National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-11-08
MEPHIsToPHELEs.

It was toward the end of November; the
Imperial garden of Vienna was deserted,
q sharp breeze was whirling the saffron
colored leaves, shrunk up by the early
cold; tho rose bushes, tormented and
broken by the wind, lot their branches
drag in the mud. Still, the grand alley,
thanks to its covering of sand, was dry
and passable. Although devastated by
the approach of winter, the Imperial
garden was not without a certain melan-
choly charm. The long alley prolonged
far away its rcddening arcades; beyond,
tho view stretched over the Prater and
Danube; 1t was such promenade as q
poet would have desired.
A young man was striding up and down
this alley with visible signs Of impatience;
his costume somewhat theatrical in its
elegance, consisted Of frock coat Of black
velvet with gold facings and bordered
with fur, gray wooden pantaloons, top
boots with tsssels coming half way up his
legs. He might have been 81 or % years
of age; his pale and regular features were
full Of fnesse, and irony lurked in the
creases around his eyes and the corner of
his mouth; at the university, which he
appeared TO have Quilted recently, for
still wore the students cap with oak
leaves, he must have plagued tho philis-
tines and shown in the front ranks of tho
burschen aud the foxes.
The narrow limits within which he cir
cumscribed his walk showed that he was
waiting for some one, probably lady, for
the Imperial garden of Vienna in the
month of November is hardly propitious
to business rendezvous. Soon q girl ap-
peared at the end of the avenue; turban
of black silk covered her rich blonde hair
whose long ringlets had been slightly un-
curled by the dampness of the evening;
her complexion, ordinarily OF wsxen
whiteness, had taken q rosy tint from
the bite of the cold. Grouped and
wrapped as she was in her mantle,
trimmed with marten skin, she resem-
bled rsvishingly the statuette of 10
Frieleuse; little terrier accompanied
her, q convenient chaperon, on whose in
diligence and discretion you could count.
Imagine. Heinrich" said the pretty
Viennese, taking the young mans arm;
~ have been dressed aud ready to 60 out
for moro than an hour, and my aunt kept
with her sermons on the danger of
Waiting, on receipts for Christmas cakos
and carp with blue sauce. ] went out on
the pretext of buying some gray boots, of
which / have no need whatever. 1t IL
for you, Heinrich, that / tell all these
little lies which am constantly regret
ting and constantly beginning over again.
What an idea it was of you to take the
stage! What was the good of studying
theology so long at Heidelberg? My
parents liked you, and we might have
boon married to-day but for that. In
stead of meeting on the sly under the
bare trees of the Imperial garden, we
should be seated side by side before hne
porcelain stove in nice warm room, talk
ing of the future of our children. Would
not that DO a happy lot. Heinrichp
Eyes. Katy, very happy" replied the
young man, as he pressed under the
satin and fur the dimpled arm of the
pretty Viennese; "but l cannot help it.
The theater attracts me invincibly;
dream of it by day, think of it by
night; feel the desire to 1.-Two in the ore
alton of the poets; seem to have twenty
existences. Every role that place makes
me new life; oil those passions that
express / feel. l am Hamlet, Othello,
Charles Moor. When one 10 all that he
can with difficulty resign himself to the
humble condition of village pastor.
'That is very noble. But you know
that my parents will mover have an actor
for son-in-law.
mo. certainly not an obscure actor, q
poor smbulant artist, the puppet of man
ayers and the public, but a great actor,
covered with glory and applause. who
earns moro money than minister. they
will not refuse, however scrupulous they
may be. When shall come to ask your
hand in q handsome yellow coach, the
varnish of which will be able to serve as
q looking glass for the astonished neigh
bors, and tall lackey covered with gold
lace will let down the steps for me, do
You think that they will refuse me?"
II do not think they will. But who
says, Heinrich, that you will ever come
to that. You have talent, but talent is
not sufficient; you must have much good
luck besides. By the time you shall have
become tho grand actor of whom you
speak the best time of your youth will
have passed. and then will you bo resdy
to marry Katy, grown old, when you
have at your disposal the loves Of all
those princesses Of the theater, SO joyous
and so gayly deckedT
That future" replied Heinrich, ais
nearer than you think. / have an ad-
vantageous engagement at the theater of
the CarinthiaD Gate, and the manager ia
so satisfied with the manner in which |
PLAYED my last role that he has made me
present Of 1000 thalors."
Eyes" replied the young girl, with q
serious air, that role of demon in the
piece. l confess to you, Heinrich, that l
do not like to SEQ n Christian assume the
mask of the enemy Of the human race
and pronounce words Of blasphemy. The
other day went to see you at tho Carin-
THAN theator, and at every moment
was afraid that veritable hell Are would
issue from ono of tho traps where you
were swallowed up in flames of spirits of
wine. returned home all confused, and
] dreamed horrible dreams"
my good Katy, that is all imagination;
tomorrow, too, will take place the last
performance, and l shall no longer put ON
the black and rod costume which 80 much
displeases you"
80 much the better for my mind is q
prey to vague feeling Of alarm, and /
fear that the rolo which has been 80
profitable to your glory will not be profit
able to your salvation; am afraid, too,
that you will contract bad habits in the
company OF those horrible comedians. l
am sure that you no longer say your
prayers. and l dare wager that you have
lost the little cross that gave YOU"
Heinrich justified himself by showing
the 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 Leopoldstsdt In front Of the shoe.
maker, who was famous for the perfection
of his gray boots; after chatting some
time at the door, Kate entered. followed
by her terrier, not without having aban-
doned her pretty slender fingers to the
pressure Of Heinrich's hand.
Heinrich tried once moro to catch q
glimpse of his mistress between the dainty
boots and shoes that were symmotrioally
arranged on the brass rods in the window;
put the fog had silyered the glass With