The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-03

his house he felt he had grown one
hundred years older, and even his famil-
lar surrounding appeared to belong to
another epoch and planet. He mounted
slowly to the little room which con-
tanned his treasures. He looked at them
again carefully; inspected the grave
melancholy of Lincoln's face, and lifted
the blue blouse from the nail Were
those features ''ugly% Was that
blouse s'rag~ Peter pondered long and
perplexedly. Gradually an explanation
slowly evolved itself from his profundity;
He placed his finger beside his nose, and
look of deep cunning shone in his eyes.
"Dot's it." he said to himself triumph
antly, "dot's shoost it! Der Repoobll-
cans don't got no memories. We don't
lgot nodings else"
He did not however, eonfde to his
wife the full details of this visit But
one day when she had returned from
visiting q remote cousin at Kisslngen
she asked him why he had never told her
that Mrs johnson had called. The
guilty blood flew to Peters face, and he
stammered out some half-intelligible ex-
cuse. To his Infinite relief and aston
ishment, however, Frau Schroeder, far
from noticing his confusion, spoke volu-
bly, of having met Mrs. johnson at Kus-
sington, and dwelt at some length on the
gentlemanly graces and breeding of Mr..
johnson. "He did not call with her.
then? asked Mrs. Schroeder. Peter,
stammerine and untruthful, really could
not remember. There were half dozen
people and they did not stop long. u for
get if she said that her husband knew
, you," continued Frau Schroeder; "but
you would remember him, Of course
He's not like the Americans, you know,
| but like a--a-gentleman and--an---otfl-
: cer." Peter not daring to allude to the
| informal character of Mrs. JOhnson's es-
cort, said nothing. "They are coming
here next week." added Mrs. Schroeder
'I have invited them" .t -
! AS Peter seldom had a voice in the
nomination of his visitors he meekly
q acquiesced. "But vot gets me-" he
communed with himself, Show dot
t bretty Mrs. johnson, INIT no cards, gets
o mine wife" s.- ,..
I The next week brought Mrs. Johnson
{ who languidly remembered Peter, and at
n once made herself as much at home with
r Peters wife as she had with him. II
d brought also Mr.. Johnson, small, quiet
n plain man. s.. e-.t'.
"You would hardly remember me as {
= a Californian, Mr.. Schroeder" he said
e extending his hand. d#, la.
Peter would hardly have reoognizef
e him as an American. Certainly no ons
y could be further from the type mos
!. familiar to Peter. He was unlike Folins
:, bee, unlike any of his old army com
;. rades, unlike any American he had ever
e known, and yet as certainly unlike any
/ European with whom Peter wa
familiar. He was as confident and self
- possessed as Folinsbee, and yet withou
, Folinsbee's humorou familiarity; hi
was modest and unassuming, and ye
Peter felt that he took possession of hin
a as securely as Folinsbee had. He wa
o inclined to resent this at frst-incline'
r to watch Mr. Johnson's mouth--a pecu
h liar mouth with latent apologeti
a smile-a smile as If humanity on all oc
v casons presented humorous aspect Il
d him (Johnson) which nothing but hi
t. )Johnson's) thoughtful commiseratiol
IS for humanity kept him from publicl.
noticing. .,
"Yet," continued johnson, regarding
n Peter as a wayward, mirth-provokin!
d child, "Yet l have lived in Californi'
e many years. ] remember to have hear'
r Of you there; of your good fortune, 9
E. your subsequent career in the army, an
ID of your return here. l have known man
OF your friends. Indeed, feel as ii W
1t were old acquaintance '........l
,f This was what he said. His smilin
d commentary seemed to Peter to add 8
W plainly, "And there are humorous deptf
j. in your career and character, Pete
N which nobody knows better than myself
lie but we won't say anything about tina
Of Peter-not a word" ,..,,
j Considerably embarrassed, Peter aske
Ut him few questions, But he was al
Of moved at the extent and variety of M
Johnson's knowledge Of his affair
or Scarcely a person Peter had known
,e. scarcely an incident in Peters exp
riences-but were as equally and humo
er ously recognized by Mr.. johnson. Peter
first partner in the mines, the bugler
I'd his regiment, his fellow-passenger al
no roommate in the steamer, his bank
and friend in Cologne, even his wife's 7
pl- lations-yes, actually a certain awe-i
be spring General and forty-frst cousin
ut | Frau Schroeder's at Coblentz, were {
,at familiar to johnson. And all and ca,
to were, on the authority Of his peculi
ng smile, more or less ridiculous, if he cho
xt to say so. But he wouldn't.
fro BE CONTINUED