The Washington critic., 1890-02-03
MY FRIEND TIE DUTCHMAN.
~ tnrpnnlcN uAnDNAN.


IIoubitz
"You will make her your wife with
out acQuainting her with yonr true p'-
sitiong"
Indeed will |. My very position re-
quires It. There no room for u HGru-
pie She expects to live on my fortune;
thinks to make a great catch of the
rich Dutchman. Instead of that shall
spend her salary. The old story; golog
outsfor wool and returning shoru.'
The conversation Of which this is he
concluding fragment, occurred ia the
public room of the Hotel de IIessc, H.
the village of Homburg on the Hill
then an insignificant handful of hods.s
officiating as capital Of the import lui
landgravale of TIessc lIomburg. Ia,
table d hotc had been over s0me lin q;
/ the guests had departed to repose IN
their apartments until the hour of
evening promenade should summon
them to the excellent band of music
provided by the calculating liberality
of the gnming.house keepers, and to
loiter round the brWnneB of more or
/ less nauseous flavor, the preteXt of re
! sort to this rendezvous of idlers and
/ gamblers. The walters had disappeared
| to batten on the broken meats from the
I public table, and to d)ze away the
/ time till the approach of supper re-
newed their activity. My interlocutor,
with whom | was alone in the deserted
| apartment. was a man Of about 30 years
of age, whose dark hair and moustachos,
| marked features, spare person AMI
complexion bronzed by tropiel! sun,
| entitled him 10 pass for native of South
ern Europe, or even of some more ar
dent cline Nevertheless, he ans vere1
to the very Dutch patronymic Of Van
| Haubitz, aud was native of Holland,
in whose principal city his father was
banker of considerable wealth and
financial influence.
Ii was towards the close of a glorious
August, and for two months | had been
wandering in Rhineland Not after
the fashion of dcludcd Cocllneys, who
fancy they have seen the Rhine
when they have careered from Cologne
to Mannheim astride of steam enginc,
gaping at objects passed as soon as per
ceived drinking and paying for in
/
net, eating vile dinners on the decks of
steamers, and excellent ones in the
capital hotels which British cash and
| patronage have raised upon the banks
of the most renowned of German
streams. On the contrary, | had early
dispensed with the aid of steam, to
wander on foot, with the occasional as
sistance of lazy diligence or rickety
einspdnHC1, through the many beautiful
districts that lie upon either bank Of
the river; pedestrianising in R'lauisI
Bavaria, losing myself in the Olil-
wald and pausing, when oc'lsin ,
offered, TO pick trout ont of III" MT
merous streamlets that dash AMI mca !.
der through dell aud r0yine, on THEFT
way to swell the waters of old FahGr
Rhine. At last, weary of s)litu IL
sc carccly broken by an occasional gAssir
with heavy German boor, village p:,cs,
or strolling STUDENT thirs.el after
the haunts of civilization, and found
myself, within day of the appearance
of the symptoms, installed in luxu
rious hotel in the free city of Frankfort
on the Maine. But Frankfort at thai
season is deserted, save by passine
tourists, who escape as fast az possibl,
from its lifelcss streets and un.balled
pavements; so, after glancing over III
English newspaper at the Casino, talk
ing one stroll in the beautiful gardcl
surrounding the city, and another
through the jew quarters-aiways in
teresting and curious, although any
thing but savOTy at that warm season
gathered together my baggage ant
was Off to HOmburg There | coult
not complain Of solitude, of deserle,
streets and shuttered windows. |
seemed Impossible that the multitud,
of gaily- dressed bellies and cavaliers
English, French, German and Russ
who, from in the morning until sun
set, lounged and tlirted on the walks
and perilled their compilations in tn
golden sunbeams, could ever bestoy
I themselves in the two or three mid
ding hotels and few score shabby lodg
ing.houses composing the town o
Homburg. Manage it they did, how
ever; crept into their narrow cells q
night, to emerge next morning, lik,
butter flies from the chrysalis, gay
bright and brilliant, and to recommcnc
the never-varying but pleasant roun
OF eating, sauntering, love making ant
gambling. Homburg was not then wha
il has since become. That great hous
; of cards, the new Cursaal. had not we
arisen; and its table d'hote, reading
room and profane mysteries of roulett
and rouge. ct noir, found temporar
domicile in narrow, disreputablt
looking den in the main street, where az
comm0datious of all kinds, but es
pecially for dinner, was scanty in tn
extreme. The public tables at th
hotels were consequently thronged, an
there acquaintance We're soon made
The day of my arrival at Homburg
was seated next to Van Hanbitz; hi
manner was olf-hand and frank; we er
tered into conversation, took our afte
dinner cigar and evening stroll togcthe
and by bedtime had Knocked up til,
sort of intimacy easily contracted at
watering-place, which lasts ones tim
of residence, and is extinguished an
forgotten on departure. Van Haubit
like many Continentals and very fe'
Englishmen, was one of those free -an(
easy communicative persons who are {
familiar after twelve hours acuuain
ance as if they had known you Il
> twelve years, and who do not hesitat
to contide to three days acquaintanc
the history of their lives, their pursuits
> position and prospects. | was 500
made acquainted, to a very conside
able extent, at least, with those of IN
friend Van Haubitz, late lieutenant {
artillery in the service of his Maiest
. the King of Holland lie was III
youngest of four sons, and havin
oh afa a x.,;II
intractable disposition and precociol
! addiction to dissipation, his father pr
nounced him unsuited 10 business, an
decided on placing him in the arm
- To this the JuHher Che claimed nobilil
Y and displayed above his arms speci
i OF coronct, bearing considerable reser