New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-07-28
BRAVE FRAULEIN MALCHEN.

evening, Malchen?" said Otto Won Pol
helm to his eldest daughter, one Sun
day in December, rs he and the rest of
his family were setting out for the mar
ket-town to hear Pastor Knopps preach
an Advent sermon.
"No, father, Dorothea can 90 in
my stead, and will keep the house."
keep the house alone? No; I will
leave Hans to protect thee and the
manse too"
II 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,''
grumbled old Polheim, speaking rather
to himself than to the girl, and, wrap
ping his ancient 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 members
of his household that it was time to
be off.
They came Gathering down stairs
md trudging out of different doors-a
large and rather noisy troop. Otto Won
Polheim was landowner on small
scale what would be called in England
. gentleman-farmer and he had a
family of ten sons and daughters, with
out counting two servant-girls and
couple of laborers whom he treated as
his children. The eldest OF, these two
laborers, tall, rosy checked, fair
haired, blue-eyed fellow named Karl,
had shown signs of late of being ga
bit soft" about Fraulein Malchen, and
this displeased her father; for, though
he was kind master, he had sources
pride, and would have kicked 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 sug-
gested that he should begin by turn
ing off Karl before Malchen's senti~
ments toward him had ripened into
affection.
Nov, come, come, let's be off," re.
peated old Polheim, impaticntly;
"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 Sheep
ish, but scarcely had he got into tho
open air than the candle in his lantern
was blown out, and he ran back to get
another. Malchen was standing in the
hall and struck match for him. She
struck second and third, for some-
how the phosphorus would not act, and
the operation of lighting was delayed
little. When Karl took the lantern his
hand touched Malchen's, and the girl
blushed. cts u cruelty cold night to
20 out in,' faltered she.
''And don't like leaving you Alone"
whispered Karl. 81 think shall steal
out of church and come back to see if
you arc safc.''
"Oh, no, the door will be barred"
exclaimed Malchen, in a flutter.
"Then I'll climb over the orchard
WALL" answered Karl, nothing daunted,
and he executed a wink as he went
forth into the cold.
elbow very audacious he is becom-
ing" muttered Malchen to herself; but
she apparently thought that it was of
no use to bar the door if Karl meant to
get over the garden wall, so she simply
shut it and turned back to spend her
evening in the kitchen.
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in q
lonely part of the country, about two
miles from R, in Bavaria. 1t had
once been castle, and all the rooms
on the ground-aoor were large, windy
apartments, With wainscotted walls and
old oaken furniture. The kitchen,
which served as the ordinary sitting
room to the family of an evening, was
made comfortable by some screens,
which shut out the draughts, and by
the large fires which roared in the inn
mense chimney all day long. There
were two arm-chairs under the bullying
mantel of this chimney on either side OF
the andirons, and in one of these NAL
chen took her seat. She began to knit,
but soon her work subsidized into her lap,
and she began to stare at the fire in q
soft reverie.
There were faces, of course, in the
rcd cmbcrs of the crumbling pine logs,
and Karl's was chief among them. NAL
chez, who was a pretty, sentimental
young lady of eighteen, but somewhat
cautious, rs beseems the daughter of
gentleman who can prefix q Won to his
name, asked herself if she liked Karl?
Did she truly feel for him more than
she did for any other man? Would she
gricve for him if he met with an acct
dent? if he left her fathers servicep if
he were taken away for military scrv-
ice, and forced to risk his life in the
wars? After fencing a little with her
conscience the damsel decided that she
die not quite know what she ought to
think about Karl; but that he was very
bold and not-to-be-easily-put-do
young man, She admitted to herself
frankly enough in her quaint German
phraseology.
Malchcn, from being romantic, was
bold child. and feltno fear at being alone
in the big house on q winters evening.
The soughing OF tho wind through the