The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-01-20

"Does Meenie love you, Dirck Wolff
sen, that you speak SO confidently about
taking my daug ghter for your wieT
:" Well, she's got my grandmother's
silver ring upon her finger, and when
she took it she said she would give me
her decided answer when Christmas
came. Christmas has come and gone,
Mother Bliekauft, and she has given me
no answer yet; but here she comes"
Footsteps were heard at the door, the
latch clicked, and Meenie's head was
thrust into the room, with her cloak
hood over it, and her blue eyes lighted
up with mischievous fire, and behind
her stood Woefert Schoeffen, standing in
the rain.
Thank you, Woefert, and goodnight
to YOU" she said, and nothing more.
She did not speak to Dirck until she
had thrown the cloak from her shoulders
and stood leaning Oh one side of the fire.
place, holding first one foot, then the
other: then she looked down at him.
Well, Dirck, you are here, and you
want your answer, as l see from my
mothers face that you have been talking
to her. l took your ring as pledge,
and my answer l will give you now-I
will be your wife one week from to-
night"
Had the stout little image of st. Mich
olas nodded it's round head at him, or
had the backlog stood on end and sput-
tered away in his face, Dirck could not
have been more surprised. He looked
first at Meenie, then at good Vrau Bile
kauft, and then took Meenie's hands in
his and kissed them both.
You hear, Mother Bliekauft, what
she says, and 1 will be worthy of her.
was wrong to-day in the fight with Woe
fert Schoeffen, and Meenie has forgiven
me, and I'll tell him so tomorrow
"Do it, Dirck; do it, my boy, and let
there be no more quarrels; and now go
home it is late, and it is time the lights
were out and all the honest folks in
bed"
She pointed to the door as she spoke to
him, and he took the hint SO broadly
given. Dutch etiquette and Dutch house
hold discipline make the vrau's word
law, and Dirck went out into the street,
but did not feel the rain.
One week after there was a deal of
scrubbing and fiOor.sanding at Meenie
Bliekauft's house. The big room had
been swept, scrubbed and busted, till the
boards in the floor were clean enough to
eat from, and Meenie bad prepared her.
self for the bridal under her mothers
good advice, and with an outlay of much
extravaganza from her fathers generous
means. And how with Dirck Wolhsen
Dutch manners i'm those days made a
marriage an accepted situation-court-
ships were slyly conducted, and when
the banns were published, and the fact
of love and marriage became published
fact, the strict rule of Dutch society for
bade all intercourse between the high
contracting parties except that of the
most PlatOnic character, so Dirck had
kept his distance, and had made his
peace with Woefert after the most ap-
proved fashion. They were evidently
the best friends in the city-so, close,
indeed, that many of the doughty
Dutchmen wondered at it, and set it up
as an example fgood-heartedness worthy
to be taken as precedent.
The two friends were talking over the
wedding and the prospects-each had his
pipe, and the bell upon the watch-tower
had sounded for twelve o'clock, when
they stood leaning over toward the
Breukelin shore.
"Pll give you a gift for your wedding
day, Dirck-one that will be of service to
you. Come to the mill at sundown and
I'll have it ready for you."
"That will, Woefert, and I'll thank
you; you will be at the wedding to-
nightW
Maybe / will and maybe l won't,
Dirck WOlfsen," was the mans answer,
and they parted until sundown.
AS mark of his riches, Woefert
Schoeffen's father had built one of the
wind-mills which were the ornaments of
the Dutch city; and he had right to
be generous with his fathers corn and
-four if he chose. Wedding presents were
then made to be useful, and Dirck took
the intended present as compliment to
Meenie's industry and thrift, and thought
his rival truly generous, as he walked at
sundown beyond the city's gate, and
across the field to Woefert Schoeffen's
mill.
At the little halfdoor, with his mil
ler's cap upon his head, stood Woefert,
smiling.
"You're prompt to time, l see, and
you shall take my present home to Nee
ME come with me-"
He was staid and quiet in his manner,
and Dirck thought it strange but he
could not refuse the offer, and so he fol-.
lowed his late rival up the narrow stairs
into the chamber where the bags were
put, piled up away from the windows,
which opened behind the long arms of
the windmill.
"That bag over there is yours, Dirck,"
said Schoefien "get it out"
He pointed to the pile in the corner,
and Wolffsen stopped to do his bidding
but the action was fatal one to him, in
hope, at least. "A trap had been cut in
the floor, and when he stepped upon it
bag and man were both sent twenty feet
or more into the room below, in the
darkness of the grain we'll.
Dirck knew nothing till he fell, and
then he shouted loudly for help-he
could look up and see the face Of Woe
fert Schoeffen peering down ct him
through the narrow trap, with a demo-
MAC smile, and he heard the words hissed
down at him in q clear tone.
You struck me once, Dirck WolffseD,
and you think that you will marry
Meenie Bliekauft tonight; but she will
wait longer than morning for her BRIDE
groom W
The opening was closed above Dirck
Wolffsen's head, and he was alone in the
darkness. He could hear the heavy door
of the mill being closed by SchoeneH,
and heard the bars fastened on the out
side; and then he thought of Meenie,
and the sanded floor, and the wedding
guests, and the dominic, and of Meenie
waiting for him to come, while his late
rival was walking away toward the city.
At Meenie's house the guests were fast
assembling-the burghers in their best
hose and shiniest buckles, the vraus in
their cleanest caps, and the fraulines in
their best quilted petticoats but as yet
no Dick Wolffsen, in his wedding suit,
had arrived, although the hour had come
for tho covomcnv ond tho dop,;pia waa