Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-01
ADAM AND EVE AT THE AGRICUL-
TURAL FAIR.
BY BURTHOLD AUERBACH.

imagine that to be flour which is busted
through his beard, for his checks are
so red and his eyes so bright;-but
only for to-day, perhaps. You cannot
be much amiss in giving him half cen
turv; it is easy to reckon it out: after
six years of military service, nineteen
wears and three months as miller's
hand-that is about the figure. So
much for him.
And for her? She, too, was not beau
tiful, but tall and capable; she did not
look good-tempered, but rather harsh;
vet she took very little notice of her
fellow-men On the other hand, she
did not ask that people should take
any notice of her. She wore her cap
after the fashion of the valley over yon-
der, for the department embraces sever
al valleys, and
True enough, it must be explained
how the two came to be here, and with
their Sunday clothes on in the middle Of
the week.
Flags flutter from the steeple of the
church, flags also are hanging from the
windows of the houses, and just at this
momenta fusillade rings out from the
hill behind the town, and blast of
trumpets is heard, mingled with the
piping of clarionets, and then comes a
vast hurrah In this chief town of the
department they are celebrating the
agricultural fair The autumn day
fixed for it turns out bright and clear;
the exposition of fruits and vegetables
affords a pleasing sight; horses, oxen,
COWS, and steers are clean and receive
no
of the Judges; only when their mouths
are pulled open to learn their age do
they make any objections. New and
improved agricultural tools and nipple
ments are examined in the yard of the
courthouse before they are put up at
lottery, and thus become scattered far
and wide Moreover, here are the
household servants who to-day are
to get prizes for long and trusty SER
vice.
In spite of everything, the fair has
something uncomfortable and forced
about it, while at the same time the
ordinary working-day is going on. Who
can say how long it takes a festival to
gain profound honoring, and especi-
ally festival that has to do with manu-
al labor?
The bailie ofthe department is happy
Without stutter he has rehearsed his
speech on the father and the mother of
the country; and it must be true-that
phrase which he repeats several times
that he has spoken out of the hearts of
all the spectators, for the triple cry Of
Hoch is overpowering.
Before the banquet of the gentle
men-and to the gentlemen belong the
peasant farmers who are members of
the Agricultural union-another BAN
quet was to take place. The selected
household help of the department had
received their prizes. After the names
of the winners had been called out, a
separate meal had been prepared for
the servants. But it passed off In any
thing but joyous mood, for the prize
help were not only strangers to one
another, but envious. 1t was lucky,
indeed that each held trump card
The hired man of the miller in the val
ley this way, whose name was Adam
Maui, and the maid-servant on the Oak
farm in the valley beyond, who was
called Eva Scheenkin, had served in
both of them nineteen years with the
same masters, Adam even three
months longer. But then, when the
bailie with the large order on his breast
had read out the names in the hall of
the courthouse he had laughed at
the singular coincidence that these two
lust happened to be named Adam and
Eve, and the great assemblage had
laughed, too.
But the two winners Of prizes did
not laugh; they looked down very much
ANNOYED and then almost fercelY at
each other; for each one thought: You
might at any rate have had some other
name;
The bailie made long discourse
about the degeneration of hired help,
their want of attachment to one master,
in increasing demands on their part,
and the desire to serve in towns; but
especially about the rush to factories
He managed almost in the same way as
the priests, who read their flock lee
ture about the stayaways who never
come to church, and SO can never get
the benefit of the lecture. The best
thing in the finest speech is that there
is al end to it, and SO it was IN the case
of This; which, however, the assisting
representative of the government great
ly praised. Adam and Eve, as the
oldest present, sat at the head of the
table III the seats of honor. Adam
hitched comfortably in his chair, and
settled himself, while with his broad
hand he wiped his mouth; thatprobably
meant to say,-I am ready, fire away.
Thereupon he helped himself to a good
bit from the food that had been set be-
fore them; he wanted to put his neighs
Dor at ease. But she thought: His
manners are bad enough" In order to
instruct him III the niceties of social
life, she first of all helped her neighbor
on the other side to portion, then she
took her portion herself. Adam and
Eve did not let a word pass their lips
but all tue more food and drink Evey
one began to eat in anger; but in the
course of the meal the yiands began
to taste good. / shall not be SO stupid
as not to take as much as can man
age, proclaimed the forks as they
stabbed deep into the meats.