The record-union., 1891-05-30
Mild herab auf dich und mich,
ALE Blumenn eigen SIGH,
Leise rauschen Baum and Fluss
ind dn flIhlSf den MufterkuSS

Wag Igrew lazily romantic, and won
dered if the merry little wife were alto
gether satisfied with her lot; if Gus was
her ideal. Once he imagined she looked
sadly thoughtful and compared him with
the figure of her snoring lord. He went
so far as to imagine that pink and white
face opposite him alone, with the sunlight
tangled in those recreant curls. But that
very evening he watched her from the
end of the long white oil-clothed table,
chatting wildly with old Antoine, MUNICH
ing meanwhile from slab OF bread and
butter almost as large as herself. In ms
indolent way Wag had his ideas OF feml-
nine gentility, and the thought went
chasing over his brain that
What in Maud was .inatiYe grace,i
In Mrs. Jenkins was out of place.
And the idea that in Antone's society
she was quite as happy as his own was
CALLING enough to take the conceit out of
any fellow.
Antoine, who was intrusted with the
plebeian duty of washing milk cans, who
had glass eye, wore a gingham shirt,
very often with the pleated bosom piece
reposing ON his back instead of his
manly front Mrs. Gus was certainly
quaint, sweet and original, but there was
strata of the cloddy that even sluggish
Wag shuddered at.
Summer was mellowing into autumn.
On the one side of the singing stream
was a deserted camp, uptorn stakes, a
smoldering fire and trampled sod. On
the other little woman clasping tightly
a hand, and saying softly, with dewy
| eyes, "Adieu mein hebert Freund."
A year and month or two had quietly
fallen into the voiceless past, and Wag is
again before us. : A little more stopped,
quite good deal seedier, but our same
lazy, bighearted Wag. He stands with
his hands in his pockets, buried to the
elbow, his long legs wide apart and So
liloquizing. Lassie lays on his best coat,
feigning sleep.
Look here, Lassie. we've got to get
out and take jaunt in the mountains.
voice. Pm not going for the purpose of
making love to the Dutchman's WIFE I
am not such damnable coward as to be
guilty of that Here he took a turn
around the ROOM The memory of the
gray eyes filled with tears had come up
quiet his conflicting feelings he reasoned
at the dog.
"Lassie, you know that Dutch bantling
is the only human being that ever dared
pull your silky ears and mop you around.
Have you forgotten the sweet milk you
reveled III, the glorious rabbit-chases
| over the meadows, you unthankful
your sex. you want to be coaxed. But,
Lassie, you are the only living object of
your sex that has never talked back to
me, and | admire you for it. You have
never condescendingly given me advice
when plunged into some idiotic scheme
and got bit, and have never told me 1
hadn't ought to have done it, ETC. If I
strike Langley right now he'll let me
off. Langley'd give me halt, his king
| dom for the asking, no doubt about it.
Always strike man for favors when
he's entangled in the sweet meshes of his
honeymoon days. BY George! how
bright that freckled fairy has made his
life. She is freckled and her nose is out
of plumb, but these discrepancies don't
disturb his quietude in the least. And,
Lassie, she gushes, if you'll. notice. Pm
too COMPOUNDED poor to marry, too lazy
to WOO and win, and, between you and
me, l wouldn't have much Of an opinion
of a girl that would marry me. The first
thing she'd do, Lass, would be to fire you
out in the hall"
Here Lassie got up and slouched across
the room heavily, finging herselfsullenly
on a rug, and not deigning look at her
master.
Its mad you are, my lady, is it? I
thought l had known you long enough to
address you familiarly as Lass. You're
in no danger OF being relegated to the
draughty passage, and by all that's good
and bad, we're off to Germany to-mor-
row."
Much to Lassie's ill-concealed disgust,
| they were now again in the land flowing
with sweet milk and rabbit chases. Wag
was struck with surprise at the changes
in the landscape. The huge trees had
| been leveled to the earth, and in the clear
| ing a house was built. A modern house,
all angles, stiff and formidable. The sun
glared on the narrow porches the blinds
were drawn closely. A stiff fence ran
in front, stiff walk ran to the stiff steps,
and even the rows Of holly-hocks had a
military bearing. The little old cottage
was far in the rear, deserted, desolate,
smuthered in creepers that had at lastac-
complished their mad desire and clasped
it closely. new dairy house glared
! boldly, and to and fro score oftWorlS-
men battered and chartered and sang.
| In the corner Of the meadow he STUN
bled upon grave, and being in no hurry
to enter the new house, he sat on the top
most rail of the fench with his GUN across
his knees, and fell to dreaming. The
| long, narrow mound had sunken deep,
| the meadow flowers were only now re-
gaining life at its trampled edges. There
was no name. Wag thought it might be
Ludwig; the tones of that disconsolate
accordion might, like the Lorelei's, have
lured him on to destruction. Or the lamp
of Antone's eye might have licked out,
and he lay with that shirt front at last
right side foremost, under the sod and the
dew. A man who could not take time to
meet his family after a two-yearsa separa-
ton, could not be expected to spare valua-
BILE time to bury away his cowboys in
civilized communities.
The sight of all this newness and pros
perity fell on Wag like a pail. He had
expected to drop into. the quiet, dreamy
| spot just as he had left it, but pulling
himself together he approached the
prison.
Gus was silent for mere want of words
| of warm welcome. He beamed, he
glowed, he almost embraced his visitor.
He tread gingerly on the three-ply car
pets; he had discarded the comfortable
old pipe and affected cigars. Gretchen
forgotten him; that was an additional
stab.
''Gratchen, little gal, go tell you mama
| to come"
Gretchen battered Off, and Wag's hopes
rose slightly. A woman came, bowling
and blushing, in. Where had he seen
those eyes and hair? The same yet not
coarseness stamped on every feature.
Seeing his bewildered stare, Gus ex-
| planned in lucid manner:
you tink Won Marie already? She
been dead yet. goes to Germany right
away off. Marie's seester, she marry me
and come NIT me home. Oh, va, va, we
been already rich, amt it, Katrine2"
! .Wag made his way out through the
phalanx of imported cousins, aunts and
uncles who were rushing here and there
like disturbed hill Of ants, carrying
pals of frothy milk, and pausing at the
emily, muttering, "The little gray-eyed
frau was worthy of a better fate. 1 be-
lieve / loved her after all. Come on.