Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-12-22

been SO very DrleI, anu IL bAe Soi 20 W
be belonged had not been among the nrstto
be ordered home. Before great while ne
found himself almost his own master again,
though still within the scope and control Of
army regulations, for no German OF Con.
RAIDS age is ever beyond them, and ne said
to himself, swell, loved the army.
almost loved fighting. know l could love
glory with all my heart. l know that L am
ten times as much soldier as taat little
white mustached ape of Baron that CON-
manded my company. That is it. L think
my heart must have been growing good
deal during this war. There is more room
in it than 1 know Of, and yet 1t is always
full. l think there are some things in 1t
that l never saw there in the old times.
will 90 and take look at the village first,
and then the house, and the shop, and l
will listen again to see if | can hear Chris
tine call her father home to dinner. Then,
if | don't hear her, what then? Well,
think will ask my heart about it.
Now all this time old Franz Hoferdahl
and his daughter had known very little of
what mad taken place in the village they
left behind them. They had found their
pilgrimage long and weary enough, and
they had reached resting place at last,
and they had written home to their old
neighbors as all Germans do, but very lit
tie information had come back to them.
They knew that old Gottlieb Midburger
was dead, and that Conrad had given up
the home and the shop, and that he had
gone to the great war with the French, and
that was nearly all.
Franz Hoferdahl had not landed on the
shores of the new world pauper in any
thing but youth and strength, and he found
friends readily enough to take the place of
the old ones as far as might be, and, after
he had got over his first daze and bewilder
meut, and become somewhat accustomed
to the racking change in all his habits and
WAYS of life, he tried to settle down as
man of property and subst lnce, and be
happy. =, mr., ,,.,,
with me. :" he said to Christine, /" | think
could do it. would give good deal Just
TO see the old fellow lay down his pipe and
look into dirty watch. y
Christine said very little, but her bright
American home became dreary enough at
times, when she shut her eyes and let her
thoughts 20 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 bat lie or that,
and she listened very silently when her
father said
"If Conrad Midburger was in any of
that f zhting I'll be bound he behaved him
self well. There's good blood in the Mid
burgers, and Conrad is fine boy"
% He must be man By this time, said
Christine.
And then she thought what very tall,
choking man he must be, and how we'll
he would appear in his uniform.
But when, after while, there was news
of peace, and they heard that the army was
going home to be disbanded, old Franz
Hoferdahl grew strangely thoughtful, and
Christine tried all in vain to arouse him, or
amuse him, until one autumn morning he
said to her:
"Ar the other oil soldiers are going
home think it is pretty near time for
me to go, too"
"To Germany, father ?" exclaimed Chris
tine, with sudden light in her eyes. 90,
father pc
"No, Christine" solemrly replied the
oil man Germany is not the OF ly Faith
eIl and. l am very CID sci lier and l think
this is my last campaign.
Christine understood him then, but all in
a dreamy and unreal sort of way, until,
few weeks later, she found herself sitting
alone in the house, while the chill ng wind
that whistlad by the windows was frelghted
with the first white harbingers of the win
ter. 1t seemed cell, forl)rn and empty
sort of a worli to Christine, and when she
tried to think of the Will ,ge where she was
RI
ed, and ehe imagined the q / shop shat up,
and the snowhakes beating against the
spider webbed windows.
The door bell rang, but Christine did not
hear il, nor did she know the servant had
admitted anybody until she was conscious
Of heavy step, almost beside her, and
deep, clear voice, fall Of manly strength,
but that tremblsd in a very thrllng aud
musical way, SAID to her:
" Christine! Christine :"
she looked up then in the face SCARED
and -bronzed face-of a tall erect, no.
HE boxing man, and whose Urge, dark,
penetrating eyes were absolutely radiant
as they boxed down into her own.
Christine, he said, - do you under
stand me? have Gomez
"He had come, " she had thought for one
brief, burning moment; and it seemed as If
light and life. and happiness and strength
and the old German home itself had come
with him She now had an odd quick fancy
that the door of the oli shop opened and
the sun began to shine and she could see
the two cid men at their work, but she
arose and threw her arm around his neck
and only said between sobs Conrad, |
am so happy and so glad that you have
come
1t was a sober night and sober meeting,
after all but some hours later, as they sat
by the CRATE in the parlor, where the fire
burned warm and cheeuly, while the first
merry snowhakes of the opening winter
fitted softly by the windows, and they ex-
changed stories OF al that had happened to
them. Conrad said to her
"Ah. Christine, I did not know myself
when you went away. | did not know l
had heart, but soon found it out. found
that It was a great big heart, too, with
wonderful things IN it. One love after an.
other seemed to wake uD and speak to me,
to tell me it was there, until at last the
biggest 1--we of all came to life, and it grew
and grew TIL it crowded out oil the others
and filed up everything, and then had to
come across the ocean to find you. But
who wouli have dreamed that you had
kept anything for me, waiting ell This time
for me to come! I was terribly afraid
about that.
''Oh, don't know, said Christine. 81
don't understand it all. All the while it
has seemed as If I Y ere only waiting, wait
ing, and if waited l}ng enough you would
surely come.
And here am, , said Conrad, "oEly I
think there's grsst deal more Of me,
somehow, than in those dear eli Sleepy
days at home"
SHE Cor A DWoRcE.-Alrs. Frances
K ,lLkar sennred q divorce from her bus.