The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-06-02
SELECT STORY.
THE OLD DESSAUER.


instead Of bogs," and lies come four-core
miles southwest Of Berlin. The street:
of little Dessau are full of quaint, old
world German houses. and human life
lived itself there in quiet, nay, even dull
"a hInn. at the end of the seventeenth
century. The buildings n Dessau will
Ta--s-s . aliie special interest for US
One f. -tv princely palace; the other
situated very close to the palace, il the
agothecary's shop of one Gottlieb Fohse
This apothecary was a widower, and had
a daughter, zone fair daughter, and no
more, which be loved passing we'll
Her name was Lise. She dwelt
with her father, while Leopold, then
eighteen, lived in ne palace close by
A charming young girl and an impetu
GUS young Prince living in Close prox-
imi.v in little Eesidcaz here we have
the ground work for i romance which
1..ay take either a French or a German
tnrn: may either i-sne in light love and
depravity, or in noble stead fast love and
possibly even in marriage. We shall
See Another element of romance is
not wanting-there is rival in the case;
a certain medical graduate" supposed
to be cousin, who, attracted by Anna
Lise's bright eyes, and rather encour-
aged by the old Fohse as very suitable
suitor, somewhat persecuted Anna with
his attentions. The medical graduate,
however, gradually found out that 1t
was a dangeroga thing to cross the fiery
Leopold in his love; and discovered,
rather too late for his comfort, that a
small sword, dexterously if impetuously
urged, will penetrate a rival body and
produce the most serious annoyance
Varnhagen Won Ense relates Though
other historians are silent on the sub
,ject) that Leopold one day, finding the
medical graduate engaged in making
love to Anna. called upon him to draw,
and, after a brief passrge of fencing, ran
his imprudeni rival through. A danger
Gus man, Leopold, with his sword when
when once thoroughly aroused to fam
ing anger; as dangerous, perhaps, as
Alessandro Farnese in has stormful
youth. Leopold's mother. Henrietta, OF
Orange, was sister to Lonisa, 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 An
halt Dessau. She was aunt of our Viii
liam Ill She had touch of Neither
lands Reniality, but was full of the i'm
portance of a womon governing a prin-
cipality, and endeavoring to rule son
who had very original ideas and singu-
larly strong will of his own. She was
surrounded by the court circle usual in
the small German sovereignties of those
days, and had a most exalted idea, of the
old feudl sort, of the Importance ofthe
Anhalt Dcssau reigning family. and of
her power cf controlling everything and
ever, hoGy Sh .ai no very clear idea
of the force Of character. or of the dis
tinguished talents Of her unruly, iron
willed son.
The Anhalt- Dessau family held close
to Prussia. Leopold's father had done
so; Leopold himself did 40 in a very
memorable way; and his sons followed
after him. The De+sau contingent was
fused into the Prussian army, and the
Anhalt regiment became very famous
among the troops of Frederick the
Great, who, born 1712, was some forty
five years younger than his great Gener-
al and Field Marshal, Prince Leopold.
Although always busily lighting, wher-
ever fighting for what he considered
right was to be done, the Prince did not
neglect his own little principali.y Of
Anhalt- Dessau, and indeed governed it
prudently and snccessfully all his long
life. He made the Prussian infantry
the model soldiers of the time, and com
mqnded them first at Blenheim, holding
his ground in the right wing after the
Austrian cavalry had fed, until Marl-
borough and his victorious left wing re-
lieved Dessauer and saved the day
Leopold had seen much of war before
the Seven Years War began, and had
fought at Hochstadt, at the Bridge oi
Cassano, in the Lines of Turin, at
Blenheim, and at Malplaqnet. He COM
menced his career under Friedrich III.
the Twelfth Elector, who, as Frederick
J., became the first King of Prussia
and finished il under Frederick / Is
grandson. the great Frederick-Fred-
erick II. of Prussia.
Let us now turn our fancies to the
time when the old Dessauer was not yet
old; let us look at the youthful love
warning of the soldier man.
Anna Ia about seventeen, extremely
pretty. mnch pestered by one lover and
much pleased by another. In addition
to beauty and to vivacity she is girl OF
glorious nature.
The yonng Prince and the young girl
have grown up together as playmates
and now the passion tim> of life is bud
ding in which snch play may we'll turn
to earnest. The father, timid and can.
t:ous, afraid of offending the. "Herr.
schaft," and dreading for his daughter q
continuance of the old intimacy with
Leopold, ia anxious that Anna should
listen TO her medical adviser and admir-.
er. Anna, though generally dutiful, is
yet quite unable to obey in this particu
lar; and nothing or nobody can deter the
Prince from doing what he Wills TO do.
Old Fohse warns Anna against per
mitting the continual, almost daily, Wis
its of the Prince; points out to her thai
good can never come of such an intima
cy between an heir to throne and g
burgher maiden; cautions her against
loss of reputation, and urges her nc
longer TO address the Prince as "Du" OF
to call him leopold" He advises hel