Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1903)
A iModcrn Romance By Richard Voss The Weary Kings Ii Copyright, 13)3, l.y J. W. Mulle.r.) HAVE proved my depesi mm I. I know myself; I wish that I wer my father's eldest son an I thn heir of crown uml realm; I wish my brother. the King, hud fill himself too weak. h:il permitted hU terror to conquer him and had abdicated In my favor. Oil. God, Thou Mauler of Heaven and f Earth, be merciful to me, for I envy my brother the crown. The Klni I" wonderfully Rood to me and I tltinli: "If I wire In your place!-' With mh thoughts I can look Into h's eyes, Kpcak calmly with him, shake Mh hand, without feeling the slightest compnn"tlon. low In Much h thiriK possible? I'i'caii.w I do not wish to be King for my own sake, but for the sake of the na tion that loves me and for which my rule would be a mlsTi rtune! That In It! II. id these unjust, th rurned words never been mild to me, I Would i.cver Iinve bad these monstrous, fratricidal thought. That la It! They hive bitten deep Inio my soul and bruin unill nothing rem.'iliud In me except the burn ing determination to become King that I might give, the. lie to thoon maddening worda! According to ancient usage everything la undent with us-tlie new King re'ires eight days before his coronation in'.o a Carthusian monaFtery thut la connected with tho Palac by enormous liiiM n gal lerlea. Tin re are great ceremonies. In the pres ence of the whole Court, led by the (Irani Trior, tho train goes slowly uwtty, with the terrible psnlniH of the Monks in their ears, and they aeem to step with the KttiK into the grave. For a full week the King will rema n en tombed in bis (ill. None ma y upprtach him. With fasting and prayer he prepares himself for the martyrdom, the acceptance Of the crown. Ills Bpurae food la handed to him through an opening In the wall. None dare speak to him, not even the Grand Prior. 1 am afraid. What I thought, hoped, wished In secret, may become true; the King In his cell is thinking of ttbdlcatlon. He called the. Grand Prior to him. He Is the only one who may reach him now except a physician. The reverend father has been with my mother. Secret cabinet meetings are being held. The rumor must have reached the people; for a multitude waits before the Palace. Once I stepped to the window. They saw and recognised me and but I withdrew at oik e. Else it might have happened that the nation In this hour would have . Now the Privy Councillor is with tha King 1 must kill these thoughts. I know that I will he a lost man if I cannot liberate and purify myself. 1 shall bo lost forever. What Is happening? They are keeping It secret from me from me who would succeed the King If he remulns weuk. Kvcn my mother deceives Inc. The ministers meet, the Council of State is culled, and I, the heir of my brother, am shut out. I shall demand explanation! They must answer to me! Do they not know that the people, the whole people, stands by me, that It believes In me, loves me und cheers me, Ixx'g live the King! Htop! Stop! The King Is not dead yet. Today I went to see my mother. I went to beg her to tell me why they kpt me In Igr-orauca while they were deciding the fate of the land and of me. In the last-anjc-room I found the new Court Lady. When the lackeys threw the doors open for me, she arose and made her correct bow, which annoys me so Just be cause It Is so correct. And with it she hud a way Wit h elaborate politeness I said to her: "lrHy, Countess, announce me to Her Majesty." "Her Majesty cannot receive your Royal Highness." "Why not?" "I may announce no one." "Is my mother 111?" "Her Majesty has the Ministers In coun cil" "So much the better." I strode forward In order to puss in to my mother unannounced. Then Gebhardt's sister cried out: "I received strict order from Her Maaty to permit none to enter. Should Your Reyal Highness pass me I must consider myself as duunlsned by Her Majesty." I stood still and listened, with my old pleasure In Independent, proud speech to ward one like myself-with my old pleas tire. Heaven be thanked. I bowed and aid: "With your permission X shall wait here until the Council la ended and the mother la able to receive her son." The Countess took ber seat again at my request and I sat down near ber. In excited, Ht- set tired mood, as I was well aware. Kor a. time we mid, er rather I aaJd, common- SUDDENLY MT HEART BEGAN TO THROB, MT BREATH STOPPED, AND I STOOD BEHIND HER. how, I place tilings. Then, I know ' not broke out with: "I congratulate you on your appointment to Court. There axe such great th-'nga here for you; the splendor and glory of a Royal Court! I believe there Is nothing more splendid or glorious in tho whole world." I spoke with all the sharp Irony, the bitter sarcasm to which her calm poise drovo me. She looked at me ste ulily. Heaven knows why I had to think at that moment: "She knows how It Is In you. She knows that you desire the, crown." Then something strange happened. As If I were under a spell, T stepped toward her. Instead of rising, she kept her place calmly. I stood before her and said with a choking voice: "Are you, too, of the belief that it would he a misfortune for the country if those inside there should let the King abdicate?" "Your Royal Highness wishes to hear my views?" After awhile we held each other's eyee steadily I got the reply: "It depends on the power." "You consider my character too .weak?" "Your Royal Highners would have to overcome your churacter." "In order not to be a degenerate ruler? As you see. am so indiscreet as to demand tho truth from your character. Pardon me If I demand too much." I had not demanded too much. This girl, whom I had despised, possess d the cour age to tell the man who ml'jht biennis King, with her steadfast glance, that she considered hltn as belonging to a degen erate race. Could I but give the He to the prophetic glance of the courageous woman! Again I had the wish that seized me when op posed to our medical spirit us fnrnllljrls. Hut I have underestimated the Countess Thyra's soul. That pleases me. There Is something free and great and strMig In her. The Council ended and I was admitted to my mother. But I did not find her whom I sought. Her sun who was King wished to escape the crown; ber son who was to be come King wished to throw himself Into her arms. I was driven by the terror of the fate of our house, the fear of myself. On her another heart I longed to find abet ter, peace, refuge from myself. But be fore the lull, motionless form in the trail ing block garments I was forced to let my arms sink. My mother stood in the center of the room, looked at me without moving and said: The King will remain King! Whaf, then, do you wish?" What do I wish, unblessed that I was? Her fixed gazo and the almost inimical tone of her voice hurt me like something physical. Striving for breath, 1 uttered: "At least I wish to know why it would be a misfortune for the country If my brother were to persist in his weakness! He will not persist, you tell me. Good! May his rulo be happy and glorlniu for our race and for the coutnry. Only tell me why my rule would be unhappy and shameful! You must tell me!" I saw my mother's features softening. But she remained silent. Approaching ber and raising my hauls, I begged: "Mother, tell me. It devours me. f brood forever. See! It Is something that may madden must madden me. Tell ma before I go mad. Am I a wicked creature? I suffer, mother. Help roe. mother, dear mother. I have never asked you for any thing; think, never! And now I ask you for my soul." So I prayed to my mother; and then then she told me. And as she told me she threw both arms around my neck, pressed my head to her bosom, wept over me till my face was wet with her tears. Weeping, she whi-pered It to me, and now now I know It. I am Indeed my father's true son, for even now my father's malady la said to show In me. Even now! Have I not a great mother? CaasMtee- XrV. To tell such a thing to her son, her be loved son! For my mother loves me. She knew why I came to her, what I wished to hear from her, and she told roe the other thing. There must have been such mothers In Sparta. But It Is not true, it is not true, not true; I am well! They are mistaken. The wise physician, too, Is mistakes. Buck things occur. I am the only healthy one of our race! Sick, very sick. Is the King whom they declare to be the only healthy oaw. Ho has inherited the sickness of our house, of my father. I am healthy In body and soul. I can think logically; twice two is four. Well, then! But it is horrible to consider how a tow senseless ones can drive a aane man out of his senses. In that fearful moment I had the strength to comfort my weeping mother. I had never seen her cry before, for Queens, as everyone knows, do not weep, even when they arc Queens of Misery like my mother. Even I looked on with dull amazement at the stream of real tears! Surely they were scalding drops that burned my mother's heart. We remained together a long while for the first time! For the first time we were mother and son. Things had to go far with the State of Denmark before we got to that. And further than that. I have the strength to remain silent. I long to speak, cry, scream. But I hold my mouth shut tightly. I long to call in our spirltus familiarls. But I conquer myself. I long to throw myself on the breast of my one friend and sob on his bosom. But I do not permit myself to shed a tear even in my chamber. Today the King arose from his tomb, and the most imprudent sparrow dare not chatter about what happened in the cell. I have not yet seen my resurrected brother. I have not seen my mother, either, since the hour In which she wept over me. How shall I look into their eyes? My brother, too. will know that I have learned how It Is with me "even now." I mean haw it ' Is said to be with me, for It is not true, not true, not true! They He! The day will come when I can prove the lie to them. And then However, I need not fear as to how I shall look at mother and brother. So long as we "celebrate," we are less family than ever. And now we are representatives from head to sole In the highest of wedding and coronation style. My adjutant has handad me a long Itxt. Everything Is in it, named with painful system Every article of clothing, from the cravat to each ribbon of each Order, la scheduled and Just how often each must be changed. Tonight I shall have to lock myself In my room and learn the whole thing by heart. If It will only go Into my sick head! Cebhardt will have to rehears