The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-18

Little by little Newhill wrung from
her the story of her sorrow. While he
was in the restaurant a German lieu
tenant in uniform and Bohemian re-
! serve lieutenant had bent toward her
and exclaimed:
"Ah, but she is a stunning creature!'
To which the reserve lieutenant mad
added.
: "An English bird of PARADISE perhaps
she would go back to Prague with me-
The officer had emphasized his remark
with leer and bow.
Newhill took the young woman in red
to her door. Then he FASTENED back to
the City park. An American friend
there knew something of the trouble
for he had noticed the officers apparent
ly flirting with the girl in red. He said
he could recognize the two men, but
: they had gone There was a long chase
in and about Heidelberg for the two of
GERS. Finally the Bohemian was found
alone in the restaurant on the Castle
Terrace Newhill walked up to rthe
table at which the officer sat and began
speaking to him. The Bohemian rose.
Newhill related what had happened in
the City park and demanded an apol-
ogy. The officer bursting with insult
ed dignity, refused to give one. That
was about all there was of it, except
that NeWhill staggered the officer with
blow on the forehead bowled him
over with another blow on the jaw, and,
in response to a rush of persons more
or less unconcerned, scattered abroad
caseful of visiting cards. The officer
gave no signs of interest in passing
events, and so Newhill returned to his
quarters in the Villa Berghem, at the
; lower end of the town, to which he
; had moved recently. He recollected
that he had told somebody he would be
, at home from II to II o'clock the next
day. He kept his word, and punctually
at 11O1 he received call from a lieu
tenant of massive proportions. Evil
; IDENTIFY the largest man in the garrison
had been selected to deal with the
North American savage. swords with
out bandages," was the burden of the
lieutenants message, the privilege OF
raising the weapons to pistols being
left to Newhill. After some beating
about the bush Newhil said he wouldn't
hght not that he was afraid of the out
come If he should; he was willing to
demonstrate his qualifications by going
at once with his caller to the tennis
court behind the house and pinSing
half dollar on the first shot. However,
he thought the reserve officer had been
things as they We're. 1t was not GUS
tomary in America to fight duels, and,
. as an American, he felt able to take care
of himself anywhere in the American
fashion. The officer demonstrated, but
, in vain. Then he told Newhill that
such conduct was ungentlemanly. New
, hill thereupon walked to the door, threw
, it open, and pointed to it, in mute invi-
tation to the lieutenant to so If he
could not restrain his tongue. The lieu
tenant evidently thought that more vio-
lence was coming. Tor with the an
nouncement that his person was inviCl-
able and that Newhill would be chas-
tised in the street, he went out. New
hill replied, Il guess not" and went
down to luncheon
Newhill thought at first that he had
:, trumphed but he must have had seri-
Gus misgivings during the week i'm
mediately following the encounter, al
=, though he did not confess them
, Wherever he went he was frowned on.
If he played billiards at Haeberlins,
corps students and officers scowled at
, him from the coffee tables. If he went
to the little city theater, dark looks met
I his eyes whenever he raised them. II
f he lounged late along the street men
q stopped and whispered behind him.
f | Other Americans came to him with
: tales of plots to overpower him and
. beat him late at night when he might
be caught on his lonely way home
Three Engishmen whom he never had
met before called upon him separate
t ly and told him he might count on
/. their help whenever he needed it. They
Y had heard he was to be waylaid and
! ! beaten or run through, and they We're
), ready to see the fight out on his side.
G Gradually Newhill succumbed to the
Z, pressure around him. In the begin
| ming he had resolutely returned scowl
, for scowl sneer for sneer and stare
e for stare. If an officer stopped near
him in the street Newhill stopped, too.
e If the officer grunted "Pfui," Newhill,
1 too. grunted "Pfui." If an officer
= made as if to brush him to one side of
t the walk, Newhill went straight ahead
1 on a line of microscoDical and mathe-
n matical exactness. For two or three
weeks he did not yield hairs breadth
j to anybody But he was outnumbered.
> Those who glowered on him and whis-
pered about him We're 200 or 300 to his
one. A man can't go through any con-
, siderable part of his life scoWling,
: sneering, staring, and pfuing without
! ceasing, even for the sake of passing
some of that life in Heidelberg, and
the strain of always being prepared
! to insult somebody and never coming
= to the point soon began to wear out
= NeWhill's nerves. His purpose of fac
-. ing down German custom and tradition
a grew weak. He began to curse the
+ country and to stay at home nights,
, and then, just five weeks after his cele-
n brated fight, he threw uD the game
Il and announced that he was tired of
Germany; the girl in red had gone to
il Switzerland; he would so, too. And
4 he went, leaving with men all the SOU
= venrs of the country that he had col
: lected in Heidelberg. He never sent
D., for them.
= ONE FREE MAN.
. During a flve-year sojOum in Ger
- many ! saw only one English-speaking
= foreigner who was able to behave as
y he pleased and not be subject to re-
II peated annoyances from active or re-
y serve officers. He was an Australian.
;, He swung into town with the air of
sole owner of the whole Neckar val
= ley He was six feet tall and of ro-
& bust build, and wore no braces. AS he
strode up and down the Anlage
, sors he had free athletic way of
n hitching his trousers occasionally and
= of letting his body roll. Although the
q best tempered man in the world ac-
n cording to American or English stand