Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-09-12
Continued,

AunCy POlly OuSIeQ the room. Oc-
casionally casting wrathful, ques-
tioning look at the young girl, who
with carelessly folded hands sat
here, motionless, looking out into the
street. It was an ugly street, with
houses that looked like barracks; her
aunt's house-Cae CT tho few old
buildings which had nct y fallen a
sacrifice to the Wi1e-1p. cad love of
builling-stCod TIL Ta like a dwarf
among The other giant buildings pack
ed to the roof with tenants. On the
sidewalk, which thick autumn mist
had made damp and slippery, people
were hurrying to and fro-not the
finer sort who had charmed Hilda' s
eyes the day before, but people who
were going with an air of haste and
business to their work or on some
| special errand. The horse-cars jim
gled by, coal-carts rumbled over the
| pavements, and then there came q
, funeral-it was all SO ugly in the
| gray tints of an October mist.
Aunt Polly left the room, but Hilda
| did not perceive it; she was still
! gazing out into the street, waiting for
| something. Presently she saw her
aunt crossing the street in her dark,
| ample waterproof, her umbrella in her
| hand. She waddled rather clumsiiy
| over the pavement. and before she
| disappeared in the opposite butchers
| shop she came into collision with a
| young fellow. Hilda saw her turn
| and call something after him, nodding
| angrily the while, but he took no
| notice but came straight across to
| the little house. Hilda's heart stop
ped beating for a moment; he car
ried a wonderful basket of roses in
| his hand, and she felt with unmistak
able certainty that those roses were
| for her. She got UP and went out
into the hall. Yes, the bell was really
| end asked for Fraulein Hildegarde
Won Zweidorf.
''I am Fraulein Won Zweidorf." she
said From whom?"
81 do not know" replied the mes
senger, giving the basket into the
| young girls hand. He fingered a
| little, waiting for his fee, and looking
at the door behind which Hilda had
| disappeared; then he went down
! stairs again, whistling. But the
young girl within the room was
hiding her face in the flowers and in
hailing their fragrance, which quite
| intoxicated her.
| Do11 hnr
and down the room with quivering
limbs and burning cheeks, the roses
still in her hand
What is all this?" asked the old
lady who was just going to put her
veal in to roast. Where did you get
| the flowers ?"
The words were spoken in a very
suspicious tone.
81 don't know, aunt; they were just
| left here for me-"
''That is curious. That thing must
have cost twenty marks at least, at
this time of the year. Just you listen
| to me, child"-and the stout little
| aunt stood before the slender niece
| with uplifted finger and wrathful eyes
fall this stuff of anonymous bou-
| quets and that sort of thing won't
| go down with me, do you understand
You are living with a respectable wo-
| man, and you will behave like a Tc-
spectacle girl, or the door will be open
| to yOu-there!"
| Every drop of blood had fed from
| the girls face, and the basket with
| the flowers dropped from her limp
| hand.
Aunt" she gasped, what are you
saying? What do you mean?"
ooh, don't fly into passion. I am
only telling you what you have got to
| do" was the reply, and Frau Polly
peeled an onion over the frying-pan.
Il don't know who the flowers
came FROM" said Hilda, defending
herself. II declare to you, aunt, that
! I only suppose they must have come
from Herr Jussnitz, the artist, the
man who came here with me yester-
day. l knew him before, he used to
live next door to us, and he is going
to give me lessons"
f'Well, well, we shall see about that
For the present you can do something
to occupy yourself, so you need not be
sitting around thinking your silly
thoughts. The stockings that came
back from the last wash are not
darned yet, and the yarn is there ON
the workable"
"I-aunt-I have a headache, and
/ must go out into the air. l didn't
come here to darn stockings either; l
want to educate myself for an artist
You will surely let me visit the
galleries?"
Aunt Polly was still standing
speechless, with the onion in her
hand, when her insulted niece shut
the hall-door behind her, and hurried
down the street, crying with vexation
at the treatment she had undergone.
The indigant girl followed the
horse-car track, and at length found
herself in the handsomer part of the
town. She asked some one to tell
her where. the picture gallery was,
and was told to turn to the right.
She was forced to wait on the corner
of the street, there was such a con-
fusion OF carriages and foot-passen-
gers. Among couple Of horse-cars,
several carts. and various droschkfes
an elegant landau was slowly making
its way. Hilda at first only saw the
magnificent black horses, which, with
their bits f1ecked with foam, were
tossing their heads with Impotence
at their delay Then she started