The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-05-12
THE OLD DESSAUER.
by IL. scuUTz WILSON.

49,
Let US 20 back, in fancy, to the years
1694-169s. We are in Dc-sau, the cap
ital and ReSidenz of the little princi-
pality of Anhalt-D essau, which is
s'about the size of Huntingdonshire,
but with woods instead of boys and
lies some fourscore miles southwest of
Berlin. The streets Of little Dessau are
full of quaint, old-world German houses,
and human life lived itself there in quiz
ct, nay. even dull fashion, at the end of
the seventeenth century. Two build
ings in Dessau will possess a quite
special i~nte-Cs. for Us. One is the
~princely palace; the other, situated very
close To the palace, Is the apothecary's
shop of one GOttlieb Fohse. The apoth-
ecary was a widower, and had a daugh-
ter, "one fair daughter, and no more,
which he loved passing Well" Her
name was Anna-Lise. She dwelt with
her father, while Leopold, then eight
cen, lived in the palace close by. A
charming young girl and an impetuous
young prince living in close proximity
in a little RcStden--here we have the
groundwork for a which may
take either a French or a German turn
may either issue in light love and de-
pravity. or in noble steadfast love, and,
possibly, in marriage. We shall see.
Another element of romance is not
wanting-there j. a rival in the case; a
certain medical graduate supposed
to be a cousin, who, attracted by An
na-Lise's bright eyes, and rather en-
couraged by the old Fohse As a very
suitable sutton, somewhat prosecuted
Anna with his attentions. The medical
graduate, however, gradually found out
that il was a dangerous thing to cross the
fiery Leopold in his love; and discov-
cred, rather too late for his comfort,
that . small sword, d~exterously if i'm
petuously urged, will penetrate a rival
body and produce the most serious an
noyance. Narnhagen yon Ense relates
Though other historians are silent on
the subject) that Leopold one day, find
ing the medical graduate engaged ! n
making love to Anna, called upon him
to draw, and, after a brief passage of
fencing. ran his imprudent rival through.
A dangerous man, Leopold, with his
sword when once thoroughly aroused
to flaming anger; as dangerous, per-
haps, as Alessandro Farnese in his
stormful youth. Ieopold's mother,
Henrietta, of Orange, was sister TO
Louisa, first wife of the great Elector.
His father was dead at the time at which
our story opens; and the widowed
Princess was regent. and guardian Of
the young hope OF Anhalt- Dessau. She
wa aunt Of our William Ill. She had
a touch Of Netherlands geniality, but
was full of the importance of a woman
governing n principality, and endeavor-
ing to rule a son who had very original
ideas and a singularly strong will of his
owR. She wa surrounded by the court
circle usual in the small German sover-
eighties Of those days, and had a most
exalted idea, of the old feudal sort, of
the importance of the Anhalt- Dessau
reigning family, and Of her power of
controlling every thing and every body.
She had no very clear idea of the force
of character, or Of the distinguished
talents OF her unruly, iron-willed son.
The Anhalt-Dessau family held close
10 Prussia. Leopold's father had done
SO; Leopold himself did so in a very
memorable way and his sons followed
after him. The Dessau contingent was
fused into the Prussian army, and the
Anhalt regiment became very famous
among the troops Of Frederick the
Great, who, born I7l2, was some forty
five years younger than his great
general and field marshal, Prince Leo
pold. Although always busily fighting,
wherever fighting for what he consider
ed right was to be done, the Prince did
not neglect his own little municipality
Of Anhalt-D essau, and indeed governed
it p~rudently and successfully all his long
life. He made the Pnssian infantry the
model soldiers of the time, and com
manded them first at Blenheim, holding
his ground in the right wing after the
Austrian calvary had fled, until MARI
borough and his victorious left wingre-
lieved Dessauer and saved the day. Leo
pold had seen much Of war before the
Seven Years War began, and had
fought at Hochstadt, at the bridge of
Cassano, in the Lines of Turin, at Blen-
helm, and at Malplaquet. lie com
mcnccd his career under Friedrich Ill,
the Twelfth Elector, who, as Frederick
T., became the first King OF Prussia, and
finished it under Frederick LIS grand
son, the great Frederick Frederick III.
Of Prussia.
Let US now turn our fancies 10 the
time when the old Dessauer was not yet
old let US look ut the youthful love tins
which preceded the long years Of war