Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-03-25


Dernau, the merchant, who was a
next-door neighbor OF hers, should be
so stiff and cold, and take no notice
at all oil her. Sometimes | twitted
her with the fact that he had never
once danced with her, and was quite
insensible to her charms That al
ways made her angry. and she would
pout her rosy lips and say:
"'Pm sure don't want him, Chris
tel; he's bear2'
"Well, you know, bad times came
for poor Germany. The French con
quered us, and the King and ourbeau-
tiful Queen Louisa had to fly with
their children; and il seemed as il we
should all become French subjects.
IL vas a bad time for us in our little
town, for the authorities favored the
enemy, and we were disturbed bv
sounds of fighting all round us. An. Il
was terribly sad for all prosperity was
attain end, and We spent our DAYS in
misery and anxiety. Poor Lo:chen
had, too. a special trouble of her own,
for accounts of the wild doings of the
French reached us from all sides, and
it was said that they had a very
rough-and-ready way OF coprting, for
y German girl took Their fancy they
Just sent theirsoldiers to carry her of,
and then took her away with them to
the war. Wewere constantly hearing of
deeds OF violence and robbery, and the
laws, being administered either by the
French or their adherents afforded us
no redress or protection whatever.
What could we do? People hid their
yaluab'es as far as they could in hol.
low trees, behind walls, or i'm the
ground, and whenever any Frenchmen
were known to be in the neighborhood
they hid their wives and daughters as
well, Poor Lorchen had the hardest
time OF all, for her mother was so
nervous that she was always seeing
danger, and she insisted on the poor
girls spending tie greater part OF the
day down in the cellar, and many an
afternoon spent there, too, keeping
her company.
Look, said !, on one of these oc-
casions, You can see straight into
Neighbor Dernau's garden, through
this little window
'But Lorchen blushed and turned
her heau without answering. One
Whitsun Eve, a lovely May day, lust
ike to-day, n number of the enenly's
troops passed through the town, and
OF course Lore had TO sit in the cellar
and get through the time as best she
might As soon as the terrible
"Parlevouhs" as we called them, had
all gone through and out of the town
gate, the captive was let out, and
what must the silly girl do but 90 to
the sitting-room window and lean out.
After being i'll prison so long, she
enjoyed the sweet spring air doubly,
and IT amused her to watch what was
going on in the street. But misfortune
never slumbers; and, as it fell out,
young French officer came past lead
ing his horse by the bride, and look
ing for n blacksmith, as the animal
had cast shoe He had no sooner
caught sight OF the lovely little head
among the roses which clustered
round the window, than he threw the
reins TO a boy and dashed up the
steps like a madman. It did not take
him minute, but Lore was as quick
as he, and had slipped back into her
hiding place. Still, where was the use
of that, when the Frenchman had
seen her and was bent upon finding
her?
II want to see the pretty demoi-
selle, he cried in his broken German,
and he insisted on searching all the
rooms in the house, then the garrets,
and finally the cellar! 1t was useless
to say him nay, for he was master OF
the situation, and Lorchen's poor
mother followed him down the cellar
stairs trembling.
But, wonder of all wonders, the nest
was eapty, the bird had flownl Find
ing, therefore, that his search was
vain, the Young officer flew into a rage,
and snatching up little ivory minia-
ture of Lore, dashed out OF the. house,
yowing that he would come back next
with whole squadron, and stay till
the girl was found As soon as he was
gone. Lore's mother sank down in a
chair and burst into tears, feeling ut
telfy bewildered and altogether at her
wits end. But she had not wept long
when her neighbor, young Dernau,
made HIS appearance, and, to her ex-
tISiitc sur lHiSts dShtu l4eE Nitl an uIt
form and ceremony to accept him as
sutton for her daughters hand.
"'Achi' cried the poor woman,
'Lorchen is gone,-cleang gone; she is not
in her hiding-place; and if | could find
her to-day, where's the use, when to-
morrow that French villain is coming
to carry her off! I'm poor, misera-
BILE, helpless woman-what can | do?
Oh, this dreadful war!
But the young man only laughed in
an embarrassed sort OF way, and then
said:
''0nly trust me mother, If may call
you so, and depend upon it | shall be
able to take good care of Lorchen,
when once have the right. In the
cellar she is, however, at the present
moment, though not in yours"
80 saying, he led the astonished
dame into his house and down ever so
many stairs, and there sure enough
was the captive in his cellar, doubly
captive now, and little shamefaced
and fearful, butstill looking very hap
by as she fell on Ter mothers neck,
and begged her to give her and Karl
her blessing. And so it came to pass
that they were betrothed in the celler,
and Immediately afterall sorts of mys-
terious preparations, were made in
both houses, and at last thegood pas
tor himself was called in to give his
advice. At IL o'clock that same night
there was enacted one OF the strangest
scenes which our peaceful, sober-going
little town ever witnessed; for young
couple were married in the darkness,
in the old chapel, outside the Martini
gate, and you may imagine my utter
at being mysteriously
sent for at such an hour, and then
finding myself taken to the chapel to
be one of the witnesses to Lore's mar
riage the Others being her mother and
Dernau's most intimate friend, Fritz
Berger.
1t seemed uncommonly dismal to a
girl OF seventeen, as | was then, with
my head stuffed full, too, OF all sorts
OF tragical stories. II was a mild,
dark night; the sky was much over
cast; and ever and anon distant
flash of lightning announced that a
storm was coming up. The feeb,e
glimmer from the two tapers on the
altar seemed only to make the dark
ness darker, and the flames
necessarily as the
wind came sweeping in gusts,
and making the boughs OF the old lime
tree rattle against the church windows.
It was enough to make one shudder,
child, can tell you The venerable
old paster who had married Lorchen's
father and mother, and baptized Lor
chen herself, gave only a short adj
dress; but it was all the more impress
siye for that, and we were all very
much touched by it. When the cere-
,non,, woe over I helnpd tho sobhinc