Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-02-11
4 PLUCKY GIRL.

lug, Malchen ?" said Otto Won Polheim
to his eldest daughter one Sunday In De-
cember, as he and the rest of his family
were setting out for the market town to
hear Parson Knopps preach an Advent
sermon
"No, father, Dorothea can go in my
stead, and will keep the house.
StKeep the house alone? No. I will
leave Hans to protect thee, and the
manse, too"
81 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, wrapping
his ancient blue cloak tightly around
him, he struck his iron-tipped staff two
or three times on the flags of the hall to
intimate to the members of his house
hold that it was time to be off.
They came Gathering downstairs and
trudging out of different doors-a large
and rather noisy troop. Otto Won Pol
helm was landowner on a small scale
what would be called in England gen
tleman farmer-and he had a family of
ten sons and daughters, without count
ing two servant wenches and couple of
laborers, whom he treated as his chill
dren. The eldest of these two labore1s,
a tall, rosy checked, fair-haired blue
eyed fellow named Karl, had shown signs
of late of being ''a bit soft about Frau
lein Malchen, and this displeased her
father, for though he was kind master he
had squire 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
once said to Karl with more bluntness
than prudence, for worldly wisdom would,
perhaps. have suggested that he should
begin by turning off Karl before NAL
chen's sentiments toward him had ripened
into affection.
''Now, come, come, let's be off, F" re-
peated old Polheim, impatiently; "come,
wife, and you, Bertha, Frida, and Gret-,
chen; you, Hans, take one of the Ian
terms, and you, Karl, lead the way with
the other.
Karl skunk out looking very sheepish:
but scarcely had he got into the open air
before the candle in his lantern was
blown out, and he ran back to get an
other. Malchen was standing in the
hall, and struck o match for him. She
struck q second and third, for somehow
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 cruelty cold night to go out in, )"
faltered she.
''And [ don't like leaving you alone, !"
whispered Karl, 81 think I shall steal
out of church and come back to see if you
are safe.
''Oh, no, the door will be barred, ex-
claimed Malchen in futter.
''Then I'll climb over the orchard
wall, answered Karl, and he executed
wink as he went forth into the cold.
How very audacious he is becoming,
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 tnrned back to spend her evening in
the kitchen.
Herr Won Polheim's farm stood in a
lonely pert of the country, about two
miles from R, In Bavaria. It had
once been castle, and all the rooms on
the ground floor were large, windy apart
ments, with wainscotted walls and old
oaken furniture. The kitchen, which
served as the ordinary sitting room to the
family as an evening, was made comfort
able by some screens which shut out the
drafts, and by the large fires which roared
In the immense chimney all day long,
There were two arm-chairs under the
bullying mantel on either side of the and
irons, and on one of these Malchen took
her seat. She began to knit; but soon
her work subsided into her lap, and she
began to stare al the fire in soft reverie.
There were faces, of course, In the red
embers of the crumbling pine logs, and
Karl's was chief among them. Malchen,
who was pretty, sentimental young
lady of Is, but somewhat cautious, as
beseems the daughter of a gentleman
who can prefix 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 grieye for him
If he met with an accident? if he left
her fathers service? if he were taken
away for military service and forced to
risk his life in the wars? After fencing
little with, her conscience, the damsel
decided that she did not quite know what
to think about Karl, but that he was a
very bold and not-to-be- easily-put-down
young man she admitted to herself
frankly enough in her quaint, German
phraseology.
Malchen, from being romantic, was
bold girl, and felt no fear at being alone
in the big house on winters evening.
The signing of the wind through the
large trees outside; the noise OF drafts
shaking doors that were loose on their
hinges; the monotanous tick-tick of the
kitchen clock, did not disturb her COM
posure. She sat listening for footsteps,
and conned over in her mind what sharp
thing she should say to dismiss Karl, If