West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-02-07
A Husband with one Ear.

80 you want to go to church this even
ing, Malchenf' said Otto Won Polheim to
his eldest daughter one Sunday in Decem-
Der, as he and the rest of his family were
setting out for the market town to hear
Pastor knopps preach an Advent sermon.
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 manse
too"
81 would rather not have Hans, said
Maichen with little pout. rs she glanced
at AN ugly gawk who was her fathers head
servant.
''Ghen thou shalt not have Karl, ," grum-
bed old Polheim, speaking rather to him
self than to the girl, and wrapping his an
cient blue cloak tightly round him, he struck
his iron-tpped staff two or three times on
the flags of the hall to intimate to the mem
bcrs of his household that it was time TO be
off.
They came gathering down stairs and
trudging ont of different doors-a large and
rather noisy troop. Otto Won Polheim was
II landowner on a small scae-what would
be called IN England a gentleman-farmer
and he had family of ten sons md daugh-
ters, without counting two servant -wenchcs
and a couple Of laborers whom he treated
as his children. The eldest of these two
laborers, tall, rosy checked, air-haired,
bue-eyed fellow named Karl, had shown
slgns of late of being "a bit soft" about
Fraulein Malchen, and tins is.leased her
father; foT though he was a kind master he
had squire's pride, and would have kick.
ed 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 prudence, for worldly wisdom would,
perhaps, have suggested that lac should be.
gin by turning off Karl before Malchen'i
sentiments towards him had ripened into
affection.
''Now, come, come, let's he off, repeat
ed 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 skunk out looking rather sheepish
but scarcely had he got into the open All
than the candle in his lantern was blowI
out and he ran back to get another Nal
chen was standing in the hall and struck
match for him. She struck a second and
third, for somehow the phosphorus woulC
not act, and the operation Of lighting wa
delayed little. Whea Karl took the Ian
tern his hand touched Machen's, and th
girl blushed 'It's cruelty cold night {,
go out in, " faltered She
'And | don't like leaving you alone,
whispered Karl. 81 think shall steal ou
OF church and come back to see if you ar
safe"
ooh, no, the door will be barred" ex
claimed Malchcn in a Hutter.
Then III climb over the orchard wall.
answered Karl, nothing daunted, and h
executed a wink as hc went forth into IN
cold
How very audacious he is becoming
muttered Malchen 20 herself but she az
parently thought that il was of no use {
bar the door u Karl meant to get over Tn
garden wall, 80 she simply shut IL aud turn
ed back TO spend her evening in the kitcl
en-
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in a lionel
part of the country, about two miles frol
r., in Bavaria II had once been
castle, and all the rooms ON the ground 10,
were large, windy apartments, with waini
coled walls and old oaken furniture
There were faces, Of course I'm the re
embcrs Of the crumblng pine logs, an
karl's was chief among Them. Malchen, vii
was a pretty, sentimental young lady Of !,
bat somewhat cautious, as beseuus u
daughter Of n gentleman who can prefix
Won TO his name, asked herself II she like
Karl2 Did she truly feel for him MOI
than she did for any other mani Woul