The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-08-05

ptSSeu JuTOugu UQe nall as ne entered
and greeted him pleasantly. "Chris.
tineI and l are Just going to have break.
fast" she said, in her jolly, hearty
way. Come in, Mr.. Muller, and have
cup of coffee with u.s."
Nothing could have delighted Franz
so much. Christine was pouring it out
as he entered the pretty breakfast par
| lor. How beautiful she looked in her
long loose morning dress / How be.
witching were its numerous bows ot
pale ribbon He had a sense ofhun ger
Immediately, and he knew that he
made an excellent breakfast; but OF
what he ate, or what he drank, he had
not the slightest conception.
A cup of coffee passing through Chris
tines hands necessarily suffered some
wonderful change. 1t could MOI, and it
did not, taste like ordinary coffee. In
the same mysterious way chickens,
eggs and rolls became sublimated. So
they ate, and laughed, and chatted, and
l am quite sure that Milton never
imagined a meal in Eden half so de-
lightful as that breakfast on the avenue.
When it was over, it came into Franz's
heart to offer Christine ride. They
were standing together among the
flowers in the bay-window, and the
trees outside were in their first tender
green, and the spring skies and the
spring airs were full of happiness and
hope. Christine was arranging and
watering her lilies and pansies, and
somehow in helping her Franz's
hands and hers had fingered happily
together. So now love gave to this
mortal an immortal's confidence. He
never thought of signing, and fearing,
and trembling. His soul had claimed
Christine, and he firmly believed that
sooner or later she would hear and un-
derstand what he had to say to her.
ing her fingers, and looking at her with
eyes and face glowing with wonderful
happiness.
Alas, Christine could think of mamma,
and of morning calls, and of what peo-
pie would say. But Franz overruled
every scruple; he conquered mamma,
and laughed at society; and before
Christine had decided which of her cos
tunes was most becoming, Franz was
waiting at the door.
How they ratified up the avenue and
through the park! How the green
branches waved in triumph, and how
the birds sang and gossiped about them
By the time they had arrived at Mount
St. Vincent they had forgotten they
were mortal Then the rest in the
shady gallery, and the subsistence o
loves exaltation into loves silent, ten
der melancholy, were just as blissful.
They came slowly home, speaking
only in glances and monosyllables, but
just before they parted, Franz said q
have been waiting thirty years for you,
Christine; to-day my life has bios
somed."
And though Christene did not make
any audible answer, he thought her
blush sufficient; besides she took the
lilies from her throat and gave them to
him.
Such dream OF true love is given
only to the few whom the gods favor.
Franz must have stood high in their
grace, for it lasted through many sweet
weeks and months for him. He fol-
lowed the Strombergs to Newport, and
laid his whole life down at Christine's
feet. There was no definite engagement
betweeJ. them but every one understood
that would come rs surely as the end OF
the season.
Money matters and housekeeping
must eventually intrude themselves, but
the romance and charm of this one sum-
Franz was not anxious on this score.
His father, a shrewd business man, had
early seen that his son was poet and a
dreamer. 1T is not the boys fault" he
said to his partner; "he gets it from
his grandfather, who was always more
out of this world than in it."
So he wisely allowed Franz to follow
his natural tastes, and contented him
self with carefully investing his fortune
in such real estate and securities as he
believed would insure safe, if slow,
increase. He had bought Wisely, and
Franz's income was a certain and hand
some one, with tendency rather 10 in
crease than decrease, and quite sufficient
to maintain Christine in all the luxury
to which she had been accustomed.
So when he returned TO the city he
intended to speak to Mr.. Stromberg.
All he had should be Christine's, and
her father should settle the matter just
as he thought best for his daughter. In
a general way this was understood by
all parties, and every one seemed in
clined to sympathize with the happy
feeling which led the lovers tt deprecate
during these enchanted days any allu-
sion which tended to dispel the ex-
quisite charm of their young lives
idyl.
Perhaps it would have been better if
they had remembered the ancient super
stition, and themselves done something
10 mar their perfect happiness. Poiyc-
rates offered his ring to avert the
calamity sure to follow unmitigated
pleasure or success, and Franz ought
perhaps to have also made an effort to
propitiate his envious fate.
But he did not, and toward the very
end OF the season, when the October
days had thrown kind of still melan-
choly over the world that had been so
green and gray, Franz's dream was
rudely broKen-broken by Mr.. James
Barker Clarke, a clustering, vulgar man
of fifty, worth three millions. In some
way or other he seemed to have great
deal of influence over Mr.. Stromberg,
who paid him unqualified respect, aud
over Mrs. Stromberg, who seemed to
fear him.
Mr.. Stromberg's "private ledger "
alone knew the whole secret; for of
course money was at the foundation.
Indeed, in these days, in all public and
private troubles, it is proper to ask, not
/" Who is sheP" but How much is itP"
Franz Muller and James Barker Clarke
hated each other on sight. Still Franz
had no idea at first that this ugly, un-
couth man could ever be rival to his
own handsome person and passionate
affection.
In few days, however, he was COM
PEELED to &C ually consider the possibil-
ity of such thing. Mr.. Stromberg
had assumed an attitude of such ex-
treme politeness, and Mrs. Strom-
berg avoided him if possible, and