Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-06-03

4 49,
jingling of bells, Of sleigh-bels, such as
were worn there by post-horses, and
/ commenced to wonder If | should not
! drive home if there should be room for
me, for it was already dusk, and was
a long way from home. Suddenly the
post-horn rang out through the woods:
20 Tannenbaum, 0 Tannenbaum,'
rang out so merrily, SO Yule-like!
This was not surely the common
stage? At this juncture the horses
turned the corner and saw hand
some sleigh, the post1lion with plumes
in his hat, blowing a lusty blast, while
in the sleigh turned away disap-
pointed-an ordinary looked again
"a quite ordinary soldier, nothing
more. Let them drive on ahead
! thought I. remaining where I was.
| For moment the blast and the
| iingling of the bells ceased, but only
| for moment; and slowly turned up-
on my homeward way, when to my
establishment I saw before me this
same soldier. a tall. slender man, his
cap a trifle to one side upon his curly
hair, fg-twig between his lips. He
| took the twig from his mouth, raised
his hand to his cap and asked: Frau
lein Anneliese Won Sternberg?" /
stared at him, speechless,' surprised,
confused. Then recognized the
handsome fresh face, the sincere
grave eyes yes, it was he, the stran-
ger of the Westenberg cemetery,
whom had seen at Hannchen's grave.
brushed snowflake off my lashes
and felt my hand tremble as l did so.
| II am she,' I stammered.
| May I offer you a seat in the
Sleigh" he asked; pardon the
liberty, madam. but it is quite dis
lance, and it is growing dark. You
wish to return to Langenwald, Of
course?"
I could simply utter half-audible
''yes." and prepared to walk beside
him to the sleigh which had stopped
below.
This is a real Christmas night he
began as we proceeded, "a real Ger
man Christmas" He smiled in a
ouiet way. Then he helped me into
the sleigh and slowly assembled the
hill. The position blew another lied,
on old soldier lied, one that my father
/ lad whistled and with recruits sing
when they have been levied and
march through the streets with color
ed ribbons on their caps,-a lied, of
which I knew only the melody and the
first strope:
''Was gruszt so traulich aus der Ferne,
Das liebe teure Vaterhaus?"
| He placed the twig in his mouth and
bit it, as of experiencing some physi-
cal pain which he wished in this way
to suppress, and turning to me, he
said with q smile: "a German cannot
| forget home-longings, even if his
country has cast him off and given
lin stones instead of bread. My God,
it is all just as it once was, it is snow
ing Just the same, and the three soil
tary frs are still standing upon the
heights! Position, if it be possible.
cease your blast, one can renew one ;
youth, one can forget that One-that
one
The position put down his horn and
turned in establishment to stare at US.
Pardon me. Fraulein Won Stern
berg" my neighbor turned to me,
there are moments when it is difficult
for the soul to retain it's equilibrium.
Pay no heed to me if I utter senti-
mental nonsense, but do not laugh at
me either!"
"Why should laugh asked. Il
never laugh at any one who loves b $
native land"
''You know then that this is my
homer"
| grew suddenly bold, and ventured
to give utterance to my thoughts. q
should think so. Herr Robert Nord-
mann [ looked at him as spoke,
and my heart throbbed wildly.
He turned pale face towards me.
Explain to me how you know this?"
he asked.
"Ah, I beg of you," laughed I, II
hear daily about this Robert. Every
night I hear an old woman's lips pray
fervently that the good Lord may
guard him and bring him back; every
morning I am told: See, Anneliese
he drank out of this cup, and see, he
made these dents in this spoon with
his teeth; he ate his first apple off this
apple-tree, and once | boxed his ears
for putting the old cats grandmother
in his boat and sailing it in the mill
pond. And, Anneliese, look, he carved
this for me, and this poem he re-
peated once as a New Years greeting;
and, Anneliese, this is the cap he
wore the day before he went away
never to return And this is how he
looked Then there was the like
ness! Then some one stood at Ham
chen's grave with just such brown
hair, and such eyes as cousin is con-
stantly describing sir, do you
think it requires great penetration
for the discovery"
He made no answer, he merely
smiled to himself
zone thing only is not clear to me"
II continued "and that is YOUR uni