Louisiana capitolian., 1880-02-21
A PLUCKY GIRL

A PLUCA I UlhL.
$50 YOU won't go to church this
evening, Malchen7" said Otto Won
Polheim to his Oldest daughter one
Saturday in December, as he and the
rest of the family were setting out for
the market town to hear Parson
Knobbs preach an Advent sermon.
"No, 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" :.
w would rather not have Hans"
said Malchen, with little pout, as
she glanced at an ugly sawk who was
her fathers head servant.
"Then thou shalt not have Karl"
grumbled old Polheim, speaking rath-
er to himself than to the girl; and,
wrapping his ancient blue cloak tight
ly around him, he struck his iron
tipped staff two or three times on the
flags of the hall to intimate 10 the
members of his household it was time
to be off.
They came Gathering DOVE stairs
and trudged ont of the different doors
a large and rather noisy troop.
Otto Won Polheim was a landowner
on a small scale-what would be call
ed in England a gentleman farmer
and he had family of ten aons and
daughters, without counting two SER
want wenches and a couple OF labor
ers whom lie treated as his children
The oldest of these twolaborers, atall
rosy-cheeked, fair haired, blue-eyed
fellow named Karl, had shown signs
of late of being "a bit sotf' about
Fraulein Malchen, and this dlspleased
her father, for though he was kind
master he had a Squire's pSide, and
would have kicked Karl out OF his
house if he had suspected Malrhen OF
cherishing any regard forhim. At least
this is what he had once saiq to Karl
for worldly wisdom would: perhaps
have suggested that he shcnld besil
by turning off Karl before Melchen's
sentiments towards him had ripene1
into affection. ):
"Now, come, come, let's be off," re-
peated old Polheim, iupatiently
come, wife, and yon, Bertha, Frid;
and Gretchen; you, Hans, take one o
the lanterns, and you, Karl, lead th'
way with the other"
Karl skunk out, looking very sheep
ish, but scarcely had he got into th'
open air, before the candle in his Ian
| tern was blown out, and he ran bac|
| to get another. Malchen was stand
ING in the hall and struck match to
him. She struck a second and third
for somehow the phosphorous woul'
not act, and the operation of lightin!
was delayed a little. When Karl tool
the lantern his hand touched Nal
chen's, and the girl blushed. ''lts
cruelty cold night to 50 j." faltere'
''And don't like leaving you alone,
whispered Karl. 81 thinl. S, hall stca
out Of church and come back to see
you are safe"
"Oh, no, the door will be 'barred,
exclaimed Malchen in q ltutt2r.
"Then III climb the orchard wall,
answered Karl, nothing dauhted, an
he executed u wink as he went fort
into the cold.
elbow very audacious he is becom
lng,' muttered Malchen to- herself
but she apparently thought' that
was of no use to bar the do0t if ka1
meant to get over the garden wall, S
she simply shut it, and turned back t
spend her evening in the kitchen.
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in
lonely part of the country, about tw
miles from, in Bavaria. Ithad ono
been a Castle, and all the rooms o
the ground floor were largt, wind
apartments, wainscoted walls and oil
oalzen furniture. The kitchen, whic
served as the ordinary sitting room t
the family of an evening, was mad
comfortable by some screens whic
shut ont the drafts, and by the lars
fires which roared in the immens
chimney all day long. There wei
two arm chairs under tho bulgin
mantle of the chimney Oh either sid
of the andirons, and in one OF thes
Malchen took her seat. She began
knit but soon her work suksided int
her lap, and she began to stare at tt
fire i'll a sort OF reverie.
There were faces, of course, in tt
red embers Of the crumbling pine log
and Karrs was chief among then
Malchen, who was apretty, sentimel
tai young lady of eighteen, but som'
what cautious, as beseems the daugl
ter of a gentleman who can prefix
Won to his name, asked herself if 81
, liked Karl9 Did she truly feel fl
him more than she did for any 9th
man. Would she grieye for him if
met with an accidents If he left h
fathers serviceo If he were TAKE
away for military service, and force
to risk his life in the wars? Aft
. fencing little with her conscienc
the damseI decided that she did Il
know what she ought to think aho
Karl but that he WAS very DO