Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-03-04

IL to uiHuer. linen, III OOn near nel
r, what then? Well, / think / will jus
d ask my heart about it.
II Now, all this time old Franz Hofer
o dahl and his daughter had knOwI
very little of what had taken place il
:; the village they had left behind them
+ They had found their pilgrimage Ions
and weary enough, and they had
reached residing place at last; and
!. they had written home to their old
! neighbors, as all Germans do, but
I very little information had come back
to them. They knew that old Got
lieb Midburger was dead, and that
) Conrad had givenup the home and
the shop, and that he had gone to
the great war with the French, and
! | that was nearly ALL
rnt tFran5 sn5rts tHso6fsfrdal 6f dt he'd not landed on
per in anything but youth and
strength, and he found friends readi
w enough to take the place of the old
ones as far as might be; and after he
had got over his first daze and bewil-
derment, and became somewhat ac-
customed to the racking changes in
all his habits and ways of life, he
tried to settle down as man of prop
erty and substance, and be happy.
.'If old Gotlieb Midburger were
with me-" he said to Christine, Il
think l could do it. l would give a
good deal just to see the old fellow
lay down his pipe and look into Il
dirty watch
Christine said very little, but her
bright American home became dreary
enough at times when she shut her
eyes and let her thoughts go back to
the old sleepy German village. She
read all the accounts of the great
war. too, wondering if any of her old
neighbors had been in this battle or
that, and she listened very silently
when her father said:
"If Conrad Midburger was in any
of that fighting, I'll be bound he be
haved himself WELL There's good
blood in the Midburgers and Conrad
is fine boy"
''He must be man by this time,
said Christine.
And then she thought what very
. tall, fine looking man he must be, and
how well he would appear in his uni
form.
But when, after while. there was
news of peace, and they heard that
the army was going home to be dis
banded, old Franz Hoferdahl grew
less thoughtful, and Christine tried in
vain to arouse him, or amuse him,
until one autumn morning he SAID to
her:
"And the other soldiers are going
home. think it is pretty near time
for me to go too"
"To Germany, father?" exclaimed
Christine, with sudden light in her
eyes. 40, father"
No, Christine" solemnly replied
the old man; Germany is not the
only fatherland. l am a very old
soldier, and | think this is my last
campaign"
Christine understood him then, but
all in a dreamy and unreal sort OF
way, until, q few weeks later, she
found herself sitting alone in the
house, while the chilling wind that
whistIed by the window was freight
ed with the first white harbingers of
the winter.
1t seemed cold, forlorn and empty
sort of a world to Christine, and
when she tried to think of the village
where she was born, that, too, seemed
empty and deserted, and then she
imagined the old shop shut up, and
the snow flakes heating against the
spider-webbed windows.
The door bell rang, but Christine
did not hear it, nor did she know the
servant had admitted anybody until
she was conscious of heavier step,
almost beside her, and deep, clear
voice, full of manly strength, but that
trembIed in thrilling musical way,
| said to her:
"Christine. Christiner'
She looked up then in the face-a
SCARED and -bronzed face-of a
tall, erect, noble looking man, who
wore a medal of honor on his breast,
and whose dark, penetrating eyes
were absolutely radiant as they looked
down into her own.
"Christine," he said again, 'do you
understand me? I have come"
ale had Gomez she thought, for
one brief, burning moment, and 1t
seemed as if light and life and hap
piness and strength and the old Ger
man home itself, had come with him.
She now had an odd quick fancy that
the door of the old shop opened, and
the sun began to shine, and she could
see the two old men at their work,
but she arose and threw her arms
around his neck, and only said be-
tween her sobs, 20, Conrad, I'm so
happy! so glad you have GOMEZ!
1t was a sober day and a sober
meeting after all, but some hours la
ter, as they sat by the CRATE in the
parlor. where the fire burned warm
and cheerily, while the first merry
snow flakes of the opening winter
fitted softly by the windows, and they
exchanged stories of, all that had
happened to them, Conrad said to
her:
'Ah, Christine, 1 did not know
myself when you went away. 1 did
not know / had heart. but / soon
began to find it out. / found that it
was great, big heart, too, with won
derful things in it. One love after
another seemed to wake up and speak
to me, to tell me it was there, until
the biggest love of all came to life,
and it grew till it crowded out all the
4 others and filled up everything
and then l had to come across tne
ocean to find you, but who woula
have dreamed thatyou had kept KEEP any any
thing for me, waiting all the clns
l - q