The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-07-15

came one in his humble position. This
brought him into some quarrels, and
would have brought him into more but
that he was 80 good natured and 80 brave,
80 ready to make apology where he had
done wrong, and 80 proud in the ex-
quisite humility and grace of his bearing
when he thus made apology. Now
this youth Theodore composed
no verses and gave no languishing
chances, but the first opportun-
ity he had he threw his arm round
Fraulein Ilmas waist, and before the
girl knew where she was, he had given
her half dozen kisses. Then, when
she broke away angrily, and showed him
that she was really angry, he showed
himself sincerely sorry, and made apol-
ogy to her in so graceful, submissive, and
withal lordly q manner that she felt tor
| the moment as If she were princess.
She forgave him, and he never offended
IN the same way again; but all the time
he was her unmistakable admirer, and
do no. believe he stood the lowest in
favor.
The last of the four new corners was
Ernst. This was workman-an artist,
if you will-beyond every thing else.
He stood erect and marful, with broad
forehead, short curling hair, and deep,
earnest eyes. He did not speak much,
but he was always genial when spoken to.
He made no verses, and an ordinary OBJ
server might have thought he made no
love. So thoroughly did he throw his
soul into his work while he worked, that
nine out of every ten persons would have
believed he never threw his soul into any
thing else. But pretty lima knew better
than that, for she had seen his deep eyes
resting on her sometimes with look and
light in them which woman never yet
nistook or failed to understand. He
evidently repressed all open demonstration
of his love, and strove, in TACT, to keep it
down and to be its master. He avoided
rather than sought an opportunity OF ex-
changing word with lima alone. The
girl read him like an open book. He
loved her, and feared that his love was
hopeless, or thatit might only tend TO
iniure her with her father if it were hope
full, and so held back from her. The ma.
tural result, of course, was that lima felt
deeper interest in him than in any OF
the others.
Now of the four youths Friedrich was
the only one personally known TO llma's
father. Conrad, Theodore, and Ernst
came from other places, and nobody IN
the mandatory knew anything about
them. Friedrich, too, was the only one
Herr Dorm busch would have thought of
as an eligible sutton for his daughter. lie
knew that Friedrich came of respecta-
bic family, the members of which were
all brought up in honest and moral prin-
clples, and Friedrich would have sub.
stance of his own one day. Herr Dorm.
busch would have liked we'll enough to
give his daughter to Friedrich with the
understanding that Friedrich was to car
~ on the amber mandatory whenever
his father-in. law should feel inclined to
retire from business. But then Friedrich
was showing no head or hand for the
work, and it was much to be doubted
whether anything could be made of him.
He was an honest, manly fellow enough,
5u. rather dull, and Herr Dornbusch
greatly feared that lima despised him.
Ernst was by far the bast workman OF
the four, and Herr Dornbusch would
gladly have bequeathed his business to
son-in-law thus qualified and gifted; but
then Ernst was poor, and came from some
place far of, and nobody knew anything
about him. Over Conrad, the poet, Herr
Dornbusch shook his head. Conrad was
dreadfully lazy, and sang sad, slow, mel
ancholv strains over his work. OfTheo-
dore, the good master did not know what
TO make. The brilliant geniality, the
audacious irregularity, the random fits OF
earnest, successful labor, the strange man
ner, new so imperious and defiant, now
so gracefully apologize and humble, puz-
zled Ilma's father sorely. This youth,
Theodore, could be great workman, an
unsurpassed workman, If he only wished
to be. He seemed the sort of person who
can do anything he really resolves to be.
lima was mistress of the household.
Her mother had long been dead. She
had no sister, and only one brother, a
Young man of whom she was extremely
fond, but who just now little IN disgrace
with his father, because he would not
stick to any manner of work. but chose
to indulge passion for travel. He had
been for some time time away across the
Alps ranging through Italy. But he had
lately written to his sister privately to
tell her that his money was nearly all
gone, that he would have to tramp it
home as best he could, and that he must
somehow make terms with his father.
This he besought lima to do for him; and
this she had often done before, and was
now only too ready to do again for the
hundredth time or so.
Now lima had for some days or weeks
been perplexed in the extreme Oh account
of the four youths-Conrad, Friedrich,
Theodore, and Ernst. That they were all
four in love with her she felt modestly
convinced. Indeed, she began to think
that two at least out of the four were not
genuine workers at all, but only lovers
who had taken to the trade to get foot
ing under her fathers root. Conrad, the
sentimental poet, and Theodore, Of the
eagle face, she felt satisfied were in their
hearts as indifferent to the prospects and
interests of the amber trade rs the statue
of old Bandenburg in the square. Theo-
dore puzzled her nearly as much as no
did her father. SO far as her own feel
ings were concerned, or so far as she
dared to examine them, they spoke some
what in this wise: To Friedrich she was
friendly and Indifferent. She would have
married him, to be sure, it she knew no
body else for whom she entertained any
decided feeling, and if her father much
wished it. Probably she would have
married this good and respectable youth
rather than remain single. She was
soo.hed and fla,tered and softened by
Conrad the poet Theodore bewildered,
dazzled, and overwhelmed her; so much
so that sometimes she doubted whether, If
he asked her to marry him, she could find
resolution enough to refuse. Ernst
touched her heart most OF all; and for
him there seemed the least chance, so far
as her father was concerned, and he al
ways kept IN the background, and gave
at ~ ~