Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-08-11
AN ILLUMINATION.

AN ILLUMINATION.
The rocking chair in it's perfection is
/ found only III its native land, America
The European variety of the species is
but a tolerable imitation, having nei-
| ther the comfort nor the elegance of the
original article Still there are rock
ing chairs in Europe, and company in
| Austria turns out very good semblances
indeed of bert wood with cane trim
/ mings
/ l was the first one out from the big
/ hotel to the terrace in front, and there
/ fore had my choice CT all the chairs
scattered SO profusely around, and if
/ none Of them was so good as the big red
rocking chair Of the American hotel ve-
randa, yet the Austrian article standing
empty teside the little round metal ia
bic was rot to he despised, SO l sat
down III it and lit my cigarette The
waiter, who had followed me out, bring
ing q cup Ct black coffee, now poured
out liquor glass Of the aromatic, pen
etratirg green decoction, pouring it SO
deity that it came exactly to the brim
and did rot spill drop.
have always admired the expertness
of the European waiter, either with cof-
fec or the more expensive monkish liq-
uor.
There was n small hedge at the edge
of the terrace, ard thought had tax
en- the last seat toward the western end,
but found was mistaken. Behind me
on the, terrace was a gray green bush,
the hotel lights stood another round
metal table and two chairs.
Two young girls came down the hotel
steps with their arms around each other
in the confidential fashion of young
persons still in their teens. They were
aged 90 or Whereabouts, and they took
their places behind the bush, apparent
ly not noticing that / was within hear
ing distance. BY this time many people
We're coming out i'll twos and thrces and
little groups, ard many began walking
about the gravelcd terrace, the wise,
however, securing good places at tho
little tables before the rush for seats be-
gan.
The deep gorge of the Rhine had fill
ed with darkness, which the thin crest
Of the silver moon hanging in the sky
had not light enough to penetrate. just
before going to dinner ! had noticed
how lovely this gorge was, with the Geep
Wv facl-oI Will, x--l,i
from the falls and tho many tints of
its surface rejecting back the splendm
Of the sunset sky. Now all this was
gone, but almost directly below us tho
Rhine falls showed white and feecy in
the gathering darkness. We were some
| hundreds of feet above them, | their
roar came up to US like the long sus-
tanned note Of an organ.
The falls of the Rhine arc the great
est i'll Europe, bat You can't expect a
man brought up on Niagara to wax very
enthusiastic about them. Still l will
say this-that they are very pretty little
falls about co feet i'll height, more like
rapids than cataracts. but probably it
would not be quite safe. to shoot these
Rhine rapids i'll u canoe. haven't very
much respect for them, but they were
pretty and white and feecy and fragile
as looked down on them from the ter
race of the big hotel.
"You see, Z" said one of the girls from
behind tho bush, las soon as her par
ents realized how serious the case was
they took her at once to Switzerland "
"Ah, said | to myself, "some poor
invalid who came here with the hope of
getting well. and who probably staid to
die .
"Her father left the strictest iniunc-
tons that no ono was to know where
they Were None of the people at the
office knew where the family had gone
except the confidential clerk, who for
warded the letters -
"Bnt why" said the other girl,
ibid they como to SO public place as
the Rhine falls? should have thought
they would have been sure to have been
found out "
mo- said the other girl, who mus.
have been quito 81 years old and WIG
knew great deal, of course, "Noi the
right way when you are hiding is to Sc
to the most,public place you can. 1t il
always in the most out of the way
places that You find people you don't
want to meet.
"Oh, hoi' said to myself 1T is
not a case Of illness then. 1t looks more
like case o. defalcation or something
of that sort. y
They took those rooms with the long
balcony in front, and they had all their
meals served there often saw the poor
girl sitting on the balcony. for they
never allowed her to go out, but watch
ed her like a couple Of old cats. think
they expected her to forget in the midst
of scenery like this, but it was quite
evident that she forgot nothing.
AS if, :" said the younger girl, with
soRle indignation in her yoice-''as If
tho sight Of the Rhine falls would make
mp for the sight of the person one loves. :"
"Ah." said I to myself, with soma
disappointment. sit is neither q case of
consumption nor defalcatlon, but meres
l. an affair of the heart.
OF course / lost interest i'll the con-
yersation at once and coughed lightly
to let them know was there, but at
that moment the big globe containing
the carbons for the arc light began to
hiss and SHUTTER over our heads. and
finally it flooded all the terrace with the
steely white illumination Of electricity.
The girls shrieked '..Ohr' at this sudden
brilliancy, but went on with their talk.
AMI how did he find out where they
were:" asked the younger girl.
''Oh, i'll the most ingenious way, !"
replied the elder. HE tried to bride
the people in the Office, and, believe,
fpent lot of money. but no one knew
where they were except the confidential
clerk, and Of course there was no use in
attempting to bride him. Then the
young man remembered that the girl
had told him her father, who was Q
strong party man, always took the
Bunkum Gazette, no matter in what
part of Europe he was, SO he went to
the Bunlzum Gazette office and said to
| the clerk.