Show THE GOOSE GIRL BY HAROLD MACGRATH tJ Copyrighted by Merrill Bobbs-Merrill Co II I iJ Y i ici ci J 4 CHAPTER XV II 5 the Vintage ne ards covered some fort forty hillside All AIl day long the upon the clustering building of stone tresses presses and bottling depart- depart was within comparatively easy phe lc city During the vintage men and women found The grand duke derived a private revenue from these being scarcely inferior Interior i ie Mn tn Hungary There was a aI which supplied all al I cities and towns The Ger Ger- Ibo IJo O he king duke or baron been more or less a merchant the grand giand duke duk the least to see his coa coat oaken wine casks st steward ward had full charge of the hiring and paying th the supervising the various a gruff old fellow just jus land and nd once you entered his em em- much a a. martinet as any ea eai The low cunning of ot the erf rf eluded his watchful eye ee the Ithe last pound of grapes how there should be be how much last measure of ot hops l ceto the vineyards was made small lodge where the ducal duca kept his books and su such ji h time as he should be re reIa ref relaCe re- re Ia laCe f e them before the proper prope nave brave morning the one fol fol- jail lall at the palace the vintner the outside wall o ot of smoking his pipe china-pipe and peace with the world The Th early upon the grape work wo nd Jid the vintage promised to b be Through a drifting ke kehe he discerned a solitary fig fig- Xing hing from the direction o ot of youthful figure buoyant o of Herr Hoffman was sted sled Ordinarily the the peasant gate had his hat in his hiss s sweet were laggard Not so soH soH H paused at the gate and in in- old man highly man man a ark ork n you ou do do He was a aster ster this but there was eyes that at vaguely dis- dis e It was like reAthan anything else Ire counted his abilities am and enough to admit know what he was talk talk- y letter Jetter to you also ishall be properly introduced growling Let me meme me but with starting eyes There new under the sun grapes recommended by a the letter inside out m rl l illumination Got You are Leopold D Die Die- ey e- e I by this s letter t neif highness y is patron to girl at whose request was given me Follow me said ald ii the office write lerr name on this piece at it Each night you will with h the number of or pounds four credited to you You must each h morning If It you lose be bec c paid nothing for our jour ote his name twice It was work for tor he screwed up his tamped ramped his fingers Still satisfied with his he be aid to one of ot the men terrace ninety That Thai touched yet et Well We'll s see e what tin 1 he Is He spoke to Die Die- is Gretchen to you ew Gretchen many a a. time her er basket and drawn her io etheart herr And there therein y f in the youths youth's eyes as ng Gottlieb You will vill feruse use for tor this letter from oIn keep it and frame it l 11 the office Which showed himself had bad had lessons in f of mockery was waS' given over to tous pus us Pl many ny bunches had to 2 lithe Ithe basket But Bat Dietrich Mth lith a will His fingers were Ife was sharp sharp and nd by mid mid- ed ad h sixth basket which r ng lidin t feed ils ls employees lIged to beg from his co- co y they shared with d and onions He lIe stud d the thO onions in his lla 0 dUng As soon asU as f U the peasants I. I respective ter- ter eithe youth was alone asket and laughed Was v s fine fine world Had th there re likeable r adventure The spice which gave hed d out his I arms as if 1 orld which fc appeared ed so hIs his imagination ir trYo 1 You have given me met LT t h t it it he said aloud mutable goddess iii ii 11 follies Regret it in 1 f El I shall have lived for or orV V was given to us ua i i buth se t to press s the grape 4 Ind when I grow o old 5 be be the he tonic to wipe f care eare A mad fling short hort merry monthS month month- S pg How I hate the ir went out of ChangefUl twenty e 1 out into the tight Ug and narrow naz of jh hend end at precipices J C I read ead nowhere and andi i r Hit HII face grew grewing 1 0 wooing ing blood ran ranS S Am I a thief a aI 5 5 1 puse I have that t len tn to love lovo on one S shall suffer lufter ift r for C art rt shall ache so Circle the A land hand tone tone settled under undera a yf In InI ho he 11 dreaming s His I ie e and sticky and his bark back as he hei i tIt and scram tho ho weighed thit the thi- t t Chis ninth when o c IS f long the purple r LVin n and andA ande A K lj ore work this Jd said Gret ben e t e t eit t. t I 11 Ie in her 4 sIt p el J thi th r pt t 3 had hati a aI II I him I lo r L snip b bunch h 11 1 I There he said at last what tI I call work but it Is worth woith It Now Gretchen n saw that It ll would be futile to hol hold him um oft longer lonEer what she would she n not V f gh give elve e he would of a suret surety take So s e put her hands behind her back closed vi her eyes and raised her chin u He lie Kissed not only the love lovely I mouth but th the eyes and cheeks and hair i r Gretchen Gretchen you ou are as good and beautiful beau beau- as an angel What are angels like An An angel is the most beautiful woman a p poet 1 can describe or O Imagine Then there are no men an angels ls Only Gabriel at least I never neer heard hear o of t any other Then I d do not want to be an angel i T had nad rather be what I am Besides angels an- an gels Keis do not have tempers they do not long for or things the they should not have they have nave no sweethearts She caught him roughly by the arms Ah if anything should happen to you ou I should die It seems as though I had a hundred hearts and that they had all melted into one ono for love of ot you Do men love as women love lo Is It everything and all things or only an incident I would give ghe up my soul to you If It you asked for tor itI it I ask only for your our love lo Gretchen only that And he pressed her hands All men are rogues more or less There are so many currents and eddies eddiE's enterIng entering entering enter enter- ing into a mans man's life It Is made mado up of ofa a thousand variant interests No mans man's love Is never like a womans But remember remember re- re e- e member this Gretchen I loved you the best I knew how as a man loves but I once honorably as it was possible purely and dearly The shade of trouble crossed her face Why are you always alwa's talking like that Do I not know that you love me Have I not my dowry and are we not to be married after the vintage But your our singing Singing Why my voice belongs to you for your sake I wish to be great for no other reason He ripped a bunch of ot grapes from the vine a thing no careful vintner should do and held it toward her Have you ever heard of ot the kissing cherries he asked She shook her head lIe He explained This bunch will do ery very well eU He took one grape at the bottom in his teeth Gingerly Gretchen did the same Their lips met in a smothered laughter Then they tried it again And this picture met the gaze o of two persons on the terrace below The empurpling face of one threatened an explosion but the smiling face of ot the theother theother theother other restrained this vocal thunder The Theold Theold Theold old head vintner kicked a stone savagely and at this rattling noise Gretchen and her lover turned They beheld the steward steward steward stew stew- ard and peering over his shoulder the amused countenance of ot the Princess 1111 Hil- degarde You Jou ou began the steward no longer able tej to contain himself Patience Hoffman warned wanted her high high- ness Then she laughed blithely It was such a charming picture and never had she seen a handsomer pair of bucolic lov lov- ers rs A sudden pang drove the merriment merriment merri merri- ment from her face Ah but she envied Gretchen For the peasant there was freedom there was the chosen mate but buttor for tor the princess princess- Your hat scoundrel cried Hoffman The vintner snatched off his hat apologetically apologetically apol apol- and swung it round on the tips of ot his fingers Is this the way you work I have havn nicked nine baskets Y You sh should u have picked twelve It 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 handsome handsome hand hand- some there was nothing coarse about his features or figure And presently she realized I that he was returning tu her er s scrutiny ht as i f tiny with tiny with interest t He had r seen her highness at close range before and he now saw that Gretchen was more beautiful only because he saw her through the eyes of a a. lover The pause was broken by Gretchen Pardon highness Fot Fol what Gretchen For not having seen your approach That was my toy fault not yours When is the wedding After Alter the vintage highness Her highness then spoke to the bridegroom bridegroom bridegroom bride bride- groom elect You will be good to her Who could help it your highness The pronoun struck her oddly for tor peasants peasants peasants peas peas- ants as a usual thing never used it In addressing the nobility Well on the day of ot the wedding I will wUl stand sponsor to you both And good luck go with you Come Hoffman my horse will be restive and my men im Im- patient She passed down the aisle and the head vintner followed wagging his head He was not at all satisfied with that tab tab- leau He employed men to work he wanted no love affairs Inside his vine vine- yards As for her highness she had come for tor the sole purpose of ot seeing Gretchen's lover and it occurred to her that tha t the really desirable men were generally generally generally gen gen- unencumbered by titles He will discharge me said the young vintner gloomily He will not dare returned Gret Gretchen hen We have done nothing wrong Her highness will stand by us It must be 5 6 o'clock looking booking at the sun In that case no rio more work for the day He swung the basket to his shoulder and the sun u flashing upon Its contents turned e the h bloomy io globes b Y into dull rubies 1 i He presented his card at the office and was duly credited with three crowns which according to Gretchen was a fine fineday's fineday's fineday's days day's work Hoffman said nothing about dismissal Come day after tomorrow tomorrow is a feast day You are always having feast days when work begins All summer summer summer sum sum- mer long bong you loaf loat about but the minute you rou start to work you must find excuses to o lay bay off Clear out both of ot you Work at last said Dietrich as he and Gretchen started for tor the city If It ItI I r. r can get a a. position in the brewery for forthe forthe the he winter I shall be rich Oh the e beautiful world r g lr I I y Do you r recall the first S day 1 I met you he aked Yes A little more and that dog would ouli 1 have havo killed the big gander What little things bring about big ones When I walked Into the city that day had any anyone anyone anyone one told toW me that I should fall In loveI love I should have laughed And I Arm In arm they went on Sometimes Gretchen G sang often he put her hand to his lips By and by they came abreast of an o old ll gipsy He lIe wore o a coat of Josephs Joseph's Josephs Jos Jos- os fr ephs eph's h his face was as s lined as a frostbitten apple But his eyes were keen and undimmed and he walked confidently and erect like a man who has always lived in the opel open Will VIll you vou tell me how to find the Adler- Adler gas gasse e he he asked in broken German His Ills accent was that of a Magyar He had a smattering of a dozen tongues at his command for In his time tima he had crossed and the Danube the Rhine am and the Rhone I They carelessly gave him specific di directions directions directions di- di and passed on lie followed grimly like ike fate whose agent he was though long delayed When ho reachEd the tho he looked for a sign lie He came to a stop In front of the dingy shop of the he clock mender lIe He went inside and the ancient clock mender mencer looked up lip from his work for tor he was always work work- ing He lie rose wearily and asked what he could do for his customer Ills His eyes ees were bothering him so the fact that the man was I a gipsy did not at first impress him The gipsy smiled mysteriously and laid laida a hand on his heart Who Vho are you sharply demanded the clock mender Who Vho I am does not matter I am he whom you OU seek God in heaven The bony hands of ol the clock mender shot out and clutched the others other's coat in a grip which shook so intense was Vas it The gipsy released himself slowly But first show me your pretty crowns and the paper which will give me immunity from the police pollee I know something about you You never break your word That Is why I came Your crowns as you offered offered of ot- and immunity then I speak Man Ian I can give you the crowns but God knows I have no longer the power to give you immunity So The gipsy shouldered his bundle For Gods God's sake wait walt begged the clock mender But the gipsy walked out unheeding To be continued |