Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-04-21
TIE LITTLE BLACK |MPS ;
A Story OF a German Baron and
an American Woman.
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Back in Berlin the name of Max
Hertzcr had been of some account.
He was. to begin with, Ilcrtzcr,
which meant much. AS m'ttrr Of
course, he was an officer in the .rmy-
his sisters had starved themselves for
his commission and maintenance-and
he was handsome, even for 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 IN American girl
who was present and to his startled
dismay was accepted.
1t was misfortune. for he was not
in sympathy with the American point
Of view: he did not like the insiStcncr
and intellectual arrogance of American
women, and he had quite made up his
mind to marry Il SpnSelrSS and well
born little fraulcin who did network
and went to kaffce 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 belew 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 i'll her
Interpretation of the Fifth SYM
phony."
Yet he married her. and they went to
America.
at is just as we'll" said his friends
sadly. "Rcally. 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-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
Ucrtzer. 1t made him bitter. He had
n 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
ana some little trees. He liked these
and paid much attention to them. He
studied 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 Hert-
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 Il man so handsome.
And he was always kind. Sometimes
he found odd jobs to do-bookkecping
or work in 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 Il
peculiar way-namcly. by the making
of little black devils. He made them
on anything that CHANGED to be handy
an envelope. a scrap of paper, play
ing card or n book margin. He repre-
scntcd them in every imaginable antic.
He gave them thousand subtle indi-
vidualitics. His mind appeared to be
besct by them. Many of his acquaint-
ances had wondered in the course Of
their intercourse with him what il was
that filled that large, handsome head.
Now they seemed to be finding out.
The little inky imps trooped ont 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 a
utilitarian age talents cannot be allow
ed to go to waste. Madam Hertzer
considered II 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-
ton 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