Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-09-08
chamber into which1 have been thus sud

II lS one OF those snug, cosy niue roonS,
spotess in cleanliness, and faultless, IN
, comfort, immortalized by Washington L.
wing in his description Of the Dutch set
Elements in North America The floor is
polished like mirror; the tasteful green
and white paper (Which looks delightfully."-
! fresh this sultry wea, her) seems as fresh as
the day ii was put on; while the broad,
well stuffed sofa, which takes up nearly
one whole side of the room, seems Just
made for the brawny beam.ends OF some
portly German burgher, or the restless
roly-poly limbs of his half dozen big ba-
bies. Above the chimney-piece (a!ong
which stand the usual china shepherdesses,
Presents from Dresden and busts Of
Goethe and Schiller hangs a staring, high.
ly colored medley OF fire, smoke, blue and
white uniforms, rearing horses, and over
turned cannon, which some grabbed leu
tionc letters beneath it proclaim to be Die
Schlacht bel koniggratz, 3 JUL, 1S66;whlle
facing it from above the sofa is a rather
neatly done water.color likeness of club
by, fair-haired lad in an inantry uniform,
whom ] rightly guess to be my hosts sol
dier-son, Wilhelm "a household word in
his fathers mouth), now on garrison duty
at Spandau.
But the object which specially attracts
my attention Is tall grim bureau Of dark
oak in the farther corner beyond the fire.
place, decorated with those quaint old
German carvings which carry one back to
the streets of Nuremb re and the house
OF Albrecht Durer. There stand Adam
and Eve in all their untrammeled freedom,
shoulder to shoulder, like officers in the
centre of hollow square, with all the
beasts OF the earth formed in close order
around them. and the Tree Of Knowledge
standing up like a sign post in the rear.
There the huge frame OF Goiiah, smltten
by the fatal stone, reels over like failing
tower, threatening to crush into powder
the swarms of diminutive Philistme5 who
are hopping about in the background.
There appear the chosen Twelve, with
faces curiously individualized, in spite OF
all the roughness of the carving, and pass
ing through every graduation, from the soft
womanly features of the beloved disciple,
to the harG, low-browed, rutfianly visage of
him (Which also was the traitor" And
there the prosecutor Saul, not yot trans
formed into Paul the Apostle (sheathed in
steel from top to toe, armed with sab
that might have suited Bluebeard himself,
and attended by q squadron of troopers
armed cap-a- pie) rides at full gellop past
the gates OF Damascus on his errand Of de-
struction.
THAT bureau must be a very old one,
remark ! tentatively.
1T is lndeed-but that's not why we val
tla ola with Eip iypr,
eyes. That bureau is the most precious
thing we have and there's story attached
to it, whcih will never be forgotten in our
family, I'll answer for it. I'll tell you the
story one OF these days, but not tonight !;
for we mustn't spoil our pleasant evening
by any SAD reGolections And here, III
good time; comes Lieschen to tell Us that
tea is ready.
| will not ta2talise my readers with n
catalogue of the good cheer which heaped
the table suffice it to say, the meal was
one that might have tempted the most
notorious evil liver that ever returned
incurable from Calcutta ; and seasoned
with d heartiness of welcome which would
have made far poorer fare acceptable.
Fresh from "reminiscences OF Hermann and
Dorothea, l could almost have imagined
myself in the midst of that finest cosmetic
group Of the great German artist. The
hearty old landlord of the Golden
Lion, and 'kluge verstandige Haus-
frau, were before me to the life ;
the blue-eyed Madchen, who loaded
my plate with tea-cakes, might with a
little addition OF height and dignity
have made very passable Dorothea; while
brother Wilhelm, had he been there would
have represented my ideal Hermann fairly
enough. Nor was the friendly chat want
ing to complete the picture. The Old man,
warming with the presence OF new listen
or, launched into countless stories Of his
soldier-scn, who, young as he was, had nj
ready smelt powder on more than one
hard-iought leld, during the fierce short
fever of the Seven Weeks War Frau
IIisbeth, who was an actual mine Of those
quaint old legends which are nowhere mole
perfect than in Germany, poured forth a
| series of tales which would have made the
fortune Of any Christmas Number IN Brit
ain; while the young lady, though rather
shy at first, shook of her bashiulness by
degrees, aud asked o thousand questions
respecting the strange regions which | had
recently quilted; TIE sandy wastes OF the
Yolga, and tie yoicel.ss solitudes Of the
| Don--the relics Of former glory which still
| cling around ancient Ka2an Wicker-work
shanues Inhabited by brawliug &c ~cks,
and Cnmean cOverns tenanted by Tartar
peasants-battered Kertch and ruined Sc
vastopol-0dcssa with her sea-fronting
boulevard, and sacred Kiev, with her dim
catacombs and diadem of gi!ded towers
the barbara splendor Of ancient Moscow,
and the imperial beauty Of Queenly Stock.
holm It was late in the evening before |
departed, which / was not allowed TO do
wi;hou. promising, once and again, not to
/ be long Of returning.
And kept my word; for the quiet hap
uiness Of this lille circle, so simple and so
open-hear.eG, was a rare treat to q restless
gad.about like myself, Before the month
was ct m end, had strolled round the
town with Her Holman dozen times; /
had partaken fully rs often Of Frau Lis