Litchfield enquirer., 1875-02-25
Bs4s.f fFsom tlae ARlsn ie AonkblEI-
 THE WHiRLic!c OF TIME

ASsC-A5NS---Ab V AAE n -NADAA
 My friend Jameson, tine lawyer. has frequently whiied away an evening in re- latlng incidents which occurred ia his practice dnring his residence Ill Western State On one occasion he gave sketch of a criminal trial Tn which he was en- ployed as counsel: the story, as develop ed in court and completed by one of :he parties subsequently,, made so inieiibie an impression on my mind taat am con strained to rite down its leading features. At the same time, l must say, that, if l had heard 1t without a voucher for its au- thenticity, should have regarded it as the most improbable of fctions Bnt the observing reader will remember that re- markable coiucidences, and the signal tri- umph of the right, called poetical justice, are sometimes seen in actual life as we'll as in novels.
 The tale must begin in Saxony Carl Proch was an honest farmer, who titled a small tract of crown land and thereby SUD- ported his aged mother. Faithful to his duties, he had never thought of discon- tent, but was willing to plod on in the way his father had gone before him. Fill lal affection, however, did not so far en- gross him as to prevent his casting admir- ing glances on the lovely Kstrine, daugh- ter of old Ranchen, the miller; and no wonder, for she was as fascinating dam sel as ever dazzled and perplexed bash full lover. She had admiration enough, for to see her was to love her; many of the village youngsters had looked unutter- able things as they met her at May feasts and holidays, but up to this time she had received no poetical epistles nor direct proposals, and was as cheerful and heart free as the birds that sang around her windows. Her father was the traditional guardian of beauty, surly as the mastiff | that'watched his sacks of flour and his hoard of thalers; and though he dotted on l his darling Katrine, his heart to all the l the world beside seemed to be only chip | from one of his old mill-stones. When Carl thought of the severe gray eyes that | shot such glances at all lingering youths, the difficulty of winning the pretty heiress seemed to be quite enough, even with a l field clear of rivals. But two other suit l ors now made advances, more or less open- ly, and poor Carl thought himself entire ly overshadowed. One was Schonfeld, the most considerable farmer in the neighbor- hood, a w1dower, with hair beginning to show threads of silver, and fierce man withal, who was supposed to have once slain @ rival, wearing thereafter seam in his cheek as a souvenir of the encounter The other was Hans Stolzen, carpenter, past thirty, a shrewd, well-to-do fellow, with nearly thousand thalers saved from his earnings. Carl had never fought a duel ,-and he had not saved so much as thousand groschen, to say nothing of thalers; he had only a manly figure, a cheery, open face, the freshness of one- and-twenty, and heart incapable of guile. Katrine was not long in discovering these excellences, and, if his boldness had equalled his passion, she would have shown him how little she esteemed the pretentions of the proud landholder or the miserly carpenter. But he took it for granted that he was fool to contend against such odds, and, buttoning his jacket tightly over his throbbing heart, toiled away in his little fields, thinking that the whole world had never contained so miserable man.
 Hans Stolzen was the first to propose He began by paying court to the jealous Rauchen himself, set forth his property and prospects, and asked to become hls son-in-law The miller heard him, puffed long whiffs, and answered civilly, but without committing himself. He was in no hurry to part with the only joy he had, and, as Katrine was barely eighteen, he naturally thought there would be time enough to consider of her marriage here after. Hans hardly expected anything more decisive, and, as he had not been fatly refused, came frequently to the house and chatted with her father, while his eyes followed the vivaclous Katrine as she tripped about her household duties. But Hans was perpetually kept at dis tance; the humming-bird would never alight upon the outstretched hand He had not the wit to see that their natures had nothing in common, although he did know that Katrine was utterly indifferent towards him, and after some months of hopeless pursuit he began to grow sullen- ly angry He was not long without an object on which to vent his rage.
 One evening, as Katrine was returning homeward, she chanced to pass Carl's cot tage. Carl was lettering under tree hard by, listening to the quick footsteps to ing of Fate to him, for he had made up his mind to tell her of the love that was consuming him. Two days before, with tears on his bashful face, he had confided all to his mother; and. at her suggestion, he had now provided little present by way of introduction. Katrine smiled sweetly as she approached, for, with a womans quick eye, she had read his glances long before. His lips at first re- belled, but he struggled out salutation, and, the ice once broken, he found him. self strangely unembarrassed. He breath ed freely. It seemed to him that their re- latiOns must have been fixed in some pre- vious state of existence, so natural was 1t to be Tn familiar and almost affectionate communication with the woman whom be- fore he had loved afar of, as page might sigh for queen.
 s'Stay, Katrine. s he said,-''I had near ly forgotten" He ran hastily into the cottage, and soon returned with a covered basket. See, Katrine, these white rab- 'bits!-are they not pretty?'
 'Oh, the little pets!' exclaimed Kat rine. Are they yours?"
 ''No, Katrinchen,- that is, they were mine; now they are yours.
 ''Thank you, Carl. I shall love them dearly"
 "For my sake?"
 "For their own, Carl, certainly; for yours also,-a little"
 Goodbye, Bunny, said he batting the head of one of the rabbits. Hove your mistress; and, mind, little whitey, don't keep those long ears of yours for nothing;
 
 me-"
 Perhaps Carl had better come and hear for imsef,-don't you think so, Bunny?" said Katrine, taking the basket ..sa
 The tone and manner said more than the words. Carl's pulses bounded: he seized her unresisting hand and covered it with kisses. { 'sSol this is the bashful young man!' thought Katrine. '.I shall not need to encourage him any mole. sure y."
 The nlght was coming on; Katrine re- membered her father, and started towards the mill, whose broad arms could scarcely be seen through the twilight. Carl ac- companied her to the gate, and, after & furtive glance upward to the house-win- dows, bade her farewell, with a kiss, and turned homeward, feeling himself a man for the first time in his life.
 Frau Proch had seen the pantomlme through the flowers that stood on the l windoW-sill. not ill-nleased and was xrait.