The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-07-27
VOL. XLV---NO 30


snings from the house.
So the Spanish embassy evidently in
tended to remain with us for some days.
At dinner-I was called in to help with
the waitiug-the talk ran on hunting.
The Spanish girl was crazy over the
sport.
"Wait bit, my lady," thinks I, taking
q squint at the old walking stick in the
corner.
The master kept getting more and more
uncomfortable as she went on talking
about shooting and saying that she had
never attended q hunt and that this was
the main reason why she had accepted
his invitation to visit his estate. The
old lady didn't seem to care so much
about hunting and said very little. I
suppose she had come for the sake Of the
dinner, and she ate and drank enough
for four.
Well, next day the baron took the girl
ont hunting, leaving mamma" at home.
When the baron came out without gun,
the young lady seemed surprised, but she
didn't say anything. She saw that I had
q gun, and perhaps she thought ! was
only carrying it for the master. As we
drove along the sand road through the
pines toward the hunting ground 1 heard
hoof beats behind US. who is riding
through our private forest?" I thought,
and, turning. / saw young Feltzien, who
I supposed was with his regiment in Ber-
lin.
he came up and explained that, hav-
ing a few days furlough, he was spend
ing them with his mother and that he had
ridden over to Rottwitz to pay the baron
a neighborly call. I saw the left corner
of the masters mouth go down and knew
that he was none too well pleased. He
had counted on having the little one to
himself. But he couldn't help himself;
he had to present the captain to her and
invite him to 60 along. He hoped, no
doubt, that the captain would decline and
would say he was afraid his horse would
scare the deer. But, no; the captain, as
II he guessed what the old man was
thinking. accepted the invitation and said
that the bay was a worm for slipping
through the sand without noise. So he
rode along by our side. / had watched
him and the girl when the baron present
ed him. and, sir, though I couldn't swear
that he knew her already, l got the idea
that he knew very well what dainty
creature he would come across In the
Rottwitz woods. One will get such no.
tons, you know, sir.
After awhile caught sight Of q stag
browsing. The little girl saw him at the
same Instant, and in her excitement she
clapped her hands. The stag, Of course.
ran away, but they were so tame In
those days when none of them had been
shot for years that we soon saw another.
This time the little black eyed puss sat
as still as a cat watching a mouse. but
trembling and painting with excitement
and waiting for the shot.
Well, sir, will you believe It? The
baron picked up the walking stick and
went through the whole performance.
the same as usual. You ought to have
seen the girls face when the old man
said puff" 1t was an old story to the
captain, but he bit his lips till the blood
came.
The girl asked the baron why in the
world he didn't shoot.
He explained at great length, telling
her that the pleasure In hunting con-
sisted in breathing the pure air Of the
forest and in seeing the game and in TAX
ing aim at it. The killing was the I'M
pleasant part Of the business, SO he avoid
ed that, taking the sweet and leaving the
bitter.
Then she exploded. She laughed and
laughed as il she would never stop. But
she did get through at last, and then she
said that one wouldn't get much venison
that way, which showed that she was a
practical young woman. The captain
smiled and said she was quite right.
Hunting was a serious business, and a
man must know enough to fire his shot
at the favorable moment. He looked at
the girl out of the corner Of his eye as
he said this, and she had another laugh
ing fit.
Well, sir. it's getting late, so I'll cut
it short. The girl went away the next
day and the old woman with her, al
though the baron did everything he could
to induce them to stay longer.
Before she left she handed me large
envelope and told me to give it to the
baron, but not until he had come back
from seeing them off. Wasn't the old
man furious when he opened the envel-
ope, All it contained was photograph.
which he flung across the room and then
rushed out. swearing like pirate.
Well, sir. I've got little curiosity. the
same as other folks, and ! picked the
thing up and looked Mt it. 1t was her own
portrait, and on the back were some lines
of writing. which l copied because the
whole affair was so ridiculous. But l
needn't have copied them. | shall never
forget them, and here they are:
As you're content the game to see
And never make capture
This little photograph Of me
Should give you perfect rapture.
Yes, it was cruel of the little mink. but
1t served the old f, l mean the old
master, quite right. That same after
noon Feltzien's coachman told me that
the captain had returned to Berlin. He
very much wanted to stay longer, but he
had been suddenly recalled. All! he's
after the venison, thought. Well, good
night, sir. Oh, thank you, sir! Good
night-Translated For New York Com
mercial Advertiser.