The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-04-07

window. and once she went alone with
Hermann far down the solitary railroad
track. But Madge loved F; +; nm, too,
in her way, and, being jealous. she told
Annie's mother.
The next day the elders came to
Mother S~:hweppe's house. No n smil-
ed, and TIE interview was full of long
silences. Annie was taken down the
street. an elder in front of her and an
elder behind her. They put her in a
house, far away from her mother, and
gave her a double portion of work. Her.
mann, too. was taken to a cloister.
though he went laughing.
Six months separation. six months
fasting. prayer and hard work was re-
quired, and if after that ordeal the two
still wished to be married the elders
would consider the matter.
A week passed. Hermann and Annie
had sat in their places at the morning
service. and it CHANGED that they. with
meekly folded hands, emerged from the
two doors of the church at the same
moment. Suddenly each one advanced
to the other they met and walked away
together. The elders were so astounded
that for a moment no one could speak.
There had never been such an audacious
breach of the rules. Even the most ven
cradle members of the community were
d~umfounded.
The whistle Of an approaching train
awoke them all to action. 'Disobedi-
ence!' the chief elder cried, and all the
elders hurried down the street to the
railway station. Here they found Her.
mann and Annie. impenitent and def
ant. There was a brief storm of angry
words.
1--WE give you but n year to con-
sider. said the long faced chief elder.
"You may never show your faces here
again if you come not back within the
year."
"Thou, Hermann, leavest thy aged
father, and thou, Annie, thy mother
said another. more kindly.
Annie looked down at her blue calico
gown and her rough shoes: ''What have
they done for us p she cried.
They ascended the steps of the cal.
''Give them goodby!" called Hermann
petulantly. ''We come back no more
And the train pulled away.
"All the world loves a lover" said
Herr Tappan to Mother Schweppe sad
~, ''but the lover loves no n but him
self and his sweetheart"
So Hermann and Annie went to the
city. They were happy, and there
seemed to be ne ghosts at their Preside.
"Father and mother think more Of their
carrots than they do of u.s." they would
say merrily when they spoke of Amana
at all.
In May their baby was born. He vas
a beautiful child, and Hermann and
Annie never tired Of watching him.
Hermann could scarcely tear himself
away from baby to attend his patients.
Contagious diseases he refused to treat.
Baby might catch them. Armies face
grew softer as she looked at the child.
For hours they would amuse themselves
watching him clasp a lead pencil in his
chubby fingers. They cut off a lock of
his baby hair and saved it in the Bible.
"Whom does the baby look like.
Annie?'' asked Hermann carelessly one
day.
Like you did when you were a
baby, 1 suppose answered Annie gay
ly. Suddenly a startled look came into
her eyes. The thought came to Her
mann at the same moment. He dropped
on his knees before the child. "Did
they think of me as we think of our
baby? he whispered. Annie was Sob
bling. God may yet forgive us" she
cried. 1.-The year is not ended. We
may still return
The good God had not ended Mother
S%chweppe's life. Herr Tappan, too, was
still trudging among his vegetables
when Hermann and Annie came back.
ut would have been a year tomor-
row already" Herr Tappan said stolid-
ly, but his withered lips went trem-
bling, and he embraced Hermann and
Annie and blessed them.
And Mother Schweppe padded back
to her cellar with a sly smile, return
ing full handed. II have all this time
since last autumn kept six bottles Of
wine for thee, Hermann" she said
Julia Crawford Underwood in st. Louis
Globe Democrat.
Her Sweet Mistake.