Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-11-08
The Course Of True Love.

III Is not often that the SHY SOON OF
love tale is of importance SO momeniOus as 10
deserve embalment in the grave editorial col
umns of a newspaper that has grown to man
hoods proportion and shows you the beard
underneath the muffler, hut-isten to this one.
in lS4l Prussion country squire, young
enough to have his romances, but old enough
to have shaken his health in burscheu bouts at
Gotingen and Berlin, and wild hunting frol-
les in Pomeranian forests, came TO the obscure
peasants watering place called Mitterbad, in
the valley OF Ulten, in Tyrol, 10 battle and re-
gain his tone and elasticity of frame. Mitter-
bad was the bumblest of peasant hot-springs,
and in the Tyrol, they know bow to preserve
the primitive simplicity OF these places, for
they take a noble pride in eschewing Injuries
aud keeping expenses down so that every man
may be able 10 go TO the springs and take the
baths if he needs them Mitterbad, however,
If il had no fashion, could still boast of beau
ty, and Josepha Holtzner, the daughter Of the
owner of the baths, though she had not yet
passed out Of her teens, was belle of come
seasons, and had suitors from all the country
side around. She was girl Of some force of
character and had all those brilliant personal
attractions which give to the Tyroean women
when truly lovely such wonderful fascination
The Prussian squire, man OF austere de-
meanor and overbearingly naughty manner,
saw Josepha admired, worshpped, and began
his woong with such impetnosilv that in a
short time he had frightened off all his rivals
and conquered the maiden's heart as by coup
de main Only Holzner himself, Josepha s
father, objected 10 the girls receiving the at
tentious of the 'heretic Prussian, but, though
Mitterbad was only a small place and had
many curious eyes, love found its opporin nj
ties in diplomatic caution that was shrewd
enough 10 battle a dozen inquisitve parents
Old Hoist, the aitendan: at the bathing cstab-
lshment, who loved the maiden fondly and
was munifcently subsidized by the lover, was
willing 10 serve as position d'armoar, and as
long as he lived this ancient Ganymede de-
lighted to tell with many chuckle of the in
Vulnerable love-Ietters that passed through his
parboled hands, and of the many stolen rem
devious at which he presided and over which
he watched, playing the part of the wall in
Pyramus and Thrsbe The mad courtship went
on Josepha becoming fOnder ana fonder OF
her QUO, and he finding her more and more
indispensable to his existence.
The Squire was proud man, " Junker F"
par excellence, full OF the excluSiveness and
spirit Of caste OF bis order, and Josepha was
but simple, frank maiden of the Tyroi val
leys who might not shine if transplanteG in
TO the glitter of court. There was strug-
gle, but love conquered, and the squire, in
order to possess his Josepha, resolved at a
leap to cross the immeasurable chasm which
to his naughty soul, seemed to divide his own
rank from the burgher class. lie visited old
Iloltzner in ceremonous state and demanded
Josepha's hand in marriage. He was refused
This was something which had not at all en-
tered into the Junker's calculations, for he
had only estimated his own sacrifices in pro-
posing 10 much beneath him, and had never
dreamed that there might be greater sacrifices
on the part of the other party. But old
HotZner did not leave him long in doubt
about the matter. lie WAS one Of those stern
and sturdy peasants who do more honor TO
the Tyrol than would the proudest nobility in
the world. The old faith of his fathers was
more to him, and should be for his daughter,
than ana worldly honors or temporal ad vance
ment, aud the staunch peasant sent the
naughty Prussian to the righ:-about with
peremptory mo-" from which there was no
appeal. More than this, he stormed and
swore as il the "Junker's'' offer was rather
an indiguty put upon him than an honor, or
dered his daughter into the house, and vowed
that 1t she had any more intercourse with the
(" hereto" he would cudgel her with his al
penstock until her ribs were sore. But there
was no danger of Josepha's being cudgeed
for such ofense. The rejected lover whose
name in full was Karl Quo Won Bismarck
SchODnhusen, afterwards prince and Chaucel-
lor OF the German empire, lett Mil.erbad that
very night never TO return, and six years later
he married johanna Won Pulkammer. About
the same lime the fair Josepha was married to
u petty official of the Episcopal Court of Juss
tice at Salzburg. And so these two lovers
drift out Of the romance forever, but the ire
mendous consequences Of that M rrilge m rngu
have filled many volumes, and are likely TO
fill many more. What might have been the
state of Europe to-day had sturdy old Ho,tz-
ner answered "yes' instead of ''no?' May
not Bismarck have stayed a simple country
squire, content to raise his cabbages and hunt
the boar and the wolf remote from courts
In that event would there have been any Sa-
dowa, any Sedan? Would Napoleon's I'M
easy bones now rest at Chiselhurst? Would
Gambetta rule the roast 10 France? Would
the German prime minister be so inveterately
hostile to Rome and its church? There has
always seemed to be grain of personal feel
| ing ia Prince Bismarck's antagonism TO the
ultramontanists, and grim sort of individual
satisfaction when be has subjected some high
prelate to the rude treatment of his +" blood
and iron" rule. Did he acquire this feeling
what time he sighed like lover, while 10.
sophia Obey ed rs daughter, iD the humble
valley OF Ulten