The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-02-22
CHAPTER !.

arV night Herr fr.cdrlch W ach muth.
wine merchant of Warren street, sat
1T dinner with his family at his nome
In otuyye3ant square. A pOrtly and
placid man, nJt subject to violent ex-
ercise OF the emotions, Herr Wacns-
muth was calmly devoted to three
things in life and respected 4 fourth.
The three things to which be was de-
voted were his niece, the Fraulein
Minna W&chsmuth: his son Heinrich.
and the table: and he respected the
wine business. In all four OF their di-
rcc;iOns his feelings may be said to
have been warrantable. The Fraulein
Mirna.. beautiful and accomplished,
was uncJuivocally worthy OF devotion:
his son Heinrich was u generally ami
able youth in good health: the table he
put his lcgs under he always made
sure was prcad VITA the best: and the
wine business. in the twenty years of
his connection wit it in New York.
had bro chit to him a comic. tabc
fortune.
\ sigh Of satisfaction escaped from
behind the napkin of Herr Wach-lnuth
a. he smoOthcd it down with deliberate
movement above his rounded front.
He had Just finished pudding. Hi!
glance fell upon his glass of amber
wine. travelled thence to the shaded
lamp. wandered on to the tai lOrcc,ain
stove in the corner. fingered Il moment
upon the snug curtainin"s Of the win
dows. passed lightly along row OF en-
Cravings Of the ith ne castle. ON the
wall. and br ught up at the point from
which it started the softly Illuminated
face of hi pretty niece.
IF YIcx Martcrsteig is As handsome
as his father was there will bc need to
look out for you" said Herr Wachs
muth. bc:srHing in Il way which declared
al utter lack Of sincerity in his prOpO-
sition. Many's the night I've lain
awake fearing your poor aunt should
be the Frau Nicholas, Martcrsteig. and
to this day | believe she would have
been if led asked her. If Heinrich.
here. ever comes to be as .jealc us Us
Alex on your account Il, was of Nick
on your aunt's. shall pity the boy.
Eh, ilcinrich?'
Her tVachsmuth wa, Enthusiastically
jOcosc. h,,t Heinrich seemed serious.
Is Herr Martcr,tcig handsome,
Heinrich" asked his cousin, laugh
ing.
Not if l am - Judge. returned Helm
rich. with ST. me IA, Gritty. He looks
to me like doll lilo /, starched up
so he can't turn his head. He wears
French heels on his boot, like woman.
and his trousers are SO tight I think
he would rather stand up than sit
down"
How awful" cried Minna But that
is the German fashion, you know. Does
he wax his mustache. Heinrich:"
YES, he does,' returned the youth,
shortly. you could use it for pins
And he wears a single eyeg ass. like
the Englishman that's having his
pocket picked in the wax-wOrks."
HE has been III the university and
in the army" said the wine merchant.
whose cigar was now glowing His
father was in GOttingen before him.
and he was Il coxcomb, too. He fought
forty ducls, and he read poetry t. your
aunt in such a way that it was no won
der was Jealous"
II wonder if Alex loves poetry" said
the Fraulcin Minna. with reflective
air.
No douht.' hlurted her cousin. That
will just plea you, won it,
Il don't know returned Alinna. "A
man with Il Jingle eyeg!ass would have
to read Heine very char.uingly.I think.
in or,.er TO touch me. Will you rea! a
little poetry to me this evening, Helm
rich
That was a malicious stroke. If Min
MI had asked her cousin to get her Il
seat on Il crowded Coney Island boat. or
to tell her the score in a ball game, or
the winner 1T MOnmOth Park. he could
have accommodated her with alacrity
and ease. But he had no more under
standin" of poetry than lie had Of the
cuneifoa.m inscriptions. He had been
reared in Il German atmosphere, had
srent five years in Il Han ,verian gym
nasium much against his inclination
and was as devoid Of ideality as his
father and Us American as though the
WachSmuths had been among the pas
sengers on the May:lower. He was in
love with his cousin. but not at all be-
cause their sympathies ran in the same
channel. Minna, who spent fifteen If
the eighteen years Of her life in Ger
many. was essentially German III body
and mind-blComing. fair-haired. blue
eyed. gentle and sentimental. with a
certain amount OF self-pos>esSion and
sprightl!nc>s not common in the Ger
man girl. and which MAJ have been
the American contribution to her
charming characteristics. She was not
in love with her cousin, aud although
the wine merchant and his son may
have been blind to them. there were
several reasons WHY it was natural that
she should not pe cnamored of Heinrich.
He was only II. for one thing. and the
lS-year-old woman is not apt to look III
to the l9-year-old man: and for another
thing. he was a good three inches
shorter than his cousin, who alway-
felt like giving him her arm and hand
ing him into horse ears when they were
out io-erher. Add to this that he
found almost his entire literature in
the sporting and theat zeal columns o
the newspapers. ami that he would
have had to think TO tell the di.ferenc.
between blank verse and rhyme. and i
will seem not altogether strange tha
nlhha, Young ersoi IaluIIIar WIZ