Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-07-11

IulJl'i llCNd olliy 5ifN hiAi biD DiIC
which reads:
Dear Brankwitz, YESTERDAY |
manifested, for the present quiet
Nordmann is condemned. / give you
power to offer as high as eighty thous-
and dollars for the property; the pub
lie auction has been fixed for Monday,
the thirteenth, instead OF Friday, the
tenth.
Yours,
'Wollmeyer.'
"Well, / think from this it is very
plain that you swore to own nothing
more whereby your brother-in-law
would lose his property, and that this
oath was false. Nothing will happen
to me if Nordmann follows up the
matter-my father is dead, and | can
begin something over there with th ,
price of the letter; have had enough
Of this dogs life here"
Mammals hand now rested like iron
upon my head. For moment silence
reigned in the next room, then was
heard the falling of a chair. the ou--
cries of an angry mans voice, as T.
two persons were struggling for life
and death. boy, that is my reward
for all did for YOU" shrieked VOL
meyer.
reeled. Mamma, in starting up
had pushed me from her; ! heard her
rush through the room. / attempted
to follow her. but the door had al
| ready closed behind her. | could hear
her cry: 1T is not true, Bernhard,
say it is not true!" and then her
laughter, wild, hysterical laughter
shall never forget it. Then the cleo
trio bell resounded through the house
and some one passed me by with an
oath; in the darkness, to which my
eyes had now become accustomed,
recognized Brankwitz. Lights and
servants appeared upon the scene.
Then followed talking, persuasion,
warning words on the part of my step
father, and then cousin passed me, in
her arms mammals lifeless form, sup
ported by the housemaid.
Madam, dear madam" whispered
cousin, dear, dear madam"
They paid no heed to me.
| now knew all. Upon my step
fathers brow was the brand Of
perjury. My entire body trembled;
he had by this oath cast Roberts
father into the depths of misery and
had driven his wife to her grave, his
nephew to foreign land, and now the
curse was extended over us too, over
my poor mother and me,
All confusion had suddenly sub
sided in the house. They had taken
me from mammals bedside, although
did not wish to stir, but with a few
words cousin had succeeded in lead
ing me away. Brankwltz was iu-
visible; Olga Sellmann was in her
own apartment reading novel; from
time to time the maid brought her the
bulletins. My step-father paced his
floor rcstessly Servants FASTENED
about the town to announce that the
fete would not take place, and the doe
tor had been with mamma for hours.
| sat alone in my room. do not
know what | thought and felt, only
one thing was clear to me, the GER
tainty that mamma would die and
leave me. Dcspairing grief possessed
me, but | could not weep. Almighty
Father, Thy will be done, thought l.
What should she do in the world
which offered her nothing but sorrow
and misery? But take me, too, pray
Thee, | continually repeated tn
L.. l,..1r 81.
Thee! | was tormented by horrible
| thoughts. | saw Wollmeyer arrested.
! led away; | saw the whole court filed
with people, mocking, terrible people
who pointed their fingers at mamma
and mo and said: They too have par
taken of the bread of sin "a thought
which caused me to rise and pace the
| floor, Let us die together, dear Lord!
No one gave me n thought, and my
! fancies grew more and more horrible
The Countess had flown, upon gather
| ing, from the little she had heard. the
certainty that Branllwitz was the
'neCltle-manufacturer" of whom her
nephew had spoken, and Wollmeyer
his partner.
Nor was that the worst. Oh. /
should he left utterly alone as soon
Ms mamma was gone, the Countess
would desert me rs we'll,
And that unnatural silence stole
through the front room and peeped
out into the hall. A lamp had been
lighted, and by its faint light the
laughing masks grinned at me from
the green frs like ghosts. Were at
least cousin with me! Did but
know how matters were going ND
stairs, And in the midst of all this |
recalled the memory of Button
| Martha who had so desperately ac.
cused the man that had driven her to
her death, and | recalled too, the
memory of grave in the Thuringian
Mountains Guilt guilt, wheresoev Or
| turned, deep, dreadful guilt,
seated myself upon the thrcsho d
of the room-door and awaited further
news of mammals condition. 1t was
cold in the hall and as quiet in Tho
house as il corpse were already