Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-02-22
which he patiently, if not smihngly,

|
orable toward every one, liberal with his
purse, he had the respect of all. This
was the man who reused my curiosity.
The tragedy had ended, and the spec
tators and actors left the theater.
I privately inquired where the
brompter was to be found, and learned
that after the theater closed Cans stayed
an hour in the beer-house, the solitary
luxury he permitted himself. hurried
to the locality given. There sat Cans
alone in corner, his mug before him.
He did not seem in pleasant meditation.
His brow was bent, his remarkable nose
seemed to stretch farther forward, the
under lip protruded.
els it allowable for me to sit by
you 2" said, going up to him.
Cans looked at me quite stupefied.
The company seldom look upon or deal
with the prompter AS their equal; he be-
longs to the building, but ranks general
ly among the auxiliaries. Without re-
peating my words or waiting for a re-
spouse, sat quietly beside him, but so
that to him any sudden light was cut off.
care you often here?" 1 asked, open
ing the conversation.
"Oh, yes; every evening"
| And you sit so retlred!
Generally. [ am too old for the
merry world. The serious pass to the
bedroom, as the golden weapon to the
empty sheath.
'sThere seem to be many who are sad. T"
"True, very true" growled the
prompter. "Yes, yes, many through
misfortune they did not deserve"
''And yet," answered, sis it not. a
question if we do not really deserve suf-
fering, have not called it upon us? ?"
Ono, nor the prompter energetically
shook his head. "Did the begging
child bring the poverty of it's parents
Is not its life already misfortune?
Schiller was right: But the greatest
evil was the cause I must ever pro-
test that there's also evil without cause. :"
ST understand YOU. We do not de-
sire to meet hereditary suffering, but in
later years"
"No, mop the old man impatiently in
terrupted me.
"But, then, is there no divine JUS
tice %
"Bah! We hear that only from the
poets. You believe, then, that the
mighty God troubles himself for us
earthworms? [ do not-at least in re:
gard to my affairs L have not remarked
his goodness"
"You speak as if Joy never smiled on
you"
An exceedingly bitter look came over
his features. "And is my lot to be
envied ?" he suddenly asked.
"We need never 1--we only in the pres
ent. Turn back the leaves in your book
of life, If you please, and you will find
there places.
"No!'' he interrupted more sharply;
"none! none 1 am the son of vii
lage confectioner, who disinherited me. :"
"That means, as believe, you would
be an actor; your father would not con-
sent; you opposed his authority"
"Need I complain, then ? Had [ not
my lot In common with many? No; [
first went on the boards when [ had in
measure ended life"
| 'Your talk is dark to me; it neither
persuades nor convinces. In any case,
through your own will you reused your
fathers wrath; what, then, was the rea-
son"
The prompter was angry; You Judge
me by the usual rule, T" he cried. CHINO
cent without guilt, I incurred the wrath
of father, VINO cheated me out of my
LIES happiness. Despite that, he died
quietly in bed. Oh, divine Justice
triumphs only on the boardsl'
"That is yet in question. Hitherto
you alone have judged your life, looked
on yourself IN your own glass;"
Listen, he replied, and if you find
the appearance of wrong in me [ will be
reconciled with life and its discord. But
come out of the beer-room; here might
be laughed at if [ told the sad story of
my life"
In the street the prompter began: "I
pass over my childhood and apprentices
ship to my fathers business there is
little to tell. With my eighteenth year
was journeyman and began my trav-
els. But at first I did not go far. [
found work In q neighboring village, and
! there for two years stirred sweet cakes
and poured bonbons. I had lost my
heart to my masters daughter. Emile
was pretty girl will not say the
most beautiful on earth for every one,
but for me she was-and in the village
none disputed her rank. She was a
blonde, of medium stature; such elegance
in her movements, such harmony in all
her features [ have not since found.
Briefly, we loved each other. There
fore remained two years in the village.
"My father couldnot understand why
[ did not do as is the fashion of us Ger
man tradesmen and make the round of
the cities. He came at last to talk with
me.
So he learned the true reason, and
soon he saw Emile. Had I know what
an impression the girl had made upon
him, I would have closed my ears to his
words. He approved my choice, but
said he suppose would not marry be-
fore seeing the world. obediently went
to other places, after Emile and I had
sworn true love.
More than year had flown. I could
endure it no longer in a strange place.
Emilie's letters had ceased for two or
three months. I turned back to the
town where the lovely girl lived. 1t was
the 10th of January. It was past noon
when [ entered the house of Master
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