Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-07-29
CHAPTER xxi.

WOllmeyer posed as SOIIoWAnS
widower. with band of Grape upon
hat and sleeve and a grieved express
sion of face, while he was generally
pitied. His grieved expression was IN
all probability genuine; he was no
doubt. uneasy, but he could do nothing
hut wait. [ avoided seeing him; the
Countess would not speak with him
when he came-in accordance with
her nature she could do nothing by
haIvesr she lcathed or she loVed-ln
this case loved would be saying too
much-or else she tolerated. AS she
said, Wollmeyer was nothing to her.
81 can understand a crime, murder
committed out of passion" she SAID,
''but usury is something so common
that l cannot find one single motive
in explanation of the same, and
abominate anything common.
The buds opened on the elm-trees,
and in the cemetery violets bloomed
among the ivy on the graves. A
beautiful, transparent green veil
waved over all the shrubs, and the
starlings sang.
The Countess was going through
with her spring housekeeping; she
went about with skirts tucked up, a
large, blue apron, a white cloth bound
around her head, the feather-duster
stuck in. her belt like a dagger, an
enormous dusting-cloth in her hand,
busting her what-nots, her old china
figures and other curios, and helped
her.
"You see, child" she said, at the
close of a lecture which she had just
read on my too retired mode OF life,
''you should invite one of your friends
sometimes, you should chat little!
Youth requires youth in sorrows as
we'll as in joy. I cannot take the
place of a chatterbox of eighteen, for
all the gayety you hear from me is
old-fashioned nonsense, and the rest
is my experience, which is most dole
full. But a little bit of dreaming Of
the future would do you good, dream
ing of budding roses and blue summer
skies. cannot dream like that; |
see but bare branches in the future.
How? Shall I send to Tolens for
Katie, or for Aennchen Arnstadt, or
Marie Linden?" @
'Aunt, for Gods sake, what have |
in common with them?" cried I, put
ting a nodding Chinese mandarin back
in his place under the mirror
''These girls see different future
from that which I anticipate. I, too
see but bare branches"
cat nineteen? Well, yes, child,
that is natural now; but in these bare
branches is the sap which gives life
to blossoms and fruit Child. child
the worst thing is to lose heart. You
must not do that! No. let me speak.
must scold you occasionally. You
see, were you to weep all night, were
you to sit in despair every day at
your mothers grave, if. by one word
you would give vent to your grief, /
would not fear for you at all. But
Ahat you do not Go! You rise as If
nothing had happened, you sit there
by the window with your work and
talk to me as if you had never been
grieved. Whosoever did not know
you, would think you simply heartless.
You see, you do not even change
countenance; but know that you are
not heartless, I can see by your
altered appearance that the matter is
a thousand-fold harder ftr you to bear
than it would be for others. It is un-
natural, Anneliese! You are like
dead, you must rouse yourself, you
must again learn to feel pain and joy
you cannot continue thus. Ap-
parent death will result in actual
death; you cannot live on with a dead
heart! For my part, you may be
stubborn, unbearable and inconsider-
ate, if only you will not remain as you
have been during the last few
weeks!"
aunt" said I, chow shall 1 do it?
looked around the world and find
that there is nothing worth weeping
about, nothing at which I care to
laugh. 1t is we'll as it is; leave me
in peace at least nothing hurts mel"
She paused before me. 'You ere a
wicked girl, Anneliese; it is not worth
the trouble of loving you. You do
not consider me at ALL"
looked at her. She had tears in
her eyes. Dear aunt" said I in sur
prise, "ah, aunt" And suddenly it
dawned upon me what world of
faithful, noble love possessed in her.
''For Gods sake, aunt, forgive me,
you are now my ALL" | stammered.
"I will indeed-only have PATIENCE
will be different"
Cali right, chicken"
F'Do not send me away, aunt, not
now-later! You see-now I could
not get on in the world"
"Ah, God forbid-how you pick up
things! 1 send you away? AS long
as | breathe you can remain here; but
you must wake up, you must interest
yourself in your mOCner heritage,
you must bring her few things hither,
your papa's picture and so forth;