El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-24
THE LITTLE BLACK IMPS ;
A Story Of German Baron and
an American Woman.

tAAS hAHiS ~
HertZcr had been of some account.
He was, to begin with, a HertZer,
which meant much AS n matter of
course, he was an officer in the army
his sisters had starved themselves for
his commission and maintenance-and
he was handsome, even for a German
officer. Unfortunately for him he sang
the love songs of his country, and they
are quite the most moving Low songs
IN the world They move the singers
as we'll as the listeners. They moved
Hertzer, and on one night in particular
when he was hidden to the house of q
certain titled lady he was so lifted out
of himself by the charm Of his music
hat he proposed to an American girl
who was present and to his startled
dismay was accepted.
1t was a misfortune, for he was not
in sympathy with the American point
of view; lie did not like the insiStence
and intellectual arrogance of American
and he had quite made up his
mind to marry a senseless and we'll
born little fraulein who did network
and went to kahee klatsches. He al
most loved her, she was SO nondescript,
and would he well content to make a
harmless background of herself for his
benefit. Moreover, in spite of all his
vanity, he was rather soft hearted, and
it hurt him to think how many tears
would bedew those soft blue eyes
when she heard of his engagement to
the American girl.
The American girl had, moreover,
been known to dc things which were
shocking. She had gone shopping about
the streets of Berlin unaccompanied,
she had once used slang before a Wei
mar professor of philosophy. and she
had been heard to say that she did not
like The shape of the emperor's nose
She was not known to be rich rel
which is the only Excuse that an Amer
lean girl has for living. and 1t was said
she made some serious mistakes in her
Interpretation of the Fifth SYM
rhony."
Yet he married her. and they went to
America.
1T is just as we'll" said his friends
sadly. Really, you know, it is all
over with poor Max"
They felt that he was as good as
dead.
1t was dull in America. Well, New
York wasn't so bad perhaps, but the
other towns-bahl There wasn't a
true city among them. 1t didn't count
for a man to be anybody. No II paid
any attention to Max because he was a
HertZer. 1t made him bitter. He had
q little summe house built In the yard
back Of the house where they lived and
smoked his pipe there and dreamed of
Berlin. Also he planted some flowers
and some little trees. He liked these
II paid much attention to them. He
studied a great deal-military tactics
II botany. But he neglected to pro-
vide the daily bread. No n could
blame him for it. 1t was an oversight
on his part. His wife taught music.
She gave private lessons and class les
sons, and she sometimes performed at
concerts. Her peculiar treatment Of
the Fifth symphony did not initiate
against her IN America
In course OF the long and busy years
four children were born to the Hert-
zers, but still the burden Of the bread
winning devolved upon madam. She
never complained. 1t was the greatest
pleasure in the world for her to return
home and find the baron sitting there.
She never saw a man so handsome.
And he was always kind. Sometimes
he found odd jobs to do-bookkeepinS |
or work in a railroad office or book
criticism. He was willing but not ca
ger to work. Time was apt to hang
heavily on his hands. n so 1T be-
came his habit to amuse himself in Il
peculiar way-namely, by the making
of little black devils. He made them
anything that Glanced TO be handy |
an envelope, a scrap of paper, Il play-t
ing card or a book margin. He repre-
them in every imaginable antlc.
gave them a thousand subtle indi-
vidualities. His mind appeared to be
beset by them. Many of his acquaint-
ances had wondered in the course of
their intercourse with hin what it was
filed that large, handsome hea
Now they seemed to be finding out.
The little tnky imps trooped out of his
Uranium in such numbers that they
threatened to leave 1t quite void and
empty. /
The children were growing up, and
children cannot do that, no matter how
lnobtrusiye they endeavor to be, with
put costing some one something. These
developed talents, and in a
unitarian & talents cannot be allow
"a to go to waste. Madam Hertzer
considered 1t incumbent upon her to
zee that one studied dramatic express
sion and another the violin and an
)ther wood carving and another model
ng in clay, besides all Of the regula-
ION udi She brought q great cir