West-Jersey pioneer., 1877-01-11
[Continued from last week. I
GERMELSHAUSEN.
(FRoM THE GERMAN OF eERsrAckER. J

AhAON lie ObhMlAN Of GEhSIACkER.J
The silence lasted only as long as the
coffin remained in sight, and then Gertrude
stepped up to the young man and said.
''Now rest a while. You have frolicked
long enough, and the strong wine is going
more aud more to your head. Come, get
your hat and we'll take little walk to-
gether. When we come back it will be
time to go to the tavern; there is dance
tonight"
dance? Good ~ exclaimed Arnold, de-
lighted. 81 came just at the right time.-
And you'll give me the first dance, Ger
trude?''
Certainly, if you wish''
Arnold took up his hat and portfolio, and
the magistrate asked
"What do you want of the book ?"
''He can draw, father" said Gertrude;
she has drawn me. Just look at the pic
ture''
Arnold opened the portfolio and held out
the little portrait.
The peasants considered it while in ST.
lence.
''You want to take that away with you,"
he said at length, "and perhaps frame it
and hang it up?''
eyes; why not ?'
''May he, father ?'' said Gertrude.
''lf he doesn't stay with us, have moth
ing to say against it; but there's something
lacking at the back there.''
"What ?''
''The funeral procession. Paint that in
on the same paper, and you may take the
picture away with you"
''The funeral procession with Gertrude ?'
"There's room enough" said the magis-
trate, stubborn!y. ''It must be put there,
for won't let you take my child's picture
away all alone. In such serious company,
nobody can think any harm of her,
Arnold shook his head and laughed over
the strange notion of giving the lovely girl
a funeral procession as guard of honor
However, the old man seemed to have his
idea fixed, and, to content him, he let him
have his way. Afterward, Arnold knew,
he could easily take out each gloomy ac
compartment. He sketched, from memory,
the shapes that had just passed by, while
the whole family pressed about him and
watched, with wide-open eyes, the rapid ex-
ecution of the drawing.
"There, is that all right ?' he asked, hold
ing the picture at arms-length.
'Capital p answered the magistrate, with
a nod. "Who'd have thought you could do
it so quick? And no go with the girl and
see the village. You may not get sight
at it again. But make sure to be back
again by five o'clock. To-day is festival,
and you ought to be ON hand.''
What with the closeuess of the room and
the wine in his head, Arnold felt heavy and
oppressed, and longed for the fresh air; so
in few moments he was walking by the
lovely Gertrude's side along the street that
led through the village.
Now the road was not SO still as before
Children were playing in the street, and
old men sat before the doors here and there
and watched them; and the whole place,
with its curious old buildings, would have
had a pleasant aspect if the sun could only
have shone through the thick brownish
smoke that lay over the roofs like cloud.
els there fog or wood burning in the
neighborhood?" Arnold asked. "This
smoke hangs over no other village, and it
can't come from the chimneys."
''It's from the earth,' said Gertrude,
calmly. ''But did you never hear of Ger
melshausen?' ?''
"Never." ErE4
"That's strange; and the place is SO old
so very old" . shrl. aoe's
"The houses certainly look so, and the
people have an odd sort of demeanor; be-
sides, your speech is different from that of
the neighboring places. You seldom get
out of your village, l suppose % as.;5i
ssSeldom,'' said Gertrude. a
"Why, there isn't single swallow
They can't have gone away already ?" IL
"Long ago." answered the girl, speaking
in low monotone. ssThey don't build
their nests in Germelshausen any more.-
Perhaps they can't bear the air here"