Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-12-20

eyes and let her thoughts 90 back to
the old, sleepy German village. She
read all the accounts of the great war
too, wondering if any of her old
neighbors had been in this battle or
that, and she listened very silently
when her father said:
IF Conrad 3Idburger was in any
of that fighting, I'll be bound he be-
baved himself well. There's good
blood IN the Midburgers, and Conrad
is a fine boy"
He must be man by this time,
said Christine.
And then she thought what a very
tall fine looking man he must be, and
how well he would appear in his uni
form.
But when, after while, there was
news Of peace, and they heard that
the army was going home to be dis
banded, and Franz Hoferdahl grew
strangely thoughtful, and Christine
tried all in vain to arouse him, or
amuse him, until one autumn morn
ing he said to her;
All the other old soldiers are gong
home. | think it is pretty near time
for me to go, too"
ITO Germany, father" exclaimed
Christine, with a sudden light in her
eyes 20, fatherw
mo, Christine solemnly replied
the old man; Germany is not the
only fatherland, | am a very old sold
Ter and | think this is my last cam
paign.
Christine understood him then, bat
all in a dreamy and unreal sort of a
way, antil, a few weeks later, she
found herself sitting alone in the
house, while the chilling wind that
whistled by the windows was freight
ed with the first white harbingers of
the winter. 1t seemed a cold, forlorn
and empty sort Of world to Christine,
and when she tried to think of the
village where she was born. that. too,
seemed empty and deserted, and she
imagined that the old shop shut up.
and the snowilakes beating against
the spider webbed windows.
The door bell rang, but Christine
did not hear it, nor did she know the
servant had admitted anybody, until
she was conscious Of a heavy step,
almost beside her, and a deep, clear
voice, FULL of manly strength, but
that trembled IN a very thrilling and
musical way said to her:
Christine Christinep
She looked up then in the face q
scared and war bronzed face-of q
tall, erect noble looking man, and
whose large, dark, penetrating eyes
were absolutely radiant as they look
ed down into her own.
Christine" he said, 'do you IN
derstand mel 1 have come"
He had Gomez she had thought
for one brief moment, and it seemed
as if light and life, and happiness and
and the old German home
itself had come with him. She now
had an odd, quick fancy that the door
Of the old shop opened and the sun
began to shine and she could see the
two old men at their work, but she
arose and threw her arms around his
neck and only said between her sobS
Conrad, l am so happy and so glad
that you have Gomez
Ii was sober night and a sober
meeting after ALL but some hours
later, as they sat by the CRATE in the
parlor, where the fire burned warm
and cheerily, while the first merry
merry snowHakes of the opening win
ter fitted softly by the windows, and
they exchanged stories, Conrad said
to her
"Ah, Christine, I did not know my
self when you went away. ! did not
know | had a heart but soon found
it out | found that it was a great
big heart too, and wonderful things
in it. One love after another seemed
to wake up and speak to me, to tell
me 1T was there, until at last the big
gest love of all came to life, and grew
and grew till it crowded out al3 the
others and filed up everything, and
then / came across the ocean to find
you. But who would have dreamed
that you had kept anything for me,
all this time for me to come
| was terribly afraid about that
ooh, | don't know said Christine.
Il don't understand it at all. All the
while it has seemed as if / were only
waiting, and if waited long
enough you would surely come.
And here / am, said Conrad,
only ! think there's a great deal
more of me, somehow, than in those
dear old sleepy days at home"
-e-.-
A WAR STORY.