Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-06-21
CHAPTER MI.

CHAPTER MI.
TIE pISA0&EEABLE MAN MAKES LOAN.
The Dutchman was buried in the little
cemetery which faced the hospital. Ma
rie's tin wreath was placed on the grave.
And there the matter ended. The kur-
haus guests recovered from their depres-
sion; the German baroness returned to her
buoyant vulgarity; the little danseuse to
her busy hirtations. The French mar
chioness, celebrated in Partisan circles for
her domestic virtues from which she was
now taking n holiday, and very consid-
cradle holiday, too, gathered her nerves to-
gether ;gain and took renewed pleasure in
the society of tho Russian gentleman. The
French marchioness had already been re-
quostcd to leave three other hotels in Pc
tershof, but it was not at all probable that
the proprictors of the kurhaus would have
presumed to measure madaIne's morality
or immortality. The Kurhaus committee
had benign indulgence for humanity
provided, of course, that humanity had E
purse-an indulgence which some of the
English hotels would not have done badly
to initiate. There wits story afloat con-
corning the English quarter that tired
little English lady, of no Importance to
look ut probably not rich and probably
not handsome, came to the most respecta-
bic hotel in Pctershof, thinking to find
there the peace and quiet which her wea-
rincss required.
But no one knew who the little lady
was, whence she had come and why. She
kept entirely to herself and was thankful
for the luxury of loneliness after somo
overwhelming sorrow.
1, a
proprietor of the hotel was distressed, but
he could not do otherwise than comply
with the demands of his guests.
ut is not known who you are, made
moiscllc,'' he said and you are not ap-
proved of. You English arc curious poo
pie. But what can l do? You have u
cheap room and are II stranger to me Tho
others have expensive apartments and
come year after year. You see my posi-
ton, madcmoisclleS l am sorry"
So the little tired lady had to go. That
was how the story went. 1t was not known
what became of her. but it was known
that the English people in the kurhaus
tried to persuade her to come to them.
But she had lost heart and left in distress
This could not have happened in the
Kurhaus, where all were received ON equal
terms, those about whom nothing was
known and those about whom too much
was known. The strange mixture and the
contrasts of character afforded endless
scope for observation and amusement, and
Bcrnardinc who was daily becoming moro
interested in her surroundings, felt that
she would have been sorry to have OK
changed her present abode for tho English
quarter. The amusing part of it was that
the English people III the knrhaus were
regarded by their compatriots III the Eng
fish quarter us sheep of the BLACKLIST dye!
This was AL the more ridiculous because
with two cXcCptions--firstly, of Mrs Ref
fold, who took nearly all her pleasures
with the American colony III the Grand
hotel, and, secondly, of II Scotch widow
who had returned to Pctcrshof to weep over
her husbands grave, but put away her
grief together with her widows weeds,
and consolcd herself with Spanish gen
tlcman--with these two exceptions, the
little English community in the kurhaus
was most humdrum and harmless, being
occupied, as in the "asc of the Disagreed
bic Man. with cameras and cheese mites,
or in other cases with the still moro en-
crossing pastimc of taking care of ones i'll
health, whether real or fancied, but yet
an innocent hobby in itself and giving one
absolutely no leisure to do anything worse
"a great recommendation for any pastime.
This was not Bernardines occupation.
1t was difficult to say what She did with
herself. for she had not yet followed Rob
ert Allitscn's advice and taken up some
definite work, and the very fact that she
had no such wish pointed probably to
state Of health which forbade it.
She naturally SO keen and hardworking,
was content 70 take what the hour brought,
and the hour brought various things.
Chess with the Swedish professor, or Rus
sian dominoes with the shriyclcd up little
Polish govcrncss who always tried TO cheat
and who clutched her tiny winnings with
precisely the same grcediness shown by
the Monte Carlo female gamblers. Or the
hour brought stroll with the French
danscuse and her poodle, and converse
ton about the mere triyialitics Of life,
which year or two, or even few months
ago. Bernardinc would have condemned as
beneath contempt but which were now
taking their rightful place in her new
standard Of importanees, for some ma
lures learn. with greater difficulty and aft
er greater delay than others, that the real
importanccs of our existence are the moth
ingnesses Of everyday life, tie nothing
nesses which the philosopher in his study,
reasoning about and analyzing human
character, Is apt to overlook, but which
nevertheless make him and every one else
more OF human reality and less Of an alb
straction. And Bernardine, hitherto occu-
pied with so called intellectual pursuits,
with problems Of the study. Of no value 10
the great world outside the study, or with
social problems Of the great world, great
movements and great questions, was now
just beginning 10 appreciate the value OF
the little incidents Of that same great
world. Or the hour brought its own
thoughts. and Bernarriine found herself
constantly thinking Of the Disagreeable
Ian, always in SORROW and always with