, 1886-09-09
THE HERR BARON

heterogeneous population represents q lit
tie world by itself, oDeying its own social
laws and customs, and jealously main
ing all its peculiarities. OF these nation
allies by far the most numerous. best Or
ganized and most firmly combined by
common interests, recollections, tastes,
and ways of life, is the German. Stats
tics prove New York to be the third Of the
great German cities of the world; and as
everybody knows, there are whole dis
tricts in the city in which a knowledge of
the German language is much more neces-
sary than of the English. The character
istic feature of these districts is undoubt-
eddy the beer saloons which are as the
stars in heaven. These establishments
scarcely ought to be designated by II name
which In France is associated with re-
membranes of powdered wigs, hoops,
and Madame de Seyigne, while in America
1t is suggestive of cocktails, stale tobacco
smoke and spittoons. On entering one OF
the popular German beer-houses you i'm
mediately become aware OF the TACT T. at
you are in n wirtbschaft, and not in a sa-
loon.
J One night in passing through one Of the
quiet streets which run from Second to
Third avenue, and which some ten years
ago still enjoyed the reputation of being
up town, one particular wirthschaft,
which | had not happened to notice before,
attracted my attention from its peculiarly
snug look. The narrow entrance WAS half
concealed by the thick foliage OF a creep
ing vine, from behind which a lantern,
with the inscription, al. Gorr-Wirths-
chaft," was barely visible. A small white
sign above the door exhibited the word
"Sommergarten." From inside. a female
voice was heard singing an old German
song. accompanied by n piano. Neither
the singer nor the instrument seemed to
be very much out OF tune
All this had a promising look, 30 1
stepped into the establishment. The bar
room and the restaurant were deserted.
An open door led out into the back yard.
wAicn had been converted into a summer
garden, OF rather into a bowe' of ivy and
other creeper Every available place in
the garden" wa fl led with small round
tables, and every chair at these tables
seemed at present to have already its oc-
cupant. On my entering, however, a
feet-footed waiter came flying toward me.
and directed me to a small table, stu
ated behind the piano, which had hitherto
passed unobserved by the other guests.
| sat down, and was just about to give
my order when the meager form of the
waiter who mad welcomed me was sud
denly thrust aside by a superior force,
and in his stead appeared a portly, sol
e~mn-looking man, clad with the most cor
rect and irreproachable elegance, dress
coat, white waistcoat, white necktie, a
napkin wound round his right hand-in
"A word, a model of a walter such as any
first class cafe from Delmonico's to Big
mons, might have been proud of
"You can go, Franz" this majestic man
said to the other waiter in a mellow,
Anarnra Il. al ..sI .-... .lE. ---.f.
man myself"
The combination OF condescending CT
Witty and self i'm p~ortance he contrived to
throw into this one word myself" was
overwhelming. In the presence OF this
majestic official my original intention of
ordering modestly zone lager" melted
away like wax. ] felt 1t would be almost
a sacrilege TO ask for so little of 80 great
a being-it would be like asking Jupiter
for one of his thunderbolts to light a CT
garettel | muttered bashfully, "A pint
bottle Of Rhine wine, IL you please"
The great man bowed aud moved away
as majestically as he had come. He had
scarcely Disappeared within the restaur-
ant, when "A strange self-consciousness
crrpt upon me of having seen him some
where before in very different circum-
stances. where and when 1t was impos-
- ~ ilt ~ ttollttl 'olltnOM VI
other, by a mysterious association of
Ideas, pictures of n time long past, of bet
ter and merrier days. arose in my mem
DRY. | saw again the boulevards of Paris,
with all their hustle at the hour when
the theatres close. / felt once more about
me that atmosphere OF feverish excite
ment, of restless life, which surrounds
the great Babylon of Europe. Had / seen
that man at some cafe in Pariss No. it
was not hat. l could not nave remem.
bered for five long and eventful years
such a triiing circumstance
All of a sudden n name flashed upon
me, Waldheim-Count Won Waldheim-
was the man this waiter reminded me of,
and to whom he bore a most striking re-
semblance. Poor waldheim, he was one
of the maddest vivuers OF Paris AS open
handed and generous as he was reckless
always in good spirits, he was the uni
uersal ~favorite Of that tout Paris whose
center is the Boulevard des Italiens.
How well | remember the last supper
the poor fellow gave us in the corner
room of the Cafe Anglaisi There were
not more than a dozen Of us-three or
four ladies' in the number who, by
virtue of their beauty and their diamonds,
were the leading stars" in that strange
hemisphere. | do believe that was the
merriest night ! ever passed In my life. A
sort of frenzy of childish lightheartedness
seemed to have seized on all the guests at
that "funera banquet as Waldheim
called it. So uproarious were we in our
merriment that about 3 o'clock in the
morning n sergeant de VILE sent up one
of the walters to request us either to shut
the window or make less noise. as we
were disturbing the n~eighborhood. Al
daybreak Waldheim sprang up from his
seat, filed his glass for the last time, and,
opening the balcony door, pointed to the
boulevards stretching quiet and deserted
at our feet in the dim, gray light OF
dawn,
"My last toast, ladies and gentlemen"
he exclaimed, 'is TO this great living mon
ster OF Paris, which has devoured me and
20 many otheri For thee, In thy enchant-
ing embrace. | have lost all | possessed in
the world. | beggar now. | bid thee fare
WELL Moriturus. Cesar, tie salutol"
He emptied his glass and threw 1t out
of the window on the pavement below.
Then he took leave OF us, max
ing us promise not to follow him
and not to search for him during at
least three days, and was about to quit
the room, when Valentine Ghemar, one
OF the ladies present, a we'll known oper-
cNAh rlhkti VI u Aiultt hllhnp up anu
fiinging her arms i~mpetuously around
Waldheim's neck, exclaimed; .
"You are n man, n brave man, and |
love youl Wherever you 60, let me GO
with your
MY dear little Valentine answered
Wsldheim with a sad smile. mo omance
II you pleased The times OF love in a cot
tage are passed. Here In Paris, II the cot
tage took the shape Of n little hotel In the
Champs Elysees, 1t might all be very well.
But where | am now going things will
look different. it will be- uphill work, q