The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-07-26

UI1hU S0t anu LIduc WoAo w w AhRAAsS1 ~
a months time. And the Disagreeable
Man, much to Bernardine's amazement
drew from his pocket small parcel, which
he conflded to Liza's care. Every one
pressed round her while she opened 1t and
found what she had so often wished for, a
silver watch and chain.
Zach" she cried, 'show heavenly How
all the girls here will envy mel How an
CRY my dear friend Susanna will bel"
Then there were the photographs to be
examined.
Liza looked with stubborn disapproval
on the pictures of herself in her working
dress, but she did not conceal hor admira-
tion of the portraits which showed her to
the world in her best flnery.
"Ach," she cried, this is something
like photograph"
Tho Disagreeable Man grunted, but be-
haved after the fashion of a hero, claim
ing, however little silent sympathy from
Bernardine.
1t was pleasant, homely scene, and
Bernardine, who felt quite at her ease
among these people, chatted away with
them as though she had known them all
her life.
Then Frau Steinhart suddenly renem-
bered that her guests needed some food,
and Liza was dispatched to her duties as
| cook, though it was some time before she
| could be induced to leave off looking at the
| photographs.
Take them with you, Liza said the
Disagreeable Man. "Then we shall get
our meal all the quicker
She ran off, laughing, and finally Bernar-
dine found herself alone with Catharina.
Liza is very happy she said to Ber-
nardine. 'She loves and is loved"
''That Is the greatest happiness, Ber-
nardine said half to herself
"Fraulein knows9" Catharina asked ca
| gerly.
.Bernardine looked wistfully at her COM
panion.
mo, Catharina," she said. II have
only heard and read and seem"
"Then you cannot understand" Catha-
rina said almost proudly. But under
stand"
She spoke no more after that, but took
up her knitting and watched Bernardine
! playing with the kittens. She was play
ing with the kittens, and she was thinking,
| and all the time she felt conscious that
| this peasant woman, stricken in mind
and body, was plying her because that
great happiness of loving and being loved
had not come into her life 1t had seemed
something apart from her. She had never
even wanted it. She had wished to stand
alone, like little rock out at sea.
And now?
In few minutes the Disagreeable Man
and she sat down to their meal. In spite
| of her excitement Liza managed to pre-
pare everything nicely, though when she
was making the omelette aux fines herbes
she had to be kept guarded lest she might
run off to have another look at the silver
watch and the photographs of herself in
her finest frock!
Then Bernardine and Robert Allitsen
drank to the health of Hans and Liza, and
then came the time of reckoning. When
he was paying the bill Frau Steinhart
having given him the change, said coax
ingly:
Last time you and fraulein each paid
share; today you pay it all. Then perhaps
you are betrothed at last dear Herr Allit-
sen' Ach, how the old hausfrau wishes
you happiness! Who deserves to be happy
If 1t is not our dear Herr Allitsenf"
"You have given me 20 centimes too
much, . he said quietly. You have your
head SO full of other things that you can
not reckon properly
But seeing that she looked troubled lest
she might have offended him he added
quickly:
when am betrothed, good little old
house mother, you shall be the first to
know"
And she had to be content with that.
She asked no more questions Of either of
them, but she was terribly disappointed.
There was something little comical in
her disappointment, but Robert Allitsen
was not amused at it as he had been on a
former occasion. AS he leaned back in
the sledge, with the same girl for his COM
panion, he recalled his feelings. He had
been astonished and amused, and perhaps
little shy, and great deal relieved that
she had been sensible enough to be amused
tCo.
And now?
They had been constantly together for
many months. He who had never cared
before for companionship had found him
self turning more and more to her.
And now he was going to lose her.
He looked up once or twice to make sure
that she was still by his side she sat there
30 quietly. At last he spoke in his usual
gruff way
"Have you exhausted all your eloquence
In your oration about learned womenP he
asked.
mo, am reserving 1t for better au-
dience," she answered, trying to be bright.
But she was not bright.
Il believe you came out to the country
today to seek for cheerfulness," he said
after pause. Have you found it9"
II do not know" she said. 1T takes
me some time to recover from shocks, and
Mr.. Reffold's death was a sorrow to me.
What do you think about deathS Have
you any theories about life and death and
the bridge between them? Could you say
anything to help onea"
Nothing" he answered. "Who coulds
And by what meansy"
Has there been no value In philoso-
phy," she asked, land the meditations Of
learned menu
Philosophy he sneered. "What has
it done for uss 1t has taught US some
processes of the minds working, taught
us few wonderful things which interest
the few, but the centuries have come and
gone, and the only thing which the whole
human race pants to know remains un-
known. Our beloved ones, shall we meet
them and how2-the great secret of the uni
verse. We ask for bread, and these phi
losophers give US a stone. What help could