The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-02
charged, drew his back pay and bounty
and sailed for Germany.

ana Salseo Tor Germahy
Fifteen years had elapsed. Peter
Schroeder, much stouter and quite bald,
sat in that inevitable latticed summer
house which is one of the sacred out
door Penates Of every Rhenish house
holder, and seriously slipped his Moselle
wine. He was not thinking that his
curiously-wrought iron garden-chair was
not as comfortable as an American rock
er or arm-chair-he was long past that
grumbling; he was not thinking the
table too high and insecure for his feet
to rest on, for Frau Schroeder had in
the first year of his married life inter
dicted that American attitude Of retiec-
tion and bibulous enjoyment. He was
not looking at the inevitable little foun-
tain whose stone basin suggested hasty
provision from some invisible water-cask,
nor at the inevitable little grotto-a
child's playground of bright shells and
pebbles artistically arranged by grown
up player. None of these, nor even the
statue of Germania looking like Lorelei
with helmet, nor Lorelei looking like
Germania with harp, NOR even OF
bust of the good old Emperor, looking
always like his own august sell, and re-
garding reprehensible mythology with
fatherly forbearance, attracted Peters
attention. His serious blue eyes were
filmy and abstracted, the pinky red of
his round cheeks was little deeper
for that digestive glow known in the
rich vernacular of his analy ytical nation
as CESS feber;" his respiration was
slightly stertorous, and his pipe had gone
out idly in his hand. Peter was dream
ing.
OF the past. OF the fifteen long years
that had flown since he arrived almost a
stranger in his own land; of his recep-
ton by his few old friends, a reception
given to a new Peter whom they had
never known; of the Joy of his old par
ents, JOY tempered with kind of awe
at his fortune and his novel ideas and
heresy; of the matchmaking of his par
ents which ended in his betrothal to the
well-born but slightly-dowered Fraulein
Won Hummel; of the marriage that
smoothed those parents dying pillow,
but left Peters bridal couch lonelier
than before; of his relegation to new
life that was stranger than ever.
! Of the monotony of those days, OF the
monotony of all outward signs and sym
bols, band-playing, concert-singing, pic
ture-viewing, troops parading night and
morning before his window, Of festivals,
of fetes, of celebrations of all conceivable
things to celebrate, all alike, uniform,
theatrical and unreal, and yet too, all
established with precedent, and often re-
inforced with the serene presence of
hereditary greatness. Of the monotony
of his home life; of the monotony of five
meals a day seriously considered and
dutifully performed. Of betrothals and
love-making under the parental eye, of
sentimental hand-shakiDgs and speech
makings to bride and bride-groom, and
the pointed obtrusion Of domestic and
personal affairs before the world as
shown in the sentimental public adver-
, tisements of such conventionaiities Of
births, deaths and marriages.
Of the great war with France, which
for ever stopped his yoluble reminis
cences of his former military career, by
leaving him no longer an authority in
slaughter and gunpowder, rekindled his
old ardor for Der Vaterland, dragged
him into its seething vortex, and left
him, at last, stranded in his own town
with more parading, more rattle ol
drums more celebrations to celebrate
more precedents, and in fact, more set
tied convictions to combat than ever.
A clap of thunder recalled his wander
ing senses. Looking up, he saw above
the lindens that stood in his garden
blue-black velyety cloud. 1t was tht
natural climax of a sultry summers day
but Peters thoughts were so dark THAT i
seemed to be az ominous as the clout
! that rose above the Arabian fisherman
lar when the awful seal of Solomon wa
!, broken. In such mood Faust receiver
visit from Mepbistopheles, and at thu
| moment, at his elbow, a servant wa
, presenting card.
"Mr. John Folinsbee," read Pete
aloud.
ga gentleman and four ladies'" ex
planned the servant.
s Peters mental processes were slowl
| evolving something. =.
! "Strangers," suggested the maiden; ="
0 think Americans"
, The magical note Of nationality sen
: the good-hearted Peter into his drawing
= room, pleased yet embarrassed as
Z; schoolgirl. =,
e Certainly no weakness Of this kim
= was visible in his guests. Three OF them
rs young ladies, were scattered about tn
+ room; one at the piano, one at the Ger
It ter-table, looking over book Of photo
d graphs, and another beside the jardinie1
J. from which she had already abstracte
Is the rosebud suited to her complexion
e On the sofa another, and possibly tn
s elder, if a certain air of lassitude an
n ennui were a criterion Of age, had grace
n fully composed herself. All were pretty
is all were graceful, all were exceedingl
J. well-dressed, and all were, to Peters hal
Is pleasure, haif-embarrassment, very muc
v at home.
4 TLux lr,ouJod.oJ h:a uro;1o nf --wo