Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-12-16
RUDOLPH.
BIZ NARY ". sEELEY.
[Copyright 1895, by the Author.l


iating others. His bright, dark eyes
were fastened upon me as he slipped
from the enc seat into the other, say
ing: The war it was that made SO,
was not? The emperor is bigger than
the king. They want the German-the
German enc to be big. my father say.
Wicklow it come done-what Herr
Bismarck do?''
The child sat On the edge of tie
bench, bending toward me as he poured
forth. his questions. as if the major part
Of his young life had hitherto been
spent in fruitless search for the facts
of the German consolidation. listen
cd, divided Eetwixt admiration and
terror. Needless to say l did not find
time % satisfy all his exhaustive uues-
tioninss, but told him to come and gee
me after school, and we would see what
we could do. Before the class was dis
missed l found that there was nothing
very special in Rudolph's interest in
the emperor and Bismarck; that he
brought this same Unsuitable curiosity.
this same large, intelligent comprehen-
sion Of the existence Of uncomprehend-
ed causes, to other subjects.
Before noon was enjoying quite q
delightful small excitement about the
child. What SC thrilling as discovery,
and what discovery so thrilling as to
find mind? Rudolph came into two
more classes, one in spelling, where he
was recklessly and hopelessly rational
and consistent, and enc struggling with
the tedium of long division, where ne
was SLOW, patient and sorely afflicted.
AT noon my little brief authority end
ed. left Rudolph Liungins about the
playground in game Of base, rather
clumsy, something Of butt in the
sport, and perfectly hearty and good ma
tured.
Before he came to me in the after.
noon I had learned something about
him. He was known among the men of
our household, l found, through his
habit of hanging around" where any
talk about the mines was going On,
and, oddly enough, because of his nota-
. bly, courteous ways at the postoffice and
the store, places where the miners were
given to tacitly asserting their supe-
riority to all other classes. His father
and mother were Germans, was first
told, but Jim, small cousin, said the
father was ''half Eyetalian," and fur
Their informed mo that Rudolph was
mo good'-that he couldn't catch a
ball.
But he's very nice and good ma
tured, isn't hep inquired, weakly
longing to hear only praises of my dis
covery.
Ny young man stared. "Yaw," he
drawled in uncomprehending derision
and disappeared around the corner of
the porch on his hands.
was sitting on the porch when Ru-
dolph came, Il little awkward, bat with
al much more pleased than shy, stop.
ping to wipe his bare feet On the grass,
and before he was fairly under the roof
taking off his shapeless rag of a hat,
with bright smile Of greeting. had
gathered together some old illustrated
sian war. He fell upon them.
81 before one did see, long time
1t had a picture of another emperor,
Max-Maximilian? He that was killed,
is it not go? How-how could that come
when he was emperor? Was no not the
biggest?''
Rudolph soon recognized the necessi-
ty of limiting his field of research and
began TO put me through a most ex-
haustive examination OH Franco-Ger-
man politics. He did not find me alto
gether satisfactory. My knowledge was
too superficial and too qualified. He
caught continually at main lines Of
causation, which could Re followed on
| ly by going far afield. &.
why wished the French emperor to
| fight?' he finally asked, with touch of
sternness, when / had tried to describe
the diplomatic pretenses by which the
war was precipitated.
People Thought that he was afraid
the French nation were getting tired Of
him, that they might begin to ask again
why he should be emperor, and so he
wanted to give them something else to
think about and TO please them by max
ing them Victorious
Rudolph rendered. "You know not
surely
"No, Of course lie would not saw
things like that, nor would the men
who worked for him even if they be
lleved they knew his thoughts
1t must been something that way,
Is 1t net: You think it would been bet
ter he not try and he smart so:'' He sat
with bis crimv little forefincer on a