Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-10-03


onmenL / need hardly teu my ea6er,
that they do these things differently l.
Germany than with Us. / could easily
afford TO be generous with o;ter peop le :,
money and did not mean to see rhs
countess suffer for hotel bill Ringing
the bell told the waiter 20 bring me
some dinner and bottle of wine The
countess looked very uneasy over nv
order. Of late years she had seen life
from the seamy side and had observed
so much of the falseneSs and cruelty of
men that she had apparently lost all
faith in them and no doubt thought me
an adventurer, ore who might possibly
dine and order expensive wines. leaving
her 20 face an angry landlord While
dinner was being prepared she told ne
she was in the greatest distress, had net
even single kreutzer to pay postage.
and, worst Of all, was owing for two
weeks board. She had no means 10 fiy.
no place to fly to, and if she remained
incarceration awaited her
She had }or weeks been writing ev-
eEyNvhere 10 every one she had known.
former lovers, distant hn. long neglect
ed relatives. The result--tiead ST ileuee.
no response from anywhere. She at last
was alone, caught in the worlds great
snare, with no friendly hand ss sh4l-
ter or to save. Il was sight to read
thia Evehan's face. There swept over it
all the conflicting waves Of regrets over
might have bcens and the gloomy shades
of despair Both proprietor and wsitor
appeared to set the teblei Il was FOR
one, but wipegiasses for two were
brought unsolicited They were on.
ciously anxious to please your high
ness" as they christened me.
The countess sat looking sloo1nily out
of the windoW across the Rhine, while
! watched her face until an infinite pity
for the shipwrecked soul filed my mind
Dismissing the waiter, went 10 the
window, and. standing by her chair,
said. "pon't Worry any more, countess;
| will pay your bill = AT the same
time, drawing from TN inner pocket Il
book crammed with notes, placed sew
en- 100 thaler notes in her lap, saying,
''This one is for yoar board BILL and tie
ether -iE are for your pocket money.
need not attempt TO picture her amaze
ment and delight Certainly no woman
was ever more grateful, We had log
conversation, and was talking to her
like brother. Perhaps had she still
been beautiful and young my manner
and language might have been less
hrotherly. l told her she had danced and
A.,% 81. 4. a
toll, and suggested she should go -
Brussels, which is ever thronged with
tourists, where her knowledge Of Ian
guages and hon, sayoir faire could ba
made available in one of the many shops
where gimcracks are sold to travellers. 1
advised her to Qfer small premium for
a position. This she said she would d
In saying goodby promised to see
her again the next night. but found n
telegram awaiting me ON my arrival ut
my hotel which called me to meet two
of my companions at Calais, and wa
forced to leave by an early train. Tie
next time | saw the countess was In
Newgate, Sho visited me there and
was in perfect despair bver my position
and her inability TO serve me. For those
who may care to know more of her |
viii say that, following my advice, she
went to Brussels and obtained posi-
ton in II tourist exchange and within a
year married the proprietor, who was
councilman and man of considerable
local importance. She made him good
wife and became true mother to his
five daughters. When he died he made
her guardian both of them and of his
wealth. She became very religious and
to the last was devout member of the
Roman church. She died in 1856, Is
years after the episode at Bieberich. Her
ashes rest in the little graveyard of the
Convent des S9urs dc Ste. Agnes, OH
the Charleroi road, two miles from the
city, and ON her monument is engraved: /:
TO ELIZABETH. :
The Beloved Wife, Pious and True. She +: