Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1901-08-24
!. THE LITTLE BLACK INPS
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, a Hertzer,
which meant much. AS a matter Of
curse, he was an officer In the army
his sisters had starved themselves for
/ his commission and maintenance-and
he was handsome, even for q 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
Hertzer, and on one night In particular
when he was hidden to the house of e.
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.
It was a misfortune, for he was not
in sympathy with the American point
Of view; he did not like the insistence
and intellectual arrogance of American
women, and he had quite made up his
mind to marry senseless and well
born little fraulein who did network
and went to kaffee klatsches. He al
most loved her, she was so nondescript.
and would be well content to make a
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 unaccompanied,
sheIhad once used slang before Wei
mar professor Of philosophy, and she
had been heard to say that she did not
like the shape of the emperor'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.' U
Yet he married her. and they went to
America.
''It is just as well" said his friends
sadly. Really, you know, it is all
over with poor Max"
They felt that he was as good as
dead.
It was dull IN America. well. New
York wasn't so bad perhaps, but the
other towns-bah! There wasn't
true city among them. 1t didn't count
for man to be anybody. No one paid
any attention to Max because he was a
Hertzer. 1t made him bitter. He had
a 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 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-
zers, but still the burden Of the bread |
winning devolved 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 a man so handsome. /
And he was always kind. Sometimes
he found odd Jobs to bookkeeping
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 it be-
came his habit to amuse himself in
peculiar Way-namely, by the making
Of little black devils. He made them
on anything that CHANGED to be handy |
AN envelope, scrap Of paper, play
Ing card or book margin. He repre-
sented them in every imaginable antic.
He gave them thousand subtle indi-
His mind appeared to be
beset by them. Many Of his acquaint-
ances had wondered in the course Of
their intercourse with him what 1t 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 were growing up, and
children cannot do that. no matter how
lnobtrusive they endeavor to be, with
tut costing some one something. These
children developed talents, and in q
ltilitarian age talents cannot be allow-
ID to go to waste. Madam Hertzer
considered It incumbent upon her to
zee that one studied dramatic express
lion and another the violin and an
Dther wood carving and another model
ng in clay, besides all Of the regula-
ion studies. She brought great cir
lie Of friends about her, who adored
Ter bohemian evenings and who con
idered the baron one of the most in
gentlemen they had ever met.