Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-04-25
STAR.
THE HERRING PIE.

1t was a cold winters evening the
rich banker Brounker had drawn his
easy chair close into the corner of the
stove, and sat smoking his long clay pipe
with great complacency, while his init
mate friend Van Grote, employed in ex.
actly the same manner, occupied the op-
posite corner. All was quiet in the
house, for Brounker's wife and children
were gone to o masked ball, and secure
from fear of interruption. the two friends
indulged in a confidential conversation.
- cannot think" said Van Grote,
"why you should refuse your consent to
the marriage. Berkenrode can give his
daughter q good fortune, and you say
that your son is desperately in love with
her."
"I don't object to it," said Brounker
4" It is my wife who will not hear of it. 1"
"And what reason has she for refu-
sing?"
Zone which 1 cannot tell you," said
his friend, sinking his voice.
"Oh! mystery-come out with it.
You know have always been frank and
open with you, even to giving my opin
ion of your absurd jealousy Of your
wife,"
Jealousy of my wife! Nonsence
have | not sent her to masked ball z"
~ don't wonder you boast of it. |
should like to have seen you do as much
when you were first married. To be
sure, you had reason to look sharply after
her, for she was the prettiest woman in
Amsterdam. Unfortunately, she has
taken such advantage of your love, that
the gray mare has become the better
horse, and you refuse an advantageous
match for your son to crafty her caprice. y
"You are quite wrong, my good friend
| [ never allow any one to be master here
but myself; and in the present instance
l cannot blame Clotilda. The secret o.
her refusal lies in herring pie"
"a herring pie" exclaimed Van G-ote
eyes, herring pie. You may remem-
Der, it was favorite dainty of mine, and
that my wife could not endure the smell
of it. Well, during the first year of our
marriage, must confess | was little
a very little jealous of Clotilda. My sit
uation obliged me to keep open house.
and among the young sparks that visited
us none gave me more uneasiness than
the handsome Colonel Berkenrode. The
Reputation that he had alre ady acquired
for gallantry was enough to create alarm,
and the marked attention he paid my wife
convinced my wife it was well founded.
What could do? 1t was impossible TO
forbid him the house, for he had it In his
power to deprive me Of the government
contracts; in other words, to ruin me.
After pondering deeply on the subject, /
decided on doing nothing, until the dam
ger should become imminent all that
was necessary was to know how things
really stood. Having just purchased this
house, caused secret closet to be made
behind the stove here. 1t communicates
with my private room, and from it could
ioyerhcar everything that passed in this
apartment without risk Of being discov-
cred. Thank God, have had no use for
it for the last twenty years; and indeed,
| did not know even what has become Of
the KEY. Satisfied with this precaution,
I do not hesitate to leave Clotilda, when
any of her admirssS paid her o visit.
though I promise that some of the Colo
nel's gallant speeches made me vince"
upon my word" interrupted his
friend, "you showed a most commenda
BILE patience. In your place should have
contented myself with forbidding my wife
to receive his visits"
"There spoke the old bachelor. But
as did not want to drive her headiong
into his arms, [ went different way 10
work. Day after day l was forced to
listen to the insidious arguments Of the
lseducer. Ny wife-I must own she made
a stout defence-at one time tried iidi-
cule, at another entreaty, to deter him
from his pursuits of her. He began to
Hose hope in proportion as / gained it, till
lone day he bethought himself tf threat
ening to blow out his brains ifshe would
not show him some compassion. Moved
at this proof of the strength of his pas
Ision, she burst into tears. and pleaded
that she was not free ; in short, she gave
him to understand that [ was the obSta.
Gle to his happiness. Berkenrode was
too well skilled in the art of seduction
mot to see that he had gained point.
lie rayed, cursed me as the cause Of his
misery, and tried TO obtain a promise
lfrom her in case she should become q
widow. She stopped him peremptorily;
but I never clio :ed an eye that night, and
lClotilda, though she did not know that
watched her, was as uneasy as myself.
On the following day, a circumstance
occurred that increased her agitation.
While at breakfast message came from
the cook asking to see me alone. de-
isired him to come in las was not in the
habit of interfering in domestic affairs
and communicate his business in her
presence. When the man entered he was
pale as a ghost, and scarcely seemed to
know what he was about. At last he
told me he had received a packet con-
tanning a small bottle, three hundred
guilders, and a note, in which he was re-
|quested to put the contents of the former
N L