The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-12-21

livery was never mauG TOR Sucn
strain as he had given it in his fall,
aud showed, in consequence, openings
which Stabilinsky would not for his
life have exposed to the gaze of the
company. Like Moltke, he had skill
fully made his retreat at a moment
when the enemy's attention was di-
verted.
Dinner was followed by dancing.
The assessor shrugged his shoulders
and looked for his hat, but Maud,
who dearly loved to dance, glanced
beseechingly at him. He hesitated a
moment, and then said: eff you are
willing, Miss Darlington, and if you
will excuse my lack of skill, l will
gladly dance with you"
The strains of polka filled the
room. and the whole company stood
speechless as the assessor, the woman
hater, stepped out with Maud to
dance. 1t was easily seen that he was
unacquainted with the most approved
forms, but with perfect coolness he
put his arm around his little friend,
placed her hand at his back-a GUS
tom not permitted in the best society
and started off. The loOkers-on
could not refrain from smiling, and
wicked little sub-lieutenant ex-
claimed as he let fall his monocle:
" Pom my word! it looks as if a soda
wafer were dancing with maca-
ROOM
Kahlbaum scarcely noticed the at
tention which he had excited. He
was now fully occupied with the
pretty young girl, who was managing
to make herself very agreeable to
him. Where were all his well-ground
ed principles against women in gen
eral and marriage in particular?
Why was this woman different from
all others? He pressed the soft, white
hand more closely to him. Maud
uttered a cry. The assessor looked
down at her, and seeing how pale she
was, led her to an adjoining room,
placed her in chair, and fastened
to bring a glass of water. Maud's
sister and the hostess We're soon at
her side, overwhelming her with ques-
tions. She answered only that she
was not we'll, that she would like to
go home.
On thei-- way home, Maud refused
any exp alton of her sudden faint
ness; but once in her chamber alone
with her sister, great tears gathered
in her LIE eyes as she threw her
arms a,G,.nd her sister and STAN
mered:
"Now know why he hates us,-why
he has sworn never to marry. He is
a cripple,-he wears a splint at his
back"
Frau Won Kesselschmidt looked at
her sister in SpeechlesS amazement,
and repeated automatically: "a splint
at his back?" AS Maud wept more
and more bitterly, however, she tried
to awaken another train of thought:
"Why, my darling little sister, sure
ly so soon you cannot have"
'But 1 felt it." sobbed Maud. "He
is cripple. He laid my hand at his
back as we darced, and then II felt
the splint. 1t is frightful. He will
never marry, and I-I-" she hid
her face on her sisters shoulder.
During this scene, Kahlhaum lay
upon a sofa in his comfortable room,
blowing tEoughtfully into the air birlr
rings from his Havana. Suddenly he
exclaimed with a somewhat Ioiced
laugh: "What fool to go back Or
all your theories! AS though all
women-folk were not of the same
hysterical, faithless set. Miss CARING
ton seems reasonable, yet she is just
like the rest. Away with them all!'
Frau Won Kesselschmidt. Maud, and
the assessor passed a restless night.
The first fell asleep toward morning
with satisfied smile and her favor
ite, '"That will do" on her lips Maud
had, indeed, soon fallen asleep after
the excitement of the evening, but she
was tormentad with frightful dreams.
Kahlbaum. after Il wakeful night,
left his house in the gray light of
early dawn. just as the lOng-drawn
tones of the rcycilie sounded through
the slumbering city. His head was
heavy, he felt oppressed. He knew
that, in spite of his nights struggle,
a change, which twenty-fOur hours
before he would have thought impos-
sible, had taken place within him, and
he sought in nature to regain his lost
self. In vain. He heard on all sides
the tender love-song of the wild dove,
and shutting his ears, he found him
self watching thcughtfully the grace
full springs of two squirrels chasing
each other from branch to branch.
"Why not dare such a spring and win
that happiness so dear to the poet?
Can it be wholly imaginary? No, no.
her good, true eyes" And with
these words he lighted a cigar and
walked thoughtfully back to his
rooms.
A soldiers house is early astir
While Kahlbaum was wandering
about in the park, making good res
olutions, little Frau Won Kesselschmidt
was sitting before her desk writing to
each of the ladies present at the din
ner of the previous day. There was
to be ball at the Casino on the fol-
lowing evening, but she invited them
to drink coffee with her that after
noon. Before 10 O'Clock, Stabilinsky
returned with the acceptance of all
the ladies' and the assurance from the
baker that the inevitable cream cake
should be ait hand punctually at
o'clock.
At the ladies began to arrive.
These gossiping little assemblies were,
in truth, a perfect horror to our little
English friend; but making a virtue
OF necessity, she tried to entertain her
guests as well as she could. Maud
did not appear. Her presence had
been forbidden, under the pretext that
she needed rest if she intended to be
present at the Casino ball.
The usual fa1 cy-work had been
brought forth, the servant-girl ques-
ton had been exhausted, the sister of
the mayors wife had been unanimous
ly condemned for the capital crime of
smoking cigarette in her garden,
great breaches had already appeared
in the cake basket, when the hostess