The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-09-15

tears and no dinner prepared.
'Oh, Hans, you don't love ME any
more" she cried. -.
what is the matter, my sweet frau?''
asked Hans, attempting to put his arms
about her, but she pushed him away.
That woman at the store! II won't
stand it! I'll-yes, I'll run away"
Hans was silent for a moment, but he
was thinking as fast as he could. When
it dawned upon him that his wife was
Jealous of the cashier, he roared with
laughter. The idea impressed him as
very amusing. His laughter angered
Frau Gherken, and she called him a
hard-hearted, cruel monster, and the
cashier wicked woman.
Hans went and bought pint of beer,
and then he tried to explain that SO
many customers came to the store ne
could not count the money fast enough,
md making change mixed the figures IN
his head and gave him headache. He
told his wife that he had to have some
one to help him with the work, and had
employed the young woman because sne
that he no longer had to stop to make
change, he could wait on many more
customers, who would increase his profits,
and then the frau should have her music
teacher. and they would put money in the
bank.
After much talk and more tears, Frau
Gherken recovered her good humor, ana
permitted Hans to kiss her forehead,
after it was agreed that Prof. Van Brle-
don should come two days a week to give
her music lessons. The professor was
young and handsome and great artist.
and the days when he came to teach her
music would not seem SO lonely, and, she
might forget the horrid woman making
change at the. store. Hans was well
pleased that the matter was SO easily
settled, for he loved his young wife so
much that he would have discharged the
cashier at once If she had told him to do
So He could not bear to see the frau III
tears, but that she should be jealous of
any other woman was such good joke
he laughed much to himself long after
she had fallen asleep.
The serpent had entered the Eden of
Hans Gherken, and while business pros.
the home and the trustful, cOnhding hap
piness of other days gave place to fearful
scenes and angry words. Hans was very
patient and reasoned slowly, but the jeal-
Ousy of his wife in time ceased to amuse
him. He determined to cure her of the
fault, to teach her a lesson that would
make her much more sensible and rea-
sonable She had tiirted with Prof. Van
Brieden while Hans looked on ana
W
that her amusement pleased him, even
when she tried to make him angry.
One day Frau Gherken went to the
store and surprised her husband standing
in the little cage with the cashier. Their
heads were close together because the
young woman was helping him add col
umn Of figures SO he could check her
daily cash account, but to the jealous
wife the scene was proof that her hus-
band no longer loved her. That night
she charged him with planning to run
away with the cashier, and they came
very near to Il serious quarrel, for the
patience of Hans was exhausted.
Then you can clope with your profess
sor, he replied, with some spirit and an
ger
"And if I did it would be better
choice than you have made: The pro-
fessor is a fine gentleman, and am sure
he admires me very much. He would
never treat woman as you have treated
me-" Frau Gherken replied, as she
rushed cut of the room.
Hans remained long time alone in the
coy little Sitting-room of his home think
ing as hard as he could, and working
out a plan to end the unhappiness
caused by his wife's unreasonable zeal
ousy. At last he slapped his hands on
his knees and laughed aloud.
II will elope,' he said to himself in a
whisper. Il must cure Lena, she makes
me so miserable. She shall have a les
son.
The young merchant closed and locked
the door and then he spent an hour COM
posing a brief note. When it was fin
ished he read it over several times and
laughed softly. Then he went to the
door and listened. There was no sound.
His wife had gone out. He then placed
the note on the center-table where it
would be seen by anyone who entered
the room. The note read:
"Lena-You guessed my secret. | have
eloped. Now you will be happy with
your professor. Hans"
The little bronze clock on the mantcl
chimcd II o'clock when Hans turned
down the light and tiptoed out Of the
room. He stopped at the foot of the stairs
and listened. No one was stirring in the
house. Then he crept softly up to the
door of his wife's room. The door was
ajar, and he glanced inside. A lamp was
burning on the table, but Frau Gherken
was not there. He stood still and lis
tened for minute and thought he heard
her moving about the dining-room below,
stepped forward and turned up the light.
A sheet Of paper neatly folded lay on the
table. With a trembling hand and sink
ing heart he snatched it up and read:
"Hans-I am gone. You do not love me.
put l hope you will be happy now that
am out OF the way. Lena"
For a moment the young merchant
stood silent and motionIess, and the room
seemed to grow dark and the light of
happiness faded out of his life. Then he
pulled himself together and ran down to
the dining room, calling: LENA! Lena p
There was no answer and he hurried
on to the sitting room, where he had
left his cruel note Of mock farewell to
brighten his wife and cure her of ieal-
ousy;; He turned up the light and
reached for the note, intending to tear
it into hundred pieces. 1t was gone.
and the strong young man cried out with
fear and remorse. He staggered out to
the head Of the stairs to call again for
the frau he loved, when ne heard the
front door close, and moment later the
sound of wheels rolling rapidly away.
Hans Gherken ran down the stairs and
into the street like man gone mad. He
was just in time to see a cab turn the
corner a block away. He ran after the
vehicle as fast as he could and caught
sight of it in the next street. Love, fear
and jealous rage combined to send hot
blood flying through his veins and lend
wings to his feet as he sped on after the
cab, For FIVE blocks the race was even,