The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-06-11

been in the big city for three days, his
son appeared, and, greatly to my relief,
took old man Smith off my hands.
The second day, when the old man
seemed to come TO a realization that
didn't want to make anything out of
him, he became confidential and spoke
feelingly of the shortcomings of his
son. He strongly urged me to meet
the young man, acquire an influence
over him if possible, and use that in
| fuence for good. In other words, try
TO induce young Smith to return to
bis sawmill. l had no intention of in
terfering in a matter that did not con-
| Germ me, and, furthermore, | had a
most ardent desire not to meet the son,
who, if he were anything like his father,
would undoubtedly prove most I'M
mitigated bore. The meeting, how
ever, was not to be avoided. and l was
only a few minutes in his company
when l understood that the sawmill in
the west would have to jig along as well
as it could without his supervision.
Smith, Jr., proved to be a dreamy,
gentlemanly, well-educated young man,
who was quite evidently born 300 years
| urUcr MS time. ne was mica WITH Ter
man legendary lore and romance, and
often with German wine as WELL for
both of which he had great liking
| There was nothing of the money-malier
about him, and when it came to spend
ing the coin he was as lavish as his ia,
tier was parsimonious.
This was several years ago. I had C
| letter from him recently saying that
his father had passed to his fathers:
that the mills had been made into a linn
tied company, and young Smith found
himself possessed of several millions, as
a consequence of which he had just pur-
chased the castle of Hoenzugwalder-
grabenstien, the cellars of which he had
been busily engaged in filing with the
celebrated wines of that name. | be-
lieve some sort of title goes with the
castle, so | suppose the name of Smith
will sink into oblivion.
| said to Smith once that it was a re-
markable thing that a man who was
| so fond of ancient castles and monas-
teries should have been born in lum-
her town on Lake Superior. He looked
across the table at me with mild sur
prise in his eyes.
"Bless you," he said, Il was not born
in lumber town, but in st. Goar on
the Rhine"
knew by this time that Smith was
unblushing in his statements. so l an
swered with some sharpness:
"Why, you told me two years ago
that Turpentineville was your native
place"
"Oh, it was then" he nonchalantly
replied.
But hang it," I cried. "you can /
change your native place, whatever else
you may get rid of. a man may change
his nationality, but not his native
| place"
"Oh, cant hep" said Smith. "You are
mistaken in that, as you are in many
things
This is how it happened. A few
months ago | was taking a walk along
the Rhine. | sometimes like to visit
the places frequented by tourists, as
well as the more remote localities. On
! this particular evening | started after
dinner to walk from Boppard to St.
! Goar. The road between the two towns
mostly runs along the edge of the water,
although it sometimes crosses the rail
way, but usually gets back as quickly
as possible to its place between the
river and the rails. 1t was a beautiful
ly clear moonlight night, and it must
have been somewhere near half-past
ten o'clock when | came around the
bend of the river below St. Goar, and
saw the moonbeams strike the old cas-
tie of Rheinfels which stands so males
tically above the town, turning the walls
of the ancient castle into pure white
marble. It was a striking scene; the
moonlight glittering in the water; the
opposite hills in deep shadow, while the
venerable castle stood out far above me
like some creation of fairyland. AS
neared the entrance to the town saw
half a dozen men, or more. standing
together on the road in the moonlight.
Coming closer to them, one man stood
out in advance of the others and said ::
Pardon me, but have you ever been
in st. Goar before?'
81 answered that had passed it both
by rail and by steamer, but that had
never been in the village itself.
THAT is enough said my inquisi-
tor: then turning to the others, who
nodded as he spoke, added: The
stranger then belongs to us
The men closed around me. Twas
not in any way alarmed, as we were
TOO close to the village for any rob-
berry or maltreatment to take place, but
I asked the spokesman where they were
going to take me.
"'To the custom house. he said
shortly.
"'Oh,' l said, then you are customs
officials? l thought at first you were
merely ordinary footpads.'
eve are neither one nor the other.
he replied. and if you answer truth
fully whatever questions are put, no
harm will come to you
This at once put my mind at ease,
for | remembered that l had never
told lie in my life. On entering TIL"
town it seemed as if everybody had
gone to bed, early as il was in the even
ing, and stopping beside the custom