The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-06
4 know a maiden fair to see.
Take care,
She can both false and friendly ben

4 know a maiden fair to see.
Take care,
She can both false and friendly ben
"And it goes on:
She has two eyes so soft and brown.
Take care.
She gives a side glance and looks down
Take care!
Trust her not she's fOOling thee.
well child, that was Lore ali over; just
as if it had been written for her. But you
mustn't think badly of her. for all that.
She was dear, sweet little thing; and in
spite of all her fOllies, she had a good,
honest heart. As l said, she was univer-
sally admired: and so it seemed strange
that young Dernau, the merchant who
wac a neXt-dOor neighbor of hers, should
be so stiff and cold, and take no notice at
all of her. Sometimes l twitted her with
the fact that he had never once danced
with her, and was quite insersible to her
charms. That always made her angry,
and she would pout her rosy lips and say:
"-Tm sure | don't want him, Christel:
he's bear"
'.Well. you know, bad times came for
poor Germany. The French conquered us,
and the King and our beautiful Queen Lou
lisa had to fly with their children; and it
seemed as if we should all become French
subjects 1t was bad time for us in our
little town, for the authorities favored the
v. ulSIuIDEu
of fighting all around US. All, it was terri
bly, sad! for all prosperity was at an end,
and we spent our days in misery and
anxiety. Poor LOrchen mad, too,
special trouble of her own, for ac-
counts of the wild dOings OF the
French reached us from all sides, and it
was said that they had very rough-and-
ready way of counting, for if a German
girl took their fancy they just sent their
soldiers to carry her off and then took her
away with them to the war. We were
constantly hearing of deeds of violence
and robbery, and the laws. being admins
tered either by the French or their adher
ents. afforded US no redress or protection
whatever. What could we do: People hid
their valuables as far as they could in hol-
low trees, behind walls, or in the ground,
and whenever any Frenchmen were known
to be in the neighboThood, 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 the greater part Of the day down
in the cellar, and many an afternoon l
spent there, too keeping her company.
Look said 1. on one of these occasions,
you can see straight into Neighber Der
nauS garden through this little window
But LOrchen blushed and turned her
head without answering. One WhitSun
Eve, lovely May day, just like to-day,
number of the enemy troops passed
through the town, and of course Lore had
to sit in the cellar and get through the time
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 go to the sitting room win
dow and lean out After being III prison 50
long, she enjoyed the sweet spring air
doubly, and it amused her to watch what
in ha Srra RJIt aiSfn rtn %
never slUmbers, and, as il fell out, a young
French officer came past Leading his horse
by the bride, and looking for 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
mailman. 1t 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!
Il want to see the pretty demOiselle," he
cried in his broken German, and he insisted
upon searching first all the rooms i'll the
house, then the garrets, and finally the Gel
lar! 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.
=,
empty; the bird had flown. Finding,
therefore, that his search was vain, the
young officer flew into rage, and, snatch
ing up little ivory miniature OF Lore,
dashed out of the house, vOwing that he
would come back next with a whole squad
ron ard stay till the girl was found. As
soon as he was gone, LOre'S mother sank
down in a chair and burst into tears, feel
ing utterly bewildered and altogether at
her wits end. But she had not wept long
when her neighbor, young Dernau, made
his appearance, and, to her extreme sur
prise, asked her with all due form and GER
emOny to accept him as a sutton for her
daughters hand.
" '4chn cried the poor woman, Lorchen
is gone-ciean gone; she is not in her hid
ing place; and if | could find her to-day,
where's the use, when tom rrOw that
French villain Is coming to carry her off
I'm poor. miserable, helpless woman
what can | do! o. this dreadful warn
''But the young man only laughed in an
sort OF way. and then said:
- Only trust me. mother, if | may call
you SO, and depend upon il | shall be able
to take good care of Lorchen when once l
have the right. In the cellar she is, how
ever, at the present moment, though not in
yOurSn
80 saying, he led tie aStonished dame
into his house and down ever so manytstairS,
and there sure enough was the captive is
his cellar, doubly a captive now, and a lit
tie shamefaced and fearful, but still look
ing very happy as she fell on her mothers
neck, and begged her to give her and Karl
her blessing. And SO it came to pass that
they were betrothed in the cellar, and i'm
after all sorts of mysterious prep
arations were made in both houses, and at
last the good pastor himself was called in TO
give MS advice. At eleven o'clock that same
night there was enacted one Of the stran-
Sxsrhi
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 amaZement at
being mysteriously sent for at such an
hour, and then finding myself taken to the
chapel TO be one of the witnesses to my
Lore's marriage, the others being her mother
and Dernau's most intimate friend, Fritz
Berger.
1t seemed uncommonly dismal to girl
of seventeen, as l was then, with my head
stuffed full, too, of all sorts of tragical
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