Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1866-10-09
THE RHINE FISHER.
BY DIR. FR. VIM. EAHLMANN.

on the Rhine, small mill, almost
totally hidden by the vine leaves and
linden trees. This mill was the
property of an honest and wealthy
man. The farmers around used tc
employ him to grind their corn more
than any other in the neighborhood
because he was thought in every re.
spect much more conscientious and
Christian-like than his colleagues
But there was also another reason
why, especially, the young lads liked
to have their corn for grinding
brought to the vine-leaf miller, as he
was generally called; for he had an
only daughter, girl, whose beauty
and charms were praised much above
all other girls in the little village,
And indeed, a fairer braid of hair
than Johanna's could scarcely be
found; her eyes were like two for
get-me-nots, and when opening the
rosy lips of her mouth, there glis-
tened behind them two sets of teeth
whittier than the finest ivory. No
wonder that the wealthiest and fair
est lads of the village tried to win
Johanna's love. But, however well
they dressed themselves when visit
ing the miller's fair daughter, what
ever fine language they used in the
presence of the fair Johanna, she re-
NAMED alike cool and reserved to-
ward them all.
She seldom visited the dancing
saloon of Konigswenter, and if she
happened to be there, she was very
particular and danced only with such
lads as did not pursue her with un-
welcome Importantly.
To these selected by Johanna be-
longed Jan, the son of the poor wine
fisherman, whose small house stood
hardly hundred PAGES away from
the vine-leaf miller's dwelling. Jo-
hanna and Jan had been playmates
in their childhood After their con-
frmation, the boy became a fisher,
like his father, and Johanna went to
Bonn to her aunt, whence she re-
turned home after two years, being
meanwhile grown up to be one Of the
handsomest of young women. But
in the town of Bonn the girl had
learned customs quite different from
those of the village, and therefore
found no great pleasure in the COM
pany OF country lads, and was far
more reserved than before, in spite
of her father, who wished from his
heart that johanna would choose one
among the lads Of the village for her
husband, in order that he might take
the business of the mill into his
hands, and the old man might retire
from his labors.
Jan, the fisherman, loved the
miller's fair daughter with all his
heart, but. being SO poor, burst not
confess to her his deep feelings. He
therefore kept them carefully closed
within his own bosom, being already
happy if Johanna would bestow on
him a friendly smile. There was
many a rich vine farmers daughter
who gave the handsome Rhine fisher
to understand that young man like
him, possessing such handsome whis-
kers, splendid eyes, and graceful
form, might venture to ask for the
heart and hand of the fairest and
richest maiden in the village, but the
young fisherman paid no attention to
it. Dreamily he sat in his boat and
looked down upon the ripping waves
of the Rhine until it was time to take |
up the net.
After long, heavy showers of rain,
the low surroundings of the Rhine
sometimes change themselves into a
great sea, through the middle of which |
the waters of the Rhine flow slowly
downwards. About such a time,
the shores of the water basin are
crowded with the Beg fishes of all
kinds, which come from the neigh
boring rivulets into the main river,
and thus putting all fishing nets in
full activity. Jan, the young fish
erman, laid at daybreak the plump
line over his shoulder, and went
down towards his fishing boat. He
had hardly arrived there when he
met Joseph, the servant Of the
Mayor of the village. "Quick, Jan,
catch me some fish - exclaimed the
Mayors servant; "we have got
three guests-a captain and two
lieutenants-and they want good
breakfast !"
"You shall not wait long for them,
the fisherman assured him, "only
helm me- hiring the boat into water.