The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-14
He smiled in very grave fashion.
sI want to liye-for usy mothers sake,n "


he replied. in that respondent melo
dramatic way of youth when life has been
disappointing. "But 1 should not like my
mother to grieve. And should like 20 give
these Germans one good lesson-to see
them fly once before US. 1 should like to
live for that"
Hooked around me to see the effect OF
this incautious speech; but the babel OF
tongues near US was too great for our con-
verSation 20 be heard. Moreover. he spoke
perfectly understood. The rash speech had
passed unheeded-
At thai moment the surgeon came into
the room. His eye fell at once on the
flowers and he smiled family.
"Fraulein Minna's roses" ne observed.
"Yes-her gift to me-"
"Ah! Last night she gave me one rose
bud. That is dead. l cherish it still for
the sake of the fair hands that gave il, but
l can not wear it. Now, if you will per-
nit, will take one of these"
l wondered If he knew that his words
were torture to one who heard them. His
| serene, self-confdent smile gave double
significance TO his words and Gustave
scowled fiercely at him and vouchsafed
brief answers to the professional questions
he presently asked. No sooner had the
surgeon left the room again than Gustave
Madame" he said, with the intense
quietness of passion too great to be ex-
pressed, will you do me kindness! Keep
that man away from me-do not let him
come near me again. l have changed my
| mind about desire for life. l would rather
die thousand times than owe my life to
! him"
But before the next evening closed it
seemed unlikely that he would owe his life
| 70 any one. Fever set in, as / had feared.
! We lost more poor fellows through fever
| than through their actual injuries; and my
| experience told me that hope for his recov-
! cry was very small. l hGard our surgeon
| explaining how small; and l watched Herr
| Steinberg while ne listened to the verdict.
L struck me that the old man, though he
| made no sign Of regret, asked more ques-
tions than were quite consistent with the
| Indifference of his glance and tone, and
! that the surgeons conclusive, business-like
manner OF speaking was for some reason
| diSpleasing.
Late that evening, as l glanced from a
| window, caught sight of Minna standing
in her garden with her face upturned to the
| window whence | looked. l had little
time just then and went out to her. There
| was no good news 20 take, but anything,
| fancied, would be better than such suspense
| as she was suffering. A little wicket led
from one garden to the other, and she
opened this and came to meet me.
| The pretty little attempts at dignity and
reserve were all gone now. When put my
arm around her and kissed her, she leaned
her head on my shoulder and sobbed like
! child.
MY father has told me- she said. 'He is
very, very i'll; he is suffering, and [ can do
| nothing. o, l can not bear for him to have
to suffer and to die!''
tried to soothe her, but the comfor. at
my command was not such as could help
| her much.
IF had been man and not a girl l
might have been OF some use. might have
| been surgeon and have had skill. might
have saved him"
This heaping of hypothesis on hypothesis
would have amused me at'another time. It
drew no smile from me now.
Il have done what l can," said the girl.
st is so little, but yet it is so hard to do"
What have you done, dear said, Won
deringly.
The girl was trembling from head to foot,
and spoke with an accent of despair.
u win marry him"
s'Whom?"
"Herr Hartmann. have promised"
'My dear child" 1 said, rather sharply,
Chow can that possibly help GuStave:"
Yes, yes-it may. Herr Hartmann has
skill. He may save him now. But 1 feSred
that he was jealous of Gustave: he knew
that we were about to be betrothed before
the war and he may have thought that l
was cold to him because l still loved Gus
tave. could not bear to think that per-
hapS he would not be as good to him as he
might be-. He is cruel-I know that he is
Cruel-I am sure of it when [ see his eyes
and ne smiles. He might not have saved
GCStave; but ne can not hate him any
longer now. I have told my father. Father
has wanted it for a long while and have
not consented and often he has oeen angry,
but nave not minded. But now l have
promised"
Promised Herr Hartmann" said.
"No; have promised my father Re will
tell him when next he sees him.
=. -l,of1 .,,aro
then. 1t was inspiration. When l had
hidden the girl farewell" and she had re-
turned to the house, !. too, found my way
through the garden to the house door. l
meant to knock and inquire for Herr Stein
berg, but AZ that moment the old map ap-
peared, his ha5 on his head, a fat cigar be-
tween his lips.
Herr S5einberg, can l speak to you?" I
said. Here, in the garden, if you please"
He bowed with stately courtesy and fol-
lowed me. Then l explained TO him, as
elOquently as my small vocabulary and
imperfect grammar would allow, the great
ness OF the sacrifice he was about 10 allow
his daUghter to make. | hope that touched
the old mans heart, which, after all, was
less stony, perhaps, than he liked it to ap-
pear.
''Minna has one fault" be observed, irri-
tably, when hai done. 'She is obstinate.
Herr Hartmann.s = worthy man, but Minna
decided some months ago that she would
see no good in Esm and she abides by that
decision.
"YOu, yourself, are sometimes obstinate,
sir. where your convictions are concerned"
There is the firmnesS of consistency,
madame, and the irmness of folly"
''She is firm TO an Old attachment, which,
| believe, You yourself once sanctioned. IL
You did so, yours was the error in the first
place. You will pardon me- l hope, for
saying that you should now suffer for your
own folly rather than ask your daughter to
suffer for it,
Herr Steinberg had been meek tonight,
bat that was even more than meekneSs
could endure.
Madame" he said. wrathfully, you
labor under a great mistake. 1 have been
guilty of no folly. I sanctioned the
intimacy between the lad Gustave and my
giTl-that is true. IwOuld have sanctioned
the betrothment also: but l was guilty of
no follv III that. The lad was good lad:
he was unfortunately of French birth and
pareutage, bat his mind was German.
There was no folly about the matter am
not accustomed to act with folly and in
consistency. The lad is fighting in a bad
cause and dying for it; but the cause
does not make the man. The lad was q
good lad, upright true spoken. brave As
for Herr Hartmann-who stated that l
should allow my girl to ally herself TO
man for whom she entertained no respect!
Who said should allow her to be guilty of
Such loloUlc seII-Sacflnce as you say she
contemplates! l bid You good night,
madame. regret that YOU have fallen into
such strange mistakes
With that the old man bowed and left
me. He left me rejecting, not on my own
mistakes, but on his admissions. In his de-
sire to prove himself right in all things, 'he
had become Gustave's ardent supporter
again. And he had taught me, If l had
needed to learn the lesson, that an obstinate
man, like lower animals of the hog kind,
will prove his own determination of char
acter and your futility by negativing your
presumptous assumptions as TO the road he
will choose to pursue. Well, was content.
Sn.r,a darS Later. sat ON @ lnyx SCAT hu