The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1873-12-27

nnberS, she ScWeV tnc llttlc iupei w .i'
lining of his uniform coat, on ~hicl
she had carefully written his name ant
address, so that he might be known IL
any case of fatal accident.
All through the summer, however
the news was so bright, so glorious
that the loving little household o.
Fritz Hoffman forgot the danger, ant
only eXulted that their dear one was
destined to share the laurels OF the con
quering hosts, until the news came ol
the victory ut Sedan, and with it the
fathers name on the list of wounded
Then followed long days of sus
peuse, and the fear OF something
worse, the inipossiblty of going tc
him in hostile country, and the
dread of his exposure to greater dan
gers, and, at last, the intense sense OF
relief when u letter came from himself,
written in the hospital at Versailles,
to which he had been removed, telling
them that he had obtained y furlough
for Christmas, and leave to remain 1T
home until fully restored and capable
of taking his place in the ranks again.
Hence the joy to-day, and the glad
preparations.
At ten O'Clock, the mother having
set everything in readiness for the
happy evening, even to the trays OF
supper refreshments in the storc-room,
and the torch laid ready by the tree to
light the tapers witlal, came into the
dwelling-room cloaked and wrapped in
furs. 81 must go out for an hour or so,
dear children" she said; "bc good, and
obey sister Grctel, while am gone"
lI,,h ,,nnet tn brir, thn baop f,t In or
--is it not so, Mutterchen" And
Flitzel hung to her skirts, and pulled
the tassels of her mutf.
Wise little CarlOtta, who had jumped
up hastily, and held her hands behind
her, full of knitting work, tossed back
her mass of flaxen hair, and broke in
with "1ch ncin, thou foolish Fritzel,
the father comes only after dinner
Mother kissed the little boys earnest,
dimpled face. and went out, laughing
softly to herself in the happiness of
her heart, while Olga, who had hardly
got through her work in time, hurried
after her, drawing on warm mittens
as she went half flight behind Frau
Hoffman all the way down stairs.
They were much alike, this mother
and little daughter, and the mother
was little and young looking too, seeing
that she had the responsibility Of
so many children on her shoul-
ders; right motherly, though, dear
little soul, with u firm way about her,
in spite of her lovely brown eyes and
gentle looks.
BLESS the dear heaven who is
bringing my Fritz back to me-" she
| thought. al do wonder if he will
think the children much improved ="
she unused for, at least, the hundredth
| time in her fond mothers heart. "Our
| Gretchen is such woman, aid real
comfort, and Paul has been truly a
good boy while the dear father has
been away. Then Fritzel, Carlotta and
my olga, "---smiling and holding out
her hand to the little girl, who, laden
with o basket, now joined her, and the
sweet motherly eyes filled with happy
tears as she named over her treasures.
They presently entered mean look =
ing door, and went up flight afler fight
of stairs to the rooms of some Of their
pensioners. 10 one poor soldiers
| family after another the two went
| like Christmas angels, leav, ng gifts for
| the little ones who had no father Oh
earth, this Christmas day, and COM
forting more than one moth
er's heart with reminders of
the dear Father in heaven, who cares
for the widow and orphans, raising up
for them friends in the bitter hour of
need. The round OF visits was COM
pleted, and near the noon, Olga was
dispatched home with an important
message to old Christel, the cook, and
Frau Hoffman, wrapping her fur cape
more closely about her--for the wind
was keen and bitter-set off at a quick
pace for "Unter den Linden" where
She had an errand at a tempting book
sellers shop. Here, carefully, she Sc
lected the beautiful book. Ruckert's
poems, illustrated-it happened to be a
favorite of her own aud her husbands
in which she insc; ibed, then and
there, the beloved name, for fear she
would he too much hurried at home to
complished, she set her lace homeward;
| but few steps from the book store was
telegraph office, rouhd which crowd
had cOllected-so customary an occur
renee, however, in these war times,
that she did not pause to wonder at 1t,
besides (she thought of this afterwards
with a passion of remorse at her sell
iisilness), was not all she cared for in
the war on its way to her at this mo-
ment? What To her, in comparison,
was prince or king, beleagured city or
| hostile camp, or even fatherland itself?
At this moment familiar face con-
frontcd hers, the owner thereof push
ing through the crowd; but it was such
II pale, haggard face, with such
startled eyes, that the sight OF
it thrilled her with a vague
dread. 1t was old Herr Scharlach, a
friend and colleague of her husband,
at the Polytechnic. He saw her. and
growing shade paler, half turned
aside, as though he wished to avoid herr
but she had noticed something
white paper-in his hand, partly thrust
behind him; and scarce knowing what
she expected or thought, seized his
arm with an imploring "What is 1t,
my friend; what have you heard ?'
All her light-hearted confidence had
vanished. a great blank dread stared
her iu the faoe, She seemed to .read
her doom in Herr Schariach's face, as
mechanically she held out her hand for
the paper. Then he reused himself.
"Only u skirmish, dear madam" he
managed to say in constrained voice.
"Let me see."
She spoke coldly and clearly,-all
the feeling gone out of her tones. She
took the paper-a bulletin. AT one
glance she saw it amid an hundred
names, the one-the only one for her
"Killed, Private +. Hoffman, Queen
Elizabeth Regiment, - Company"
That was ali. 1t happened in skirm-
ish, near Mont Aaron, against lie
Bourget, two days before, when thai
company had lost heavily. she took
1t ali in somehow; and wheh she looked
up from the paper 1t was as though she
had been reading it for hours, and she
seemed to have known it all hun.
, dred years before. 1t was an old
old sorrow, but a sorrow that would
always endure, the bitterness of death
which should never be overpast. Sht
raised her pitiful, sad eyes to thegsod
old professors face, sAd only saidin
. dreamy, faraway voice, ''Oh, the pool
children!u and would have fallen K
tho ground had mt he suODOrted her