Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-04-21
!: TH LITTLE BLACK |MPS
A Story OF a German Baron and
an American Woman.
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Back in Berlin the name of Max
Hertzer had been of some account.
He was. to begin with, IIcrtzcr,
which meant much. AS a mnttcr OF
course he was an officer in the .rmy-
his sisters had starved themselves for
his commission and maintcnance-and
he was handsome. even for Il German
officer. Unfortunately for him he sang
the love songs of his country, and they
are quite the most moving love songs
in the world. They move the singers
as well as the listeners. They moved
Hcrtzer, and on one night in particular
when he was hidden to the house of =
certain titled lady he was so lifted out
of himself by the charm of his music
that he proposed to an American girl
who was present and to his startled
diSmay was accepted.
1t was Il misfortune. for he was not
in sympathy with the American point
of view: he did not like the insiStrncr
and intellectual arrogance of American
women. and he had quite made up his
mind to marry senseless and well
born little fraulcin who did network
and went to kaifec klatScheS. He al
most loved her. she was so nOndrScript.
and would be well content to make Il
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 do things which were
shocking. She had gone shopping about
the streets of Berlin unaccompanicd.
she had once used slang before Il Wei
mar professor of philosophy. and she
had been heard to say that she did not
like the shape of the cmperor's nose.
She was not known to be rich even.
which is the only excuse that an Amer
lean girl has for living. and it was said
she made some serious mistakes in her
Interpretation of the Fifth Sym
phony."
Yet he married her, aud they went to
America.
at is just as WELL" said his friends
sadly. "Rcally. you know. it is all
over with poor Max"
They felt that lie was as good as
dead.
1t was dull in America. Well. New
York wasn't so bad perhaps, but the
other towns--bah. There wasn't Il
true city among them. 1t didn't count
for man to be anybody. No one paid
any attention to Max because he was a
Hcrtzer 1t made him bitter. He had
little summer 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
and paid much attention to them. He
studied Il great deal-military tactics
and botany. But he neglected to pro-
vide the daily bread. No one 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 IIert-
Zcrs, but still the burden of the bread
winning dcvOlvcd 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 man so handsome.
And he was always kind. Sometimes
he found odd jobs to do-bOokkeeping
or work in q railroad office or book
criticism. He was willing but not ca
ger to work. Time was apt to hang
heavily on his hands. And so 1t be-
came his habit to amuse himself in
peculiar way-namely. by the making
of little black devils. He made them
on anything that chanced to be handy
an envelope. a scrap of paper, a play
ing card or n book margin. He repre-
scnted them in every imaginable antic.
He gave them thousand subtle indi-
vidualitics. His mind appeared to be
besct by them. Many of his acquaint-
anccs had wondered in the course Of
their intercourse with him what il was
that filed that large, handsome head.
Now they seemed to be finding out.
The little inky imps trooped out of his
Uranium in such numbers that they
threatened to leave it quite void and
empty.
The children We're growing up. and
children cannot do that, no matter how
unobtrusive they endeavor to be. with
out costing some one something. These
children developed talents. and in q
utilitarian age talents cannot be allow
ed to go to waste. Madam Hertzer
considered Il incumbent upon her to
see that one studied dramatic express
sion and another the violin and an
other wood carving and another model.
Ing in clay. besides all of the regula-
tion studies. She brought great cir
Gle of friends about her, who adored
her bohemian evenings and who con-
sidcred the baron one Of the most in
teresting gentlemen they had ever met.
The baron did not consider himself
Interesting. He was bored with him
self. He wondered if time would new