The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-16
A PLUCKY GIRL.
A Dramatic Subject for the Composer
Of the Future.

inc, MalchenY" said Otto Won Polheim
to his oldest daughter one Sunday in
December, as he and the rest of the fam
lily were setting out for the market town
to hear Pason Knopps preach an Advent
sermon. e9
mo, father; Dorothea can go in my
stead, and will keep the house."
Keep the house alone? No, will
leave Hans to protect thee and the
msnse too.", 81.
IT would rather not have Hans" said
Malchen with little pout, asshe glanced
at an ugly gawk who was her fathers
head servant. .,. ....... t.......E
"Then thou shalt not have Karl"
grumbled old Polheim, speaking rather
to himself than to the girl; and, wrapping
his ancient blue cloak tightly round him,
he struck his iron-tipped staff two or
three times ON the flags of the hall to in
Innate to the members of his household
that it was time to be off.
They came Gathering down stairs and
trudging out of different doors-a large
and rather noisy troop. Otto Won Poi
helm was land owner on small scale
what would be called in England a
gentleman farmer-and he had a family
Of ten sons and daughters, without
counting two servant wenches and a
couple Of laborers whom he treated as
his children. The eldest of these two
laborers, tall, rosy checked, fair-haired,
blue-eyed fellow named Karl, had showed
signs Of late of being "a bit soft about
Fraulein Malchen, and this displeased
her father, for, though he was q kind
master, he had a squire's pride, and
would have kicked Karl straightway out
of his house if he had suspected Malchen
OF cherishing any regard for him. At
least this is what he had once said to
Karl with more bluntness than pru-
dence, for worldly wisdom would, per
haps, have suggested that he should be-
gin by turning off Karl before Malchen's
sentiments toward him had repined into
affection.
"Now, come, come, let's be off," re-
peated old Polheim, impatiently; ''come,
wife, and you, Bertha, Frida and
Gretchen; you, Hans, take one of the
lanterns, and you, Karl, lead the way
with the other"
Karl SUNK out, looking very sheepish
but scarcely had he got into the open air
before the candle in his lantern was
blown out, and he ran back to get
another Malchen was standing in the
hail. and struck match for him. She
struck second and third, for somehow
the phosphorus would not act, and the
operation of lighting was delayed a
little. When Karl took the lantern his
hand touched Malchen's, and the girl
blushed
It's cruelty cold night to go out
H." faltered she.
4 "And don't like leaving you alone, u
whispered Karl. 81 think / shall stea
out Of church and come back to see il
you are safe" . .....,. .-.
"Oh, no, the door will be barred" ex
claimed Malchen, in futter. ....s
"Then I'll climb over the orchard
wall" answered Karl, nothing daunted,
and he executed a wink as he went
forth in the cold. ..,.
"How very audacious he is becoming, u
muttered Malchen to herself; but she
apparently thought that it was of no use
to bar the door if Karl meant to get ovel
the garden wall, SO she simply shut it
and turned back to spend her evening il
the kitchen.
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in {
F lonely part of the country, about two
miles from R, in Bavaria. 1t hat
once been castle, and all the rooms OF
the ground floor were large, windy apart
ments, with wainscoted walls and ole
oaken furniture. The Kitchen, which
served as the ordinary sitting-room tt
, the family of an evening, was made com
Portable by some screens which shut ou
: the drafts, and by the large fires which
roared in the immense chimney all da,
long. There were two armchairs unde
the bullying mantel of the chimney OF
either side of the andirons, and in one o
these Malchen took her seat. She begar
to knit; but soon her work subsided int
her lap, and she began to stare at the fir
in soft reverie. a ID. s.at aa4i. .s
. There were faces, of course, in the rel
, embers of the crumbling pine logs an
Karls was chief among them, Malchen
I who was a pretty, sentimental youn
= lady of eighteen, but somewhat cautious
! as beseems the daughter of a gentiema
y who can prefix Won to his name, aske
! herself if she liked Karl. Did she true
+ ly feel for him more than she did for an
. other man? Would she grieve for hir
! if he met with an accident? if he left he
fathers service, and forced to risk hi
,, life in the wars? After fencing littl
, with her concience the damsel decide
! that She did not quite know what sh
:. ought to think about Karl; but that h
. was very bold and not-to-be-easily-pu
down young man she admitted to hersel
frankly enough in her quaint Germa
. phraseology.
: Malchen, from being romantic, was
r Bold girl, and felt no fear at being alon
i in che big house on wintor's evening
q The soughing of the wind through tn
bare trees outside; the noise of draught
\ shaking doors that were loose on thei
!. hinges; the monotonous ticktack of tn
a kitchen clock, did not disturb her CON
/. posure. She sat listening for footsteps
u