Litchfield enquirer., 1871-04-20

, tears and she told him, scattering his TO- mantic fancies of the pfevious evening, that she had been saying farewell to her brother, who had marched away with his regiment.
 ''Over the bridge last night?" Lathrop asked. ...f ~f ae t "Ach ja-over the bridge last night. And love him so; and have not seen him much of late, because he has quarreled with my father on account of our mother, who is dead, and our fathers new wife. 1 And now he is gone to the war, and per. l haps shall never see him any more." She looked wonderfully picturesque and beautiful in her tears, which, be it said, not all women, not even all pretty women, can do. Lathrop felt his sympathy deeply touched. Perhaps he was not sorry to hear that it was a brother, not lover, for whom her dark eyes were wet. He spoke to her with as much respect and de. ference as if she were the daughter of Won Bismarck himself.
 Lothrop spoke of the piano playing oi the previous evening. The girls cheek grew just a little red as she acknowledged that she was the performer; and she told l him that she had always loved instrument tai music, that she had been playing on the piano since she was little child, thai her brother had wonderful gift that way, and had taught her all she knew.
 ''But you really play with remarkable skill. You ought to become & very sue cessiul musician-an artist-if you gave yourself up to the practice of music
 She smiled and blushed, but shook hel head, and said she had too much t, do in the house, and could now find little leisure to play. But she still loved the old piano and touched it whenever she had chance.
 She made graceful little obeisance. and withdrew.
 Mr. Lathrop fingered days and days in this place, where he had intended at first to pass only some forty-eight hours.. He be. came quite friend of the family; liked the worthy and somewhat soft headed father, who seemed to pass most of his time smok. ing pipe, the china bowl of which rested on the ground, and who was understood somehow to be a working-jeweler; liked the sharp but cleanly and not ill-natured wife 1 the second wife; liked most of all, and more and more, the pretty daughter, Fred. erika. There was something wonderfully attractive about the frank and friendly ways of this girl. Lathrop began to think sometimes that he must have known her from her childhood, or must be her foster brother, or something of the sort. The more often he heard her play the piano the more he became convinced that she was meant to be an artist To see her sit at the 1 instrument, to see how her eyes, her fingers, nay, the very movements of her 1.-the and supple body, spoke out and felt with the music, would have convinced any man of brains and culture that hero was no hap hazard inclination or taste, hut the genuine inspiration of the artist. 8- Something that might have been an un- lucky little mishap hef.ll Esranklin Latin rop. His expected letters had gone wrong and failed to reach him; and his money had all ''given out" Kemittances were coming, but they had not come.
 'Frederika, said Lathrop one morning, with an air of comical distress, II am an unfortunate man. I have no more money left; not solitary thaler!'
 Frederika's face showed profound sym. pathy. She came up and laid her hand gently on his shoulder.
 ''Ah, l am sorry if it gives you pain. But to us it matters nothing; you shall stay here as long as you will; oh, let it be very long! And you Can pay us any time-when you get money"
 "But suppose am always poor. Fraulein Frederika?'
 "Then you shall not think of paying us at all When you had the gold, who could be more ready and liberal? And what would the world be if people did not help each other? We are poor too, but not so poor that we can not give little help to 8 friend"
 Her voice was tremulous. Our Ameri- ican looked up. There were tears in her dark eyes; anl she kept her hand laid en- couragingy on his shoulder. She had ta- ken his statement literally; she actually be- lieved that he was 8 poor youth, out of money in strange land. It had never oc cured to the young American, always. con . scious of the possession of as much money as he needed. to suppose that any one could mistake him for @ poor man. But this girl had taken his humorous piaint au se,'ieur, really believed that he could not pay his way, and was more kind and tender than ever in consequence. A strange thrill of wonder, admiration, humiliation, de- light, went through his heart.
 "Would this ever be believed in Broad way or Fifth Avenue?' he asked of him. self. "This girls heart is even nobler than her face and figure" His money did not come for few days, and it was quite touching to see the deli cate and tender friendliness which Fred erika showed for her impecunious guest. The Herr Grun, too (for such was the name of the worthy father), and even the some what sharp wife, were more particular than ever in their attentions to the young man. Of dishonesty these good and simple peo- pie had not the least idea or suspicion. Their guest was brave young man who happened just now to be 8 little poor surely that was only another reason for being kind to him. He would pay, of course, when he got his money.
 Meanwhile Frederika had so clearly made up her mind that Lathrop was 8 poor youth, wandering Bwrsch from far land across the ocean, and by consequence ex- tended to him such friendly and sisterly confidence. that he could not find it in his heart to undeceive her. When his money came he only paid out just 80 much as was necessary to bring up his arrears and he still remained to her the poor American youth who, like her brother and herself, had to make stiff fight with the world, and therefore was one of her own set, as a fashionable person might say, and could be taken into full sympathy and confi- dence. Many an evening did Lathrop sit with the family in the common room while Frederika played to him; many a long pleasant conversation he had with her ; many fresh delight he found in her