Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-06-28


little cross, which was still shining on his
breast.
While they were talking thus, the two
lovers had arrived at the Thabor Strasse, in
the Leopoldstadt, in front of the shoemaker
who was famous for the perfection of his
gray boots. After chatting some time at
the door, Katy entered followed by her ter
rier, but not without having abandoned her
pretty, slender fingers to the pressure of
Heinrich's hand.
Heinrich tried once more to get a glimpse
of his mistress between the dainty boots and
shoes that were symmetrically arranged on
the brass rods in the window ; but the fog
had silvered the glass with it's moist breath,
and he could only distinguish confused
silhoutte then, taking a heroic resolution,
he turned on his heel and went with delib-
crate step to the inn Of the Two-Headed
Eagle.
That night there was numerous company
at the TWo-Headed Eagle; the guests were
of the most mixed description.
. The Two-Headed Eagle was one of those
blessed cellars celebrated by Hoffman, with
steps so worn, 80 greasy, so slippery, that
you cannot put your foot upon the first one
tom, with your elbows on the table, pipe
y
a measure of new wine.
Through the thick cloud of smoke that
almost choked and blinded you at first, all
sorts of strange figures appeared after few
minutes. There were Wallachians with
their cafetan and Astrakhan cap; Servians,
Hungarians with long black mustaches,
caparisoned with dolmans and embroidery;
Bohemians with coppery compilations, mar
row foreheads and arched noses; honest
Germans with laced coats Tartars with eyes
turned up like those of Chinese; all imagin-
able populations. The east was represented
by fat Turk coiled up in the corner and
peacefully smoking a pipe of Moldavian
cherry wood, with a bowl of red clay, and
mouthpiece of yellow amber.
Round the table turned increasingly one
of those long waltzes which produce upon
northern imaginations the same effect as
hashish and opium on the Orientals; the
couples passed and repassed rapidly; the
women almost fainting with pleasure on the
arms of their cavilierS, to the sounds of a
waltz, swept away with their skirts the
clouds of smoke, and refreshed the faces of
the drinkers. At the counter some Nor
laccan improvisators, accompanied by a
player upon the guzla, were reciting sort
of dramatic complaint, which seemed to
strangely divert dozen strange igures,t
clothed in sheepskin, and coifed with tar
boukhs.
Heinrich went to the end of the cellar and
sat at a table where were already seated
three or four personages of joyous mein and
merry humor.
"Ah, Heinrich !" cried the oldest of the
band "mind yourselves, my friends; foe
mum habet in cornu. You know you had a
truly diabolical look, the other night; you
almost frightened me. Who would think
that Heinrich, who drinks beer as we do,
and who does not draw back before slice of
cold ham, could put on such venomous,
wicked and sardonic airs, and that with a
single gesture he can make whole theatre
shudder?"
"Eh! why that is the reason why Helm
rich is a great artist, a sublime comedian.
in your character; the triumph for CO.
quette, is to excel in playing ingeneuses."
Heinrich sat down modestly, called for
large glass of mixed wine, and the con-
Versation continued on the same subject.
On all sides it was admiration and COM
pliments.
"Ah! if the great Wolfgang Goethe had
seen you" said one.
''Show us your feet" said another; 81
am sure you have a forked hoof."
The other drinkers, attracted by these ex-
carnations, looked at Heinrich seriously, all
happy to have the opportunity of examin-
ing closely so remarkable man. TheyOung
men who had formerly known Heinrich at
the University, and whose names he hardly
knew, came up to him and shook him cor
daily by the hand, as if they had been his
intimate friends. The prettiest walters
as they passed, shot at him the tenderest
glances Of their blue and velvety eyes.
One man only, seated at neighboring
table, seemed to take no part in the general
enthusiasm; his head thrown backward, he
was thumbing, distractedly, with his fingers
on the crown of his hat, amilitary march,
and from time to time he uttered sort OF
humph, singularly dubious.
The aspect of this man was of the stran-
gest, although he was dressed like an honest
burgher, of Vienna, enjoying a modest for
tune; his gray eyes were shaded with green
tints, and shot out phosphoric lights like the
eyes of cat. When his pale fiat lips parted,
they showed two rows of teeth very white,
very sharp, and very wide apart, of the
most cannibal and ferOcOus aspect; his long
nails. shining and curved, took q vague ap-
pearance of claws but that physiognomy
appeared only by rapid flashes; to the eye
that watched him fiXedly, his face rapidly
assumed the bourgeois and debonair ap-
pearance of a retired Viennese merchant,
anu you lelG ttololllSllcu tlittV Jou CouANt ie''S
suspected of villainy and deviltry a face SO
vulgar and trivial.
Internally, Heinrich was shocked at the
indifference of the man. The disdainful 81
lence took away their value from the pane
gyrics which his noisy companions lavlshed
upon him. 1t was the silence of an old and
experienced cOnnoisseur, who does not al
low himself to be deceived by appearances.
Atmayer, the youngest of the company,
the warmest admirer of Heinrich, could not
endure this coldness, and addressing the
strange man, as if taking him to bear wit
ness to an assertion that he had advanced, he
said:
els it not so, sir ? no actor has ever played
the role of Mephistopheles better than my
comrade here" ;.
"Humph!" said the stranger, flashing his
green eyes and cracking his sharp teeth.
"Mr Heinrich is young man OF talent,
whom 1 esteem very highly; but he is want
ing in. many things necessary to play the
role of the devil" And suddenly drawing
himself up: "HaVeyou everseen the devil,
Mr.. Heinrich >"
He put this question in such strange and
mocking tone, that all the company felt a
shudder run down their backs.
"That, however, would be necessary for
the truthfulness of your play. The other
evening | was at the theatre of the COrin-
THAN Gate, and l was not satisfied with
your laugh; it was, at the utmost, sly
| laugh. My dear Mr.. Heinrich, this is the
way you ought to laugh"
And thereupon, as if to give him the eX-
ample, he burst into laugh so sharp, so
sardonic, that the orchestra and the dancers
stopped at the very instant, and the glass in
the Windows trembled. The stranger con-
Il l,s1 1,,r f>,,