Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-02-26
A Husband with one Ear.

80 you want to go to church tins even
ing, Malchen7" 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"
Il would rather not have Hans, said
Malchen with little pout, as she glanced
at an ugly gawk who was her fathers head
servant.
"Then thou shalt not have Karl" grum-
bled old Poheim, speaking rather to him.
self than to the girl, and wrapping his an
cient blue cloak tightly round him, he struck
his iron-tipped staff two or three times on
the flags of the hall to intimate to the mem
bers 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. lotto von Polheim was
landowner on 3. small scale-what would
be called In England gentleman-farmer-
and he had family of ten sons and daugh-
tiers, without counting two servant-wenches
and couple OF .laborers whom he treated
as his children The eldest of these two
laborers, q tall, rosy checked, fair-haired,
blue eyed fellow named Karl, had shown
slgns Of late of Being "a bit soft" about
! Fr"Aein Malchen, snd this displeased heI
ia :; for taough he was 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 bluntnest
than prudence, for worldly wisdom would,
perhaps, have suggested that he should be-
gin by turning off Karl before. Malchen's
sentiments towards him had ripened ink
affection.
"Now, come, come, let's be of, " repeat.
ed old Polheim, impatiently - "come, wife,
and you, Bertha, Frlda and Gretchen, you,
Hans, take one of the lanterns, and you
Karl, lead the way with the other"
Karl skunk out looking rather sheepsh
but scarcely had he got into the open all
than the candle in his lantern was blowr
out and he ran back to get another NAL
chen was standing in the hall and struck 6
match for him. She struck a second and q
third, for somehow the phosphorus would
not act, and the operation of lighting &as
delayed little. When Karl took the Ian
teru his hand touched Malchenls, and tn,
girl blushed. 'It's cruelty cold night tt
go out in, " faltered she. ~
.''And don't like leaving you alone, >
whispered Karl Il think I shall steal GU
of church; and COME back to see if you ar,
safe. - .t.;xe5
'':'Oh, no, the door will be barred" ex
claimed Malch4nin futter.
Then i'll climb over the orchard wall,
answered Karl, nothing daunted, and HI
executed wink as he went. forth into tn
cold. %. .t..-4;
4 How very audacious he is becoming,
muttered Malchen to herself, but. she ap
parently thought that it was of use t.
bar the door if Karl meant to get over tn
l.garden WALL so she simply shut it and turn
ed back to spend her evening in the .kitch
en- :s,-.-,. !.
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in lionel
part of the country, about two miles fror
R, in Bavaria. 1t had once been
castle, and all"the.rooms. on the ground t1oc
were large, windy apartments y"wth wajns
coted walls and old oaken furniture.
There were faces, of course, in the re
embers of the crumbling pine logs, an
Karl's was chief among them. Malchen, VIII
was pretty, sentimental young lady of Is
Fbut somewhat cautious, as beseems tn
daughter of gentleman who can prefix
Won to his name, asked herself if she like
| Karl? Did she truly feel for him nor
than she did for any other man3 Woul