The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-06-17

| am elSnty-One years old to- night when
the clock strikes twelve. My name is Ezra
Steele, and was born in the city of New
York. 1t was different place then from
what it is now, and people walked in the
Bowery for fresh air, and thought Pearl
street pretty far up town.
| Our home was almost out of town
nearly where Canal street is today We
had garden about it, and our garden
touched that Of neighbor, who was
German by birth, and fond of his flowers
as a German can be.
| He had beds of great gaudy tulips and
wonderful roses and enormous double
peoples, but ] used to think the sweet
white lilies the prettiest of ALL and l al
ways thought little Gretchen just like one
of them.
She never had much color, but her FORE
head was like snow, and her hair long
and light, curled down to her waist.
She used to come to her side of the fence
and look over it, and talk about such
things as we were interested in. Some
times she came in to play with me, but my
mother would never allow me to go into
neighbor Werner's garden for fear that 1
should injure the flowers, through which 1
could never learn to walk quietly and rev.
erentially as Gretchen did
Indeed neighbor Werner was not fond of
children, and not one to tempt them into
his garden or his home, or anywhere where
they would be apt to meet him; a gruff,
oldish man, who had lost his wife years
before, and had 10 one in his house to care
for his little gill. who was quite left to
herself, and had wnmanly way with her
at the aye of ten that some have not at
sixteen.
She knew even then how to make her
fathers soup and coffee, and how to put
the buttons on his shirts. Work which
was too much for her little hands he must
have done himself; but the house was very
clean and bare and tidy, not carpet on
any floor, and not blanket, for-as my
mother said, who had seen-they slept be-
tween feather beds, as though they wanted
to smother themselves.
But such as the house was little Gret-
chen took more and more care of it as she
grew older, and helped her father with his
flowers and knew each individual blossom.
1t used to seem to me that they knew her.
While was very young, mel child in
years, | used to say that Gretchen should
be my little wife, my mother always an
swering:
81 couldn't wish you Il better, if she
grows up what she is now"
When was older stopped saying this
out of shame, but thought so more than
ever. knew before was old enough to
be called man that | should never love
any one but Gretchen Werner She never
thought about it at all until l put it into
her head by making love to her.
| For while she was very shy and would
not listen to me, but at last she told me
that she liked me better than any one else
in the world, and let me kiss her.
had not known her before since | was
ten years old. Then l was one-and-twen-
ty. | have seen young men kiss the girls
they love in light, careless way. felt
that night as though were touching some
thing holy with my lips.
A few days after this gave her plain
gold ring with our names upon it, and the
date of the day on which she told me she
liked me, and it seemed as though that
bound her to me.
was not as good as might have been,
and did not go to church always when my
mother wanted me to do SO; but l prayed
that night as earnestly as ever man prayed
that might be worthy of Gretchen; that
l might always know what to do to make
her happy and always be able to keep her
from any of the troubles and trials of pow
| erty.
After this, in our American fashion,
which seemed so wrong to Englishmen and
Europeans, asked her father if l might
have Gretchen.
"She has told me that she will be happy
with me-" said, and stood trembling be-
fore him, hat in hand, for l saw a cloud
upon his forehead, and saw him take his
pipe out of his mouth in a hurried way,
which always showed that he was angry.
"You speak to Gretchen .frsti" he ask
ed, in his strong German accent. "You
dare do that?'
"We always do it here, sir,' said.-
"We try to find out whether the young
lady is willing we should speak to her
| parents, and then
But neighbor Werner stamped his foot
furiously.
81 am German" he said. "My daugh-
ter obeys me. She will not marry poor
man."
81 am poor yet" l said, "but will
| CONTINUED ON FOURTH PAGF.1