The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-01-14
THE WRONG TICKET.

One Of the many men who came
and went as patients in ward six of
our hospital at Washington, was Ber-
nard Heine, a handsome, stalwart
German, fresh, blonde, brave and
merry. He was there three months
in all; and being a social fellow, and
a favOrite of mine, told me all his his
tory, in general terms, at first, bat
gradually growing more confidential
as he Knew me better and became
more assured of my sympathy. 1
knew what q Wild, adventurous youth
he had been IN the dear fatherland;
by what hair-brained scrapes he had
angered his friends; how, at nineteen
years of age, he had run away and
come to this country; how his parents
had died during the two years in
which he had heard nothing from
home, and they nothing rom him;
and how sore his heart was when he
thought of them, and knew what
grief he must have caused them. 1
knew about the Van Dorms, with
whom he had boarded two years be-
fore he entered the army, and how
the young people were like brothers
ana sisters to him, and the old people
like father and mother, and how Liza
Van Dorm wrote to him every week.
And here L guessed somewhat more
than / knew. | guessed from the
slight embarrassment, the mingled
cOldness and kindness with which he
spoke of her, the unsatisfactory way
in which he accounted for his having
entered the army, the faint shade of
annoyance which sometimes crossed
his face when he read her letters, and
his slOWness in answering them, that
Miss Liza was fonder of him than he
of her, and that, may be, he had en-
tered the army TO get rid OF her. /
had known cases where nice young
men had been cordially received and
fondly cherished in families where
there were maTriageable daughters,
and where, in spite of themselves, the
force of circumstances had obliged
them to assume ties which they took
reluctantly.
] like to see men do their own WOO
ing, and always respect a man who
flies from a wOOing woman. So my
guesses made me like this young sol
der al the better. He had made his
will before entering the army, he told
me, and lefteverything he had, among
the rest life insuranc of five thousand
10 the Van DOrms. He exaggerated
his CAUSES of gratitude to them. He
h9d no one else in the world
who cared for him; and beside their
general friendliness, they had nurs6d
him through a severe sickness, and
refused to take any extra pay for it.
seThey are the only ones in the world
who would mourn, il | should happen
10 get bullet through me-" he said,
with o touch of bitterness in his voice
which showed that there was some
thing yet untold iR his history.
Later, one evening, when I was sit
ting by him to sOOthe and quiet him,
after the tormenting pain of having
his wounded foot dressed, / got the
rest of the story. He was feeling un-
usually depressed that night, and
seemed to wish for cOntidant, IL
was then that / first heard Helen
Ayres' name. She was little yellow
haired schOOlmistress who had board
ed at Mrs. Van Dorm's, had, indeed,
known them longer than he had. L
could see how he had loved her from
the tone of unwilling, yearning, angry
tenderness with which he spoke her
name. l could see more than that,
what he, liked fool, as men always
are, IN such circumstances, could not
see, the angry jealousy of the Van
DOrms, their insinuations, the seeds
of distrust which they slyIy sOwed !;
now, while he had not dared to speak
of love to the girl, they had made him
believe that she had bOasted of her
power over him how he had been
made TO think her q cOquette and
Hlercenary, careful not to give him
too aiu6h encouragement till she
should know hOW much money he
had. When he spoke of her eapriei-
GUS treatment and growing eoldpess
toward him, could see that they We're
but reflections of his own distrust OF
her, and the effect of their mischief
making. hinted this to him, but
he would not hear to it. Oh, the Van
Dorms were the salt of the earth, and
his best friends, and they were inca
pable of deceit.
i'B4t maybe they wanted you foI
Miss Liza, /" ! yenHIred.
He dropped his eyes.