Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-08


sisted on going into every room it con-
tanned. She declared that il had the finest
situation in the world, and that il was
shame they didn't give it to the President
for his country seat. Most OF her COM
panienS had seen the house often, and
were new coupling themselves in the
grounds according to their sympathies, so
that ii was easy for NOgelstein 10 offer the
benefit of his own experience 10 the most
inQuisitiye member of the party. They
were not TO lunch for another hour. and
in the interval YOgelstein wandered about
with Pandora. The breath of the Potomac.
on the boat, had been a little harsh, but
on the sOftly-curying lawn, beneath the
clustered trees, with the river RELOCATED
70 mere shining presence far below and
IN the distance, the day gave out nothing
but its mildness, and the whole scene be-
came noble and genial. NOgelstein could
joke little on great occasions, and the
present one was worthy of his humor. He
maintained to his companion that the
shallow, painted mansion looked Ike a
false house, fly" a structure of daubed
canvas on the stage; but she answered
HIM so well with certain economical
palaces she had seen in Germany, where,
as she said, there was nothing but China
stoves and stuffed birds, that he was
obliged to admit the home of Washington
was after all really genuthltch. What he
found so, in fact, was the soft texture Of
the day, his personal situation, the sweet
ness of his suspense. For suspense had de-
cidedly become his portion; he was under
a charm, which made him feel that he was
watching his own life, and that his sus-
capabilities were beyond his control. 1t
hung over him that things might take a
turn, from one hour to the other, which
would make them very different from
what they had been yet; and his heart
certainly beat little faster as he Won
dered what that turn might be. Why did
he come tO.picnics on fragrant April days
| with American girls who might lead him
too far: Would not such girls be glad to
marry Pomeranian Countg And lcOad
I they, after all, talk that way to the Kaiser?
[ Ii he were to marry one of them he should
have TO give her some lessons. In their
I little tour Of the house NogeIstein and his
companion had had great many fellow
visitors, who had also arrived by the
steamer, and who had hitherto not left
( them an ideal privacy. But the others
I gradually dispersed; they circled about a
/ kind OF Snowman, who was the authorized
! guide, big, slow, genial, familiar man,
with a large beard and humorous edify-
\ ing, patrOniZing tone, which had immense
/ success when he stopped here and there
/ to make his pOints-tO pass his eyes over
/ his listening flock, then fix them quite
/ above it with meditatiye look and bring
/ out some ancient pleasantly as if il were (
/ sudden inspiration. He made cheerful Z
/ thing even of a visit to the tomb of the /
/ pateT pdtTig. 1t is enshrined in a kind of
I grottO in the grounds, and Yogelstein re- !
marked to Pandora that he was a good I
man for the place, but that he was too 1
familiar.
''Oh, he would have been familiar with I
Washington said the girl, with the 4
bright dryness with which she often I
uttered amusing things.
NOgelSteiD looked at her q moment and I
it came over him, as he smiled, that she .
herself probably would not have been
abashed even by the hero with whom his
. tory has taken fewest liberties. 'YOu
look as if you could hardly believe that"
Pandora went on. "YOu Germans are
always in such awe of great people" And
it occurred to YOgelstein that perhaps,
after all, Washington would have liked
her manner, which was wonderfully fresh
and natural. The man with the beard
was an ideal ciceTOne for American
shrines; he played upon the curiosity OF
his little band with the touch of master,
and drew them away to see the classic
ice house where the old lady had been
found weeping in the belief that il was
WashingtOn's grave. While this mOnu-
ment was under inspection NOgelstein
and Pandora had the house to themselves,
and they spent some time on pretty
terrace, upon which certain windows Of I
veranda, which OYerhung, in a manner,
obiquely, all the magnifcence Of the
vieW-the immense sweep Of the river, the
artistic plantations, the lastcentury
garden, with its big box hedges and re-
mains of old espaliers. They fingered
here for nearly half an hour, and it was in
this spot that NOgelsteln enjoyed the only
approach to intimate conversation that
fate had in store for him with a young
woman in whom he had been unable to
persuade himself that he was not in
terested. 1t is not necessary, and it is
not possible, that l should reproduce this
collOqUy: but / may mention that it began 1
AS they leaned against the parapet Of
the terrace and heard the cheerful voice
of the Snowman waited up to them from
distance-with his saying to her, rather /
abruptly, that he couldn't make out why
they hadn't had more talk together when
they crossed the ocean.
''Well, can, if you can't" said Pan
dora. Il would have talked, if you had
spoken to me. spoke tOyOu first"
Eyes, l remember that" NOgelstein re-
piled, rather awkwardly.
"You listened too much to Mrs. Danger
field.''
"To Mrs. Dangerfeld?"
''That woman YOU were always sitting |
with; she told you not to speak to me.
l have seen her in New York; she speaks
to me now herself. She recommended
you to have nothing to do with me-
sob, how can you say such dreadful
things?" the young man murmured, |
blushing very red.
''You know you can't deny it. You
were not attracted by my family. They
are charming people when you know
them. 1 don't have a better time any
where than l have at home,' the girl went
on Loyalty. "But what does it natter
My family are very happy. They are
getting quite used to New York. Mrs.
Dangerfeld's a vulgar wretch; next Win
ter she viii call on me-"
''YOu are unlike any girl have ever
seen; l don't understand you," said poor
Yogelstein, with the color still in his
face.
'.Well, you never viii understand me
probably; but what difference does it
make"
Vogelstein attempted to tell her what
difference it made, but 1 have not space to
follow him here. 1t is known that when
the German mind attempts to explain |
things it does not always reduce them to
simplicity, and Pandora was first mysti-
fed, then amused, by some of her CON-
Danion's revelations. At last / think she |
was a little frightened, for she remarked, I
| irrelevantly, with some decision, that |
lunch would be ready and they ought to |
Join Mrs Steuben. He walked slowly on /
| purpose as they left the house together, /
for he had vague feeling that ne was |
losing her.
s'And shall you be in Washington many |
days yet? he asked her, as they went.
at Will all depend. l am expecting |
some news. What shall do Will be in |
| fuenced by that"
The way she talked about expecting |
news made him feel, somehow, that she |
| had a career-that she was active and in |
| dependencies that he could scarcely hope |
| to stop her as she passed 1t was GER
| tainly true That he had never seen any
1 girl like her. 1t would have occurred to !
| him that the news she was expecting
/ might have reference to the favor she had
asked of the President if he had not
/ already made up his mind-in the calm of
meditation after that talk with the B0nny-
! castles-that this favor must be pleas
! antry. What she had said to him had
/ discouraging, a somewhat chilling effect;
! nevertheless it was not without a GER
/ tain ardOr that he asked Of her whether,
\ so long as she stayed in Washington, he
/ might not come and see her.
E'You may come as often as you like"
! she answered, ''but you won't care for it
/ long,"
''You try to torment me,' said Yogel-
stein.
She hesitated a moment II mean that