The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1881-03-02
THE LAST LOVE.

er, accommodated himself ~ the COM
paratively sleepy valley in which he
lived, and needed a wakingu His
father, with an old crony and part.
ner, Hans Hoferdahl, had made and
mended watches in the old, dingy
shop, where their fathers had fled
and hammered before them. Their
life was about as unvarying as the
fat.faced timepiece behind the cob.
webs in the show window.
II CHANGED that various ripples
were beginning to come into the val.
ley to disturb the course of nature.
II was rumored that the king was
preparing for war, and such young
men as Wilhelm would be needed for
the army. Besides this, old Hans
had caught the emigration fever to
America, and had sold whatever he
had to sell, except his big pipe, his
flute, and his daughter Christine
He sold his share in his shop to Viii.
helms father. Christine wept at
the departure, for the old village had
been very dear 10 her, and her moth.
er's grave was there. Tie effect on
Wilhelm was such that he rubbed
his great black eyes, and could scarce.
ly realize that the whole thing was
else than dream. Pretty soon, how
ever, Wilhelm's eyes took note of a
gloomy difference in the ways of his
father. The old man came to ne.
glect his pipe, his beer and his work,
and the neighbors said that Hans
Hoferdahl had broken his old friends
heart by going away. The poor old
man soon died.
To Wilhelm, after. his fathers
death, the shop and everything in il
became distastcful. He tried to
work, but the very ticking of the
watches was insufferably oppressive,
and the absence of the two old men
rendered confinement to the place in
supportable. Wilhelm himself made
sale Of both house and shop, and
when the sales were all completed,
and the transfers duly made, he stood
in the moonlight one evening, and
gazing at the homo no longer his,
soliloquized thus:
~ think could almost break my
heart, for did love that house. But
couldn't stay there with the empty
places. There were too many voices
there that didn't speak. Alas! what
shall do now2'
His question was answered for him.
Napoleon had determined, in his old
age, that he must fight the Germans,
and the king had made his call for
troops. Wilhelm was sure he loved
his "Vaderland," and so was ready to
leave the old village, but not without
sadness, for he had been so long in
that locality that it was not surpris.
ing he had learned to love it.
There followed swift marching,
comfortless camping and good deal
of very hard fighting. Being big and
strong and brave, and every day
growing more and more intelligent,
Wilhelm himself won glory-that is,
three or four slight wounds, medal,
promotion, the compliments of his
commanding officer and the envy of
his comrades. The war was brief,
and before great while he found
hlmselfhis own master again, though
still within the scope and control of
army regulations, for no German of
Wilhelm's age is ever beyond them,
and he said to himself:
swell, love the army. know |
could love glory with all my heart.
think it must have been growing
a good deal during this war. There
is more room in it than I knew of,
and yeti is always full. Twill goand
take u look at the old village, and
the house and shop, and will see if |
can hear Christine's voice; if don't
hear her, what then? Well, | think
] will just ask my heart about it,"
All this time old Hans Hoferdahl
had known very little of what had
taken place in the village they had
left behind them. They had written
home to their old neighbors, but very
little information had come back to
them. They had heard of old Eos.
burgers death, and of Wilhelm's en-.
listment in the war, and that was
nearly all. Hans had not landed on
the shores of the new world pauper,
and tried to settle down as a man of
property and substance, and be hap.
Ply.
III poor old Ecsburger were with
me-" he said to Christine, 81 would
be so happy
Christine said very little, but her
bright American home became dreary
enough at times when she shut her
eyes and let her thoughts 60 back to
the old sleepy village. She listened
very silently when her father said:
~ believe Wilhelm behaved him.
self we'll in the army. There's good
blood in the ECsburgers, and Wilhelm
is fine boy"
"He must be man by this time"
said Christine. And then she
thought what very tall, fine-look
ing man he must be, and how well
he would appear in his uniform.
But after a while there was news