother from signing the' declaration of war that faint little report echoed In the soul of the people forever. The Government resolved to give the dead ruler the name of "The Good," and a great popular subscription was begun to erect a mighty national monument for him. Hut I. the living, waa devoured more and mora with Jealousy of the dead. With him, who was buy oud all battle, 1 battled day by day, hour by hour. And It waa a battle fur life or death; for It waa a battle for the love and trust of a whole nation. And now another grim buttle waa only beginning the battle against myself and the dark powers within me. If I could conuuer the great dead, I would have to triumph over myself first; I must conquer my mad envy, kill my Jealousy! I must love my brother In hla grave; honor him, admire him I must be thankful to him. It was hard; and still it was not the hardest. Prepared In no manner for tha role of ruler, I had to learn to be a monarch, now that I was a monarch. Only 21 years old was I 22 years old already! I had culti vated the talent of dreams, the art of Wooding something most unnecessary, far Weary Kings my natural talent for these gloomy arts ws great enough In Itself. Only my brother was an exception in escaping this curse of our race. If he could have over come his terror. But he permitted the terror to overwhelm him at the first great opportunity. Now I ruli In his place. And I ruled through my own strength after they had wrongfully shut me out of the auccesslon. My royal will tore that secret document. But In my mind It remains. It flames through my reign: 'King! Think of thy end.'" Kvery day I must battle against It, that the end shall not be ss It was Written, If only In my phantasy. In this battle I would fall helpless. I would have to despair, had I not the belief In myself. And this belief, this talisman. I won In that night when I withstood the King's test over the chasm. CHAPTER XXX I knew only too well that all mistrusted me because none knew me. But I knew them all. There was my Spartan mother, who could not forgive me because my brother died and I lived. There was our splritus famillarles, who could not for give me because he had been In error In his exalted wisdom; there was our Minister of State, who could not forgive me because he had drawn up my renunciation In so beautiful a style In vain. And then there was my faithful subjects, who could not forgive me because I was a stronger ruler 'than my dear brother. If only they had known how well I knew them all. Every day. every hour, I educated my self anew to be a ruler, and practiced the greatest and most difficult of all the virtues of a ruler I ruled myself. I showed reverence to my Spartan mother; yes, I even permitted that our splritus famlliarls should continue his gloomy spells, watching me ever, and ever watting to prove him self to be right after all. He waited for that with all confidence. So things remained as they had been In the State of Denmark. The sparrows twittered Impertinent stories of a forgotten grave in a mountain meadow, of a graci ously dismissed faithful adjutant, of a beautiful woman who waa dwelling In the place Solitude only King Hamlet did not do as his Dsnlsh predecessors did. and did feared the ghosts that went around In his. soui too much. The sparrow twittered, too. that the young King was building himself a wonder ful Grail Burg on the 8ea-Alp. And since Majesty should be surrounded with Majesty, I surrounded myself with a pomp and splendor such as had never been seen before. My extravagance made me more beloved among the people than my holiest love for them could hsve done. Gradually It actually made me popular! This helped my disgust for humanity to grow, till It was a delight. And It la Incredible how my great faith In myself at last won for me the faith of the people. Every day. every hour, I saw the stormy night In which the power had been given to me. Without it I would have been a weak, wavering reed; with it I was a rock. And see there came a time when my people began to become great and happv under my rule! Great and happy through me! But the wise physician still waited, full of confidence and I knew It. My helper In all the battles, and battling at my side, was the beautiful woman who taught me passion. Her spirit was power, and my spirit bathed In it as in a spring whenever It became weary. I know now that Thyra did not love me. that she could not love at all. She gloried In her power. I wished to make her my wife and was ready to overthrow an ancient law of our dynasty in order to do it. But she herself prevented me. She showed me that my rule lacked kingly deeds too much still to darn such a deed as that This second marriage would have aroused a atorm of Indignation In my own land as well as In others. For the wish of the country was that I should marry my brother's youthful widow. Knowing that her time would come. Thyra waited with the same confidence -as that with which one at Court waited one whose mortal enemy I was. The great doctor was at the same time my beat teacher in the school of rulership; he taught me con stantly to rule myself. When I met his piercing, sad glance penetrating Into my soul, and met il with a gracious smile, I 'performed a masterpiece every time. Cast off by her family, hated at Court, despised by the people, Thyra dwelled In the palace Solitude from "which I had erased every memory of other days, which I hsd changed Into a nest of purple and gold. But the mistress wore -none but black garments. No color clothed her so well aa the somber tints In which I first saw her. Only tha purple could have suited her bet ter! Flowers did not fit her, and of Jewels only diamonds were suitable. Not quen yet, she had tha ornaments of a queen, which she wore only becausa she plesaed me In them. When we were together, all steps were debated, alt battle planned, all power A Modern Romance By Richard Voss gathered snd steeled every day anew. So It continued till there came a political victory that wss followed by a whole series of similar triumphs; so It continued till the shining shadow of the Illustrious royal dead became paler and paler In the State as well as In the soul of the nation; eo it continued until I was a master In self-rule and In the rule of others. It continued until my people began again to love me and to trust me, till there appeared the first sign that I might succeed at last In making my country happy; I, the powerless, the degenerate! Mortal terror of a king's responsibility and despair of himself had thrust my brother from the throne into the grave. I had been raised even as from a grave to the throne by longing for a king's won drous power; to make a whole country great and happy and by my faith in my self. Which of us two was the stronger? CHAPTER XXXI. I will write now how it came otherwise. The paper of this book is coming to an end and a second one shall not be begun. Things had so shaped themselves at last that I could dare to think of making the Countess Thyra my wife and of elevating her to Queen by my new law. Living In uttermost seclusion, Thyra had stilt succeeded In becoming a power In the State, a power of tha mora certain and complete Influence on account - of Its se crecy. She even forced my cabinet to reckon with her. I knew that she re ceived this and that one of my Ministers and the foremost of my Councillors, that she waa preparing a great coup for me and that her Influence extended far beyond me. And I knew that she lived In the firm belief that she was the only mover, guide and possessor of the mystic power that had torn me out of the night of brooding, the curse of my house. Deceived by the consciousness of her1 growing power, she, otherwise so moderate, so wise, came to misuse It. It robbed her of a throne; and it made of me that which I am today. I had never spoken to a single person on earth about my King's test, when I hung all night long over the abyss In the storm. Not even to Thyra had I breathed It. I had not even spoken of It to her brother, who found me senseless at sunrise on the edge of tha chasm. But angered one day by -a positively ele mental outbreak of her Imperious nature, I was carried away sufficiently to tell her of the symbolical event of that night. And I told her that I had to thank her power for great things, but that the greatest had come to me through my own might, that had sustained me over the gulf. She listened to me, looked at ma smil ingly and said, calmly: "My poor frler-l, you dreamed 'that long night.' You clung to the rock five min utes Ave minutes at the most. How can you imagine that you hung there through a whole night? It would have been something superhuman." I heard her say the murderous words with her clear, cold voice, and at once It seemed to me as If my soul were Illumi nated with a celestial radiance. Shot through by the light, I recognised the starless black night that had covered my spirit until that moment. I knew my er ror, my deluelon. It would have been "superhuman" had I hung over the abyss all night long. Five minutes at most Ave minutes. After these, my power was gone. Had my adjutant not come, my arms would have loosened even In the sixth minute, and I would have fallen like any other earthly man, like any other weak man Into the abyss and been destroyed. Only Ave minutea! And I had thought to hear a voice of heaven, telling me my wonderful destiny; I had thought It to be the King's test that called me to a throne; a delusion had given me faith In myself. Suddenly I remembered the words that I had heard then, as I was recovering consciousness. They, too, spoke of a "few minutes." . It was day within me, glaring, pitiless day. I did not betray . myself with a word I think that my mien showed nothing either; ' at least I noticed no change In the face of the Countess. With tremendous calmness I was able to reply, that no doubt It had been only five minutes Ave minutes at most; I was able to jest about It with her. I remained for a considerable length of time, spoke of this snd of that, all com monplace things, and then arose to depart, knowing that I would never return, and. said farewell to the woman of my pasxlon, knowing that It was a farewell forever. All this I saw aa clearly by the great light In my soul aa I saw her. In the pride of her beauty, atanding before me and already feeling the crown on her head. Then I arent and did not look hack. I ordered the carriage to drive ahead and went my way alone. It was a glorious summer night, the sky full of stars and the varth full of blossom and odor. Tn the tnlckets by the sides of the walks the nightingales sang and star showers fell aa If It rained Are. Within ma all waa so quiet that I Inhaled the odor with delight and listened with happlneaa tn the love songs of the birds. Slowly walking along. I thought back over my whole life. And I thought of tha conversation In the arbor on the Alpine farm, to which I had listened, hearing tha strong, clear voice of Miss Frlta say again: "But your Prince is good!" and the an swer of the friend: "He is good still." Yes. and then I heard myself vowing ta be good and to remain good. Another picture: My father, the sick King, was to visit the Sea-Alp. The privy councillor came, prepared me for the ar rival of the King, told me of hla malady, which was the malady of our whole race with the exception of one. This one, how ever, was not I. And again I saw the glance of the great physician upon me, that piercing, all-penetrating, ali-knowlng glance. It was bent upon me full of sorrow, full of pity. I hated the man on account of hla pity. Another picture:' My father called ma his true son. my mad father! Another picture: My mother embraced me with both arms, pressed my head to her bosom and wept over me! Then the time of temptations, battles, evil wtHhea, Jealousy, envy, the lust for the demoniac golden gleam of the crown. The tlmea of hot dealre for help, and rescue through the saving might of the lova of a pure woman. After brief life and Joy. again a long, long night of wild battle and deep pain, full of wicked desires and long ings. Between them the storm night and Its madness. And now suddenly the full knowl edge that was followed by my decision, my immovable, mighty, last will. CHAPTER XXXII. The unearthly splendor of my fafth In myself had vanished like a candle'a Aama In storm. Darkest doubts had mastered me, and only one thing could save me to And the way that should lead me to tha goat. Thla goal was: To make my land great, to make my people happy In spite of all. If I stepped voluntarily from the throne, declared myself aa Incapable to reign, signed my abdication, I must also prevent the land from falling to that other house In which things were no less rotten than In tha State of Denmark. I must do a work of love for my land and people. If I would raise myself out ot tha depth Into which my delusion had hurled me. Such a deed, for which my memory would be blessed tn my land, would purify my spotted soul; such a deed would transform my confused, useless ex istence Into one that had not been whollj' In vain. That powerful, strong neighboring Stata with which we had once wished to enter into war, until eavedby the pistol shot of my brother, must rule after me, without the shedding of a drop of blood. My flrst step was to notify the Countesa that her dream of royalty would remain unfulfilled, that I parted from the crown, and, therefore,, from her. But I promised to provide for her royalty If she would permit me to do so without ever seeing her again. Her answer was to leave tha palace the same hour. It waa the only answer with which she honored me. This flrst step toward my goal was not easy; the second was still mora hard; a talk before no witnesses with our splritus . famlliarls. He entered, bowed low and stood silently before me. I strode slowly up t him and met his expectantly directed glance." Without turning my eyea away I said In a loud voice: "Herewith I declare myself your patient. "Your Majesty feels Indisposed?" "Indisposed exactly as my father felt himself." I gave him my hand and the venerable man kissed It. While his while head was bent over my hand, I had to think: "Will he remain with you, too, until you desire his life? Or until you have followed your brother? And will he weep for you, too?" When I dismissed him he could have gone from me like a triumphator; for tha hour for which he had waited had come. But he crept away, a broken old man. After a while I went to my mother and said to her: "I long to be embraced once more by you, to lay my head on your breast and to feel your tears upon my face." And my longing was satisfied. In the Council of State I then proclaimed my immovable decision and expressed my desires regarding the succession to the throne. The great affair was laid before both houses in secret session. .V. I.Ike a tempest It swept the land, like a tempest It went through the other States. It was aa If I wished something monstrous, something impossible. And yet I wished only my people's greatness and happiness. When the disputing and warring, the noise and clamor became too great, I went, by advice of our physician, to the placa