Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-12-28


4 few hours later SIT with mum.
Der Of pleasant friends in ouc CT the
best restaurants under the lndens.
The conversation was lively and cheer
full, and there were many ladies and
gentlemen continually going in and
out.
In the neighborhood of the table at
which we sat and made ourselves
merry was gathered large party,
joyous and gay like ours.
Some young girlish faces before us
having attracted me, | involuntarily
looked around for my Unknown, but
certainly, there he was
next to the little blonde coquette, with
the seductive little snub nose, and the
snowy white felt hat-the officer of
Lutzower street, the same before whom
my little friend had taken flight, for
although l had no foundation for the
the idea, since we had met many other
men on that street. l could not help
thinking of the large, snowy, hand
some, but utterly blase and insolent
looking lieutenant of infantry in con-
nection with her.
"Who is that pale officera" asked /
of my friend Erich.
"Where2"
l indicated the direction to him.
1.-THE one with the black beard, next
to the little blonde lady"
"He2" said Erich, an6 laughed.
"Why, he is the lately betrothed, the
handsome Paumwolf. l thought you
surely must know him."
mo, no; but what is the story about
him3" l inquired.
"Well, nothing more than that yon-
der blonde has-with much trouble, it
must be admitted-captured him for
life after he has caused nearly ninety
nine others to dream of the same
happy fate. For myself, l never
could have attained such an elegiac
calm, after breaking off love affair.
But he has been unfortunate. Young
ladies with and without pedigree,
with and without money bags, bow
down to him, after he has devoted
himself to them for half an hour, en-
tirely conquered by his irresistible
destinations. And it is just the same
with the old ones. Many, to be sure,
allege, indeed, that behind that titanic
brow there is nothing but corntield,
and that thrashed out onel'
While Erich had been speaking my
eyes had wandered away from Paum-
wolf. His pale face, framed in by
curling black beard and hair, remind
ed me, in fact, of the Zeus Of Otricoli.
To me it was in the highest degree re-
pugnant.
Enough tears have recently been
flowing from beautiful eyes, since his
betrothal with Fraulein Josepha Maier
has appeared in The Gazette"
"Maier2" l Involuntary asked.
Eyes, yes" laughed Erich; simply
Maier with an al, but passably pretty
and immensely rich, of course. And
since Fraulein Josepha does not look
Jewish, Paumwolf can endure that his
fatherin-law in spe should have
formerly been a cloth merchant in
Frankfort -on-t the Main"
The conversation having once turned
on the handsome Paumwolf, it did not
soon leave the subject. On the other
side of our table the people were whis-
pering about him, and one said
1T is quite incomprehensible to me
that he did not rather take little Cords
hof, whom he SO recently courted.
The girl is of altogether different stock
from the Maiers, and she seems to be
head over heels in love with him."
Eyes, but the money-the money!"
cried another
"Well, at all events, this one is a
blonde, too, and very rude one" re-
marked a third. An idea suddenly
seized me.
"Where does Fraulein Gerdshof
live2" asked l of Erich.
He looked at me moment without
speaking, and then laughed aloud.
well, you certainly are amusing
this evening with your abrupt ques-
tons. Besides being called Won Cords
hof, of old Margravite nobility, her
father is a pensioned general, but
where she lives l do not know. Do
you wish to console her for the loss of
Paumwolf, old boy2"
threw him q glance full of rage.
A young assessor who sat at our table
and seemed to have heard our dia-
logue called out to me: Il can give
you the address, Baron - Kur-
prinzen street, No. 35."
All! that was the very dwelling of
my Unknown. l felt all the blood
rush to my heart; then thanking him
for the information, took my hat and
stick, and without turning to reply to
the testing remarks of those remain
ing at the table, left the place to saun-
ter, without aim or object, through
the moonlit streets.
How, after long wandering hither
and thither, finally found myself
before the much thought of house in
Kurprinzen street, l surely cannot
tell. l went on tn opposite side OF
the street and looked at the house
standing before me in the clear moon
light. In the midst of blooming gar
dens the dainty villa rose, with its
antique, vine covero and many col
umned gallery in { ont, like the en-
chanted castles in DRY books. AND
the little fay who wandered about
therein2 Was she still awake, shell
tered behind the one single window Of
the gable end, which was still lighted
grieving, perhaps, about the unfaith
full Paumwolf2 With pity, scorn anC